by Simone Pond
“Is this date correct?” I asked the older man.
“It’s a month old. But close enough.”
I took hold of Asher’s arm and pulled him away from the table. “Three years have passed since Rhapsody Grove,” I whispered.
Wait! If three years had passed since Cagliostro had transported me to that desert dimension, that meant I was twenty-four years old—and still a virgin. I could tolerate being a Protector of Light as my destiny, but I refused to die a virgin!
I leaned over and whispered to Asher, “As soon as we’re done here, you and I need to talk. Like privately.”
He took the pamphlet and read the date. “Well, that explains a lot.”
“What is it, honey?” my mother asked.
“We’ve been gone for three years. How is that possible?” I said.
The younger man stood up from behind the table, giving us a serious glare. “Everything okay over there?” He was obviously getting suspicious.
Soraya stepped forward, sweeping her curly brown hair over her shoulder in an attempt to flirt. “We’re just trying to get our bearings, gentlemen.”
Kaila joined her, smiling sweetly, although she looked more insane than attractive.
Soraya continued talking. “We’ve been on the road for weeks. We’re just a little overwhelmed. So much has happened.” She was a good actress.
I moved away from the men and let Soraya work her feminine magic.
Asher whispered in my ear, “It’s not safe here.”
“I kinda got that,” I joked.
“We should get back to the house, grab Aaron, and get out of the city ASAP.”
“Don’t you want to get more information?”
“Not from these guys.”
Suddenly, my senses began picking up something. It wasn’t supernatural, but something didn’t feel right.
“We have enough information.” Asher held up that ludicrous pamphlet.
Cagliostro’s beady black eyes stared back at me. His thick dark hair was slicked back in a wave, and he wore a suit, which made him look too debonair to be standing in a field of poppies with a bunch of children and animals. Why couldn’t anyone see how awkward he looked trying to force an inviting smile? He had to be using mind control on the entire country, tricking them into believing he was their savior. Talk about false advertising.
The men at the table kept glancing over at Asher and me.
“We just want to get some water and food,” my mother told them.
“And we’ll be on our way,” my father added.
The older man in the sunglasses backed down a bit. My father had that effect on people. He was a force to be reckoned with, even without exerting much effort.
“We’ve got a few gallons of water. And about two dozen eggs.”
“We’ll take it.” My father stepped forward to complete the transaction. “How much?”
The men stared at us in awe. “You really have been out of touch!”
We all looked at each other, trying to understand what was going on.
I stepped forward. “What’s the problem?”
The older man lifted his sunglasses and eyed me carefully. “No problem, miss.”
“Well, I’d like to complete this transaction so we can move on. I’m sure you understand.” I used my most serious and commanding tone.
“Sure thing. Just need to see your seal.”
Seal? What the hell was he talking about? I couldn’t ask, I had already asked too many questions. Any more and they’d surely be onto us, if they weren’t already. I went along, hoping I could pull it off. “We want to just do a straight-up trade. We have some weapons. Metal.”
“You know the rules, can’t buy or sell without the seal …”
The younger guy grabbed Soraya’s arm and lifted her sleeve, exposing her bare skin. Then he yanked Kaila and examined her arm. He yelled out, “They’re impure ones!”
That sick feeling that had been festering in my gut exploded. A rowdy group of five to ten men and women—all wearing long trench coats and sunglasses—barreled out of one of the nearby shops and began marching toward us.
We held out our only weapons—the random tools we had found at my house—and edged backward toward the middle of Fillmore.
“We’re fucked!” Saul grumbled.
“They’re human,” I told them. “They don’t have any supernatural powers.”
“They’re still dangerous!” Kaila shouted.
The two men began to chant, “Impures! Enemies! Infiltrators!”
The others joined in, holding up their bats and clubs and coming in our direction like a pack of hungry wolves.
“I think now might be a good time to use your baton,” I told Asher.
“Rod,” he corrected as he slowly removed it from his waistband.
Originally, we didn’t want to use it and risk anyone from the Shadow Order tracking us down, but if he didn’t do something, that gang of trench coat-wearing zombies was going to thrash us to death.
Asher extended the rod and tapped the ground, making waves in the cement. The rabble-rousers wobbled and swayed, trying to stay balanced.
“They’re using the black arts!” one of them yelled.
“They’re evil!” another shouted.
They had it all backwards. We were the good guys. We were the Protectors of Light. How had things gotten so screwed up?
“Get ’em!” another one called out to the group.
We took off down Fillmore and rounded a corner, heading back to my house. But they were still trailing us. Asher stopped and smashed the rod into the cement, causing the street to split down the middle. The group of trench coats toppled over, some fell into the deep crevice, while others ran away, still shouting, evil, they’re evil!
nine
We hurried back to my house and barricaded the front door with pieces of broken furniture just in case any more of those nut jobs came out of the woodwork. As I was shoving over one of the bookshelves, I noticed a familiar scent lingering in the air: leather, a hint of scotch and matchsticks. I stopped and turned around, following the trail into the living room to find good old Detective Rocco.
I ran over to the big fellow and wrapped my arms around him so hard that he coughed.
“You’re alive!” I said.
“Barely, Farrow. Barely.”
“What about Charlotte and Lilith? Not that I care about Lilith, but I know Charlotte does. And what about Julian? Is everyone okay? What has Cagliostro done?”
He gave me a wry grin. “Relax, Farrow. One question at a time.”
I took a second to settle myself and with a little more composure, I asked the most important question first: “Where is Charlotte?”
“I’m not sure,” he said.
“Not sure?” I shouted.
The other Protectors entered the living room, scoping out the commotion. Rocco glanced over, acknowledging them with a curt nod, but continued explaining, “Right before the hurricane to end all hurricanes took the East Coast, I got Charlotte and Lilith to my buddy, Drake. He said he’d copter them to safety. I’m sure they’re fine.”
Though it wasn’t the confirmation I was seeking, I felt a twinge of relief. Charlotte was smart and she had the power to heal, so I trusted she was okay.
Before I had a chance to inquire about Julian, Kaila ran over. “What about Julian? Is he okay?”
Rocco stared out the window a second, then turned back to Kaila. “Cagliostro’s got five of the bloodlines. He’s still looking for me. And he still needs Farrow’s.”
“Well, he knew where I was—I mean, he sent me to that crap dimension—so why didn’t he just come get me?” I huffed.
“He wants to find your Scroll first. He knows without it, you’ll be too much of a pain in the ass.” Rocco grinned.
“He’s got that right!” I said with probably a little too much hubris, but I was beyond ready to end that son-of-a-bitch.
“We have to go find Julian!” Kaila said.
Jeff came over and whispered into her ear, then reached out to shake Rocco’s hand. “I’m Jeff Slater, and this is my highly overprotective wife, Kaila. Obviously, Julian’s parents.”
“He’s a good kid. And he’s still alive. Cagliostro needs all of us alive,” Rocco assured the couple.
Saul stepped forward, moving Jeff and Kaila out of the way. “Does that mean he has our daughter, Hayden?”
“Like I said, he’s got all the Protectors and the Scrolls, except for Farrow’s. He’s actually got my Scroll, but he can’t catch me. I’ve been on the lam for a while now, outrunning his army of miscreants. Without the Armor it’s been tough, and without that mandated seal, it’s been damn near impossible.”
I studied the detective’s hardened face and said, “But we’re going to fix that, right?”
Rocco tilted his head off to the side. “Sure, Farrow.”
I could tell he needed some convincing. “I’m serious, Rocco. The nine of us will be unstoppable. And Asher’s here.” I pointed over to Asher who was leaning in the archway, keeping quiet.
Saul frowned at me. “How are we supposed to fix anything? Our Armor isn’t functioning. The humans seemed to have turned on us.” He narrowed his dark eyes at Rocco. “How’d you find us, anyway?”
Aaron of Sardis got up from the armchair and made a slow approach. “We are bound,” he said. “Though the wind of our great Monarchy’s magic does not blow ever presently, my blood and the blood of my son are tethered regardless of distance.”
There was a moment of confounded silence, then Rocco spoke up. “What he means is we’re connected, kinda like a private line. It develops and strengthens over time. And when he came back to this dimension, he was able to connect to the Monarchy’s network. It’s currently ‘spotty service’ but nonetheless, he found me.”
“This means we can still use our unique gifts,” I said to the group. “So we’re not entirely helpless.”
“That’s some good news,” my dad said.
“Yeah, but we gotta be careful and limit how much we use them, otherwise the bastards will track us,” Rocco said.
Saul paced around the living room. “I doubt our little gifts will do much. How are we supposed to travel or do anything? We don’t have that mandated seal.”
Soraya forced her husband to sit down. “Easy, honey. We’re all on the same team.”
Tensions were on the rise in the living room. Saul was really getting on my nerves with his negative energy. We didn’t need anyone bringing us down and sabotaging our mission.
My father held up one of those pamphlets with Cagliostro—like a demonic version of Mother Teresa—on the cover. “Are people really buying into this?”
Rocco nodded.
My father shook his head in disdain. “I’ve never heard of any supernatural being having such high degrees of magic and power. Not in this dimension.”
“Once Cagliostro pulled the bloodsuckers into his Shadow Order, the majority of the other factions joined him. Plus he’s been drainin’ Protector blood to unlock the ancient powers of the Scrolls to amplify his magic. That’s why he’s so friggin’ powerful.”
“We just need to get back the Scrolls,” I said.
Rocco continued, “Ain’t that easy, Farrow. To make things worse, he’s been unleashin’ his evil into the world and the humans believe it’s the Monarchy showing their wrath. He steps in and saves them, so now they think he’s their friggin’ savior. So in addition to all this bullshit, the bastard has thousands of cults worshipping him. They’re flockin’ to Neo-Babylon daily. But what they don’t know is once they cross into the city, he gives them special assignments.”
“What kind of assignments?” my father inquired.
“A lot of slave labor. And security to guard the city and that hideous tower of chrome he’s got in the middle of the city. His army is growin’ by the day with supernaturals and humans. The endgame is to invade headquarters, then the Monarchy.”
All of us soaked in the news and what that meant for us. Not only would we be going up against multiple evil factions and brainwashed human zombies, but a demon mage with steadily increasing powers. Cagliostro had to be stopped. We had to break his spell and set the world straight again.
Jeff asked, “What’s the significance of The Spire?”
“Not a hundred percent on that one, but probably some sort of communication tower and also a way to track supernatural activity,” Rocco said.
“This is just perfect,” Saul said. “We’ll never get in there. Not if he has security everywhere and that tower can monitor supernatural activity. Even if we get our Armor to work, we can’t use it.”
Ignoring Saul, I asked Rocco, “But we still have time. He can’t unlock your Scroll. And he still needs mine.”
“Yeah, but he’s quickly learning how to use the Scrolls and if he unlocks mine, we’ll be in more trouble than you can imagine.”
“What’s that mean?” Saul asked.
“If he unlocks my Scroll, he’ll have access to headquarters.”
My heart jerked forward, remembering my vision of Ezra’s head falling to the ground.
“And I haven’t had any contact with Ezra or anyone else at headquarters. I’m sure they’re safe for now, but once the bastard unlocks my Scroll, it’s over. The chances of getting things back on track’ll be slim to none. Headquarters is the main hub of power between the Monarchy and our dimension.”
Aaron spoke softly. “The girl had a vision.”
Rocco looked at me. “What’d you see, Farrow?”
“Ezra getting his head cut off.”
“Well, that ain’t good.”
“If we’re going to go after Cagliostro and stop him before that happens, we need to get our Armor working again,” I said.
“We gotta get your Scroll, Farrow. We get that and maybe we can get our Armor workin’ again.”
So, I was the only hope for making things right with the world as well as Glimmer City. Not too much pressure … The Scroll was in a safe place. The problem would be getting to the location without getting attacked by brainwashed humans or Cagliostro’s Shadow Order lackeys.
“Okay, I’ll get the Scroll so we can do this,” I told the group.
They remained quiet, still absorbing the information. I was confident in Rocco and Asher, as well as my parents, but I had some reservations about the others. They had kids involved, which meant they were emotionally attached. And I of all people knew how easily emotions could cloud reason.
I nudged Rocco’s shoulder. “How come you never told me you were super old?”
“Eh, wasn’t important,” he said.
“You haven’t seen your father in how many hundreds of years? Why aren’t you freaking out right now?”
He grinned, popping his matchstick between his lips. “I don’t freak out, Farrow.”
I needed the others to get on the same page as Rocco. That would be the only way we’d accomplish any sort of mission to stop Cagliostro and his army.
ten
The ten of us sat quietly in my living room. The calm before the raging storm that was surely about to erupt. Everyone was on edge and feeding off of each other’s nervous energy. Rocco and I shared the same sentiment: get to my Scroll and try to reboot our magical Armor.
Saul broke the silence. “This is ridiculous. We can’t go up against a demon mage with an entire army of evil standing behind him.”
Soraya’s face pinched with frustration. “We can’t just leave our daughter out there to be drained dry, Saul!”
“What do you propose?” he asked.
My father spoke up. “We should have Asher take us to headquarters. We’ll need their help.”
Rocco shook his head. “The connection isn’t great. He can try, but I’ve been tryin’ for a while now. A lot of radio silence.”
“I think we should get the Scroll first,” Soraya said.
Saul laughed. “And then just march to Neo-Babylon and demand our daugh
ter?”
Kaila’s eyes darted from person to person. “We need to get to that city. I want to find Julian.”
“I agree with my wife,” Jeff said. “Let’s cut to the chase. Why waste time involving headquarters?” Jeff’s approach was the opposite of Julian’s mild manner.
My mother addressed everyone in her soft voice—the one that meant business. “I’d like to hear from Aaron.”
The old man closed his eyes, leaving us to sit in the uncomfortable silence of anticipation, until finally, he spoke. “One of us might journey to headquarters to fix the lines of communication. And one of us might journey to the Monarchy to help organize their defenses.”
Asher hadn’t contributed to any of the Protector discussions, but he interjected, “I agree with Aaron. I’ll transport someone to headquarters to help get the network rebooted. Aaron should go to the Monarchy. They’ll need your expertise in this arena.”
Aaron nodded.
“Are we drawing straws for who’s going to headquarters?” I asked.
Kaila folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not leaving this dimension again. Not without my son.”
“And I’m not leaving without my wife,” Jeff added.
“We have a kid at stake too,” Saul said. “And I’m not about to risk my life without a chance of seeing her again.”
“We’ll go,” my mother said, looking at my father.
“No!” I yelled. “I can’t lose you again. No way. I just got you guys back in my life.”
“It’s best for your mother and me to go, Fiona,” my father said, pulling me over and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Without strong communication lines, things will be much more difficult. We know you’ll be okay without us for a short period. We can join the rest of you in Kansas after things are functioning properly.”
I pressed my lips together to keep them from quivering. How could I argue? They were right. Even if we got our Armor to start working again, even if we got inside the city, we’d need a safety net. Headquarters linked all of us together. Together we were stronger. But that meant giving up my parents for the time being. Sometimes destiny just sucked.