Wizard for Hire

by Obert Skye

  “Come to my office at once,” he ordered. “There’s a situation.”

  Charles hung up the phone and stared at the air in front of him with an expression of anger and worry. For years he had worked tirelessly and spent millions of dollars trying to recreate the formula his half-brother had once discovered. It was his obsession to figure it out. There had been countless setbacks and he had done things that he would have rather not done in the quest to find the answer. But even after all the trials, a team of scientists at his command, the code had not been broken and the project had been canceled.

  Now, three strangers had walked through his door claiming to have a tape that could contain answers, or at the very least a reason for Harken Corporation to start working on the project again. The excitement he felt was intoxicating.

  He picked up his phone once more and pressed a button.

  “Are they gone?” he asked Lynette.

  “Yes, Mr. Plankdorf. They just left.”

  “Did you get their information and give them mine?”

  “I did.”

  “Good, now find out as much as you can about this Sirius Knight. He claims to be some sort of diaper mogul. I need to know exactly who he is.”

  “Of course.”

  Lynette went to work on her end and Charles leaned back in his chair and let his brain process this new information. It could be nothing, but as Charles knew, few things ever were.

  Most smoke, he had discovered, was accompanied by fire. And if this was a real breakthrough, then the course of mankind could be close to taking a big step forward.

  His office door opened and three men came in.

  “I have things I need you to do.”

  Charles gave them their orders and sent them out to get what he wanted.

  Ozzy, Rin, Sigi, and Clark climbed into the beat-up white car. All four of them exhaled.

  “Why didn’t you tell him who you really are?” Rin asked. “I thought that was the plan.”

  “I was going to, but then something he said made me rethink it.”

  “Was it the crack about not liking birds?” Clark asked.

  “No. He said that he knew my mom for years and he also said he’d only met her the year before she disappeared.”

  “He said it was a figure of speech,” Sigi reminded him.

  “No, it’s more than that. Also, did you see the way he reacted when I first said my parents’ names? It wasn’t a look of caring or sadness; it was a look of fear.”

  “I did notice that,” Sigi said. “So now what?”

  “We drive away and pretend we’re going to get the tape.”

  Rin started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He got on the road leading back to the freeway.

  “I don’t know what it was,” Ozzy said. “I wanted to tell him the truth, but something about him seemed way off.”

  “Then you did the right thing.” Rin looked proud. “I can think of nobody better to trust than one’s own self. Or maybe Snilf—he’s the current high wizard in Quarfelt.”

  Rin merged onto the freeway.

  “Maybe we should eat something,” he suggested. “It’ll clear our heads and give us a moment to regroup. We’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

  “I hate that expression,” Clark said.

  “So sorry,” Rin apologized. “Now, I wonder who serves a decent breakfast around here.”

  Sigi looked on the phone and found a place with good reviews called Frontier Restaurant.

  “It says they have the best breakfast burritos in the world,” she reported.

  “That’s a statement no wizard can take lightly.”

  Using the GPS on the phone, they found the restaurant. It was located across the street from the University of New Mexico, a large school consisting of adobe buildings and tall cottonwoods. Rin parked on a small neighborhood street two blocks behind the establishment.

  “You coming in, Clark?” the boy asked his bird.

  “Yes, and you’re ordering me something with texture. Maybe some hash browns.”

  Ozzy put Clark in his hoodie pocket along with the orange cassette tape.

  The restaurant was filled with all sorts of interesting and diverse looking people so Rin and his wizard garb fit right in. They ordered breakfast burritos and pancakes. Then they found a table by the far wall and waited for their names to be called.

  “So, are you going to show Charles the tape or not?” Sigi asked. “I mean, is there any harm in him hearing it? Maybe he just doesn’t trust us now, but when he finally hears it he’ll really open up.”

  “Perhaps,” Rin said.

  Clark shifted and stuck his beak out of the hoodie pocket so as to feel less confined.

  “I just don’t see where we go from here if this doesn’t give us any answers,” Ozzy said. “I’ll have to go home and hide out in the cloaked house for the rest of my life.”

  “That is, if the sheriff hasn’t found your home by now. He’s looking for us and his efforts will be more aggressive than in the past. Ed found it. He could have easily blabbed. But then again, Sheriff Wills is pretty inept. I doubt he’d hike more than two miles for anything.”

  “What about you, Rin? What are you going to do?”

  “Technically, I haven’t done anything wrong. But Patti’s not going to be happy about me taking Sigi on this trip. So, if Quarfelt doesn’t take me back, maybe I’ll finally move to Portland. Heaven knows they could use a wizard.”

  Ozzy heard Clark sigh and then spoke. “If this is a dead end then I don’t know where to look for my parents next.”

  “You know, it’s possible they can’t be found,” Rin said seriously. “I hate to bring that up, but there are things hope and magic cannot do. We may wish for things to be one way, but there are billions of conflicting wishes that may want it another.”

  “I know! I know my parents are probably dead,” Ozzy said defiantly. “I’m not stupid. They loved me, and I can’t believe they would ever stop trying to find their child that was left behind . . . unless they just couldn’t.”

  “Wizard!” a man called out from the front counter.

  “That’s us,” Rin said needlessly.

  They got their food and returned to the table. The conversation they had been having was heavy and reason for quiet introspection, but the food was too good to keep any of them quiet.

  “There must be a sorcerer in that kitchen,” Rin said. “I can taste the alchemy.”

  “What’s that green stuff in the eggs?”

  “Green chile,” Sigi said.

  “I think it’s my new favorite thing.”

  After stuffing the burritos down their throats and every last bit of pancakes into their mouths, Ozzy left a good tip and they walked slowly back to the car.

  Clark took his place on Ozzy’s head.

  “I think that might have been the tastiest thing I’ve ever eaten,” Ozzy confessed.

  “It’s in the running,” Rin said. “Quarfelt has some pretty spectacular food.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  “They have this berry called the Loom. It can be both sweet and savory. Prepared by the right hands, it’s incredible.”

  “So . . . do you believe in Quarfelt?” Clark asked Sigi.

  “No, but if it helps my dad to travel there occasionally, I’m okay with that.”

  “Believing is different for everyone,” Rin said.

  “Um,” Clark tweeted from the top of Ozzy’s head. “I think we have a problem. Did any of you guys leave the car doors open? Because they are.”

  Ozzy ran to where the white car was parked. Both doors were wide open and all of their belongings were spread out on the road.

  “What happened?” Sigi asked, looking around.

  The inside of the vehicle had been thoroughly picked throu
gh. The glove compartment was empty, the floor mats had been flipped over and the back hatch had been popped open.

  “I don’t see anything missing,” Clark said as he hopped to the ground and took inventory of all their stuff lying there.

  “They were looking for something specific,” Rin said. “Where’s the tape?”

  Ozzy reached into his pocket. It was still there.

  “I have it,” he said quietly without taking it out.

  “Why would someone somewhere you’ve never been want an old tape?” the bird questioned.

  Ozzy looked down at Clark.

  “Oh. You think Charles did this?”

  “Or he had someone do it for him,” Rin suggested.

  “But how did they know where we were?” Sigi asked.

  “There was a car following us,” Clark said. “I was going to say something, but the sunlight in the back window was intoxicating. I got a little drunk on glow.”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” the wizard spoke. “What has happened has happened. Now we must gather the mess and get away from here. If they followed us this far I’m sure they still have an eye on us.”

  All four looked around nervously.

  “Use your wand,” Clark suggested. “Levitate all of our stuff back into the car.”

  Having no faith in Rin’s wand, Ozzy and Sigi bent over and scooped up the things that had been pulled from the car. Rin got into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle.

  “Let’s go.”

  Ozzy and Sigi got in.

  “Where are we going?” Ozzy asked.

  “We need to find out if someone’s following us,” Rin said. He pulled away from the curb and drove off. “And if they are, we need to lose them.”

  “Fine,” Ozzy said. “But if somebody is following us, don’t lose them by doing a barrel roll onto a moving train.”

  “I can’t promise anything.”

  Clark jumped to the back window to keep an eye on the rear while Ozzy and Sigi scanned the area for any sign of someone nefarious.

  “I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” Ozzy confessed.

  “I do,” Clark said. “And you have at least one vehicle following you.”

  Ozzy looked out the window and saw a large black SUV move into the lane directly behind them.

  Rin pressed down the gas pedal and turned right quickly.

  “I don’t get what’s happening!” Sigi yelled. “Why are they chasing us?”

  “I can’t say for sure,” Rin yelled back, “but I think Ozzy’s half-uncle wants that tape at all costs. Hold on!”

  The wizard took another turn and increased his speed.

  “They’re getting closer!” Clark reported.

  The black SUV flashed its headlights and sped up.

  “This isn’t going to end well!” Ozzy yelled. “Let’s stop and reason with them. If they know that Charles is my uncle maybe they won’t hurt us.”

  “We’re not stopping,” Rin said with authority. “We’re going to play this hand out. Of course, it helps that I’ve seen what’s coming and know we’ll be fine.”

  “Really?” Ozzy said. “That’s good, right?”

  “Hold on again!”

  Rin turned the car once more and the tires on the right side almost lifted off the ground. Ozzy wasn’t buckled in, and he slammed up against the passenger’s side door. Rin straightened up the steering wheel and zoomed down a wide four-lane street.

  “What have I told you about seat belts?” the wizard chastened.

  The SUV tried to pass them on the right but Rin moved in front of them. They backed off and tried passing on the left. They sped up and brought their vehicle even with Rin’s. A man with short hair and out-of-style glasses was in the passenger seat of the SUV. He motioned with authority for them to pull over.

  Rin obeyed faster than they wanted. He turned so sharply that the little car went up on two wheels. The SUV couldn’t make the turn and it raced on to the next possible one.

  The car came down on all four wheels and raced along a small street that led to an old cemetery. Rin turned into the cemetery and quickly drove down one of the thin lanes between the graves. He pulled the car up to a large shade tree and turned it off.

  The three humans breathed loudly.

  “For a wizard, you’re a pretty good driver,” Clark said.

  “Thanks. Now we’ll wait here for a while and then make our move when it feels safe.”

  “What’s our move?” Sigi whispered.

  “I don’t know yet.”

  The cemetery was large with big overgrown cottonwood trees along the lanes and thousands of headstones. There were small paths for single cars to drive around, and a big mausoleum in the center of the graveyard for people to bury those souls who didn’t want to actually be buried.

  “This is a beautiful park,” Rin said.

  “I don’t think it’s a park, Dad.”

  Rin begged to differ. “It has grass, trees, gravestones, and it’s open to the public. It’s like a park with interesting things to read sticking out of the lawn.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s a bad spot for us,” Ozzy said. “I can’t believe how wrong this day is turning out.”

  “You must be joking,” Rin said. “This day is just getting better and better. Do you realize that while we were eating that wonderful breakfast burrito we had no clue what to do next? It felt like we had come all of this way for nothing. Then those gentlemen were kind enough to go through our car and chase us.”

  “Really?” Ozzy asked. “That was kindness?”

  “They handed us hope,” Rin said. “Now we know there’s more to Charles than he let on. That tape must be important, and it must hold clues that we didn’t pick up.”

  “Or it’s the formula on side A that Charles is after,” Sigi said.

  “I bet that’s it,” Clark agreed. “Bad people like formulas. Ozzy once read me a book about a crooked general who had a secret formula.”

  “That was the biography of Colonel Sanders, and you’re talking about his chicken recipe. I don’t think he was evil.”

  “He looked evil—pointy beard, crazy glasses, weird tie.”

  Ozzy ignored his bird and carried on talking with Rin.

  “That formula on the tape is why my parents moved to Oregon to hide out. It’s the answer, but I just don’t understand it.”

  “Right. And it’s a formula for what?” Rin asked. “Also, why did you read a biography of Colonel Sanders?”

  “It was mixed in with a bunch of cookbooks I found in the cloaked house. As for the formula, I bet it has something to do with the brain. All of my dad’s tapes are about the brain and how powerful it is. The brain was my mom’s specialty as well.” Ozzy was getting excited. “It probably controls the mind. All of those people who did things they normally wouldn’t must have been influenced by what my parents discovered.”

  “Uh, oh,” Clark said. “They found us.”

  The black SUV drove into the cemetery through the same gate. It drove slowly down the small paved lane two rows over. Rin and Ozzy slid down in their seats.

  “That seems pointless,” Sigi whispered. “They know what this car looks like better than they know your heads.”

  She was right. The men in the SUV spotted their car and drove over onto the same path. Rin quickly put the car into drive and drove down the lane towards the back exit of the cemetery.

  “This might not be a good idea,” Ozzy said, pointing out the front window.

  In the distance a long line of cars with their headlights on and a hearse at the front was slowly driving in through the far gate. From where they were, Ozzy could see that the gate was too narrow for two vehicles to go through at once. And since everyone was coming their direction, they were trapped.

  “We can’t turn
around!” Clark yelled. “The SUV is right behind us.”

  “I guess there’s only one option.”

  Rin pressed on the gas and sped forward at an alarming rate. It actually would have been an alarming rate on the freeway, but it was beyond alarming to be going so fast in a cemetery down a one-way lane filled with oncoming cars toward a stone wall with an opening that wasn’t much wider than a single vehicle.

  “Don’t do this!” Ozzy yelled.

  “It’s already done.”

  The cars in the procession saw them coming and tried to move over as far to the left as they could. Rin squeezed between the vehicles and the gravestones on his right. It was a tight fit, but he was doing it. The SUV followed suit. They were considerably bigger than the white car and kept hitting gravestones on their right side.

  “That is so disrespectful,” Rin said as he looked at them through his rearview mirror.

  The procession of cars trying to come into the cemetery were honking and Ozzy could see people in their vehicles shaking their fists and yelling at them as they passed. He looked up the lane and witnessed a long pickup truck just beginning to enter the small entrance in the stone wall.

  “We won’t make it!” Sigi yelled.

  “I believe you’re wrong,” the wizard testified.

  Rin pushed the pedal all the way down and the small car jammed through the opening, barely missing the side of the truck and scraping the stone wall.

  They burst out of the cemetery and onto the road. Ozzy and Clark looked behind them as the large SUV tried to do the same thing. It shot forward and attempted to squeeze between the truck and the wall. Unfortunately for them, it was too big. The massive SUV squealed and hissed as it quickly came to a stop, wedged impossibly tight in between the truck and the stone wall.

  Clark tweeted joyously.

  “They’re never getting out of that,” Ozzy said.

  Rin pressed on the gas while handing Ozzy his cell phone.

  “Take my phone and look up ‘Randall’ in the contacts.”

  Ozzy took the phone and searched through the contacts for a Randall. He was surprised how many people Rin knew.

  “You know a lot of people.”

  “Wizards are in high demand.”