Crossroads

by Alexie Aaron [Aaron, Alexie]

  Mia raised her hand.

  “Yes?”

  “Murph and I went up there this morning. We have a few theories.”

  “Go on.”

  Mia told them her ideas, and then Murphy added his.

  “We feel that it would behoove us to ask the entities who may know something about these low demons. I’ll be contacting Mbengar, and Murphy will talk to Mother Nature. Altair’s library doesn’t have any reprints of ancient writings, and I really feel a trip to the dark vault would be a waste of time.”

  “I agree,” Burt said.

  “Murph and I feel strongly that there is a human element involved. I tried, but I couldn’t pick up any evidence of anyone but the lumberjacks in the woods,” Mia said.

  “Big John said he received instructions from a Ranger Monroe. There is no such ranger, but the land is owned by the Monroes. Not a coincidence in my opinion. When Enos and I visited Eagle’s Nest, I got to talking with a volunteer there, and he showed me Hiram Monroe’s diaries. He said that, in the sixties, when Eagle’s Nest was built, the volunteers had copies of the diaries for sale. He still had some, and I bought a copy of all of them. They aren’t typeset, so I’m dealing with old photocopies of bad handwriting, stapled into pamphlets. It’s slow going. My hope is to find why the family name was used on the lumber contract and maybe what the family’s intention was, leasing the land so cheap, beyond building an eagle habitat.”

  “I would be happy to help with the diaries,” Cid offered. “I’ve gone as far as I can with Ed’s house. The inspector will be here tomorrow.”

  “What do you need from the tech department, Burt?” Ted asked.

  “I’d like to get drone footage.”

  “We don’t have a drone,” Ted said.

  “Not fond of drones, Burt,” Mia said. “Plus, the eagles would see it as an invasion. Without the preserve’s permission, we may be breaking some federal laws.”

  Burt remembered the damage the military drone did to the Martins’ house, barns, and vehicles. “Enos, could you soar over the area with a camera?” Burt asked.

  “Not without being seen.”

  “How about at night with an infrared camera?” Burt asked.

  “Not alone. I’ll go with you,” Mia said. “I’m still worried that you could be attacked by eagles.”

  “Thank you,” Enos said.

  “Wait. Why do you want this footage?” Ted asked.

  “I’d like to see if there is any human activity beyond the rangers.”

  “I’d offer to hack in and get you a satellite picture, but the odds are, you wouldn’t be able to see anything,” Ted said.

  “No hacking,” Burt said firmly. “Enos, take a few passes this evening with Mia, and if we don’t pick up anything, we’ll scrap the idea.”

  “Ted,” Murphy started. “You may want to increase your defense on the northern border of your property.”

  “I agree,” Ted said and made himself a note.

  “Okay, let’s move on to old business. Has anyone heard anything about the accessibility of the Glynn house?” Burt asked.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “Mia, Tom’s more receptive to a call from you. Could you see if you can find anything out?”

  “I’m going into town today. I’ll drop in. Sometimes being there in person will get you better results,” Mia said.

  “Great. Now for new business. Enos, we’d like to offer you a full-time position with PEEPs. We understand your commitments to the squadron, but we’d like to put you on the payroll.”

  Enos was gobsmacked. “I have to speak to Victor first.”

  Mia kicked Ted under the table.

  His eyes lit up with the memory the kick nudged free. “Enos, Mia and I would like to offer you the top floor of the aerie as your private residence. Your being there acts as additional security for the library, so we’ll not be charging any rent, but you’ll be expected to pitch in for food and help Lazar get things ready when we’re expecting feathered guests.

  “I’m at a loss for words. Let me speak with Victor, and I will get back to you. I would love to have this opportunity, and thank you for your offer.”

  Cid smiled. He could tell the young birdman wanted to jump at the offer but his obligation to his family, aka Victor, came first.

  “Any other new business?” Burt asked.

  “We have four inquires to vet,” Ted said. “I’ll take Mia to check them out next week. We should be rid of family obligations by then.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Snacks in the kitchenette,” Cid said.

  Mia stayed only long enough to kiss her husband. She had a few things to do before picking Brian up from summer school. She got in the SUV and waited for Murphy. She didn’t resist. She knew he was going to insist. He knew what her first stop was, and it made him nervous.

  Mia pulled into the cemetery and parked at the office. She walked in to say hello to Andy. He was out. She dropped off a packet Father Santos wanted Andy to have filled out before the christening. She then walked to the crossroads and stood in the middle. She took a gold doubloon and buried it in the middle and stood back.

  Takemi appeared and picked up the coin. He pushed back his hat and nodded to Mia. “How may I be of help?”

  “I need to get a message to Mbengar. I wouldn’t be so insensitive to think you would deliver it; it is below you. I would like your advice on how to do this properly.”

  Takemi flipped the coin into the air and caught it before he spoke. “You could go to the café in Hell and ask for one of the runners.”

  “I’m trying to avoid Hell.”

  Takemi rubbed his jaw. “Give me the message.”

  Mia handed him the folded piece of parchment.

  “It’s not sealed.”

  “I trust you.”

  Takemi’s eyes flashed. “If you trust me, tell me why you’re avoiding Hell.”

  “I resigned my commission. There is no need to remind anyone of my existence.”

  “He doesn’t need to be reminded,” Takemi said. “Stay here.” The demon disappeared and, within minutes, returned with a sealed message.

  Mia handed Takemi another gold doubloon and opened the note. It was written in High Demon. Mia turned to Murphy. “Wait here. I shouldn’t be long. You can’t go where Takemi is taking me.”

  “If you don’t return?”

  “Tell Altair.”

  Mia nodded to Takemi. He twitched slightly, and Mia found herself in a vortex. Takemi put a gentle hand on her arm and guided her to a side shoot. Soon she was standing next to a beautiful calm pool of water. “He will be with you shortly,” Takemi said and disappeared.

  Mia looked around her and found a moss-covered rock and sat down. The pool before her bubbled. The water seemed to boil as the creature rose to its full height. The ten-foot Mbengar was covered with shiny scales. His large black eyes did not need his inner lid here. His large lips smiled from gill to gill. The water flowed off his long strong arms as his massive muscular legs moved him closer to the beach.

  Mia got off the rock and knelt before Mbengar.

  “You have changed.”

  “I’m always changing. I hope this is the last incarnation.”

  “Rise.”

  Mia did.

  “You said you needed my knowledge and then my counsel.”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me more.”

  Mia told Mbengar all she knew about the possibility of demons in the vicinity of Eagle’s Nest Preserve. “I feel they planted the trees for protection. They have the right to kill the thieves. I just want to make sure that innocents aren’t harmed in the process.”

  Mbengar slowly nodded. “Do you know you wear Michael’s mark upon your neck?”

  “I suspected as much.”

  “Show me your wings. Bear your soul to me, Mia.”

  Mia took off her clothes and turned her back. “I
have more written upon my flesh. I can’t see it, but I can feel it.”

  The Minotaur, Roumain, and someone else… I don’t know what is around your ankle. Do you?”

  “No. I fear it is the start of a leash of some kind.”

  “Maybe yes, maybe no.”

  Mia brought forth her wings.

  “Victor Ahlberg, but no, you’ve taken them and made them your own. For such an ugly race of people, you’re not unpleasant to look at. Still, you’re not complete.”

  “How so?”

  “That’s a discussion for another time. Brian, how is he?”

  “Less mean. He has a friend who is helping to soften him. Being so intelligent makes it hard to be accepted. He will come to you in five years to begin his tutelage, as promised.”

  “Keep him from Michael,” Mbengar warned. “They assume because they took your demon that your firstborn is, in their minds, clean. Angelo has eased the minds of the others that Brian is not who he is. I wonder why that is?”

  “It was getting harder to protect him. My alliances in Hell have shown an unhealthy spotlight upon my family.”

  “Now that you’ve had time to reflect, how do you feel about losing the demon within?”

  “Had her growth not been accelerated by my ingestion of the elementals’ hearts, I would have been able to control her. I feel… cheated,” Mia realized. “Raphael gave me crone genes to balance the good, but it doesn’t suit me.”

  “Makes you itch, doesn’t it?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Mia, once I had met you, I followed your path, and with every change, I saw a new course charted. I asked Nyx to help you.”

  “The blue-star power is too much for my body.”

  “She didn’t know they had taken your demon. Tell me, are you planning on having more children?”

  “No.”

  “If I gave you primal demon genes, could you control yourself?”

  “Would it harm my daughters whom I am breastfeeding?”

  “Your milk will dry up. You have given them already what they need.”

  “This is a disappointment, but I fear that they were starting to take too much of me.”

  “To feed one child is one thing, but to continue to nurse two superchildren, you would waste away. There is no amount of food you could eat to stop this from happening.”

  “What will happen to me if I accept your gift?”

  “The primal genes will strengthen every cell.”

  “Why would you do this for me?”

  “The demons you are going to face are very old. If they do not smell that you are one of them, they will kill you. It is very important that you guide them and their gold to safety. If not, they will bring about the end of the human population.”

  “How is this possible?”

  “They are called The Balance. They exist so that you can have good and kind people. People who give of themselves, like your husband and friends. Times have changed, and The Balance don’t need to roam the earth and encourage bad behavior. They just keep to themselves, amassing gold and enjoying their cloistered existence. There used to be a glacier covering them. When this was gone, they existed aboveground until the Europeans tread upon the shores of North America. They saw the evil in some of their hearts. They could see that gold was their god too. The Balance decided to dig into the ground, taking their gold with them.

  “Eventually, men came to tame the land, and the settlers found their gold. The demons killed them and sealed off the entrance to their world. No one knew where the three diggers came from, but these men dug holes until they found the passages. The diggers were found out, and they too were killed. The Balance petitioned Mother Nature for help, and she gave them trees to block their passages so not even a spirit could enter their world.”

  “But the diggers are back, and someone has taken down the trees…” Mia said.

  “I think that the family Mother Nature entrusted this land to has fallen on hard times. It’s only natural that the heirs would seek out the demons’ gold instead of finding employment. They are influenced by the lazy ways of some of the one percent. Charity is all but forgotten. The rich act like the demons, amassing gold, and killing whoever tries to take it. Why do we need The Balance when there is so much evil amongst the human population? It’s time for The Balance to move on.”

  “Where will I take them?” Mia asked.

  “Nyx will help you.”

  “Another reason to accept the primal demon.”

  “Yes. Also, it will help you in other ways.”

  “How?”

  Mbengar moved towards Mia and put a long finger out and lifted her chin. “Those orange fallen-eyes are pulling you. You have cleaned up your life and have this wonderful existence with your good, kind husband, but the pull of the fallen will destroy all of this. I have seen it.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  “You have earned the trust of all. Only those without honor cannot see your value. You don’t have to be a warrior, Mia, but you’re going to have to fight to save your way of life, so keep your skills sharp and the sword handy. Use your words to negotiate whenever you can. Soon you will be tested. You must be cagey in order to save someone who needs to be woken up.”

  “Thank you. I will accept your gift on the condition that, if I become a monster because of the power you will enable, I want your promise to kill me.”

  “That goes without saying,” Mbengar said. “Come swimming with me. When you surface, you will know your own way home. The only being who will immediately know you’ve changed is the Minotaur, but he will hold your secret because you hold his.”

  Mia walked into the water and didn’t flinch or shudder when the air was no more, and she breathed the waters, that were left over from when the water was separated from the sky, into her lungs. She felt her feathers absorb the fluid deep into each quill. She opened her eyes and saw the beauty of creatures who swam beside her. She didn’t fear them but recognized them as her kin.

  Mia rose from the depths and let the excess water drain out of her body before she clothed herself. Mia thought about Murphy and stepped into the vortex.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Murphy was surprised how fast Mia had returned. “Wasn’t Mbengar there to talk to?”

  “I had quite a long conversation. Time moves differently there. How long was I gone?”

  “Minutes.”

  “Good. I still have to speak with Tom before picking up Brian.”

  “Mia, what did Mbengar tell you?”

  “I have to move the demons and their gold on.”

  Murphy pushed his hat back on his head, perplexed. “And how are you going to do that?”

  “Very carefully,” Mia said. “Come on, I’ll race you to the car.”

  Murphy was waiting for her with the door open when she arrived. His eyes twinkled. Mia seemed to have her energy back. She was laughing. Gone was the sadness that seemed to pull the corners of her mouth down, not enough that others would notice, but Murphy, who had studied her face for years, knew.

  Tom was not prepared for the bouncy creature who had invaded the station. Even Chambers smiled as she breezed by him, stopping and backing up. “Hello, Vinnie, I understand you had a conversation with the truck driver.”

  “Yes, but I can’t…”

  “No problem. Just tell him that I and my daughters are fine. I bear him no ill will and wish he and his family prosperity.”

  “Will do,” Chambers said.

  Mia knocked on the door. “Come on, Sheriff, I know you’re in there,” she said, turning her back on the door and leaning on it, surveying the room behind her.

  Tom yanked open the door, and Mia fell in.

  Tom looked down at Mia who was laughing on the floor. “Cooper.”

  “We really have our timing off, Tom.”

  He helped her up and pointed to a chair. “What are you on?”

&nbs
p; “Adrenaline, you?” Mia surveyed him and smirked. “Grumpy powder, cut with Imodium.”

  He shut the door and dropped the blinds. He walked over and sat down. “Spill it.”

  “When can Paula get back into her house?”

  “The landlord says she has three days to get her stuff out.”

  “Who’s her landlord?”

  “The United States Marshals.”

  “Who’s the marshal in charge?”

  “Mia, stay out of it.”

  Tom felt like a migraine hit him. “Cooper, if you’re reading my mind, I’m going to…”

  “What? This is my fault, isn’t it?” Mia said. “I let my big mouth destroy Whit’s manhood and caused this.”

  “First, you really ought to listen to what you say, Cooper. And no, it had something to do with Whit suggesting that maybe you warned Gaspar off.”

  “I can’t believe I…” Mia blew air out. “Who’s the best leasing agent around here?”

  “I already checked. There is nothing available but Whit’s old house until after Labor Day.”

  “We can’t put her in Whit’s house because Sherry could still return. She could possess Noah and ride his talent back into the MoMA.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Tom worried.

  “What are the listings?”

  Tom pulled out a folder. Mia saw he was personally looking at the houses. “Just when I could kick your ass around the block, you do something nice like this.”

  Tom grinned.

  “Which is the best one?”

  He tapped the paper. “It’s three houses from the school.”

  “K.” Mia looked at her watch. “I still have an hour. You call this agent and tell them I’ll be in touch with a deposit as soon as Paula gives me the okay.”

  “Cooper, please try and remember I’m the sheriff and not your flunky.”

  Mia snapped to attention and gave Tom a royal salute.

  “Cooper, you’re a fucking piece of work.”

  “I’m telling your mother you dropped the f-bomb,” Mia said and escaped the office.

  Mia pounded on the door with both fists. “Hells bells, Hicks, open the door! Murphy is with me, so your chastity is safe.”