by Martha Carr
“I gotta get to this call. A Willen got his family stuck outside a kemana.” Correk sighed again. “I’ll check in when I’m back.”
“Of course,” Turner agreed, shaking his attention back.
He watched as Correk opened a portal and slipped through, his mind drifting back to Leira and the energy she had given off walking back from the gym that night. Someone had been after her; someone had been hunting.
10
The large ornate room was absolutely silent, even though there were rows of young wizards and witches against the walls. They peered around the tall and intricately carved pillars in the meeting hall. In the center of the room was a long oval wooden table with the infinity sign carved into the top, a relic brought from Oriceran millennia before when the portals had been open between the two worlds. Around the table sat the elders of the dark families, cloaked in their black robes on which stars shimmered and moved. Guards stood at every entrance, their wands poised to take down any threat or annoyance.
The main doors shuddered on the opposite side of the hall as they opened and everyone grew tense. In days of old Sirius would emerge from between those doors, his hood shadowing his face and two guards following closely behind. But times had changed, and the hierarchy of the dark family was uncertain. Instead, in walked Agnes, the temporary head of the family, spared Sirius’s wrath only a few days before the battle that had sent him shrinking into the shadows. Until now his whereabouts had been unknown to almost everyone.
She stepped carefully across the floor, almost gliding to the head of the table where she gingerly sat in Sirius’ old seat. She pulled her hood from her head and flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder. The green of her eyes almost glowed in contrast. She placed her hands in front of her and looked at the court, nodding to the guards at the back to secure the doors.
“Thank you all for coming,” she began, her voice magically amplified. “It is important in these times that the family stay bonded and on the same magical path. We are meeting today to discuss our current issue, the fact that our leader Sirius has not returned, and we will be determining his successor.”
“What if he returns?” An older witch down the table looked down at Agnes, the fear she’d once had of facing Sirius dissipating.
“We have to face the fact that he has gone rogue, abandoning his seat at this table. He is on his own and looking for revenge,” Agnes explained carefully. “If he returns we will discuss what to do, but until that time we have to move forward. The portal’s opening is growing closer, and there is still much to do to keep this family’s power secure once the magic moves to this world.”
“And your thoughts on who his successor should be?” a silver-haired wizard asked, looking down his long pointy nose at Agnes.
“I am the next in line family-wise,” Agnes informed him. “I am heading the family currently, and have been rightfully adorned with the crown. This should be my place. It is the order of things.”
“But what have you done to secure our safety?” he replied. “This Leira Berens is still out there, the Silver Griffins are growing in strength, and the humans are interfering more than ever. The only reprieve we have been given has been Lucius running those shifters all over creation. He is a thorn as well. Word has spread that he and his pack killed a young wizard from one of the other dark families just last week in the middle of a park.”
“I have not seen you volunteer to walk up to Leira Berens and take her life,” Agnes said raising her voice. “I have not seen you put any magical input into our courses, yet you sit there and question my place at the head of this family for your own ambitions?”
“Cousin,” one of the quieter wizards interjected, standing up. “If I may? I believe we are all concerned that things are just spinning, not moving forward.”
“And you think you could do a better job,” Agnes chuckled.
“Cooler heads often prevail,” the silver-haired man replied, blanking his face and standing up taller.
In the rows of young witches and wizards a short brown-haired girl, nudged the boy beside her, giving him a sideways glance. He smirked, watching the elders arguing amongst themselves. There were always disagreements, but nothing like they had seen since Sirius had vacated.
“I put my money on Agnes,” the girl whispered. “I see a fire in her that is ready to blow. I think she would help the witches rise amongst the ranks again.”
The boy chuckled. “I put my money on Nivire.”
“The old man in the corner?”
“He has been around since the dawn of time. He probably roamed with the fucking dinosaurs,” he told her, trying to hold back his laughter. “He knows everything about magic.”
“He’s blind!” She giggled. “He could end up cursing the wrong person.”
Suddenly a rush of air blew across the room and a stream of green light hit the pillar between the two of them. The girl shook, checking her hair and robe to make sure she hadn’t lost anything. Her eyes went to the table, where the old man in the corner was putting his wand back into his sleeve with a smirk.
“Told you,” the boy whispered, smiling broadly.
“ENOUGH!” Agnes shouted at the arguing elders. “All in favor of keeping me on to lead the family for now, raise your wands. We don’t have time to stand around and argue.”
All but two of the elders lifted their wands, which silenced the room. Agnes straightened her robes and sat back down, clearing her throat and calming her voice. She held back a smirk since she had gotten exactly what she wanted—at least for the time being.
“Now, our next item of business is Leira Berens. Where are we with this?”
“We are breaking the bank, that’s where we are,” the same witch stated loudly. “Spending exorbitant amounts of money chasing this elf and still nothing to show for it.”
Agnes sat there for a moment tapping her fingers against the table. She looked up and nodded at one of the guards, and put her hands down pushing her chair back. She tapped her wand in her palm as she strode around the table. The guard was escorting in a wizard with burn marks across his face.
“Maybe,” Agnes said “maybe we aren’t being loud enough about how important this woman’s death or capture really is. Of the six wizards we have sent after her, five returned empty-handed and one was dinner for the shifters.”
Agnes looked at the wizard, who had his hands behind his back and was shaking in fear.
“What do you think is the problem?” She stared at him with a smile on her face.
“She is incredibly powerful; like nothing I have seen before,” he replied in a trembling voice. “Whatever she is, it’s not normal.”
“No,” Agnes sniped, “You are wrong. she is an elf; a powerful one, but we are the strongest dark family in both worlds. Maybe I just overestimated your ability to do magic.”
Agnes swiped her wand, lifting the wizard and floating him over the table. He twisted and turned, begging her not to kill him. She kept her composure, stopping him in the center and allowing him to hover there for several seconds. She turned to the group standing around the walls and cleared her throat.
“You see, in this family, there is nowhere to go when you fail. Leira Berens is draining this family of our talent, our leaders, and our money. It just won’t do, now will it?”
She stopped in front of a tall and strong young man who was trying not show his nerves and she patted him on the cheek and giggled, swiping her wand through the air. Everyone watched as the wizard began to glow brightly. The light continued to get brighter as swirls of black fog floated under his feet as a loud tearing noise frightened all the young wizards and witches along the wall. They watched through terrified eyes as the wizard screamed in pain and a thick black arm from the World in Between wrapped its scaled hand around his neck.
The wizard’s blood dripped onto the center of the table as Agnes stood to the side smiling maliciously. She swished her wand again, throwing the wizard screaming into the World in Betwe
en with the creature still firmly holding him by the neck. The rift closed with a bang, shaking the chandelier above the elders’ heads.
Agnes rubbed her hands together and walked back to her chair. “Now, raise the bounty and get her.”
“For the third time?” her cousin asked.
“Yes,” Agnes replied through gritted teeth. “For the third time.”
“Why aren’t we feeding this information to Sirius?” one of the wizards asked. “He would do it for free. We all know he has it out for this elf. He is probably hunting her as we speak.”
“Does anyone know where Sirius is?” Agnes asked, lifting her eyebrows.
“He has been spotted all over the world,” he replied. “Madrid, Rome, Los Angeles…even Chicago. Rumor is he is building a new family...”
“Of the world’s leftovers.” Agnes laughed. “Witches and wizards who aren’t from the old families and don’t have our spell powers.”
“But he could still be a problem for this family,” the older witch replied.
“He could,” Agnes agreed, slowly looking around at the elders. Her eyes almost glowed. “Then he needs to be taken care of.”
Leira ran her hands along the silvery metal of a sword as the white stone on the handle shimmered and swirled. The crest of Oriceran was forged into the metal at the top, and the blade was sharp enough to cut through steel. She took a step back in the large vault and gazed in amazement at the weapons Correk had brought back.
“I made a quick stop on Oriceran after I helped that Willen family,” Correk told her as he came up beside her. “The Queen lent us some of Oriceran’s most treasured weapons, asking we keep them safe until the portals open. We can use any of them we like.”
“A weapons room in my own home…it’s like a dream.” Leira smiled. “I have to admit I imagined more machine guns and flamethrowers than swords, daggers, and bows, but I’ll take it.”
“That’s what that is for,” Correk smiled pointing at the glass shelf that held several pistols. “Besides, we both know guns don’t do a lot of good when you are fighting magical folks. Hagan found that out the hard way.”
Leira grimaced and shrugged. “Yeah.”
The two left the vault, and Correk stopped in front of it and started pulling magic through his body. His eyes glowed brightly as he held up his hands and poured a glamour spell over the front of it. The thick cement walls and giant steel door faded away, leaving what looked like another bedroom in the hall of their townhouse.
“That should trick even a powerful wizard,” Correk told her proudly as the symbols on his arms faded. “When you or I open that door it will look just like a bedroom.”
“Fascinating!” Leira shook her head. “You’d think by now I would be used to the magic, but it’s still interesting at every turn.”
“Now…” Correk took Leira by the hand and pulled her down the stairs to the main level.
They went into the living area and Leira stopped dead, staring at a small door in the corner by her grandmother’s old chair. It was heavy and thick like a bank vault’s door, only there was no handle. She walked up and ran her hand over the steel, feeling a surge of energy.
“That is our safe room,” Correk replied.
“We are going to hide from whoever is hunting us?”
“No.” He ran his hand down the door, the latches unhinging as he went.
The door slowly creaked open and when the two walked in Leira stared at the blank walls. She lifted an eyebrow and looked at Correk, who put his hands in the air.
“Just wait,” he told her, and whispered, “Hidden revealed.”
Leira squinted as beams of light shot from the wall and a door emerged.
“This is where we get out or create a portal, whichever we would like.” Correk smiled. “Whoever is attacking will beat the shit out of this thing until they finally get it open, but by the time they do we will be gone. At that point we can either sneak up behind them or get to safety, depending on who or what we are running from.”
“Wow!” Leira exclaimed, nodding her head. “Good work, sir, very good work.”
“Thank you,” Correk replied with a big smile. “Those Fixer lessons are coming in handy after all. There is still a bit of work to be done, though. We need more defenses.”
“Where is this hurry for defense coming from?” Leira asked, turning toward him suspiciously.
Correk sighed. “I’ve heard rumors about the hunt that Sirius is on to find you and break into the Silver Griffin vault. With me being gone so much, I want to know you are safe; that we are all safe. There’s a real threat here, Leira, and I don’t want you to brush it off because you are stubborn. Turner senses it too, and he is right.”
“He usually is.” Leira sighed and kissed him on the cheek.
“Whoa! Doomsday hoarders!” Yumfuck remarked as he walked into the vault. “Where're the provisions?”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Leira chuckled. “There wouldn’t be any room left for us after you pack this thing full of Twinkies and Cheetos.”
Yumfuck shrugged. “Very true.”
“But I’d rather be safe than sorry. I’ve thought about building these around my mother and grandmother before, but I knew they wouldn’t appreciate it.” Leira chuckled as she walked out of the vault.
Correk closed the door and cast the same spell as the weapons vault on it, only this time making it completely invisible.
“Your family would break out of it before you could even finish.” Correk grinned.
“Nobody puts a Berens in the corner.” Yumfuck laughed.
“That, my friend, is the truest statement you’ve made all day, even if it’s from a movie.” Leira smiled. “Come on, guys, let’s eat some dinner and then we can get working on the rest of the protections. Yumfuck, we’re going to need your help on this one.”
“I can handle that,” Yumfuck said, “but first, pot roast!”
“Pot roast?” Leira asked, wrinkling her forehead and looking into the kitchen.
On the table was a pot roast, potatoes, and Watergate salad. Yumfuck ran over and put his hands out, wearing a big smile.
“Ta-da! Top Chef!”
11
“I feel like I can barely move after that meal,” Correk moaned, rubbing his stomach. They were in the living room now, “Yumfuck is a regular Chef Boyardee.”
“I don’t think that’s a compliment.” Leira laughed. “He makes canned Spaghetti-Os.”
“Oh.” Correk blushed.
“Anthony Bourdain,” Yumfuck corrected, shaking his head and kissing the tips of his furry paws. “Delicious.”
“All right, time to get crazy on the protection. I want this to be our own little sanctuary, but it won’t be that way until we put up everything we can to protect it.” Leira took a deep breath and put out her hands, pulling the energy up through her body.
Correk came up next to her and did the same thing. Both of them streaming with light as the symbols flipped on their arms and necks. Light streamed from their palms covering every surface of the house like a blanket. As the light settled it flickered and wavered, finally becoming invisible. Correk released the magic and looked at Leira, who was up on her toes with the light still pouring out of her. He gently touched her arm and pulled her back down. As she let out a deep breath, the light dissipated and she slowly opened her eyes, rubbing her fingers across her bracelet.
She nodded at Correk, and from there they went through the house creating secret exits in every room, especially Yumfuck’s since he couldn’t create a portal on his own if he were trapped there. When they were finished, they met in the weapons vault and opened two large duffel bags that had been placed there earlier.
“Snacks… just in case.” Yumfuck ran in with several bags of Cheetos and a box of Pop-Tarts. “Only the essentials, of course.”
Leira laughed and they began pulling weapons from the walls and creating illusions in their place. That way if the enemy found the vault th
ey would be slowed down, thinking they had hit the jackpot—at least until they tried to touch the image of the weapon.
They had go-bags full of weapons, snacks, and clothes. They had exits in every room and a safe room, and the entire place was under a magical protection spell similar to that of the Light Elves’ Castle on Oriceran, only nothing was invisible—something Leira was thankful for. Her stomach still churned when she thought about walking across an invisible floor as she stared through the clouds at the ground below. She liked visible earth or flooring firm beneath her feet.
“This will do,” Leira declared, looking at Correk. “Should protect us, even from the dark families.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Correk replied. “We need to stop Sirius in his tracks.”
Leira’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked down at the text from Louie.
I have some intel. On my way over. This is getting too close for comfort.
“What’s up?” Leira sat across her kitchen table from Louie, Correk watching as Louie inhaled a piece of pot roast.
“You eat like Yumfuck.”
“I live on Chinese food, so give me a fucking break.” Louie replied, wiping his mouth. “Okay, so I was out this afternoon grabbing my normal midday beer and one of my informants sent a magical signal. He was hiding in the alley and shaking like a fucking leaf, and this guy—a Kilomea who uses a magical charm to walk the Earth as a giant beefcake—does not get scared easily. Picture this…”
Louie pulled out his wand and moved it easily through the air pulling a thin stream of silver from his ear and splitting it into, traveling to Leira and Correk. Correk frowned but didn’t resist as the memory unfolded.