by Martha Carr
Maggie followed Diana inside as Dexter ran to greet them. "He wouldn't stop barking and squeaking like he knew something was wrong, so I brought him over here. Don't worry, I fed him. Fed the chickens too. Dexter is a very picky eater, won't eat dog food."
"Yeah, about that..."
"I don't care. You can tell me everything, but for now, tell me that you're safe."
"I'm safe, I'm right in front of you."
Diana pulled her by the hand as they went up the stairs to her room and she pulled out a dry pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and socks. "These should fit. Where's your phone?"
Maggie pulled it out and handed it to her. "Dead as a doornail."
"Maybe not, let's see what happens if I plug it in." Diana found a charger and plugged it in, waiting, counting to ten to get her heart rate to calm down. "Look at that." She pointed at the phone as it blinked on, showing messages from Taylor and a few texts from Jake. "Just needed a charge. Takes more than a little water these days to kill those things. You should text him back."
Maggie knew her big sister was trying not to stop long enough to feel the weight of the day. Not yet. "I don't know what to say to you. I didn't choose any of this."
"I didn't tell Mom," said Diana, as she continued to flit around the room, looking for things to do, picking up Maggie's wet shirt as she dropped it on the floor. "I didn't know what I would say to her." She looked at Maggie, and Maggie saw it in her eyes. The same pain that was so often visible in Toni Parker's eyes, especially late at night on the back porch looking out at the stars.
"You know, I don't think we ever knew how hard this must have always been on Mom. She had all of the knowledge with no power to do anything about it. She must have been so worried all this time that history might repeat itself."
Diana stopped where she was, hugging the damp clothes. "It's why I didn't tell her. Just knowing it might be happening... I could barely take it. Are you ready? Let's go make coffee. I want to hear everything."
"Coffee..." Maggie followed her down the stairs. "You were serious about sticking by my side tonight."
Diana looked behind her as she made her way to the kitchen in the back. "I found the puzzle box and held it, even spit on it but nothing happened. Carl didn't know anything and I didn't want to tell him too much. He's not doing so well after what happened to Lucinda. I didn't know what I'd say to Taylor and I figured if you could get to work, you would have called me." She was talking too fast, racing ahead of all the thoughts chasing each other in her head.
"Didn't you find clues near my car? Giant crater?"
"Craters? No, your car was sitting on a street with the door wide open. I found some kids circling it, but I got there before they took anything." She went and got the box from the kitchen table. "Safe and sound."
"What do you mean, no craters? No tears in the ground, no rubble, no nothing?"
Diana shook her head, and pressed her palms against her eyes. "No, it looked like you just disappeared from the face of the Earth. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't even know where you were?"
"Mother Nature is very tidy, it appears." Maggie pursed her lips, sitting down at the kitchen table, choosing her words carefully but gave up and blurted out, "The Earth tried to take me out again. The ground opened up and covered me over." She balled up her hands at her side, but said it anyway. "I thought I ran out of luck this time." Dexter curled up by her feet, letting out a small squeak and a bark.
Diana shuddered even as she forced herself to take a deep breath and hold it, blowing it out. She swallowed hard before saying anything, the silence hanging between them. "Boy, that is a lot to absorb." She smiled even as her eyes shined with tears. "Parker women are tough," she whispered. "An entire planet..."
"Organic ship..."
"Ship can't take one of us down. I have about a million questions."
"Start the coffee and I'll tell you... everything. We can stay up all night," said Maggie, sitting down, and curling her feet under her. "I have nowhere else to be right now."
"Text Jake first."
"What, you're worried about my dating life? Now?"
"Yeah, it's something good in your life with no weird complications."
"I'll have to tell you Bernie's theories on that." Maggie took the phone, still connected to the charger and read through the texts.
You want to grab something to eat tonight?
I take it, busy day. I'll catch you later.
You're okay, right? Ghosting me is not an option. I'm on your mother's phone tree.
Maggie typed back, Very busy day. My first chance to answer. Looking forward to tomorrow night. Maybe putt putt? She added a kissing emoji, her face warming. Hell with what Bernie thinks, Diana's right. Let this be something good. Maggie put the phone down, watching the little dots already bouncing along the bottom.
Diana leaned over the phone and looked up at her sister. "Oh, he has it bad. He's been watching his phone. This is a good sign, sister. It looks like I'll be hearing some good stories all week long." She poured a mug of coffee and put it in front of Maggie and sat down opposite her. "Now, start from right after the phone call. What the hell happened?"
27
Maggie and Diana talked till late in the night, finally falling asleep curled up together in Diana's bed with Dexter between them. Every so often Diana woke up to make sure Maggie was still there, safe and sound, falling back to sleep. Maggie woke with the sun, sitting up to stretch, feeling every ache in her muscles. She stood up slowly and stretched, leaning over to cover Diana with the comforter and scratch behind Dexter's ears.
She headed downstairs, Dexter running just ahead of her, and saw that the front door was ajar. Did I shut that last night? She stopped and listened in the hallway for any kind of sound and looked around the room for anything out of place. "That's coffee," she said, smelling the air. "Bad guys don't make coffee." She padded down the hallway into the kitchen and found Wilmark and Bernie standing on the back porch quietly talking with Dexter running around the backyard chasing after a squirrel.
"You're awake!" Bernie clapped his hands together. He pulled open the screen door and came inside.
Maggie poured coffee into a large mug that had, I Prescribe Coffee printed on it and immediately slurped off the top, holding her mouth open to cool it off before swallowing it down, feeling the warmth travel to her stomach. "You're kind of handy with this coffee thing, Bernie."
"That was all the big elf out there."
"I see he's still sporting the leather pants and tunic look."
"I know, he needs to blend in more." Bernie patted his green sweater, crumbs tumbling off the front. "Wilmark has been waiting for you."
"Hey, I have a few questions for him, like about that ring he gave me. No one came."
Bernie look pained and let out a sigh. "Yeah, about that ring. Take it easy on him. I know, a bit of a surprise coming from me. He may have had a worse day yesterday than you," he said, arching an eyebrow. "I am starving!" He opened cabinets in Diana's kitchen, getting more frustrated with each one. "She has no food in here! Where's the Pop Tarts or the Lucky Charms. I'd even settle for some Little Debbies or a Twizzler right about now."
Wilmark pushed open the screen door and stood in the opening. "None of that is real food."
"What are you talking about? Someone makes it, I eat it, ergo food."
"I'm on Bernie's side on this one," said Maggie, slurping more coffee.
Wilmark watched her drink her coffee and smirked. "It's shapes with perfumes on them to remind you of a blueberry or a piece of cheese. Food has to be refrigerated and can go bad. Those Little Debbies have a shelf life of years."
"Making them an even more practical food." Bernie gave up, shutting the cabinet just as his stomach let out a rumble. "I'm running on fumes. I need a few breakfast tacos in my belly. Can I bring anything back for anyone else?"
Maggie opened her purse and pulled out her wallet that was still damp from the dunk in the pool. "Get me at least thre
e, on me."
"Was that ever in question?" asked Wilmark.
"I pull my weight," said Bernie, taking the two wet twenty dollar bills from Maggie.
"Get whatever that will buy and make sure at least half of the tacos make it back to this house. Deal?" Maggie laid her wallet out on the table pressing a napkin on it to soak up some of the moisture.
"Sounds like a plan and it'll give you two a chance to catch up. The knight has something he needs to explain." Bernie waggled his fingers at Wilmark. "Uh huh, don't give me your big boy angry stare. I can out bubble you any day of the week." The words whistled through his teeth. "Tell her while I'm gone or I'll give her my version when I get back."
"You're a meddler just like all your brethren," hissed Wilmark, going back out on the porch. Dexter came up and barked and squeaked at the screen door.
"This sounds like it'll be good," said Maggie.
Bernie frowned. "No, the opposite of good, but it needs to be said so the hulk doesn't carry it around by himself. I'll be back," he said, giving a salute and heading down the hall and out the front door..
Maggie poured another cup and went out to sit on the back porch, putting her feet up on the railing. "You want to pull the band-aid off quickly and just tell me or should I pepper you with questions till I get it out of you. I'm good with either one and pretty clever at the questions. Kind of a professional interrogator."
Wilmark clenched his jaw, looking out across the yard. Maggie let the silence hang there for a minute, waiting to see if he would start on his own. She slurped more coffee and he abruptly spun around, pain and anger on his face. "Is that the only way you know how to drink down that bitter swill?"
Maggie slurped again and looked at Wilmark. "It's not my habits that are getting you so twisted. Spill it, why didn't the ring work? What went wrong?"
His chest was moving up and down and he was breathing hard, trying to keep his fury in check.
Maggie lowered the cup, resting it on her lap and waited. She could see the muscles in his jaw working as if he was fighting with himself.
"I got your signal," he said slowly, "and there's a protocol that is followed when an Elemental signals, particularly when it's the Elemental who holds the compass."
"So far I'm following you. It makes sense after all these years you'd need to have some guidelines, just in case, and yesterday just in case happened." Maggie found an old ball of Oscar's behind the leg of her chair and threw it out into the yard. Dexter stood up and barked and squeaked at it, but didn't go after it. "Maybe that comes later," she said, rubbing his head.
"No one came." Wilmark stared out at the yard. "I got the signal and immediately went to the rendezvous point, the nearest sector and waited for the others, but no one came. By the time I realized I was alone and went to where the signal originated..."
"It was over and done, I get it. That would sting if my backup didn't arrive." Maggie took another gulp of coffee. She never liked to let it cool down much past scalding before drinking it all.
Wilmark sat down in the chair next to her, resting his forearms on his thighs. "It wasn't that no one wanted to come, it was that there is no one left... but me. I am the last of the Godwin Knights."
Maggie felt a tightness in her chest, reminding her of her own losses. "How could you not know? I thought there were a lot of your kind."
"At one time we numbered in the hundreds, but too many battles with the Kashgar left our ranks decimated, and someone has been systematically taking out the rest of us, one by one."
Maggie's eyes widened. "You mean someone has been successfully hunting Godwin knights. Not to make this all about me, but is there any reason besides wanting to kill off Elementals that someone would want to wipe out your order?"
"None that I'm aware of, but it would be unwise to kill all the Elementals. If your line was to disappear with no successors, then the ship would be stranded here forever until it could no longer be held together by the mechanics. As long as you exist, there's a chance we will someday have options."
"Only slightly comforting." Maggie reached out and put her hand on top of Wilmark's arm, surprising herself for the second time with the feel of his taut muscles. She felt her face warm and covered by swallowing hard before she spoke. "How can you be sure you're the only one left?"
"Nothing short of death would keep a knight from that signal."
Maggie took a long look at Wilmark. "I'm glad you're still here. When we manage to get the ship to stop trying to correct me out of existence, and call off Simon Wesley's cult, maybe we can figure out what happened to your kind." She gave him a crooked smile. "There's always a chance someone still lives and just couldn't make it."
"Not a Godwin knight." He suddenly stood up, putting his hands on his hips, reminding Maggie of herself a little.
"Oh, okay, we're switching gears." She swallowed the rest of the coffee in one gulp and stood up beside him, striking the same pose. "Wonder Woman pose at the ready." She gave him a sidelong glance and saw the scowl on his face. "Don't be a hater. That's what it's called. Come on, I get it, if we can't fix things, we might as well get on with the day. What are we supposed to be doing now?"
"You're getting good at defending yourself against foes. Good enough at least for now."
"Real ring of confidence there, but I'll take it."
"Now, it's time you learned how to create magic because you want to, instead of always reacting to something else."
"I like it. I become the creator of my destiny instead of always being in the hands of fate." She put out her hands in front of her and lifted her shoulders letting them drop. "Okay, let's do this. What do I try for first? This is kind of exciting."
"You're not Aladdin, you know. You're not making wishes."
"Aren't I..." Maggie smiled and shook out her hands. "I suppose you have to be altruistic with this stuff, right? No gimmees. Is that a rule? Gotta be a rule here somewhere." She gave a short jump up and down on her toes and settled in, holding out her hands again.
"How much of that coffee did you drink? I would have thought you could handle caffeine by now. It's like I let a five year old eat all her Halloween candy."
Maggie looked out over the yard and felt the breeze that was moving through the trees. "You are... actually right. I don't normally get this excited. Diana would be checking me for a fever right about now." She clapped her hands together. "I suppose that's what happens when you nearly die a few times in a few days and turn a mouse into a dog."
Wilmark's face softened and he studied Maggie. "You've absorbed a lot this past week and you've never buckled under the pressure. I admire that. I suppose you're due for some letting go of restraint.
"Try not to make it sound like you're having fun there, big guy. An adventure with some risk is second nature to me. Only thing missing is my sister by my side trying to do it too." She nudged Wilmark, pushing against his shoulder but he didn't budge.
"Wow, stronger than I expected," said Maggie. "Respect. Okay, come on, let's do this. A little magic without someone creeping up on us with red slime that could melt off our face." She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out. "To top it off, I feel good about my odds that I don't end up with another pet this time." She rolled her shoulders and put out her hands. "Abracadabra, bippity boppity boo. Holy crap, I think you smiled."
Wilmark crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you done yet?"
"I'm gonna be honest and tell you we'll never get to that train stop where I can't think up one more, so we might as well start. What can I create? I suppose a way to tell the Earth to back off isn't going to happen."
The smile slid from Wilmark's face and Maggie instantly regretted what she said.
"That would take a lot of energy, more than we possess but we will find a way to convince the ship anyway. That will be more about a convincing argument that a manipulation of magic. The ship doesn't play favorites. It's designed to make sure it keeps running for the most living beings possible."
Maggie put her hands back on her hips, standing up straighter. "This is about proving my value to the greater good."
"Yes, proving your presence, not just as the Elemental but Maggie Parker is necessary to provide something useful and vital for the ship. There's a lot we don't know about the Earth, too. Putting the machine back together could open up completely new pathways to communicate that have been lost so long no one remembers."
"We need to find the other Elementals."
"We will, but for now, focus."
"What do I start with?"
"Try creating birds inside the bubbles. Different kinds. It will require focus and trusting the energy to choose how to do it."
"Make some birds. Create something with a beating heart."
"All energy is basically the same. What you're asking the energy to do is take a different shape. That's at the basis of everything we do. It's how Bernie can transport himself using bubbles. Bubbles are energy in their purest form."
Maggie blew the air out of her lungs and shut her eyes. "Birds. Okay, song birds, something small that tweets." She held out her hands and felt the cool ribbon slowly winding its way through her head, spreading out to the sides and down her back like a slow massage. Something was forming in her mouth and she felt around it with her tongue till she couldn't hold it in anymore, opening her eyes in time to see the bubbles coming out. Each bubble expanded as it came into the air as a small, black and yellow ball of fluff tumbled inside, slowly taking shape and growing wings and stick-like legs and feet.
"Goldfinch! I love these birds."
The bubbles floated in the air toward the trees, popping gently one by one as the birds took flight, finding a place to roost on different branches letting out noisy tweets and hopping up and down their new perch. "That was almost too easy." Maggie watched the birds carefully. "I want to look away in case they blow up in small puffs of feathers and beaks."
Wilmark let out a laugh, even surprising himself. "You're not what I expected of an Elemental, and especially the one who controls the compass. That was only the first lesson, very basic. But we need to go to the next level, to where you can feel the magic inside of you and use spells sometimes instead of bubbles. That takes more confidence and the ability to command the magic without exactly telling it what to do. It's something you have to feel from in here," he said, pounding his chest. "What you can believe from within here, you can command to appear out here."