by Lance, C. M.
Arthur waved her down. "Please. I think you'll want to see this."
He nodded to Rick as Meredith resettled herself in the chair.
Rick stood and looked at Sig. His amber eyes glowed, flaring almost neon yellow. He blurred, as if enveloped in smoke. He appeared to fold in upon himself and then expand in different dimensions. Bones clicked and tendons popped. Rick moaned once. It looked painful.
The blur clarified. Where a muscular young man had been, there now stood an enormous wolf. Over four feet tall at the shoulder, its fur was the same medium brown and its eyes the same amber as Rick's. The baggy athletic sweats he'd been wearing lay piled at his feet. Sig realized they were tear-away like basketball players wore.
The wolf stood as if it owned the room. Its head and eyes moved slowly between Sig, Meredith, and Arthur. It sat and nodded its head while staring at Sig. Sig waggled the tip of his sword and flexed his muscles.
Arthur chuckled. "Alright, before either one of you decides to mark your territory, why don't you change back and have a seat?"
Sig clutched the amulet and muttered "Koma aftur." The wolf picked up the clothes in his jaws and trotted out of the room. Moments later, Rick returned in human form and sat on the couch.
Sig sat on the hearth. "That's a big wolf."
"Yeah, we'd make a good pair at a Halloween party—a boy and his dog—supersize."
"Have you been a werewolf long?"
"All my life. My mother and father were Weres. It's inherited."
"I guess we're both members of the lucky sperm club."
Sig stuck his fist out and after a hesitation; Rick bumped his fist.
"I'd like to look at the farm across the street today. From what you've described, it should be interesting and there may be important clues about your attacker," Arthur said.
"What do we need?"
Arthur smiled. "With a wizard, a werewolf, and a Battle Wizard; I think we have everything we need."
Rick sprang to his feet. "Let's get after it."
Arthur stood and smiled at Sig. "You'll get used to his impulsiveness. It's characteristic of the werewolf. Nevertheless, if you want something done—you know where to turn."
He'd remember that. It would be nice to have a real life action figure around.
Rick led the way out, but stopped on the porch. Flames engulfed the roof of the barn across the road and flared from the windows of the farmhouse that stood 100 foot beyond.
"We have to free the animals!" Rick said.
Sig grabbed his arm, "We set them free. I don't think anyone has been around to put them back."
"Someone set the fire."
Meredith, Sig's mom, who had followed them out to the porch turned back to the house. "I'll call the fire department."
†††
That afternoon Sig, Arthur, and Rick approached the ruin. The barn roof and walls had collapsed into a charred and blackened heap. Half of the farmhouse remained standing.
"I guess there isn't much to examine now," Sig said.
Arthur gave a grim smile. "I want to examine what someone tried to conceal with this fire." He strode across the road and vaulted the fence. Sig and Rick followed.
The tall wizard walked to the edge of the barn remnants and raised his arms wide. Muttering incomprehensible words, he brought his palms together before placing the edge of his hands against his forehead. He stood like that for a moment, and then shook his head. His lips curled as from a nauseous smell.
Rick looked concerned. "What did you see?"
"Dark magic."
"Used here?"
"It has been used and is still active. Can you see the aura rising and enveloping it?"
"I'm a werewolf. I don't do that."
"I see heat waves rising," Sig said.
Rick looked him. "The fire is out. What does it look like?"
"The air shimmers over what's left of the barn. There are faint shades of purple, red, and green."
Arthur looked sideways at Sig. "Yes, that's what I see when I use magic to view it on the second plane."
"What does it mean?"
"I don't know, Rick. Sig, what you described before has the characteristics of a sorcerer's circle inlaid in the floor of the barn."
"What can it do?"
"It opens dark portals to other dimensions. What we're seeing may be residuals from what happened here. I hope to hell that it wasn't left open."
Rick reacted to that. "Hope to hell? That's not funny. If it is a black sorcerer's circle, that's what's on the other side of it."
"Let's look at the farmhouse. There is more remaining to inspect." Arthur led the way and Rick followed closely.
Sig paused to examine the barn before he hurried to catch up. He had an uncomfortable feeling. Evil smells came more frequently since Grampa showed up. He could now discern differences, like Mom talked about with wine aromas. However, these weren't pleasant.
Halfway to the farmhouse, cracking and tearing sounds from behind made him stop and look back.
Expecting to see the barn collapsing further, instead, he saw charred beams thrust upward to tumble aside as a horned head on a long sinuous neck shoved through blackened wreckage. Pieces fell from the head as it rose twelve feet into the air. The neck undulated as the creature's body slithered over beams and pushed roof panels aside. It moved away from them. Sig hoped it would keep going.
Arthur muttered "Basilisk". It halted and swung its dragon-like head in their direction. Gapping jaws revealed dagger-like fangs.
Arthur shouted, "Get behind me. Its gaze is deadly!" He motioned with his hand in the direction of the Basilisk and a large opaque shield formed, hanging in air in front of them.
Hidden behind the shield, Sig heard a rumbling hiss. Over the top of the shield, wings spread upward from the Basilisk's head as it reared higher. Crunching and grinding sounds signaled that the monster slithered across the rubble toward them. It drove its head at them, slamming the shield into Arthur. He fell backward, into Sig and Rick. They fell and the shield dropped on them. The horned head drew back for another strike.
Sig grabbed his amulet and growled, "Aðalbrandr." As he grew, he grasped the shield and stood, raising it to continue shielding them from the basilisk's eyes. Arthur lay unconscious at Sig's feet. Rick, in wolf shape, crouched beside him growling.
The basilisk struck, but a nine-foot tall battle wizard now wielded the shield. The basilisk bounced back and lunged again. Sig pushed against the shield, lifting the horned head higher. Holding the shield with his left arm, he unsheathed his sword and hacked at the scaled body.
Aðalbrandr struck sparks as it bounced back, knocking chunks from the armored scales, but doing little damage. The beast drew away and then, with a roar, slammed into the shield again, pushing Sig back. He slashed and stabbed at the creature, but his sword rebound with every stroke. A quick glance revealed that Arthur was still unconscious and Rick was gone.
The next time the basilisk struck, Sig angled the shield. The beast's head slid to the side, and smashed into the dirt two feet from Arthur.
Sig threw the shield on top of Arthur and grabbed a horn as the basilisk's head climbed again into the sky. It dragged him into the air. Using that momentum, Sig swung up behind the head.
He clung to the horn while his legs tightened to grip the brute's neck like a bronco rider. The basilisk whipped its head back and forth to dislodge him. Holding on only with his legs, he shoved Aðalbrandr underneath the steely scales, seeking a vital organ. The giant creature thrashed more violently, then shrieked, and slammed back into the ground on top of him.
Almost dislodged, Sig grabbed the horn again and clung tenaciously as the beast crashed into the ground. Between crushing slams, Sig stabbed under the armored plates. He felt a full body migraine coming on.
Finally, a collision with the ground knocked Aðalbrandr loose. Sig grabbed both horns and pulled the basilisk's head back and up, trying to break its neck. Head dragged skyward; the basilisk stopped slam
ming him to the ground.
Now that he had it, what was he supposed to do with it?
He couldn't break its neck and he couldn't hold on forever. His arms ached and the monster continued to pull and weave back and forth.
Rick shouted, "Let it go, let him look down!"
Sig looked around the writhing head. Rick stood below with a large square mirror in his hands, which he thrust toward the basilisk.
"Free his head."
Sig let go of the horns and threw his arms around the neck.
The monster's head swung toward Rick.
It ceased moving. Sig felt the neck harden. It teetered before it tilted, gained momentum, and struck the ground with a resounding crack. Sig somersaulted off, grabbed Aðalbrandr from where it had landed, and rolled to his feet, just in time to see the basilisk crumble into rubble.
Rick laughed as he set the mirror down. "It worked, it worked! It must have worked; I'm alive. You're alive." He fell to his knees still laughing. "Alive."
Sig stared as the basilisk crumbled, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces, that turned to dust. The light breeze carrying wisps of the deadly monster away fascinated him. He wrenched himself out of his daze when he remembered the Professor.
Sig raised the shield. Arthur lay motionless. Sig dropped to a knee and felt Arthur's chest. It moved. Rick crawled over next to them. "Crap. I forgot. Is he alive?"
"Yes. He's still breathing."
Rick shook him. "Arthur, wake up."
"Don't move him! You could hurt him."
Rick snatched his hand back. Arthur moaned and his swollen eyes slitted open. Then he looked around frantically. "Where is it?"
Rick put his hand on his shoulder, "It's OK. The basilisk is gone. Thankfully I paid attention in at least one class."
"What did you do?" Sig asked.
"The basilisk's stare is deadly to every living thing, including itself. I ripped a mirror off a dresser in the farmhouse. I held it up and shouted at that bad boy. Seeing itself in the mirror, it turned to stone, and then crumbled."
Arthur struggled to sit up. "Excellent. That is the essence of pass-fail. Pass and you live."
"The basilisk is turning to dust and blowing away."
As Sig assisted him to his feet, Arthur said, "When the monster dies, it disassembles and returns to the Hell from which it was summoned. We need to close the portal before anything else emerges."
"How do we close it?"
"We have to destroy the Sorcerer's circle. The Dark Wizard must have left it open before he set fire to the barn. A vicious parting gift, perhaps planning that whatever comes out of it will attack you across the road."
Rick looked at the collapsed, burnt structure. "If that didn't close it what will?"
"We need to destroy the key sigils in the circle."
"In case you haven't noticed, it's buried under a lot of barn."
Sig said. "We need the tractor." He changed form and sprinted across the road.
†††
Sig drove the tractor around to the side of the barn where he and Mom had seen the portal ring and began to move debris with the backhoe.
Halfway to uncovering the inscribed floor he paused as an uncomfortable feeling with a new smell swept over him. Rubble thrust up and a spider as large as a Great Dane crawled out.
Sig was prepared when it crawled out. He crushed it with the backhoe bucket, but others teemed from the wreckage. The spiders were too quick for the backhoe so he sprang down, changing shape as he did. Wielding Aðalbrandr, he hacked at spiders as they burst forth. Rick, in wolf shape, darted after one that got away. He grabbed the spider by the leg, shook it like a rat, flipped it over, and ripped out its underbelly.
Arthur joined in. He made a throwing motion and a flaming orb shot from his hand. A spider, about to jump on Rick's back, turned into an eight-legged torch, scrambling across the scorched remains of the barn. It ran into a fence post and dropped to the ground. Flames licked at the fence railing.
Spiders swarmed out of the wreckage faster than Sig could slay them. As Arthur ignited a spider, another jumped on his back, knocking him to his knees. With a backhand sweep, Sig sliced it in half before its emerald green fangs, slimy with venom, could sink into the wizard. The wizard blasted a spider off Sig's shoulder a moment later.
Sig and Aðalbrandr took the brunt of the attack. He spun, stabbed, and slashed, like a steel whirlwind as spiders fountained from the remains of the barn. Rick had his back, grabbing any arachnid that got past him.
Arthur watched for any that managed to escape. After he blasted them, they scampered in circles until flames ate away their legs.
Sig dispatched the last spider and spun, evaluating the scene. Spider carcasses surrounded him. Another half a dozen husks smoldered in the barnyard and four flaming spiders wobbled erratically until their legs folded.
Obviously eight legs made drop and roll impossible.
Rick disemboweled his last victim and looked around for more, his muzzle covered in yellow-green spider gore. His faced had the wrinkled-lip look of a dog sprayed by a skunk. He changed back to human form. "Wow, what a team." He turned slowly tallying the carnage. "Jeez, there must be 50 of them. Did any get away?"
Arthur shook his head. "No, we got them all. Let's get this rubble cleared so we can shut the portal before anything less pleasant comes through."
Sig curled his lip. "Less pleasant?"
Arthur shrugged and they attacked the barn remains with renewed vigor, Sig on the backhoe, dug into the detritus, while Arthur blasted larger pieces into smaller, easier to move pieces. As they uncovered the floor, the center of the sorcerer's circle mounded up. As it rose, it turned grayish purple with green and red lights flickering across its surface. Then it collapsed, pulsed, and mounded again. Arthur urged them to dig faster.
Sig didn't need encouragement. Thoughts of battling something less pleasant drove him.
When they exposed three quarters of the inlaid form, Arthur signaled a stop. "Desist, I see enough." He pointed at three of the inlaid emblems. "Chop those out and it will shut down. Quickly now."
The circle mounded again, higher this time, and emitted a high-pitched whine that turned into a gargling roar.
Sig clawed at one of the forms with the hoe bucket while Rick attacked another with an axe from the tool shed. The mound's pulsing slowed. It stopped with the destruction of the third emblem.
Rick leaned on the axe handle, "We finished it before anything else nasty materialized."
Arthur nodded, turned, and limped across the road. Over his shoulder he said, "At least nothing that we could see."
Sig and Rick exchanged looks. "Maybe we shouldn't tell Mom about this."
Rick motioned with his head, "There she is on the porch. Do you suppose that she can't see four-foot tall, flaming spiders from there? Should we start whistling a happy tune?"
Sig groaned.
With ears pricked forward, Czar stood beside Meredith. As the men approached, a low growl rumbled. He slunk away, looking back at them with a snarl. The men reeked of burnt barn and portal scents, redolent of rotten eggs and worse. Since she couldn't slink away, Meredith suggested they shower immediately, while she threw their disgusting clothes in the washer. She'd wait for an update until they washed away the nauseating odors.
Over an early supper, they gathered to discuss the day's events. Meredith listened quietly, with her jaw clenched. She kept her hands on the table as they talked, but when they finished she slammed them down. "I can't believe what has been going on across the road; and we had no idea. Zombies, basilisks, snakes, giant spiders; all arranged by a Dark Wizard. Are we blind?"
Arthur raised his hands. "Meredith, the magically attuned have operated outside of humanity's perceptions for thousands of years. You are no different from millions of people in the world who have encountered, but not seen, magic. Partly, it comes from learned stealth, and partly from the need of those viewing to not believe."
"They kill
ed my husband, Sig's father and got away with it. No telling what else has happened—and no one had a clue."
"If it comforts you, look outside. We've just battled and defeated one of the most deadly beasts known to man, the basilisk. Then we fought giant spiders, which turned into scampering torches. No one ventured to investigate while the carcasses slowly faded back to whence they came. No police, no fire trucks. It's like Sig's disposal of the zombies. It happens, but no one is aware. The world changes, but remains the same."
"We're investigating those phenomena at the University. Why do the non-magical ignore the obvious?" Turning to Arthur Rick continued, "The events here should be an excellent case study. Perhaps it will give us an opportunity to publish."
Arthur bestowed him with a thin-lipped smile. "Unfortunately the university credo, 'Publish or Perish' can become 'Publish and Perish' if the topic involves Black Magic. We have to be very selective about what we reveal. A Dark Sorcerer will be extremely sensitive to exposure. Perhaps we should consider publishing posthumously."
"Posthumously—for the Sorcerer or for me?"
Arthur shrugged and imitated flipping a coin.
Rick frowned.
Arthur turned to Meredith. "I spoke to the lady I mentioned, the one who can assist you in learning about your powers. She will be here the day after tomorrow. I apologize for being hasty, but I feel you should at least talk with her."
"Who is she?"
"A practitioner, like me. She is also a professor of economics at the University. Prescience is amazingly useful in that field of study. She is currently on sabbatical, so has a bit of free time. She is interested in your case and agreed to come for a consultation. Anything beyond that depends upon mutual agreement. If she doesn't feel she can help, or if you don't want her assistance, she will leave. At least take it as an opportunity to learn."
"After my lectures to Sig that an untrained talent is a wasted talent; what can I say except that I look forward to talking to her?" Sometimes preaching can turn around and bite you in the ass.
Sig smiled at her.