by Martha Carr
Leira shuddered. “I assume the end to that story is not pretty. Wait, did I hear you say a name?”
“Rhazdon…The darkest practitioner of magic Oriceran ever knew and wiped from the planet about eight hundred years ago.”
“Isn’t that the guy whose artifacts are all piled in the Gnomes’ vault?”
“One and the same. Whoever created that spell appears to be as powerful as Rhazdon. If that’s true it’s very bad news.” Turner looked grim as he slowly shook his head. “Took everything we had to defeat Rhazdon and even then, there were a lot of casualties.”
“Like the old king of Oriceran. Your friend I understand.”
“Very bad shit sometimes happens. Come on, that’s more than enough for today. I’ll make you a sandwich. Magical energy pulls on resources. Good idea to put them back.”
“You know I’m going to do something about what I saw, right?” Go in first, ask questions if I really have to.
“Understood. Come back here for lessons every morning. The magic feels you have a chance to take whomever this is but you will need to be absolutely sure of that before you come face.”
“You’re thinking a confrontation is a done deal.”
“The magic inside of you is certain of it.”
“Then I’ll get ready.”
***
“Okay, don’t screw it up this time, Mara. No more rips in a portal.” Mara flexed her fingers and shook them at her sides. She was more nervous than she was willing to admit. “Has to be done. I have to go back and finish what I started.”
Mara stood in the middle of her new living room and conjured a glowing ball of light between her hands as her eyes began to glow. Eireka was out at the grocery store and wouldn’t be back for a couple of hours. “No time like the present.”
Mara said a spell she remembered from four years ago and thought about ever since the world in between sucked her inside. “Ramanna.”
The light expanded and let out a sharp electrical snap, opening up a portal big enough for Mara to cross through to Oriceran. She stepped into the royal gardens behind the Light Castle and breathed a sigh of relief. “I still have it.” She set out quickly for the main road to head into town and the cottages that lined the center of town.
“He has to still be there,” she muttered, picking up her pace. “I didn’t sacrifice all of this crap to fail now.”
The smell of the flowers brought tears to her eyes and memories flooded back to her. “Not now old girl.” Still, she reached out a hand as she passed a vine growing through a low fence and sang to it, watching it sway with each note, opening its flowers. “I’ve missed all of this.”
A horse drawn cart passed her and the driver slowed, looking down to see if Mara wanted a ride. “Sure! Why the hell not?” She handed the driver an old gold coin she fished out of her belongings from storage. Thank goodness my granddaughter didn’t go through everything.
It didn’t take long for her to get settled into a seat and the driver to get gently moving again. Finally, I will see you again.
***
The boardroom was on the top floor of one of the taller buildings in New York City down in the financial district. Charlie Monaghan had flown in the attendees who saw the portal open for an unexpected opportunity. The group was gathered on a rented-out floor of the Mark Hotel on the east side of Central Park near 5th Avenue till it was time for the meeting. They were whisked out the back in dark Lincolns and taken to the private entrance with its own elevator. It was essential that no one in the media catch wind of the gathering. The gossip on social media would have started immediately. That would have been fine but they couldn’t risk the wrong people making the right connections and speculating about the agenda.
Not a chance someone figures this one out. Charlie was still having some trouble believing all of it himself. A second fucking portal opened!
A portal opened up in his house in Virginia, unbidden and a tall frozen beast stepped out of nowhere followed by a woman wearing a flowing gown holding out a thin wooden stick. The woman explained she was a witch and the beast was a Crystal man. Both of them were part of a larger group and they wanted to make a deal. That much he understood.
He was instructed to gather his tribe and set a location at a certain date and time. The prophets would find the location on their own and come with the proposal. No, he wasn’t going to learn the details beforehand. A tough negotiation only got Charlie more interested in looking for the angles.
Charlie watched the door and glanced back at the open space in the room, not sure where the prophets would make their entrance. He looked at his watch. One minute to go.
The fifteen men and women sat around a large mahogany table, some nervously shifting in their seats or tapping on the table. They all knew what was supposed to happen next and weren’t sure if they believed it. This is my tribe. Charlie let out a ‘tsk’ but said nothing. Whatever it takes to get a good deal.
At the appointed time, sparks crackled in the air and lightning flashed in the open space. Charlie sat back in amazement, gasping as he smiled broadly. “Here we go!”
A portal opened and a delegation of five prophets stepped through into the boardroom, all wearing their dark blue robes. Earth’s constellations immediately appeared across their backs in perfect alignment with where they stood.
The people seated around the table gasped as they stared at the pixie, the Crystal, the Kilomea, the Light Elf and the Gnome prophets. At the last moment the Witch stepped through, pulling out her wand as she landed on the thick carpet.
“You half expect one of them to say, we come in peace,” snickered one of the men. The Kilomea grunted and glared at the man as his face lost all expression and he turned ashen. Another man’s hand trembled as he picked up his coffee cup, sloshing the coffee as he maneuvered the cup to his lips.
The group stayed standing in the spot where they entered the room except for the witch who went and stood by the door. She murmured something under her breath, casting a spell that caused anyone approaching the door to lose interest and wander off aimlessly for a minute or two.
“Get it out of your system,” said the Gnome. “We understand this is a lot to take in. Nanoo, nanoo anyone?” There was a ripple of laughter as the Gnome smiled. “That’s better. We’re here to make a deal. An exercise you’re already very familiar with, and we want everyone to walk away feeling like they got something for their time. Let me start by saying, we already know you’re well aware of our existence. But we’ve known about all of you for millennia.” The Gnome stood silently, his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the murmur to die down in the room. Charlie hushed the few remaining whispers.
“We won’t be staying long so we ask that you listen and save your questions. We won’t be answering them at this time.” The Gnome glanced sideways at the table. “We’re here to offer you knowledge about magic and how it works. We know you’re hunting artifacts and relics. It’s a good idea. The gates will start to open and when they do the magic will increase. Practitioners will find it tempting to rely on it more and more, despite any rules. That’s right, there are rules. But I’m sure some of you have broken a few rules for the greater good. Whatever that is. Of course, we want something in return…”
Here we go, thought Charlie. Our side of the bargain.
A woman closest to the Crystal prophet watched in amazement as snowflakes scattered to the ground with every breath the Crystal let out.
“We want assistance helping our people emigrate to this world. Let me be clear. It’s happening one way or another. Either you get something out of the deal and welcome us, making for a smoother transition. Or you get to know your new neighbors over time and watch us perform magic while you’re completely in the dark. Either way, we both go on with our lives but a little knowledge might go a long way for your side and a basket of muffins and a smile will ease concerns our people may have.”
“People? Those are people?” someone whispered. The Wit
ch by the door raised her wand in the general direction of the table but Charlie grimaced and patted the air.
“Seems reasonable,” he said, getting out of his chair. The Kilomea let out a low grumble. “I’ll stay right here.” Charlie’s smile was strained but still in place. “Make a list of the areas you’re most interested in and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you. Do you have an idea of how many Oricerans plan to emigrate to Earth?”
“Not at this time,” said the Gnome, giving away nothing. He nodded to the Witch who swirled her wand in the air producing an arch of papers cascading down to the boardroom table, neatly landing in one pile in front of Charlie. “Our list… and our first lesson about magic. It’s all there. Think of that as a taste of what’s to come and a goodwill gesture to all of you. A primer on how to successfully use an artifact without turning yourself to ash.”
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up as he realized what could have happened in his library with Langston. He placed a hand on top of the pile of papers and did his best to keep smiling.
“That will come in handy as you gather artifacts. Oh, and one more bonus. There’s the longitude and latitude for an artifact in there as well. A present from us to you. I thought that would lift your spirits.” The Gnome nodded to the witch and she moved back to the group as the Kilomea opened the portal. Moments later they were gone in a shower of sparks.
Charlie greedily rifled through the papers looking for the directions to the artifact. He glanced at the passing pages noting the steps the prophets wanted to help humans adjust to the new populations of magical people. It covered a wide variety of areas. To be expected.
At last he found them toward the bottom of the stack. Wyoming. Unexpected but so much the better. Practically local. He looked up at the woman peering over his shoulder. “We should send a team with one of the professors we hired. Where there’s one there will probably be others. The race is on but we now have some juice.”
“Do you think they’re going to tell us much?” It was the ashen CEO who flew in from England.
“Hell, no. They’re probably giving us the kindergarten edition. Not the good stuff.”
“Everyone wants to get their shovel in the sand. They’re just using a different kind of shovel.”
“Well said, it’s time we got to digging first and faster.”
***
“Did you get all that? That was some crazy ass shit! Prophets from another planet!” The PDF agent ripped the headphones off, leaning back against the inside of the white van. It was parked just across the street listening to the meeting. The bug Lois managed to plant was paying off. They were starting to learn all the players.
“Who are the prophets? What the hell was that about?” asked the driver, turning in his seat. “They had a full-on encounter of the fourth kind in downtown Manhattan. Who does that?”
Alan Cohen looked at the two men and sat back, pondering what to do next. Magical beings want to emigrate to this world. Alan rubbed the day-old growth on his chin. Time to tell Leira Berens before this grows much bigger.
CHAPTER NINE
Leira stood in front of the virtual screen pointing at the different symbols and reading off the information for the people standing around her. “There’s another young Wizard who’s gone missing from Ohio. Fifteen years old, heading home from a game of basketball. Gone for three days.”
The lessons with Turner Underwood were paying off. She was getting a better understanding of how magic worked as well as growing more confident. Magic was simple but not easy. Letting go without knowing where things were headed was not Leira’s usual way of doing business.
She was surrounded by the other members of the federal task force, including Hagan and Alan Cohen.
“The common thread all eleven Witches and Wizards have in common is they’re young and involved in dark magic.”
Hagan flipped through a file. “According to the case file, the dalliance with dark magic goes back generations. They’re legacy stupid.”
Alan Cohen made a note on his smart phone to look into the background of the latest missing kid. “That’s something when dark Wizards and Witches are willing to come to us for help.”
“Being a parent overrides even darkness,” said Hagan.
“Most of the time.” Leira pointed at the symbols and walked over to the map on the wall. “Anyone notice another fun fact? They’re in clusters. Phoenix, Arizona has three. Two were in Santa Monica. Two in Austin and three more outside of Richmond, Virginia. Now this one in Ohio. Something about those locations.” Her eyes narrowed as she put the pieces together. “Kemanas,” she whispered.
“What?” Hagan shook his head.
“Kemanas! They’ve all got big ass kemanas. Large sources of magical powers. Of course they do. They draw magical communities of every kind. Light and dark. Could be someone is targeting them.”
“Are we sure they’re victims of a crime? I’m not convinced they’re all connected yet. Can I see that?” He held out his hand for the file.
“The parents have a way of tracking their magical children at all times. It’s like a trail that none of those kids are smart enough to be able to hide. It takes really advanced magic. But the trails are gone. Nothing there.” Leira paced in front of the screen. Something was adding up but she didn’t like the answer. Even for practitioners of dark magic. They were still kids.
“They may have gotten taken into the world in between.” She saw the confused faces on the newer team members Mark and Gail. “It’s like a netherworld between Earth and Oriceran. Magical people and the dead can get trapped there but it’s not really a destination. There’s no real there, there, and getting out is just this side of impossible.”
“Till a couple weeks ago it was considered completely impossible.” Hagan hitched up his pants, grimacing.
“If it is this thing how do we stop it? Doesn’t look like there’s anything for us to do here.” Gail’s dark brown ponytail bobbed with each word. “I want to help,” she said in a determined tone, “but I don’t know how to battle that thing.”
“You heard about what happened with the dark mist, didn’t you? By now, the story must be pretty hairy and it doesn’t help that it probably doesn’t even do it justice. Says a lot of good things about the two of you that you still agreed to sign on to this task force. Humans add a lot to the equation.” Leira glanced over at Hagan.
“We’ve managed to keep our planet spinning on our own all this time and created a few cool gadgets along the way.” Cohen pointed at the virtual screen. “That’s mostly us with a little magical help but less than you think.”
Hagan interrupted, clearing his throat. “We haven’t relied on magic all these years. We all became detectives because even among humans we have this weird talent to put pieces together from random places and make up a plausible storyline.” He shrugged. “Valuable.”
Leira gave him a crooked smile and looked back up at the screen for more information. “All that being said, there’s plenty we can do,” she said, without turning back to the group. “We don’t know for sure who or what is taking them so we keep digging till we are. Magical or non-magical, they’re citizens and they’re kids and their well-being is our responsibility.”
“Mark and I will head to Ohio and see what we can find. Interview some parents and work on getting them to lend a hand or a wand. Maybe we can get ahead of this thing.” Alan nodded at Mark. “Leira, can you get a complete list of the kemanas in America? Gives us a place to start.”
“I can do that. Looks like we have a starting place. Hagan and Gail and I will monitor the different groups all trying to find the necklace and every other magical knickknack out there.”
“This job finally has a little heat.” Hagan pulled up his pants, his voice excited.
“I’m buying you a belt for Christmas. Better yet a new pair of pants.” Leira took the file back from Alan. He seemed to want to say something. Leira waited but he just nodded and turned to go, quickly crossing
the warehouse to catch up with Mark.
“That was weird.”
“Only if you’re blind. He’s got a thing for you.” Gail smiled. “You were right, Hagan. Our skills do come in handy.” She gave a smirk, her hands on her hips. “He’s the hottest catch to come along in a while, too.”
“Not on my list of priorities.” Leira could feel her face warming. “First one is stop a magical hoarding war, second one is to get back the biggest artifact out there and third is a bunch of missing magical kids. No room to even put anything else in there.” She tapped the side of her head.
“Okay, I get it. No worries over here. Dropping the subject. Going to go monitor the corporate Indiana Jones wannabes the old-fashioned way on my computer. At my desk. Way over there.” She arched an eyebrow and smiled with one side of her mouth before heading to her desk.
“You know, he’s not half bad. Even I noticed, which is saying something. Normally for me to notice a guy he’s got to be carrying a football or a doughnut. Either one’ll do. I’m just sayin.” Hagan headed back to his desk across the open warehouse.
“Stop saying. I don’t pee where I swim.” Leira shook her head.
“Never liked that saying, Berens.”
Leira let out a sigh and sat down on one of the couches. “Singleness of purpose. Catch magical bad guys and learn more magic before big badass shows up. Sunday dinners with family. My dance card is full,” she muttered.
She looked back up at the screen and had an idea. She centered herself and invited in the magic letting it spill out of her onto the screen, speeding up the information.
“Plenty about artifacts, nothing about those kids.” Her eyes tracked the symbols as she read out loud. “Vanished into thin air.” She looked down at the ground, determined to come up with the start of a plan. “Dammit. Not a good sign. This is bullshit. They have to be somewhere.”
CHAPTER TEN
Donald pulled into the parking lot of Forest Creek apartments tucked back from the frontage road near I-35 and found a parking space halfway down. He looked in the rearview mirror and checked his teeth before getting out of the car, smoothing down the front of his shirt. At the last minute, he remembered to reach back into the car for the bouquet of yellow daisies. Eireka’s favorite flower.