Wham!
Page 26
“Fates!” cried Tess. “What happened?”
“Someone really wants to see you,” said Teeuh.
Daniel had followed Teeuh downstairs. Tess threw her arms about him with a bounce to find him kissing her. It was brief, but it certainly gave her a moment where she forgot her grief.
“One thing I'd like to do before we leave is get my scrying ball out of the barrack,” said Kellen.
“The awful Warrens!” said Tess. “That's the other thing. And I really, really let down you and everyone else.”
“Fiddlesticks!” said Kellen. “I can't imagine such a thing.”
“Yes I did. Everyone told me to look for it. And I meant to, but Jasmine and Trent stole everything under the sun and reported me before I got to it.”
“Stole everything?”
“Mom's jewelry and sweaters and your pocket knives for starters. And I have no idea about your ball.”
“How do you know about the knives?”
“I looked in the box.”
“Then they got my ball. I kept it in the box with the knives.”
“No way I'll find it for you now...” said Tess.
“You have your scrying ball,” said Teeuh. “Try looking for it.”
“Wow!” she said, pulling it out of her pocket. “I really could, couldn't I?”
Teeuh was nodding and using her own scrying ball as well.
“Look for the guns,” said Kellen.
“I had Drake take them,” said Tess. “There! Jasmine has your ball in her room. Witch!”
“This Jasmine has no concept of 'witch,' sweetheart,” said Morrigan, stepping off the bottom step with a jingle of bracelets. “Even if she's right good at rotten.”
Kellen quickly decided to take Daniel, Maxi and Drake to the barrack to wake up Trent and Jasmine and to Drake's for the guns.
The sun was just coming up when they appeared in Tess's room. The changes Kellen saw in the early light were an unexpected relief. Had everything been just as he and Cait had left it, it would have been hard to bear. “Good job the skinny's still covered,” he whispered. “Of course the police will be here in two shakes when we wake the Warren kids, but as long as we all wear these hoods, maybe they'll not catch that I'm here from the prison. Ready?” With nods all 'round, he slid open Tess's new bolt and everyone quickly stepped through the kitchen.
Maxi stepped up to Trent's door and gave it a meaty thump with his fist: Boont!
“Jasmine!” hollered Trent from inside. “What are you up to?”
Maxi kicked open the door with his bare foot, flinging splinters of door jamb across the room. “No be you sister, dirty toilet,” he said, hoisting Trent out of bed by a fistful of Mohawk. When Trent tried to kick him, Maxi threw him against the wall.
“Where be loot-pretties you and stink-sister hee-hee grab, dirty toilet?”
“Well then!” said Kellen at Maxi's example. And he opened Jasmine's door with a proper kick, getting a scream from inside.
“Where be?” roared Maxi.
“I don't know what you're talking about!” shouted Trent.
“That bycause dirty toilet have too many fingers,” said Maxi, snapping Trent's ring finger like a peppermint stick.
“Aaah!” wailed Trent.
“Still have hollow-head? Where-be you hee-hee loot? You want nothing in head to earn you twig-snap fingers and twig-snap fingers until you clean nether eye like kitty- cat?”
“Tell him, idiot!” shouted Jasmine. “They've got everything else.”
Trent clamped his lower lip between his teeth and rocked back and forth, cradling his hand.
“Look in asshole's top drawer,” she growled.
“Ha!” said Kellen, pulling open the drawer. Trent and Jasmine sullenly looked on as he quickly gathered up the knives and piled them onto a blanket in the middle of the floor with Cait's sweaters and her rosewood jewelry casket. He paused to look at them. “I knew your mom and dad. They were good people. You might try remembering that and rethink your lives.”
“Right!” growled Jasmine. “Goody-goody enough that Children and Family came and got them. A lot of good they did us...” Suddenly the kitchen door burst open with a crash and slammed against the wall.
“Company!” cried Daniel as he stopped the heart of the first policeman through the doorway with a blue bolt of light from his staff. Two more cops rushed in to stumble and fall from Drake's old .38 and Maxi's twelve gauge solids.
“The first one had drug darts!” cried Kellen, grabbing up the cop's gas gun. “They know I'm here!”
Maxi dropped in two more cartridges, cocked his pistol's hammers and leaped by the open doorway for a look outside. “Cop and cop and cop and cop!” he bellowed “foot- smack up walk! Here come!”
“Forget my guns at Drakes!” cried Kellen as he frantically grabbed up the blanket. Everyone rushed to stand beside Daniel as he pulled out his scrying ball. The instant the next pair of policemen rushed inside, they were gone.
“Why didn't we get your guns?” said Drake as they appeared beside Maxi's conference table.
Kellen laid out the blanket on the table top. “This gas gun has a big bore for these hypodermic darts,” he said. “I can't imagine that they're filled with anything but the magic suppressing drug which they've been using on me. Maxi and I kept our hoods up the whole time and I never saw a single skinny that was uncovered. Did anyone else? That means they know that we're here. Any delay puts everyone in peril. Going to your place would've been a delay. They could be upstairs right now for all we know.”
“You had .308,” said Maxi. “You want .308? I got .308 and .308 and .308 under cow hides in corner.”
“We've got to get Teeuh back to the Forest immediately,” said Kellen, moving a cow hide and picking up an automatic rifle. “So that means that she and Daniel and Tess and I shall leave as quickly as we can manage for the Fairy ring in the Jutwoods. And if they don't kill you outright after seeing you with a skinny we didn't know was uncovered, they'll decide that anyone with your long association with us makes you guilty, Drake. You coming?”
“I'm staying to help Maxi,” said Drake. “Maybe here in Broadstreet.”
“You're as good as dead, Maxi,” said Kellen. “As long as they're after me. You can't be staying.”
“May-could I go-back and shaky-hand Thunderman Veyfnaryr,” said Maxi. “See if he be pinch-ouch real.”
“I'll arrange it,” said Daniel, standing at the table with his arm about Tess's waist.
Maxi paused for a deep and wide-eyed nod. “Drake, you need automatic rifle to come with us. .308 be in that corner. .223 be in that corner. Take you pick. I go put our head-nod in Poot's ear. Be right back.”
“Guess I'm coming,” said Drake, rising for a look at the rifles.
“Take a .223,” said Llygad. “.308's a troll gun. Philpott and I zeroed both calibers. The ones with the white mark shoot a half inch low at a hundred yards.”
“I'll have a .308 like Kellen, thank you.”
“Well Philpott and Llygad,” said Kellen. “Surely you're a-coming?”
“Got to stay and fight Children and Family coppers,” said Philpott with a decisive nod.
“That's our job,” said Llygad.
“Yeh? You know damned well they have your performance at the prison on disc.”
“So?” said Philpott, working a fresh chaw into his cheek. “Neither one of us has a residence that they know about. Besides, Maxi needs us to look after the shop.”
“Morrigan?” said Kellen. “We really could use a Skinwalker.”
Morrigan snapped shut her compact and pressed her lips together. “Maud needs me more,” she said, putting the cap back on her black lipstick. “But I'll keep y' posted.”
Maxi came trotting back down the steps. “Poot be big head-nod that copper-hogs about to storm in all champ-bite.”
“Better go,” said Morrigan, getting to her feet.
“Hey Changing Woman!” called Kellen, making her pause bef
ore the stairs. “I thank you for my very life. I owe you.”
Morrigan waved him off and trotted up the steps.
As Tess and Daniel, Kellen, Teeuh, Maxi and Drake joined hands and vanished from the conference room, a raging black cape buffalo bull came bellowing and thundering out of Maxi's barber shop, galloping away after the fleeing policemen.
They appeared beside the great ring of mushrooms on the mossy hogback in the Jutwoods to the calls of jays and the rattle of the spray-withered oak leaves sounding like rain in the dry summer wind. “This certainly beats the dead landscape 'round the damned coal mine,” said Kellen, giving a whirl about with outstretched arms.
“It's nothing compared to the green woods at Grandpa and Grandma's,” said Tess. “Oh!” she cried, “Those blue flowers by my mayapple. What are they?” She dropped Daniel's hand with a squeeze and hurried over to see.”
“My word!” said Teeuh. “You're not familiar with violets?”
“I'm not familiar with any blue flowers,” she said, carefully picking a handful and standing up to show her. “I mean I saw blue flowers here and there at Grandpa and Grandma's, but I didn't know their names. Aren't they lovely? Wouldn't it be nice if we were able to gather a bouquet for Grandma and Aunt Alvita and Aunt Nacea?”
“Why I'd allow we'd chance to find a right nice mess on the green sward down the length of the hogback where the trees divide,” said Teeuh.
There were no objections, so Tess and Teeuh wandered away, following the scattered patches of violets to the calls of jays and woodpeckers as Daniel, Kellen, Maxi and Drake squatted in the moss by the Fairy ring and visited.
“I'm so glad Daniel's with us,” said Tess, trying not to think of her mom.
“He is pure of heart,” said Teeuh, letting the breeze take the strand of green hair out of her eyes. “Like unto thee.”
There arose a sound on the wind to the west: whop-whop-whop-whop-whop- whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop...
“Whatever is that?” said Daniel, straining to see through the tops of the trees. “Something in the air?”
“Helicopters!” said Kellen, standing up to have a look of his own. “They almost have to be from the prison, by way of Cwm Eryr...”
“After us?” said Drake.
“You can count on it,” said Kellen. “But they think we're hiding under the ruins at Oilean Gairdin, in the middle of the dead lake, east of here. If we stay out of sight, we'll be fine.”
“Tess and Teeuh!” cried Daniel. “I don't see them!”
“Run!” cried Kellen and everyone chased furiously down the grassy ridge of the hogback as the whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop loomed up behind them.
“Two of them!” cried Drake.
“Don't let them see you!” cried Kellen. “Stay under the trees!”
Daniel stopped to holler out between his hands: “Tess! Teeuh!” and on he charged. “Where are they?” he cried.
“There!” cried Drake, as everyone hollered and screamed out for them to get out of sight.
Tess and Teeuh stood up from their patch of violets. Teeuh pointed at the sky.
The helicopters glided over the treetops above Daniel, Kellen, Maxi and Drake, whop!-whop!-whop!-whop!-whop!-whop!-whop!-whop! quieting to an airplane engine roar as they passed over, gliding straight for Tess and Teeuh, who dropped their flowers and raced for the trees. A rifle cracked. Tess fell with a bounce in the grass.
“No! No! No!” wailed Daniel as everyone made a furious sprint for where she was. The helicopters began hovering lower. Daniel was 'way out ahead when he stumbled and fell. He rolled, sat and pointed his staff as dust kicked up in puffs all about him. With a crackling blue streak from the staff, the closer helicopter glowed blue, rolled over in the air and fell to the ground to burst into a churning column of flame. “Tess!” he cried as he raced to her side. “Pray my staff be not too spent to save you!” He felt of her neck as her tee shirt turned red. “Fates help us! Her heart's stopped!”
Teeuh was on her knees at the same time, gently cradling Tess's head. “Mowen the Goode Fates a pece of my lyve un-to hir to yive!” she murmured. “Achub bywyd rhywun!”
The other helicopter hovered broadside as two riflemen fired out the open door. Kellen ran to a spot well wide of Tess, dropped to a sitting position in the grass and opened fire. Maxi and Drake came running up at once and sat beside him to began shooting as the puffs of dust marched over to start kicking up around them instead of Tess. “We got him!” cried Drake as one of the riflemen dropped his gun and tumbled out the helicopter door. The helicopter turned to face them at once.
“Shoot the gearbox!” cried Kellen.
“Where?” cried Drake.
“Top of the cab, under the rotor!” he cried, slamming home a fresh magazine. “One in the tail, too!”
Suddenly the rotor stopped and the helicopter fell to the ground. Maxi raced to the crash, firing one barrel then the other into the open door. “Baby girl!” he bellowed and sprinted with everything he had to where everyone was gathered about Tess.
Daniel had her in his arms and was getting to his feet when Maxi arrived. Maxi stepped in front of him and held out his arms.
“Please!” cried Daniel, trying to hurry by him.
“Drop her and you hate you-self forever,” said Maxi.
Daniel gently handed her over. “I look out for baby girl!” panted Maxi as he turned and ran with every ounce of his trollish fury, pounding the dry ground with his bare feet as everyone ran to keep up. Teeuh gathered up Tess's bouquet of violets to flutter into the air and straight to the brow of the hogback to help everyone as they thundered down the steps through the moss of the Fairy ring, leaving the cries of the jays in the trees overhead.
To be continued in the next book of Timewalker.
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An Excerpt from THEN…
Timewalker - Book 2
Chapter 1
Teeuh flew down the dark passage of endless tree roots, her pale moth wings in a fluttering frenzy as she bounced away on the Fairy path. Maxi ran behind, cradling Tess in a red-faced fury of pounding legs as he came, followed by Daniel, Kellen and Drake. Up the distant stairs she flew, vanishing through the black mossy roof to burst into flight from the mushroom ring outside as Maxi wallowed up the last steps with Tess into the earliest light of dawn. Out of the woods and over the downs she flew, zigzagging her way for Meri and Celeste's, followed by Maxi with Tess in his arms and all of them racing after.
A cow bawled beyond the fog in the meadow as Teeuh flew past the tree house and up the waving grass of the swelling down for the grove of great everwaking oaks and straight to the beckoning arms of Celeste, Alvita and Nacea, waiting for them by a pallet of straw and linen at the foot of Longbark. “Heere Maxi!” cried Celeste. “Ley hir so that hir hed beth agayns Longebarkes tronke.”
Maxi laid her out gently and stepped back to brace himself on his knees and heave for breath as Daniel, Kellen and Drake came running up to find Celeste, Alvita and Nacea carefully placing ears of yellow corn at Tess's head and squash at her feet as they folded beans into her hands and settled themselves between Longbark's roots with their heads against her trunk and closed their eyes. Teeuh fluttered up to a place on Longbark's trunk above their heads and covered herself with her wings. At that moment, a cascade of folding leaves spread throughout Longbark's cr
own until each one hung limp by its petiole and Teeuh, Celeste, Alvita and Nacea were in deep trances. As if he had been standing there the whole time, Meri knelt beside Tess and gave her a thorough dusting with corn pollen, his lips moving as he murmured a chant too quiet to hear. A wood thrush called.
Drake looked up at the sound of hurried steps through the grass to see Maxi walking away. Maxi paused to pick up first one then another fist sized stone. He began striking them together with light glancing blows as he walked: rick-rick...shick-rick... rick-rick...shick-rick... rick-rick...shick-rick... rick-rick...shick-rick... By the time he reached the crown of the down, he had settled into a slow shuffle in a great sweeping circle with his rocks: rick-rick...shick-rick... A tear glistened on his cheek as he began chanting: “Ay-ooo, aah-oh... ay-ooo, aah-oh... ay-ooo-a-ay-ooo... ay-ooo, aah-oh... ay-ooo, aah-oh... ay-ooo, ay-ooo...” rick-rick... shick-rick... “Ay-ooo, aah-oh... ay-ooo, aah-oh... ay-ooo-a-ay-ooo... “
Meri rose to his feet and drew the strings of his pollen bag. “Quyk!” he whispered, motioning for Daniel, Kellen and Drake to follow as he set out at a brisk pace for the hill beyond Maxi to the east. It was a challenge for them to keep up as they hurried downhill and up again through the grass, not bothering to follow the cow paths.
“Kellen,” said Daniel, jogging to catch up. “I kept thinking we'd manage to get you out in time for me to ask you...”
“But you've fallen in love with her before you ever had the chance,” said Kellen, stopping short on the hillside to face him.”
“I do beg your pardon, sir.”
“And I can't imagine a soul in this world better for her than you.”
“Thank you sir!”
“Now let's hurry,” And they ran to catch up with Meri and Drake.
Meri met them at the hilltop before the glowing horizon and handed them each a small deerskin pouch. “Corne pollen is preyer,” he said as he turned to a sudden stab of orange sunlight through the trees. “Arbedwch hi,” he said, offering out pinches of pollen to the morning air. “Thou wolt hir to savyn.” He waited until everyone had dusted the air with pinches of his own and then said: “Now weo shal fro mete and drinke for to fast.”