by Martha Carr
"This is not good," said Correk.
"Not fucking good at all." Leira was drenched in sweat. "That surge was amazing but how did that happen? I wasn't calling on magic or pulling it into me."
"Your grandmother used the connection we share to pull it out of you. Like a phone call, sort of," said Eireka, watching for Donald. "You think he just got in his car and drove off?"
"Not Donald but he'll want an explanation for the Addams Family reunion we just did." Leira wiped her face with a napkin. "Whew! I am hungry," she said, biting into her pizza. "Thank God, still warm."
"That's it," said Correk. "Back to eating. No trembles or feelings of warnings. No worries?"
"I already knew all of that," said Leira, taking another bite. "And that extra blast of energy was a rush!"
"She's on a magic high. The euphoria. It'll go down shortly. Surely you've seen that before," said Eireka.
Correk took another look at her. "Newbie," he said, trying not to sound worried.
Leira eyed him over the half-eaten slice in her hand. "I get it. Bad things this way come. But not this second, they don't. Come on, you've seen worse."
Correk looked at her and said slowly, "I'm not sure I ever have."
Leira stopped chewing and looked at him. "Well, that puts a different spin on it when you're put out by something magical." Leira put down the pizza and let out a breath. "This is a jammin feeling but I can think through it. Maybe. We knew all of this before we walked in here. Danger hasn't increased."
"The veil is getting thinner. That mass of dark energy is doing something that is making it easier for what's in the world in between to contact Earth. Maybe Oriceran as well. It's probably why you could hear your grandmother this time." Correk tapped his fingers on the table. "If the veil itself were pierced in either world. Torn in some permanent way. The dead and the living and whatever else is apparently in there could come spilling out to here."
"Oh. That is bad. You are killing my buzz. Very douchie move."
"Everybody still in one piece?" Donald stood by the table. He was ready to go.
"Sure, we can go." Eireka slid out of the booth.
Leira started to get up, still lightheaded from the burst of energy but Correk pulled her back into her seat.
"Give them a moment."
"Did we ruin the date?" asked Leira craning to try and see out the window.
"Well, we definitely made it interesting." The waitress appeared with a box and Correk threw in what remained of the pizza. "If Yumfuck smelled pizza on us and we didn't have any there would be hell to pay."
They waited till they saw Donald’s truck pull out of the parking lot before they ventured outside and found Eireka leaning against the Mustang.
"Everything okay?" Leira pressed the button to unlock the car.
"He was amazing, given what a shit show that was in there for the unacquainted."
"She means humans," said Leira, tripping over her feet.
"Not worn off yet." Correk gave a thin smile and held onto Leira while he balanced the box.
"You're smiling again so he must have believed you."
"Turns out he remembers the same kind of light show on me years ago when I thought I was alone in the bedroom but he never said anything. He was glad to get an explanation."
"Oooh, the bedroom," sang Leira.
"I'll drive," said Correk, taking the keys from her. "Can't hold your magic," he said, smiling but he looked back at Home Slice as the strain came across his face again. The veil is getting thin. Do the prophets know?
***
It was a beautiful day in Oriceran. The prophets decided they didn't want to miss it and cast a spell on the ceiling of their meeting room that showed a blue sky and several clouds passing overhead.
They were gathered in the private meeting room on the far side of the vast post office. Outside the gargoyles flew through the air putting mail in all of the thousands of mailboxes. Sending out passenger pigeons with the outgoing mail.
"We need a plan," said the Light Elf. "Something we can start teaching everyone so that when it's time to migrate to Earth, no one panics. If we start now, we can teach it in the schools. Make it part of the curriculum."
"We'll have to decide who goes first," said the Crystal prophet, blowing out a fine, cold mist of air. "We're talking about magical trafficking of an entire world. It will take time. Time the prophesies say we may not have before Oriceran is destroyed when the gates open and the magic drains toward Earth."
"Perhaps a lottery would work," said the Kilomea prophet.
"I'd be happy to come up with an outline." It was the old Gnome prophet sitting quietly in the back.
There had been rumors lately about a Gnome controlling the Dark Market. Some of the prophets were becoming suspicious even though most found it hard to believe a prophet would be involved in dark magic.
"All of us need to participate this time," said the Wood Elf prophet, breaking the awkward silence. "It will take all of us to foresee everything we'll need..."
"And everything that could go wrong..." chimed in a pixie, fluttering over her seat.
***
"We need to start. You've heard what's happening on Earth right now." The Arpak prophet fluttered his wings in irritation.
"The Atlantean attitude is making a return. There are followers on Earth chasing down the royal artifact. The necklace." The Light Elf spat out the words. "I thought we were done with the pure of thought mindlessness six hundred years ago."
"History seems to be repeating itself in a watered-down version. It's kids, hooligans, with nothing better to do," said the Wizard prophet.
The old Gnome bristled but hid his discontent.
"I have relatives in the Order here and they said it's mostly contained," said the Wizard.
"Mostly," said the Pixie. "But not entirely."
The Wood Elf looked around the room, his four irises moving in different directions.
"This is a secure room," said the Light Elf. "What have you heard? It's an open secret the Wood Elves have made a few trips. Now is not the time to be coy."
"You can't be too sure of anything these days." The Wood Elf's irises came back to the front. "More than one ancient site on Earth has been pulled down by scavengers looking for powerful artifacts hidden long ago. They're gathering as much energy as they can."
"To open the gates early!" squeaked the Pixie.
"Before we have a plan in place. That would be disastrous."
"Unless we can find a way to start moving our citizens early." The Pixie flew back and forth over her seat, her blue prophets robe fluttering behind her.
"Explains their fascination with the necklace but makes it worse that they have it.The Silver Griffins have been one step behind every time."
"For now," said the Gnome, rising to leave. "They have it for now. Things can change. We all know that. We should meet here again tomorrow." He walked gingerly down the steep stairs, headed for the door. "There is much to plan and if these interlopers are successful, not much time at all." He smiled graciously and nodded. "Good day everyone." You will never see me coming. No one will.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Correk and Leira picked up Katie's trail again in Forth Worth, Texas and took off, driving as fast as they could in the Mustang, the lights and sirens blaring the entire way but they were too late, again. They followed the trail out to Granbury, Texas to open prairie under a wide-open sky. This time Correk didn't even need to prompt Leira. She sensed Katie Toler's trail right away along with three more witches and wizards who fought alongside her. The Order of the Silver Griffins stepped in to help.
The remnants of magic they left behind pulsed in an entirely different way than the ones left by the new followers of Rhazdon. The Silver Griffins energy still flowed in smooth lines, easily tracing the path the energy took and left in Leira a feeling of purpose and courage.
The Rhazdon followers left a tangled knot of magical light that turned in on itself, flowing bac
k and forth in search of something, emitting an aching desire to belong. A swirl of darkness that was slowly sucking in any streaks of light the magic still possessed.
A dark mist whorled around the dark remnants that reminded Leira of what she had seen and felt in the world in between. Still, there were remnants of something else in there too.
"Not all bad."
"That's rarely the case. The dark magic is doing its best to swallow the light but it's never a given that the darkness will succeed." Correk was tempted to help Leira but he held back. She was finding her way.
Leira let her magic swirl around the entrails just long enough to sense where they were headed next. The smell of burning sulphur filled her nose. The hope is getting squeezed out of their energy bit by bit. The dark magic is winning.
"They're getting desperate. Katie has them on the run. Even if she hasn't grabbed the necklace she's still stopped them from using it." Leira's ribbon of energy glittered as it turned and rolled, searching for answers. The darker, smoldering remnants of magic were unstable, giving off sparks.
Leira opened her eyes. "They've hidden it well. The followers are getting smarter. Someone is teaching them. The trail leads nowhere."
"They'll make themselves known again. It's becoming obvious they have plans for the necklace. Big plans of some sort. That amount of magic will be hard to hide."
"Last time it was used by a stupid human and blew two people into dust. What happens when a determined group of crafty magical people use it?"
"Let's stop them before we find that out." The thinning of the veil. That can't be it.
***
McIntire's Garden Center was in a long wooden building painted green and sat on a nondescript stretch of road in the middle of the old part of Georgetown, Texas, just north of Austin. The owner, Hoppy was considered the plant whisperer for miles around and was known for his ability to size up what a person was capable of keeping alive and for his low prices. People came from all over to talk to Hoppy about their yards.
Eireka chose the meeting spot because it was close to a small airport owned by the government that went largely unnoticed. It would be time to leave soon for New Jersey but there was someone she had to see first. Fifteen years was long enough to wait to explain.
She was wandering through the aisle that had the succulents looking for something small that she could put in a pot by Leira's door. Donald was nearby pretending to look at a lipstick plant in a hanging basket. He had agreed to meet her there to look for plants for Leira's guest house. He lifted one of the fragile stems with his finger to see if it had a scent as the small, red petals fell slowly to the ground, startling him.
He looked up sheepishly and smiled at Eireka.
"I'm not sure garage mechanics were meant to be playing with plants."
"Everyone should be surrounded by plants," said Eireka, smiling nervously. "They add something peaceful to the surroundings."
She moved on to the large potted ferns, excited to see a large silvery glade fern.
"This would be perfect for Leira's living room. The troll would love to sleep among the leaves." She felt the soft leaves between her fingers just as she realized what had slipped out. Troll. No time like the present to tell the truth. She turned to face Donald, planting her feet and clasping her hands in front of her. "You set the truth free..."
"And let it do its own work. I remember you used to say that all the time. Before..." He did his best to keep smiling.
Eireka was determined to get it all out. She was tired of apologizing to anyone for what she knew was the truth. She had paid enough.
"I'm not crazy." She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing her mouth into a determined thin line.
"I never said you were, ever." He started to put out a hand but hesitated. "So tell me the truth," he said, softly.
She relaxed her arms but kept the look of determination. "Magic is real. It's not only real, it's a part of my family, right down to their DNA. It's existed on Earth for thousands upon thousands of years. There's even an entire world out there called Oriceran where magic thrives." The words came out in a jumbled rush. There's so much I want to tell you.
She started to warm to the topic, loosening her arms so she could move her hands while she talked. "There are all sorts of different magical creatures. Even the bugs are different and can do more things! The plants can move to the sound of your voice and are fed by music." She lifted the stem of a fern, her face flushed with excitement. "Some of those very same creatures even live here on Earth, right around us, blending in so no one is afraid of them..."
"Like you."
Eireka stopped in mid-sentence, searching his face. "Oh hell, yes, like me." She smiled softly at Donald. "I never should have hid any of this from you. You deserved better than that."
Donald scuffed the ground with the heel of his cowboy boot. Austin's idea of work boots. "I could have told you what I saw all those years ago. Never forgave myself for not speaking up. Some part of me wondered if maybe I imagined it."
Eireka stepped toward him, close enough to put her hand on his arm. "You were never to blame for anything. All you've ever been is kind to me. To Leira."
He took her hand off his arm and held it, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry. I know you say I'm not responsible but you're standing on Texas soil and we stand up for each other. Come what may."
"Maybe we can start over."
"I'd like that." He was still holding her hand.
"Ask me anything."
"Okay, let's start with, what's a troll? Are they like those dolls I had as a kid?"
"Oh, they are so much more. So much more," she said laughing. "Wait till you hear his name!"
"Maybe you can tell me more over dinner tonight."
"I can't tonight. Everything's in place for me to finally move the Jersey Willens. I'm on a tight timeline. I'm acting as their personal escort. Longer story than I have time for right now. Matter of fact, I need to go. Rain check for the weekend?"
"It's a date. I'll pick you up at the gate house."
"You can meet the troll, and Estelle and Craig and Mike."
"It's nice to see you so happy." He squeezed her hand again.
Eireka leaned closer and gave him a small kiss. "Thank you, I mean it. Tell Hoppy I'll be back," she said.
"Thank you, Eireka."
"For what?"
"For giving me another chance."
"Donald, that goes both ways. Now, I have to run. The Jersey Willens are waiting."
"Do I want to know?"
"Yeah, no more secrets. But telling you about a talking family of oversized rats will take more time than I've got." Eireka laughed. "It'll get easier, you'll see."
***
Leira stood at the trunk of the Mustang in front of the white Italian-style villa, looking at the dark windbreaker in her hands, with the large white letters, PDA on the back trying to make up her mind. "Not today." She stuffed it back in the trunk and shut it. "Like being branded. No chance of going unnoticed somewhere until you want to be seen wearing that thing. PDA." She checked her phone again. Still no word from her mother since she texted her that they had safely loaded the Jersey Willen family onto the plane and were about to go wheels up.
"This will work." She had been repeating that mantra to herself for hours. She looked around at the grounds and took a deep breath. "Nice life if you can get it."
She was parked in front of the Contemporary Austin museum on the former grounds of the Driscoll Estate. Fourteen acres in the heart of the city overlooking Lake Austin. She glanced up at the nineteen-foot tall statue of a thin man made of metal, his head tilted back looking up at the sky. Tall palm trees loomed on either side of the statue. "Looks like someone finally found a better use for all the old tinfoil."
She walked briskly around the side of the house passing through more of the sculpture garden, arching an eyebrow at the nine-foot tall white rabbit dressed in a child's outfit, water pouring out of its eyes. "Definitely check
ing for magical people on this one."
She came around the corner and found everyone standing outside on the lawn next to a two-foot high square stone base.
"Freddy Krueger's little sister is here," muttered Fischer, moving behind the other three agents.
"I'm tired of thumping the back of your head. You keep it up, this time I'll throw you in the gaping hole thing that keeps showing up." Cohen shook his head at him. "Glad you could make it Agent Berens."
"Where's your jacket? Standard issue when we go out on calls." It was a female agent with blonde hair pulled back into a bun so tight it made her eyebrows a little higher. She turned her back for a moment to show the large FBI on the back of her blue windbreaker. The jacket made a loud rustling sound every time she moved.
"She's right. It's protocol for everyone. You have yours with you?" Cohen tried to give her a half smile.
"It's unavailable. We'll have to forge ahead without it this time. Why is everyone outside?"
"We're avoiding enclosed spaces when you're around." Fischer let out a guffaw and a couple of the other agents snickered.
"You really better hope the thing doesn't show up. I swear I'll push you in." Cohen made a loud slurp, demonstrating for Fischer how the hole could suck him right in. Fischer's face went pale thinking about the dark mist, and he moved a little further away from Leira.
Leira set her jaw, giving them all a hard look. She wasn't used to not being thought of as part of the team. This was going to be harder than she thought. Fine. I've figured out hard before. "Why did you call me in? What's happened?"
Cohen stepped closer to Leira, sliding his finger across an iPad, searching for an image. "The reason we're all out here is because of this glass and metal sculpture."
Leira looked at the image of a large fish standing on end made of colored glass and smooth silver, a giant hook in its mouth. She noticed they were standing next to the same base, now empty. "We're here because the fish was stolen? Wouldn't that be a straight robbery case for the Austin PD?"
"Normally, yes. But this is the footage from the security cameras of the robbery." Cohen slid his finger across the screen, pushing the triangle as the video slid into place. Glowing figures could be seen moving across the grass toward the sculpture, encircling the fish, slowly lifting it off the base. "See what I mean? Seems a little hinky. And, that's not just any fish. It's by some famous sculptor. Worth millions. The brass wants it returned before the museum or their insurance company asks too many questions and somehow we get around to paranormal witchcraft or something. Sorry. No offense."