Nelson looked at the orc. “What about your people? Will you all fully get your berserker magic back?
Horvuk said, “I’m not sure. It could be that as our magic replenishes we hand it over to those who wish to resume the mercenary life. Some of us might not want to disembowel and impale 24/7.” He smiled. “Some of us might have found an appreciation for mood swings and other career paths.”
“And you don’t want to walk the way of the warrior, do you?” Hugo said in a playful, contemplative tone. “You’ve outgrown that and wish to jog down the path of balance, right?” He placed his hands together in prayer, stood on one leg and struck a wobbly meditative pose.
Horvuk smacked the cover of his journal. “Yes. This chronicle is going to make me famous. I’m thinking a new career as an author is possible.” He scowled. “And if anyone tries to stop me . . . off with their head!” He drew his finger across his neck, executing a mock slicing. The orc’s grim expression melted away almost instantly. “Sorry. Hope that didn’t spook anybody. I wouldn’t hurt any of you, unless you asked for major rewrites.” He grinned, exposing his large teeth.
Hugo looked up at the stars and changed the topic. “So we’ve been here two days. Good thing Itzel is confident he can send us back to almost the same time we left, plus a few hours. Otherwise, my mom would be beside herself.” He looked at his friends. “And now that I’ve had a go at being a ghost, I know exactly how that feels.”
Lou rolled her eyes.
“This will be tricky, juggling the perspectives of three heroes, but I think my chronicling skills are up to the task.” Horvuk chewed at a juicy leg as he jotted notes in the margins of his journal. “I will place myself within the stronghold so the reader also gets my perspective.”
Lou said, “Do you think Neruno can really do it?”
“What? Escort the panicky golem to the elf’s body? I’d give it a 50/50 chance of success.” Hugo smirked.
“No, let us each keep a small bit of our original magic.”
Hugo waved at her dismissively. “I knew that. Just couldn’t resist being funny.”
Lou smiled. “And we’re all still waiting for that to happen. When do you think you might crack a joke that actually lands?”
Nelson laughed.
Hugo shot him a look, and he immediately looked away.
The golem abruptly emerged from the woods. Behind him, Neruno drifted into view followed by a lumbering creature that appeared to be made of blackened, quarter-sized plates of molten rock. Veins of fiery magma crisscrossed his rocky hide. Where he stepped, smoke curled up from each impression in the ground.
Hugo jumped up and reached for a sword he’d salvaged from the battlefield and intended to take back to Earth.
The lava man waved him off. “Easy now, it’s me, Wizard Itzel.”
Hugo tilted his head and shot the new arrival a squint of suspicion. “You sure? I really thought you would be human.”
“Nope, it’s me.”
Georgie drifted over to a canteen and splashed some water on himself. “It’s tough being a manservant to the guy. Stick by his side for too long, and he dries you out quick.”
Itzel pointed to Neruno. “Would you like to return your magic to the elf now or in the morning?”
Lou stood. “Now is fine.”
Hugo and Nelson also agreed.
Neruno waved them away from the fire, and they walked over to a spot closer to the stronghold’s entrance. A few fallen weapons from the guards still littered the ground. Hugo picked up a spear and chucked it at the side of the castle. It bounced harmlessly off the stone wall.
The elf held his hand out, palms up. “Do you wish to hold onto a tiny fragment? It will be enough to muster one last use of your magic back on Earth.”
They all three nodded.
Hugo added, “Just be sure we get our original powers. I get the ghost magic, and shorty here gets to talk with the furry and not-so-furry, and Lou talks to the recently deceased and sometimes the not-so-recently.”
The elf drew his magic from them and then tucked an iota back inside each.
Lou touched his chest. “I can’t feel it. You sure it’s there?”
Neruno, now fully restored, nodded. “Yes, but unlike before, it is such an insignificant amount that it is beyond detection.”
“Good, I don’t want any other dark lords hopping over to our planet and hunting us down because they’re magic collectors,” Hugo said. “I plan to use mine when we go to New York next month. Think it will be neat to buzz the Statue of Liberty.”
Neruno bowed. “My thanks to you all for your bravery. Perpetua is most grateful for your heroism.”
Hugo returned the bow, dropping even lower, as if flexibility were the competition of the day.
Lou and Nelson nodded to the elf.
They returned to the fire and after another hour of the orc re-interviewing them, they went to sleep. The next morning would bring grass cutting and their return journey to Earth.
The trio was very eager to get back to a sense of normalcy. At least, two of them were. Hugo went to sleep dreaming of possibly building a summer beach home in Perpetua. He drifted off thinking he would need to ask the wizard for the best beachside real estate opportunities.
****
A day after their return to Earth, they agreed to meet at Hugo’s house, basically because he’d pestered them into it. He wouldn’t say why, but he assured them they would like it. He asked both to hold off on using their magic until then.
Nelson and Lou parked their bikes and entered through the back gate. Hugo sat on the wood pole next to the gate leading to the forest where they’d encountered the giant gauntwing.
“I’ve got homework. What’s this all about?” Nelson fidgeted with his glasses.
Hugo showed surprising restraint by not talking their ear off about his plan. He wanted the reveal to be dramatic. He walked through the gate and started into the woods. “Just follow me.”
“You haven’t seen anymore gauntwings out here, have you?” Nelson asked. “I mean, they no longer exist, right?”
“Nope. Neither one of you has used your magic yet, right?”
They climbed a steep incline, and Hugo took them around a thorny patch.
“No,” Lou said.
“No.”
They reached the creek, and Hugo followed it upstream until he came to a clearing. A flat rock about the size of a sneaker sat conspicuously at the center of the space.
“What’s this?” Lou asked.
“I thought we could stack some rocks, like make a memorial for your dad. And you could say a few words about him, or not.” He paused and looked at Nelson, who gave him a nod. “And, well, before we left Perpetua, I asked the elf if our magic was enough to contact someone who’d been gone a long time. He didn’t think so. He believed you could commune with a recently deceased being, but not . . . your dad.”
Lou gasped.
“I then asked, if Nelson and I lent you our magic, would that make a difference. He agreed.” He clapped his hands together and expelled a deep sigh. “So, Nelson and I agreed to donate our powers to a good cause. You can chat with your dad.”
“That’s really . . .” Lou sent them each an uncertain look.
“Horrible?” Hugo said, his expression slightly wounded.
“Kind,” she whispered.
Nelson jumped in. “I sense a ‘but.’ Your expression is slightly downcast, and you appear reluctant. “
Hugo walked over to him and pulled him off to the side. “Look, we all admit you’re getting good at reading other folks, but you can keep that to yourself sometimes.”
Nelson smiled. “Yes, I can understand that. I probably overstepped at school today when I pointed out Mrs. Devine was displeased with her husband. I couldn’t help it. Her expression really made it clear his apology text wasn’t appreciated.”
“And stop peeking at your teacher’s phone, okay?” Hugo added.
Lou waved to the boys. “Hey
, over here. Deal with me now.”
Hugo straightened up and adjusted an imaginary tie. “Yes, so I say we build the cairn. Did I say that right?” He looked at Nelson.
“More or less.”
He smiled and fired two finger-gun rounds at his friend. “I say we build the cairn first, and then we leave you alone to commune with your parental unit.” He added, “After we donate our magic, of course.”
Lou grinned and picked up a rock. She carried it over and placed it atop the larger one. “The cairn is a great idea, but as far as using magic to speak with Dad, I don’t need you to.” She looked up at the cloudless sky. “I can already do that all by myself.”
“You sure? Because this offer is only good this one time?” Hugo said.
“I’m sure.” She found another rock and added it to the pile. “Besides, we might want to keep our magic. You never know when fate will step in and require us three to be heroes again.”
The trio laughed and teased each other as they built the memorial to Lou’s dad.
When it was done, she knelt in front of it and insisted her friends stay. She also insisted they hold hands.
Lou closed her eyes and spoke softly. “Dad. Me again. Not here to tell you about a new comic book purchase or rave about a movie you told me I should watch. Today, I want you to meet . . . my friends.”
Author’s Note
Out of place, not quite fitting in, the sense of being removed from others has been with me all my life. It was particularly bad in high school, but it’s gotten better as the years fly by in adulthood. I’ve found my niche, but the sense of being different and slightly off still seeps in.
It will come as no surprise that my characters reflect facets of me, especially the not belonging or fitting in notion. I wanted to frame a story around three who don’t fit in for different reasons. In the end, they are all reflections of some aspect of me.
Hugo keeps people at a distance by relating to others through his gaming and not so much in person. I get that. I often escaped into the video world because it was easier when I was younger, whether it be video games or television.
Lou retreats into a vast comic book collection to deal with her grief. While I didn’t lose a parent like her, I definitely have used comics as a social shield and a way to withdraw from the pressures of interacting.
And then there’s Nelson. Truly, I wanted to write an autistic character without coming out and saying he was autistic. I am a very inward person and so I took that feeling and carved it into Nelson’s take on life. He doesn’t like physical touch, avoids making direct eye contact, and relates to nature much more than to people.
Here’s why I went with Displaced Heroes, the original title. Feeling out of place led me to toss the word “displaced” into the title. It became the driving force behind the plot. Through their adventure, they would find a sense of place among one another. They would grow because of their evolving companionship and taking a risk with one another. But then I felt like a better title could be had and Heroes of Perpetua was born. It sounds more magical.
I’m really pleased with the results. I hope you are too.
Belonging and coming of age are themes we grapple with beyond just our childhood. I suspect they will be themes I suffuse my next story with as well. I just can’t seem to get enough of throwing introverts into magical dilemmas and forcing them to blossom. I hope you’ll join me on my next narrative trip. I hear it might involve a sentient lemon.
Building a Brian Bookshelf
novels by Brian
Irving Wishbutton and the Questing Academy
Irving Wishbutton and the Revision Ravine
Irving Wishbutton and the Tomb of Tomes
Irving Wishbutton and the Domain of Sagas
Graham the Gargoyle 1: Graham’s Grief
Graham the Gargoyle 2: Flenn’s Folly
Graham the Gargoyle 3: Ot’s Ordeal
Graham the Gargoyle Omnibus
Here Is Where I . . . Wield a Really Big Sword
The Powers That Flee
Ghost Coast
Bring On the Magic
Tagalong
Flame and Fortune
Ned Firebreak
The God Wheel
Arcana Creek
With a Side of Universal Destruction
Heroes of Perpetua
Turncoats Book One: Overrun
Turncoats Book Two: Overwhelmed
We Kill Humans Book One: Offshoots
Angus Farseek Book One: Untimely Agents
Monsters in Boxers 1: Chaos At the Door
with Keith Robinson
Fractured
Unearthed
Books Brian Wrote Under a Pen Name
as D. Spangler
We Three Meet
Decisive Magic
as Landon Alspiret
Burnt Jesus
Heroes of Perpetua Page 30