by Jim Stein
She tossed the toy and Max leapt for it, knocking Piper off her chair and damned near bowling me over. I caught myself on the painted block wall, the narrowness of the room finally coming in handy. Piper picked herself up and our twin glares had both dog and sprite meekly sitting back down on Max’s bed.
“I don’t follow,” Piper said. “We came out after the tour started gathering groupies. Ed wasn’t even close to being the first.”
“No, silly.” Pina made a move for the rabbit, thought better of it, and sat on her hands. “Kokopelli’s first child, with the most power. Didn’t you know? All the Brights might not have your control of magic, but they love the music. This tour is gathering up your half-brothers and half-sisters. It’s wonderful.” Her hands flew from beneath her backside, and she clapped and grinned.
Could that be the kindred spirit I had felt in Anna? Even her friends had a certain glow, an attractive quality that made me instantly like them. If so, what did it mean? If Koko wanted to repopulate the Earth, gathering all his children together would be bad, especially given how the dark forces had been hunting me just last year. I thought of the shining happy faces in the crowd, of the veritable rainbow of ethnicities, sizes, and ages.
“Wait, that’s not right,” I stammered. “Anna’s young, but plenty of them are older than me. Some have got to be pushing thirty!”
“You’re the first, not the oldest,” Pina corrected. “From Kokopelli’s perspective you were first, before my lord came up with his plan. The others came later. He often visits the human realm in what you would consider the present, but sometimes it’s in the past or future.”
“Oh for crying…out…loud. Koko time travels?” My temples throbbed at the thought.
Pina screwed up her face, searching for words. “Not the way you mean, but a decade or so to either side is no problem.”
I flung myself onto the bed and pulled the pillow over my face, hiding from that bit of news.
17. No Good Rhythm
“W
HAT HAVE you learned?” Koko looked up from his game board.
“Let me get my bearings. I just laid down a second ago.”
Evergreens and hardwoods again reached out over the sandy ground of the forest clearing, same as before, except now a rough wood table and chair sat alongside the roaring fire. Koko ignored the chair and leaned heavily on the table’s edge to study the figures on his board. I had glimpsed the setup several times now.
The variegated wooden board boasted irregularly shaped patches rather than the neat square rows of a chessboard. The areas were connected with swirling symbols and sweeping arcs like a stylized map. I could never quite focus on the game pieces themselves, which stood perhaps three inches tall. The hint of an arm, some sort of animal, a building—all just impressions that vanished the instant they registered.
“Did you know a pile of your kids are following the band?”
“Is that so?” His wizened smile tried to touch his eyes. “What about the man who saw wind-runners in the storm?”
“Manfred? Nothing new, although he has been hanging out with the Grims.” He arched an eyebrow, so I explained. “Grims are the troublesome, brooding fans, way different from your children, the Brights.”
The explanation got a chuckle, a little of Koko’s former joviality showing through.
“He’s been causing trouble?”
“No.” Manfred was still an ass, but hadn’t done anything nefarious unless you counted a little gambling. “He actually helped me with a girl drugged by two Grims. Pina says magic was involved. Some of them must be spies. Maybe for that skinwalker you fought?”
“Perhaps she is involved, though never is there a dearth of dark creatures.” Koko let out a dusty sigh. “Is the girl a sibling, one of your Brights?”
The lines around his eyes and mouth were more pronounced, and weariness dragged at his coppery skin. Pina worried about Koko’s health. I could see why, though it was difficult to comprehend an overwrought god.
“Anna?” I nodded. “She was with Cindy Baldwin, who latched on to the tour in Montana. Cindy’s still missing.”
“Ah, brash Karen the town treasurer.” Fond remembrance pulled up the corners of his thin lips, washing away some of the fatigue and returning an ageless quality to his craggy features.
“Cindy’s mom is the mayor now.” I supposed it was good he remembered them all, but a little bit of my sanity died as I imagined the competent leader of Bridleville with the old man. Someday, I would get up the nerve to ask if he wooed them in some other guise. I mean he would have to, wouldn’t he? “You keep telling me there are forces at work that don’t want to see the human race recover. If we’re the last hope, isn’t it a bad thing for us to come together? It makes the Brights a big old target for your enemies.”
“Gathering is necessary. You will keep an eye on them.”
“Me?” I threw my hands up and paced around the blazing fire, counting to ten. Branches clawed toward the flames, forcing me uncomfortably close to the blast furnace. I made it to seven. “Do they even know what they are?”
“A few may, if they believe their dreams. Teach them, Edan.”
“They’re your freaking kids; you do it!” The last thing I wanted was to convince a bunch of strangers their father was a Native American god.
“I cannot. Even this discussion takes too long.”
Koko lifted his head, nostrils flaring. Heat from the roaring fire scorched my back. He let out another long sigh and moved a vaguely shaggy game piece toward the center of the board. It irked me he took time to study his move instead of explaining. Hadn’t he just said time was short? No wonder Pina was frustrated, which reminded me…
“Pina says she’s sorry.”
My statement hit Koko like a physical blow. He slumped forward dangerously close to toppling the little table, but managed to catch himself just as I lunged to help. When he turned, fatigue again haunted his face, but his words were strong, compelling.
“Keep her away! She is too curious, too stubborn, too—”
“Worried?” I cut him off, anger rising. “Pina worships the ground you walk on, and you’re treating her like crap! Just talk—”
“Enough!”
It was my turn to get cut off. I opened my mouth to continue, but words refused to form. Cheater. Fire flared at my back, so hot I looked over my shoulder to ensure I wasn’t smoking. When I turned back, table, chair, and ancient deity were gone. The clearing turned suddenly cold as the fire itself disappeared. Shadows stretched from the trees, grasping across the cooling sands to where the table had been. Spiky green tendrils poked up through the imprints it left.
***
I didn’t have time to feel crappy about the dream. Pina’s prediction proved accurate and literal. Anna really did wake with the sun and launched the room into turmoil.
“Where am I?” Anna sat bolt upright. “My clothes!”
I lurched up, fighting a kink in my neck. Max didn’t like sharing his bed and had pushed me into the nightstand. Piper jumped out of bed to sooth the frantic girl.
“It’s okay. You had too much to drink. I’m Piper. You know my brother, Ed.”
I peeked over the bed and waved, trying to untangle myself from Max. Pina had disappeared again during the night.
“What’s this?” Anna clawed at the rolled sleeves of the pink pajama top she wore.
“Just my spare PJs,” Piper said.
“I need my clothes! I need to get out of here!”
Piper put a calming hand on her shoulder, but Anna scurried back against the headboard, knees to her chest and eyes wild. She shrieked as a massive black shape surged onto the bed.
Max plopped down, pinning the girl against the headboard. His head drooped low as he whined and snuffled under her clenched hands. Anna blinked at my dog, then reached out a tentative hand to pet his ear. Her frantic breathing slowed, and she worked her fingers into the fur atop of his head.
“Pretty doggie.” Anna sank d
own alongside Max to stroke him with both hands. The big marshmallow soaked up the attention.
“His name’s Max.” I slowly moved up to sit on the other bed. “He likes belly rubs.”
“Who’s a good boy?” Anna asked, then paused to look at me. “I know Max…and you. Ed?”
“Sure, we’ve talked a few times. How do you feel?”
“Fuzzy, like my head’s full of cotton.”
Anna spent the better part of the morning curled up with the dog. I ran out and grabbed food for everyone. We tried to piece together what happened over scones and coffee, but Anna didn’t even remember arriving at the concert.
“I’m going out to find your friends,” Piper declared when we ran out of helpful questions. “They’ll want to know you are all right. I think most of the Bri—um, fans are staying down at the hostel.”
After showering and dressing, Anna acted much more like her old self. She helped me walk Max and even smiled a bit. We talked more while waiting on my sister. The last thing she recalled was saying goodnight to the others and heading back to her room with Cindy, but had no idea where the other girl may have gone.
Aarav returned with my sister and promised to get Anna back to her room. I pulled him aside before they left and gave him the skinny on how Dan and the other Grim treated her.
“I never liked that guy,” Aarav said through clenched teeth. “Rubbed us all the wrong way, you know? Sort of wheedled under your skin.”
“Well, keep him away from her. In fact, get me if Dan shows. He may know something about Cindy. And, Aarav?” He raised an eyebrow at the question in my voice. But I couldn’t bring myself to finish, couldn’t just blurt out what I knew of Koko, the Brights, and a nebulous threat that may or may not be pursuing them. I needed more time to work out how to broach the topic. “Keep an eye on her, will ya?”
“Sure thing, Ed.”
The two Brights headed for downtown under a warm afternoon sun. Piper busily made her bed, then straightened up the room. It took me a while to realize she had moved on to repacking her suitcase.
“What’re you doing?” I asked as Max yanked Mr. Rabbit out of my hand, winning our tug-of-war.
“Since you’re so concerned about me being jealous, I asked Rhonda for my own room.” She refused to look up as she zipped her bag. “You can do or not do whatever you want until we head to Indianapolis. My room is at the end where the sail ties off to the mast.”
“You don’t have to. I’m better now.” Since adjusting my hiding spell I wasn’t as easily annoyed.
“Ed, it’s for the best. I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but time apart will give us both a chance to decompress.” She looked on the verge of crying, which wasn’t very Piper-like at all.
“O…kay,” I stuttered. “See you at the show tonight?”
“Sure.”
What a kick in the teeth. With Koko dropping his little bombshell on me and Anna’s predicament, the last thing I needed was a pouty sister. On the bright side, I got a lot of time to myself. Max and I took a nice run in the afternoon, then came back to my closet of a room to ponder what to do about the Brights.
Anna’s friends would be easiest to approach. Maybe I could start a conversation about favorite fantasy movies. If we all got talking about Lord of the Rings and mystical creatures, it might provide an opportunity to bring up Koko. Max refused to comment, but his snoring sucked me into an unplanned nap.
By the time we woke, everyone except Rhonda had headed to dinner. She was all too pleased to inform me Quinn and Manfred were off at a special planning session. Her declaration left a jagged hole where my heart used to be, until a little prying revealed Billy left with them. So really, everyone just walked downtown—same as always. I didn’t have it in me to follow so raided our stash of road treats and read. The time alone also gave me a chance to play with my spells without frowns of disapproval.
More gusty wind off the lake Wednesday was followed by a sharp temperature drop that had me donning my jacket before the show. Anna and Aarav stopped by my area as the crowd built. All seemed well on that front, but I planted the idea of getting together for a movie night before the tour left Milwaukee. The arts center had a big screen or two we could use to show one of Piper’s supernatural flicks.
The show ran smooth as silk. Ears still ringing, I wandered down to the VIP mixer in search of Quinn, Piper, or honestly anyone. Weeks on the road surrounded by people had me conditioned and wanting someone to talk to. Max didn’t really count, and Pina never came back to the room, though I had spotted her down front during the concert.
Manfred was up to his hosting games, keeping things cordial and introducing Grims and Brights. The incident with Anna made me wonder about his motives. Were these parties just about keeping the fan base happy or did he get some perverse pleasure from subjecting the Brights to our surly patrons? He recognized Anna’s predicament the other night so hopefully kept a sharp eye out for other troublemakers.
“Another great show.” I found Quinn lounging away from the press.
“Yep. We really do have it dialed in.” She gave me a crooked smile. “I’m ready for the tour to be done and to work on new material.”
“Just two weeks left.”
I had mixed feeling about the tour coming to an end. As fun as it was, I was sick of driving and the crappy rooms Rhonda saved for me. Yet I wanted more time to work on Quinn because I couldn’t tell if I had made progress or lost ground. Then there was the problem with the pair of Grims. I slid my gaze left and right, ensuring no one could overhear.
“Did you hear about Anna?”
“Piper filled me in,” Quinn said with a nod. “Pina suspects a magic drug?”
“Something like that, but she wasn’t too worried, said Anna has strong immunity.”
“Seems like she got over it.” Quinn scanned the room then shrugged. “She was here with her friends a minute ago.”
“Yeah, I need to talk to them. Koko showed up in a dream last night. Says the Brights are his other kids. Music runs in the family.”
I outlined some of my encounter with the old spirit, including the fact he expected me to break the news of their lineage to the Brights. Quinn spent so much time with Manfred I didn’t go into Koko’s interest on that front or the fact I felt more and more like a spy for my father.
“Well, you better get that conversation started, especially if they’re in danger.” Quinn pointed to the refreshment stand. “Go talk to Claude there by the drinks. He came in with Anna. Guy’s a sweetie but such an airhead. Hmm…I see the family resemblance.”
I scowled at the jibe and made Quinn promise to catch me later. Like so many of the Brights, Claude bopped silently to nonexistent music. To be fair, I did the same thing after a good recording session or work on my song mixes. Maybe Koko’s genes literally put music in our blood.
“Hey, dude,” Claude said after I cleared my throat for the third time. “What’s up?”
“Um.” I stared at the top of his head, thinking. The curls drew my eyes around in circles, challenging me to spot even one loose end. With his mild features, tan face, and thick neck, he would have girls hanging on him if not for the happy no-vacancy sign in his pale-blue eyes. Claude definitely wasn’t the right person to start explaining things to. “Where’d Anna go?”
“Good to have that little hottie back, right?” He looked past me and frowned. “Huh? She was right over by the doors. Must have gone out to meet Dan. He asked me to send her to help with his car. Has his own ride now. Righteous.”
“Dan!” I yelped. “Aarav was supposed to keep her away from that creep.”
“Oh. Haven’t seen the A-man. That hostel rocks at night like party central.”
“For crying out…” I swallowed a reprimand that would have done no good. “Keep away from Dan. He got Anna all screwed up. Find Aarav; he’ll explain it. I want to talk to you, him, and as many of your friends as you can muster when I get back.” I sprinted past a startled Quinn, headi
ng for the exit and hoping I wasn’t too late.
Randy managed to get in my way, and we crashed to the floor. I wasted precious seconds extracting myself from the drummer and was lucky I hadn’t caught one of his ever-present drumsticks in the face.
Outside felt…wrong. It wasn’t just the unseasonably cool air or condensation dripping from the metal rail bracketing the fire exit. Something watched, waited. I was sure of it even though there was nothing to see under the pale parking lights. Half the cars had left, leaving plenty of empty space to hide.
“Ed, hold up!” Randy shoved through the door as I rounded the building.
I didn’t have time for the drummer. Two fluttering shapes skirted along the base of the center’s trademark sail and headed toward the water. Their dark silhouettes moved against the white background, one tall and thin, the other short.
“Anna,” I called, but neither looked up as they slipped into shadows.
I jogged along the sidewalk and paused at the fork along the lake walk. To the north lay darkness where the trail looped away from the water toward the uninhabited side of town. The path south skirted the art complex, then merged with the walkway to downtown. Unless they had rounded the building, I should have spotted them under the waterfront lights. The searching presence drew close again. A quick check confirmed my hiding spell was secure.
Tsh, tck-tck-ticka-tk
Metallic machinegun fire directly behind sent my heart into my throat. It rattled off again, a sharp little rhythm. I threw myself to the side and spun toward the source. Randy hunched over the railing. His sticks blurred as he beat out a third riff on the metal handrail.
“Big hurry. What’s up?”
“Yeah, what gives?” Quinn came panting up behind the drummer.
“Is there anyone not following me?” I threw my hands up in disgust.
“You can’t make an exit like that without getting attention,” Quinn shot back. “People thought there was a fire, and Manny is fuming.”
“We’ve got bigger problems.” I pointed out at the trail. “Dan has Anna again. Maybe we can split up.”