Magic Underground: The Complete Collection (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 4)

by Melinda Kucsera

  “Could be. See if you spy anyone who appears to be in charge,” Robin replied.

  “If there is someone, he’s not doing a very good job. This place is chaos,” Sir Maxwell replied.

  They stood outside the gazebo appraising the denizens. The mélange of aromas and the cacophony made Robin’s head ache. At last, someone pulled away from the crowd. An older woman with flowing silvery hair and wearing a purple robe gamboled toward them.

  “Peace, love, happiness,” she said, half-dancing, half-singing, and threw her arms around Robin.

  No, Robin decided, he did not know anyone like this woman.

  Sir Maxwell inserted himself between them. “Unhand the king,” he said.

  The woman hooted and embraced the knight. “I take you for new arrivals. Welcome. Peace, love, happiness. I am Oonen,” her moniker sounding more like a squeal of glee than someone’s name.

  Sir Maxwell peeled her arms from his neck. “I am Sir Maxwell, and this is King Bewilliam, ruler of the Chalklands and the Palisades.”

  Oonen grasped handfuls of her robe and curtseyed. “Those sound like magical places. Are they?”

  “Yes,” said Sir Maxwell.

  “No,” said Robin. He glared at the knight.

  “Begging Your Majesty’s pardon, they are.” He turned to Oonen. “We have a gryphon.”

  “We do not,” Robin said. “There is no such thing.”

  “A gryphon! We have just been visited by a gryphon.”

  “So you have seen it?” Sir Maxwell said.

  “Yes, flying overhead.”

  “That must be our gryphon. He guards Meeyoo, the king’s cat. Meeyoo is the gryphon’s mate.”

  “So she must be near, this cat Meeyoo.”

  Sir Maxwell grinned. “She travels with the king.”

  “How delightful.” Oonen clapped her hands. “Is Your Majesty a wizard as well as a king? Cats do take to wizards.”

  “We are not,” Robin fumed. “Tell us, have you heard of Hewnstone?”

  “I have not heard of any of those places you mentioned but I’m sure they’re wonderful. Everything is beautiful in its own way.”

  “What is this place then?”

  “Nowhere. Everyone knows this is Nowhere.”

  “So this is not Perooc?”

  “Oh, no. Once you have been to Perooc you will know that.”

  “Have you been to Perooc?” Sir Maxwell asked.

  “I have, I have.” She threw her arms up and spun.

  “You have been to Perooc and came back here?”

  “Every place is wonderful. Once your eyes have been opened you can see life’s true essence wherever you are.”

  Robin would say her eyes were open. The pupils were so widely dilated as to make her eyes appear black, and they were glassy.

  “I have been to Perooc in my heart, in my mind.”

  Sir Maxwell looked crestfallen and Robin doubted they’d learn anything useful here.

  “Have you seen a unicorn?” Sir Maxwell asked, his eyes wide.

  “You know there is no such thing,” Robin said, but Oonen countered, “There is. All one needs is to be receptive to the possibility. Only then could one hope to spot one.”

  “What about the treasure? We were told Perooc was the site of unparalleled treasure.”

  “We keep reminding you, we are not on a treasure hunt, Sir Maxwell. We seek information about how to reach the port of Hewnstone.” Sir Alan and Sir Albert had remained behind in Here and There, allegedly to garner intelligence. Not, Robin hoped, for ulterior motives.

  Oonen leaned into Sir Maxwell’s face. “The treasure is knowledge, good sir. The knowledge there is magic everywhere. In everyone, in everything.”

  Magic. Robin scoffed. “The strangely-colored trees, the flowers, the grasses. They’re not magical, although they appear to be. You painted them.”

  Oonen laughed. “We simply wanted our surroundings to reflect what we knew to be their essence.”

  “We were told once you possess this knowledge, you will have power. Incredible power. Power over man. Power over Nature,” said Sir Maxwell.

  Oonen nodded.

  “You can turn your enemy into a toad. You can melt the stoniest of hearts.”

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Oonen replied. “If that’s what you want to do with it. I do not have that power. I did not try to seize the treasure.”

  “Because of the dragon,” Robin said.

  “Because I did not need to. I did not need the treasure. Once I arrived in Perooc, my mind was opened. I understood there was more in this world than what we see or hear.” She waved her hands and her eyes bounced in their sockets as if to take in everything at once. “Come join us. You can see what life is like when the Universe has revealed its secrets.” She turned and danced toward the commons.

  Sir Maxwell looked Robin a question.

  Robin shrugged. “Let’s see if anyone else knows where Hewnstone is. If we don’t get answers quickly, we will turn back.”

  Robin scanned the village as they followed Oonen. Despite the colorful paint and swags of bright fabrics, the buildings were marked by cracked and rotted boards, missing shingles, and rusted metal. The rails of the pens and corrals had fallen and the enclosures stood empty. Chickens, pigs, and horses roamed the village’s street. Lean to the point of emaciated, the horses grazed on weeds. Pigs rooted in trash. “You painted the grass but you neglect the animals,” he said.

  Oonen dismissed his concern with a wave. “We give them liberty, and they take care of themselves.”

  The commons was so packed with people Robin wondered if there was anyone left in the village who wasn’t present. Garbed in a motely of outfits, they sat or lay in the gazebo or on the ground around it. Some danced or swayed neither in unison nor in time with any of the music. The musicians appeared to perform for an imagined audience since Robin couldn’t see anyone paying attention. Several people spun like a child’s top. Many had their eyes closed but those that were open were dark and glazed like Oonen’s. Bundles of herbs burned, their smoke hovering over the grounds thick as a fog bank.

  “Something to eat, to drink,” Oonen said. “There is food here, somewhere.” She edged through the crowd, disappeared then emerged grasping the handles of chipped ceramic beakers. She handed the mugs to Robin and Sir Maxwell. “Drink and food.” She held out objects shaped like carrots with leafy tops but purple in color.

  “They must be painted,” Robin said. “Don’t ….” But it was too late. Sir Maxwell had bitten into his and his smiling lips bore traces of dye.

  “Let’s see if anyone knows where Hewnstone is,” Robin said. “Ask around. We will go to the left, you go to the right, and we will meet back here.” He moved through the crowd, nudging this person and that. No one acknowledged him but rather seemed to be lost in a dream. He returned to the gazebo’s entrance where he found his knight seated on the floor, his legs crossed, his eyes closed, his chin streaked purple.

  “Did you learn anything?”

  Oonen said, “He did, Sire. As he suspected. That there is more, so much more than what we can see with our eyes and hear with our ears and touch with our hands. The true nature of being goes beyond time and space. If we open our heart and mind, we can experience—”

  “Yes, yes, that’s fine but we need to learn where Hewnstone is.”

  Sir Maxwell hummed a tune low in his throat.

  “We told you not to eat … whatever that was. Did you drink the drink? Argh. Are you intoxicated?”

  Oonen said, “Intoxicated? No. We would never touch a substance that would dull our senses.”

  Robin moved to rouse the knight.

  Oonen blocked him. “I would advise Your Majesty not do that.”

  Robin paused, his hand midway to Sir Maxwell’s shoulder.

  “He is deep in a state. His spirit has traveled to another plane. If you disturb him, his body will come to attention but without his spirit. They might never reunite.”

>   “What gormless drivel.”

  Oonen shrugged. “Your Majesty is his liege lord. Do as you wish, Sire, but you have been warned.”

  Sir Maxwell hummed and rocked, oblivious.

  Robin grunted and turned to exit the gazebo.

  “You are leaving?” asked Oonen.

  “We will return. Tell him, when his ‘spirit’ has done meandering, that we will be back for him and we can resume our journey.”

  “To Perooc? There’s no need. Stay here. You can experience everything you would if you went to Perooc.

  Robin shrugged off her hand. “We are not going to Perooc. We seek answers. You are not supplying them nor is anyone else here.”

  Oonen grasped his biceps. “The answers you seek will cost you.”

  “We will have to battle a dragon. We were told.” Robin snorted. “We have bested those beasts before.”

  “No,” Oonen said, her lilting voice suddenly several registers deeper and ominous. “You have no idea.” She leaned into Robin’s face and growled. “You may conquer the dragon. You may seize the treasure. But you will be changed. Your life will never be the same. And the price will be everything that you hold dear. Are you truly ready to pay that?”

  Robin broke free of her clutches. “Everything we hold dear is why we must go.”

  Having exhausted every other remedy, Perooc’s treasure, reputed to satisfy every desire, is the king’s last chance to get his ship to port and its cargo to his desperate, starving subjects. Find out if he does in Forgotten Magic.

  About the Author

  “What if?” Those two words all too easily send Devorah Fox spinning into flights of fancy. A multi-genre author, she has written a best-selling epic fantasy series, an acclaimed mystery, a popular thriller, and co-authored a contemporary thriller with Jed Donellie. She’s contributed short stories to a variety of anthologies and has several Mystery and Fantasy Short Reads to her name. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she now lives on the Texas Gulf Coast with her writer familiars: two rescued tabby cats and a dragon named Inky.

  For more information about the author, please visit: http://devorahfox.com. Don't forget to grab your copy of the final anthology in the trilogy, Forgotten Magic.

  Spirit Gambit

  Leah W. Van Dinther

  In Wayward Magic, Carol discovers more knowledge about the spirits. On her journey, she connects with the Murus, Freddie Archegon, again, and meets with several colorful characters who have varied gifts to aid her. Is Freddie on the side of good or evil in this world? Will he use her for his purposes... or will Carol turn the tables and use him for hers? Will Carol play the gambit? Read on and see!

  Leah W. Van Dinther

  Carol has the ring... and she has Freddie Archegon's attention as well. But is Freddie good or bad? Carol has yet to deduce the answer. When she does, is she going to like what she discovers? Spirits abound and magic is in the air in this next installation of Carol's story: “Spirit Gambit.”

  Spirit Gambit

  “But how did he get your number?” Julia gasped; eyes wide with alarm. “Carol, what did you do? What did you say?”

  Carol Conley and Julia Tallsmudge were eating lunch at Red Kings 2, Julia’s favorite restaurant in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. Julia was one of Carol’s oldest and closest friends, and Carol could talk about anything and everything with her, and often did, including Carol’s ability to sense the spirits of the dead. She had just told Julia about her terrifying encounter with Freddie Archegon the month before. She explained how the spirits had all been so afraid, how the room had exploded, how she had finally stolen the moonstone ring, and of Freddie’s unexpected telephone call.

  “Well, I can tell you I was definitely surprised!” Carol replied, taking a sip of tea from the tall, ice-filled glass in front of her. “I gather Katherine must have told him. He said he’d called O’Katy’s and they said it was probably a mix-up when we were at the register. They must have given him my number too… but he doesn’t know I took the ring. Julia, he couldn’t! I had to get it away from him, but I was circumspect.”

  Julia took a bite of her Szechuan Chicken. Carol could never figure out how such a gentle woman could eat all of those hot peppers. Julia munched away contentedly, as if the heat was just another flavor. Carol preferred food that was not so spicy.

  “I don’t know, Carol. It sounds a little suspicious to me.” She scooped up a fork-full of what looked to be nothing but peppers. “I mean...look, Carol...do you think he likes you? Romantically, I’m saying.”

  “What? No! No, of course not. I mean, why would he? It’s not like that, Jules, why do you always jump to that conclusion?” Carol shook her head.

  “Well, either I’m a hopeless romantic, or I’m cautious like a fox.”

  They ate in contemplative silence for a few minutes.

  “So...?” Julia finally prompted.

  “Well, so I told him I didn’t have it, and I didn’t know where it had gotten to. I think he believed me. I certainly hope he did, because I’m supposed to go to Chicago next week for the Gem Show, and I just know I’m going to run into him. Jules… I’m kind of planning on it.”

  “Oh, Carol! Seriously? Have you lost your mind?” Julia paused in her eating and sat back, eyes wide, staring aghast at Carol. “You’re still going to Chicago after all of this?”

  “Yes,” Carol replied, and then, seeing Julia’s aggrieved look, “I’ll be fine, Julia! I won’t even take it with me. It’ll be alright, I’m telling you. But I have to know more about what is going on here. This Murus business is important, I can feel it. Just exactly how does he trap spirits? And what does he do with them? I’m sure I can learn from him.”

  Carol thought about her experience in the jewelry store, how the spirits had reacted to the very presence of Freddie Archegon. She remembered the taste of that fear in the back of her throat.

  “Well!” Julia huffed and put her napkin down. “I can see I’m not going to talk you out of it; you’ve been talking to me about going to this Gem Show for the last year, after all. Let’s see what I can do to give you a boost for your trip, okay? And then if you run into Freddie, you’ll have enough energy to withstand an onslaught of spirits!”

  “That is just what I was going to ask you. Thank you, Julia.” The knot that had been sitting deep in Carol’s stomach unraveled and dissolved into calmness.

  They finished their lunch, and Carol paid the bill.

  “My treat!” she said, and they walked out into the humidity of Philadelphia in July.

  Julia hooked her forearm through Carol’s elbow, and they walked through the city, arm-in-arm, towards Julia’s apartment. They got a few curious smiles from passers-by as they laughed their way along, but they ignored them and chatted about the daily events in Julia’s life: her work at the hospital, the new nurses, her most recent favorite romance novel.

  They were two completely different, elderly ladies: Carol was petite, dressed in fine clothing and Italian shoes, and had pale skin seamed with wrinkles; Julia was tall and robust, with rosy cheeks in a dusky complexion, a bun of shining, golden hair atop her head, and clothes that were relaxed and comfortable. She had skin that was still soft and smooth, despite her age. Carol had always envied her for that; Julia had always waved it off as an accident of genetics.

  They arrived at Julia’s apartment building on Spruce Street, and climbed the wide, spiral staircase up to the fourth floor. Julia always insisted on walking up the stairs rather than taking the elevator; she said it helped to keep her exercised and healthy. Carol just went slowly, and only had to pause to catch her breath once.

  Julia had lived here, alone, for as long as Carol had known her...since they were both in their early twenties, easily. Julia had been a nurse at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital for most of her forty-five-year career. She had run the Nursing Department there for decades, and it was said that no one had the skill to match her. She had worked with astronauts, assisted the best doctors from all over the worl
d, saved countless lives...and she still lived in this tiny, rent-controlled apartment in downtown Philadelphia.

  They came into the entryway and put their things down on the table. Carol smiled as she noticed the apartment had not changed: There were the dainty, wing-backed arm-chairs they had bought together at that roadside antique shop in New Hope years ago, a French side-table with the familiar knick-knacks of polished stones, a standing lamp, a bookshelf, and a needlepoint, stuffed footstool that Carol had made for Julia long before Carol had become proficient in the craft. They each sat down in a chair, and Julia took off her bulky sandals. She rubbed her feet and put them up on the footstool.

  “Now, Carol,” she began, “I really think you should be careful. You’re not as young as you used to be! I’m going to give you one of my ‘prescriptions.’ I want you to take it to Yao right away. You know Yao, he’ll get you set up.” Julia paused to pick up a handy notepad and pen and sat down in the other chair. “Let’s see here... tulsi... ginseng... calendula? Yes, calendula… for mental fortification as well as physical. The tulsi will be especially powerful, Carol. Remember, legend says it’s made of Lakshmi’s hair, and legend also says it will give you a metaphysical kick in the pants, not just a physical, medical one. Be careful with that… lest you seduce all of Chicago!” She chuckled as she wrote a few more things down, pulled the piece of paper off of the pad, and handed it to Carol. “Yao closes at five, so make sure you get there before then.”

  “Thank you, Julia. I knew I could count on you. You know so much! I’m just worried that I’ll get too tired to make it through the whole show. The Rosemont Convention Center is huge, I hear.”

  “Ah, you only love me because I’m a nurse.” Julia waved her hand and joked.

  “The nurse, Jules.” Carol joked back.

  “Yes, I know. But really, Carol, do you think you might be in danger from this fellow? The way you describe him, I don’t know whether to be afraid or intrigued.”