by Martha Carr
Lacey Trader was leading the meeting and was listening to Katie Toler tell the group the necklace had slipped through their hands, again. May Sage was shifting in one of the brown metal chairs next to her. "Is this all your group can afford? Doesn't give someone a lot of confidence in your old, revered organization. Fuck." May shifted to the left, crossing one thigh-high leather boot over the other.
Katie looked at her and let out a sigh. "Do you mind?"
"Fuck again, am I disturbing the meeting?" May looked around at the counsel. "We didn't get it. They haven't used it. End of story. Are we done now?" She leaned forward toward the wizard staring at her so the top of her blouse fell foward. "Better view?"
He reddened and sat back, looking over at Lacey.
"You're lucky you're worth the sass," said Katie as May put on dark sunglasses, sitting back in the chair. Katie turned back to Lacey. "May did pretty much cover it? Take the sour looks off your faces. We accomplished one big thing. They haven't been able to store it anywhere for long and they haven't been able to access the power of the artifact? We'll get them eventually. Only a matter of time and not much more time?"
"Didn't one of your own join the little anti-revolution? A young witch?" May slid the sunglasses partly down her nose and was staring at Lacey. "Little Hannah Beecham, or so I've heard. We saw her in Arizona. She was looking fit. Seemed to want to come home, but maybe I'm projecting." She smiled, sliding the glasses back up her nose. Her part of the meeting was done. Lacey now knew Hannah was still alright, at least for now but was looking for an extraction. Lacey did her best to hide any reaction.
"You're killing me here, girlfriend." Katie's tentacles swirled around in May's direction. May held up her hand and pretended to zip her lips shut.
"You have another week. Then we take over, again. You keep Ms. Sage with you." Lacey wanted Hannah out. If something happens to her...
"Works for me. I like money." May smiled. Katie rolled her eyes. "Fine," said Katie, "a week. We'll bring you the damn necklace and before someone manages to crack open the thing."
***
"What's wrong with the troll?" Correk peered into the shoebox. The troll was still asleep, smacking his lips in a dream. "He's usually up and annoying by now."
"Late night out." Leira went into the kitchen in search of more coffee. Her mother was sitting at the small kitchen table.
"You're wearing your cape in the kitchen. It's a little overkill. Is there coffee?"
"I just made more." Eireka shifted so Leira could get by her. Correk squeezed next to the refrigerator, getting down a mug. He elbowed Leira in the head.
"Really? This early?" Leira scowled. "And in the head? Your uniform is getting a little ripe. How do you clean those things on Oriceran? It'll be announcing itself soon."
"Sorry," he said, lowering his arm. "With magic. Very efficient."
Eireka watched them for a moment. "It'll be okay." They turned and looked at her. "It's just hours away. This big plan to save my mother. Scary shit. The world in between." She shook her head and put down her mug. "Hard to even take it all in. It'll be okay."
"Mom, that's way too big a promise to make. It's the world in between..."
"It'll be okay because we'll all be there together. We're making a stand as a family. Not just us." She waved a hand between herself and Correk and Leira. "Even more of our family. There will be so much magical energy there with us tonight, standing shoulder to shoulder. No questions asked but just because we need them. It'll be okay."
Leira nodded and said soberly, "Toni said everyone is in. No one turned her down." Leira hesitated. "I'm glad we had last night..."
"It's not our last night." Eireka got up and went and put a hand on each of them. "You don't need to go there. That wasn't our last night. We were just having a night at the bar with your other family. The human kind. They sent us off the best way they could to go into battle, even if they didn't know that's what they were doing. Just because they all showed up..." She said it again, firmly. "It'll be okay."
"Even if it's the last good thing we do." Leira said softly.
"I have to go back to Oriceran, even if it's just for a few hours. I need to recharge before tonight if I'm going to be of any real use." Correk's face grew serious. "I'll meet you at the hotel. You've reserved the room?"
"Same one I saw Nana at the window. You going to be okay with the Gnomes? They seemed pretty pissed off at you."
"There will be more than one hat spitting at me from the library but it'll be alright. The library is protected by the Light Elves and in the end they may not agree with what I did but they're powerless to do anything to me other than stop me from using their books. Even that can't be forever."
"You're still wearing the cowboy boots. Dying to show them off to your friends, aren't you?" Leira looked down and back up at Correk, trying to smile. No matter what anyone said, there was no assurance of which side would win the battle tonight and everything was at stake.
"You see right through me." Correk squeezed her hand. "I'll be back in time. Bring the troll. His kind have seen fighting before."
"That Cheetos-eating, orange-farting troll?"
"You saw the stains."
"Was drinking one of your Dr. Peppers and got to the bottom and lo and behold."
"You drank one of my Dr. Peppers?"
Leira smiled at Correk. "Go, Cousin. Tomorrow I'll take you to Costco and we'll load up. There's a cherry flavored Dr. Pepper too."
"Two moons!" Correk squeezed her hand again and let go, forming a ball of light between his hands, speaking into it. Leira put her hand on his arm, helping him to strengthen the energy he needed. The air in the kitchen began to shimmer and Correk opened his hands wider as a portal opened up, revealing the forest of Oriceran on the other side.
"Oriceran," gasped Eireka, tears in her eyes. "It's been so long..." She reached a hand through the portal to brush a nearby frond.
Leira looked at her mother. There's so much I don't know. She let go of Correk's arm.
"What is it you're always saying, Leira? Something about believing in a solution, no matter what. It's still true." Correk picked up his rucksack and stepped through the portal, giving a long look back. "I'll be back in time," he said, just as the portal closed.
***
Correk stepped into the forest, making his way to the nearest path. He made his way quickly toward the Light Castle, throwing off the glamour spell as he moved. There was no time to waste.
"They have to help," he muttered, as he hurried down the path. He got to the edge of the forest and his rucksack began to shake violently, pulling away from his hand. "What the hell?"
He opened the bag as a small green book shot out, hovering in the air for a moment and zipped through the air, returning itself to the library. "Two moons," he muttered. "A late book. One more mark against me. It will be a cycle of moons before they let me near the books again." He shook his head. "Doesn't matter." He hurried toward the castle. "I have to find a way to convince the king and queen to return with me. They have to help. Otherwise, this may just be the last good thing we do. I can't let that happen to Leira."
***
The prophets called an emergency meeting. The stars on the back of their robes were moving, staying in alignment with the virtual system of stars on the ceiling above them. The Light Elf prophet paced the front of the room, the stars gently turning on his back.
"The necklace is said to be back on Oriceran. But where?" He pounded his fist on the back of a chair.
"It's been reported on Earth, then Oriceran, then back on Earth," said the Pixie prophet. She was balanced on the arm of a chair. "The truth is, we don't know."
"We have to find it. That artifact could be the key to opening the portals early," said the Crystal prophet.
"We would have to give it back," said the Light Elf. "It's the right thing to do. Then petition Queen Saria to let us use it."
"And if she says no? This is far too important." The Kilomea's voic
e boomed through the chamber.
"How do you propose we find it?" It was the elderly Gnome prophet, his voice calm and measured. "The rumors are that even the Order of the Silver Griffins were unable to stop a ragtag bunch on Earth from getting away."
"There is some powerful dark magic behind all of this," said the Wood Elf.
"We have to find a way to flush out the necklace and the group that has it," said the Gnome, rubbing his chin.
"And how do you propose that?" asked the Light Elf.
"Ask them. Everyone keeps trying to take it from them but have any of us asked them what they want with it? What if our needs align more closely with theirs than we realize? This could all be a foolish race. We ask them. We go to Earth and ask them."
"Go to Earth," gasped the Pixie.
"It's about time we started to do something to build a bridge between our world and the humans. Start a conversation..." The Gnome let his voice trail off. The seed was planted. "We can start a rumor among the witches and wizards on Earth that we're willing to work with the renegades who have the necklace. See what it brings."
The Light Elf gave him a long, hard look. "You make a good point. At this point, we have nothing else. I reluctantly agree."
"Your integrity is duly noted," said the Gnome, an edge to his voice.
"Agreed," said the Crystal prophet. They went around the room and everyone consented.
"Then we should get busy talking to our sources. Something will surely come of it," said the Gnome. He got up to leave. He was tired of being in the room with them.
He left without another word and made the long journey home, finally reaching the small home in the woods where he could take off the painful spell and transform. He took off all of his clothes and stood in the center of the room, bending over in pain as the tentacles began to grow from his head and his bones stretched to accommodate the taller frame.
Rhazdon emerged, running her hands down her smooth Atlantean skin. "Those idiots," she said, scorn in her voice. "Never send an Elf to do an Atlantean's job." The tentacles bobbed on her head as she laughed, reaching for the longer robe. "Soon enough. This is all coming together. Soon enough."
CHAPTER TWENTY
Leira used the card key at room 302. She held her breath as she turned the handle and stepped inside the living room of the suite. She shut the door behind her and went to the window to look out at the street below. The troll crawled out of her jacket pocket and clambered up to her shoulder, holding on to the collar of her leather jacket.
She wanted to stand in the same place she saw her grandmother. So close.
She pressed her hand against the window pane. I will feel your hand in mine again. Tonight. She rested her head against the glass. The troll let out a sad trill.
Leira plucked him off her shoulder and held him in the palm of her hand, lifting him near her face. "Tonight, we run right into the gates of hell. You ready for that, little guy?" The troll held up his hand, sticking out his chest. "Are you giving me a tiny high five? I don't know why but that actually makes me feel better." She tapped his tiny hand with her finger. He smiled up at her. "Yumfuck!"
There was a soft knock at the door and she pulled herself away from the window to answer it.
"Your mother is a dynamo!" Toni was standing in the hallway with her mother, grasping her hand. She raised their hands in the air as if they had already won. "I just met her and I already love her!" Leira looked out into the hallway but they were the only two people who were there.
"Are you alone?" Leira calculated how much energy they would have if the community changed their mind and no one showed.
"Honey, there's more coming. They're parking the cars. You have to have some more faith in your family. We don't cut and run. We show up and blow up, or something like that. That sounded a lot better in the car."
There was a soft ding as the elevator doors opened and people poured out of it, all talking at once. Jack and Larry were in the front of the pack.
"There they are!" Larry pointed down the hall. The large group turned like a school of fish and followed behind him. To the average person it looked like an average neighborhood of friends was throwing a party in a hotel.
"More are right behind us. We wedged everyone we could into the elevator." Jack barreled into the room, looking around at the size of the two adjoining rooms. He stopped in the center, one hand on the top of his head, the other on a hip. "It'll be a tight fit but we can form a kind of infinity symbol or wavy eight. I think it'll work."
Leira heard the soft ding of the elevator again and peered down the hallway as another crowd of magical people piled into the hallway and waved as they spotted Leira standing by the hotel room door. She recognized a lot of them from the Jackalope.
They actually seem glad to be here. Determined but glad. Do they get why they're here?
By the time everyone was inside there were people standing in both rooms and the noise level had picked up till it was hard to hear over the din.
Toni clapped her hands together. "If you can hear this clap, stop talking." She repeated it till the wave of silence spread throughout the space.
Leira heard a soft knock at the door behind her and raised a finger to her lips, shaking her head.
"You think someone complained?" asked Larry. Toni hushed him.
Leira opened the door and standing in the hallway was Turner Underwood dressed in a neat, dark suit, and blue silk tie, holding his hat and cane. "What? You think I wouldn't have heard about this? Come on. Don't be foolish. I keep my ear to the ground. The Fixer not show up for such a grand occasion? No fucking way. Aside, please!" Turner strode into the room as the people parted, making a path for him wherever he chose to go.
"I take it you know everyone here already." Leira watched how they treated him with reverence.
"I knew their parents when they were just kids. Helped deliver a few. Hello Doris, how's the new job? That work out for you? Good to hear." He turned to Leira licking his lips, noticing the troll on her shoulder. "Hi ya, troll. Glad to see you. Small, but you can pack a punch and don't I know it! Okay, kid. This is your party. How about we get it started?"
"Why don't we form a..." Leira didn't get very far when the air in the center of the room started to shimmer. "Correk," she said with relief. The portal opened and Correk quickly stepped through. He quickly turned back to the portal and offered up his hand as Queen Saria came forward, taking his hand and stepping down into the room. People gasped and a murmur went around the room. Her long blue velvet gown brushed against the carpet. The crown on her head still only showed small green sprouts.
King Oriceran followed her out as the portal closed behind him. The Light Elves in the room did a small bow or curtsy as the king nodded. He turned around to see how many people were there, spotting Turner standing near Leira.
"Turner Underwood," he gasped, rushing to hug his old friend. "You're supposed to be..."
"Dead? I've heard. I keep a low profile but not that low. Good to see you my king. This has really become an occasion if you have decided to join us."
"Correk made a compelling argument." The queen looked around the room, not making eye contact with anyone. A cold, hard expression on her face.
No one was making a sound. Not even Larry who had crossed his arms over his chest with a finger pressed against his lips to keep himself from blurting something out.
"He said this would be our chance to talk to Rolim." Queen Saria looked at Leira, studying her. "Something about you has changed since I saw you last." The queen drew closer and put a hand on Leira's arm. Leira felt the buzz of energy pass through her. The queen lifted her chin, surprised, but still with an icy stare. "You are more powerful than I realized... and more clever. I underestimated you in a few different ways." She rubbed the chin of the troll and was rewarded with a soft trill. "I see you took a piece of Oriceran with you. To be expected, after all, given your bloodline." She waved her hand dismissively. "For another day."
"Leira
, how can we be of service to you. Correk has told us what to expect but not your battle plan."
"You do have one, don't you?" The Queen turned her cold look back to Leira and was met with the same one from Eireka. "Interesting," said the queen, noticing the resemblance. "A lot has changed."
Leira ignored the taunt. She stepped into the center of the living room where the people in the bedroom could catch a glimpse of her as well.
"Everyone find a place where you can take a hand on either side of you so we form one continuous circle. We'll need to make sure we have a continuous circuit. That's very important. But don't take anyone's hand yet. Make sure you aren't touching anyone else in any way. The black mist is powerful and dark, full of dark magic but it can't think for itself. It can only feel and sense when magic is nearby. If it senses there is an overwhelming amount of magic in the room, it may not show itself. It has to think I'm alone."
Leira took a deep breath and let it out. "Once it appears, no one moves till Correk gives the word. No matter what happens. When he does, grab the hands next to you and hold on tight. Pull as much energy as you can from within yourself and let it flow around the circle till it builds to a critical mass and you can combine your energy with mine. You'll feel it happen. There won't be a lot of time. Our window of opportunity will be small."
"We won't fail you," Jack said in a determined voice. People nodded their heads all the way around the room, careful not to stand too close to each other.
"This is a very brave thing you're doing, young lady. Fixer worthy. Proud of you kid." Turner went and found a place along the wall. The queen and king went and stood next to him and everyone made room, adjusting their space till everyone fit, making a second circle in the living room near enough to connect to the bigger ring when the time was right. Correk and Eireka stood closest to Leira who turned and faced the window, surrounded by an entire magical community.
"You can do this." Eireka took Leira's face into her hands and kissed her forehead. "My beautiful girl. Send out your energy. All the women from our line will feel this tonight and you will feel their power running through you."