by T K Eldridge
“I haven’t found the Creators spell, yet – and I’m afraid to find out what else that little jerkwad, Orion, has done to us.”
“Do you really feel that the magic used was truly manipulative? Maybe it just helped to broadcast your own feelings about the whole situation?” Dad said.
I thought about it for a minute. “I don’t know. Roisin said that she really wanted this to all be over, so she was already leaning towards working with me, but anything that even remotely smacks of manipulation makes me twitchy.”
“And it’s not like you consciously did it, either,” Dad said. “So not knowing if it’s something you can control would be annoying, I can imagine.”
“Exactly. If it was something I chose, then I could choose not to, and it’d be fine. But I didn’t actively decide to use magic, it just happened.”
“You may not approve of this, but if it helps get our community to a place where it works together with less chaos and pain, then I’m all for it,” Dad said.
“By any means necessary, huh?”
“For this? Yes.”
* * *
Election day went off without any real difficulties. Dad won, Bastien did not – but thankfully, Emmeline Fisk did. Caleb Marius refused to give a concession speech and demanded a recount. The first meeting of the new council was scheduled for a week from the election, and I made sure everyone had the meeting plans and topics sent to their tablets.
I sent a potted orchid and a card to Roisin, congratulating her on Emmeline’s win and thanking her for her support in making the council a success. She texted me back that the orchid was beautiful and she was happy things were going well – and that she would be teaching a basic horticulture class at the new island school when it opened.
Our new home was nearly finished, and we had been gifted a few pieces from the Royals as they sorted through several centuries of furnishings and treasures. We had some of our own furniture, of course – but half of the fun was in buying pieces we chose together. This Saturday afternoon, we were at an antique auction in Sorsyville, where we’d found a Hoover cabinet that was in good condition that we both wanted. The bidding went quickly, and soon we were loading our new treasure into the back of Drake’s truck.
The auction house was in an old department store building with a chain of smaller shops connected by a sidewalk. We didn’t notice the crowd until we walked back around to return the hand cart to the auction house. Twenty or more people were gathered outside Dale Boswell’s ice cream shop, holding signs that said ‘elementals rule’ and ‘shifters are servants’. Dale had won the council seat for this region and he was a shifter/mythic hybrid. I watched as Dale opened the door to let a few customers rush out, then pulled it closed and locked it against the protesters. They started to pound on the windows and door, so I pulled out my phone and dialed 991 for the SPD emergency line.
“This is Agent Sidonie Boudreau outside Dale’s Delights ice cream shop in Sorsyville on Silverton Road. A crowd of protesters is outside his shop and threatening damage. Send a couple of cars this way, please.”
“We’ve already got two cruisers headed your way, Agent Boudreau. Stay on the line if you can, so our agents know what they’re driving up on?”
“Sure, Dispatch. Right now, it’s a crowd of about twenty to twenty-five people with signs. They’re pounding on the windows and door.”
Drake stayed at my side, cursing the fact neither of us had thought to bring a gun. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and screams, followed by an explosion. The glass windows and door of Dale’s shop blew out into the parking lot, covering the protesters in glass and debris.
Drake and I ducked behind the corner of the building when the explosion went off, then we both started to run.
“Send fire and ambulances, there’s been an explosion,” I yelled into the phone, then shoved it into my pocket. We helped get the wounded away from the building, and the shop owners on either side of Dale’s brought fire extinguishers that took care of the worst of the blaze. Drake ran in and helped get wounded out through the back, but Dale was in rough shape. He’d been behind the counter, having sent all of his staff into the kitchen for their safety. The counter had shielded him from the glass from the windows but not the display cases, and wasn’t enough to keep him from being blown off of his feet and into the freezer case behind him. We dragged him into the kitchen and I got wet towels to cover the worst of his burns while Drake kept him talking and pulled a few bits of glass out of the spots that were healing quickly.
“Just pull out all the glass you can find,” I told Drake. “Hybrids often heal faster than purebloods, and you don’t want him to begin healing over the glass shards.”
Dale wheezed a soft, “She’s right, do it.” and so we did the best we could. The ambulance arrived, and we got out of the way as the medics took over. I stumbled to a sink to wash Dale’s blood off of me, and Drake stepped up beside me to do the same.
“Did you see who threw it?” I asked him, voice low.
“No, did you?” Drake asked.
“No, but there was a skinny guy with blond hair that ran away just after the bomb went off. I don’t know if he ran because he threw it, or because a bomb just went off,” I said.
“I saw him head out towards the street. You go get the truck and I’m gonna go take a look, okay?” Drake handed me the keys.
“Okay, I’ll head your way. Be safe,” I whispered, then headed out the back kitchen door to go get the truck. Drake headed in the opposite direction, to see if he could find our runner.
Drake and I had put that ‘find me’ app on our phones so we could track each other if there was an emergency. Considering I’d been kidnapped once and in risky situations more than once, we decided it was a good tool to have, ‘just in case’. Well, this was a just in case moment because by the time I got the truck maneuvered around the fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars, Drake was out of sight. I turned on the app, and followed down one street and around a turn before I saw he’d headed into the park at the end of the neighborhood. I pulled into the park’s lot and shut off the truck. I watched the dot move in a semi-circle until it was headed back towards me. I got out of the truck and crouched down beside it while I watched the dot get closer and closer – then our blond runner broke free of the brush right in front of me and nearly ran into the truck.
He didn’t have a weapon in his hand, so I got to my feet and yelled, “Freeze, SPD. Let me see your hands.”
The guy did exactly that – he froze and lifted his hands up in the air. “I don’t have a weapon, don’t shoot,” he called out as Drake came up behind him.
I tossed Drake a set of zip cuffs and kept my eyes on our captive. “What’s your name?”
“Elliot Hawthorne,” the guy said.
“How old are you, Elliot?” I asked.
“Nineteen. And I didn’t do nothin’.”
“Anything,” Drake said.
“Huh?” Elliot replied.
“It’s ‘I didn’t do anything.’ But we know you did. Why did you throw that bomb?” Drake asked.
“That guy shouldn’t be on the council. Only elementals,” Elliot said.
“Who told you that?” I asked.
“Caleb. He knows how things should be run. Roisin Murphy was weak. Caleb isn’t. He’ll bring elementals back to their glory.”
“And pigs will fly,” I muttered. “You call it in, Drake. He’s your collar.”
I called Dad to warn him. “We just picked up one of Caleb’s devotees. He threw a firebomb through Dale’s Delights’ window, and Dale and a bunch of others were hurt. Drake’s going to take him in, but I want you to get the word out to the rest of the council members to be on their guard.”
“I’ll do that. I heard that some of the office windows at the council building were smashed with rocks. I guess we’re lucky they didn’t try to burn that, too.”
“I’ll check with the Commander and let him know what we’ve got so far. Love you, Dad. Be careful.”
“You too, Siddie. I’ll make sure we have extra protection at the Estate for the next little while. Bye now.”
Drake got a ride to the station with one of the cruisers that came to pick up Elliot, so I drove the truck to the station and parked around the side. Once in the building, I ran up the stairs and tapped on the Commander’s door.
I heard his ‘come in’ and stepped inside. “Commander, I’ve got some intel for you.”
He turned, took one look at me, and bolted to his feet. “Are you okay?”
I looked down at myself and chuckled. “Yeah, none of this is mine. But damn, I need a shower, huh?”
“Where were you?” he asked.
“We were at the auction house down the strip from Dale’s ice cream place. We went in to help and the blood is because Drake and I were pulling shards of glass out of Dale before he healed up over it. He’ll be okay, but he’s kind of a mess. I think more of the demonstrators got hurt than anyone inside, to be honest.”
“And what about Drake?”
“He’s got the guy that tossed the firebomb. I told him to bring him in, it’s his collar.”
“You think he’s good Special Forces material?”
“I do, but he’s still in training,” I said.
“So, you guys missed half of your training because I needed you. With Sin and Sett gone, and you doing Intel, I need more bodies on the street. I’ll talk to Drake, but I wanted to ask you first.”
“I’d like to work on his team, yes. He’s got a street instinct like none I’ve seen since Sett,” I said. “And he’s calm and methodical.”
“Just what I need. I mean it, I need calm and methodical. I love your brother, but I’m glad he’s not on the street anymore. If he’d kept going the way he was…well, we don’t need to go there now, do we?”
“No, we don’t,” I said and meant it. I knew what he was saying, and I had to agree.
“Dad said that the council chambers had windows smashed with rocks today, too. Anything else?”
“A team from the palace guard had to go protect the Dowager House. Another firebomb was thrown there, but they hit the stone wall and didn’t get it through the window, so the fire was easy to put out.”
“Elliot Hawthorne, the kid Drake picked up, said Caleb Marius is behind all of this,” I said.
“The palace guard said that Marius’s youngest brother, Colin, ran from the Dowager House attack. They lost him in the crowds, but they did get a positive ID.”
“How many of these brothers are there?” I asked.
“Three boys and three girls. All of them have records,” the Commander said. “I’ll send their photos and info out on the tablets so you can all be watching for them.”
“Thanks, Commander. I’m going to get back down to the truck. Drake should be done processing Elliot soon.”
“Be careful, Siddie. I have a feeling they’re just not done yet.”
“I don’t think they’re even close to done,” I replied.
Chapter Sixteen
Sin
Classes had started and it was one hell of an adjustment. The lack of a quiet place to study drove Dad and I to build out the space over our garage into an office for me. There were four garages on the property, and a giant attic, so we moved our storage stuff into the attic. Now I could take the stairs from the hallway outside the laundry room to a space that had plenty of light and quiet. Normally, I shut my cell phone off when I was up there, but today I had forgotten, so I took Sid’s call. She told me about the attacks and the firebombing, and said she’d called Dad and he would beef up our security here at the Estate, but she wanted me to know what had happened.
“Sid, doesn’t this seem a bit odd to you?” I asked.
“Yeah, it does. Why rocks? Why firebombs? Their signs were pretty blatant, so it wasn’t to hide from the Danes. Why not just use their magic?”
“They were elementals, right? Or were they some of the mythics?”
“I think it was a mix of both. Honestly, I’m puzzled why more of the mythics aren’t telling the elementals to get lost.
“Maybe they think it’s a way to grab power by riding on their coat tails?”
“No clue, but I plan on asking Orion when I see him. Speaking of which, I’ve still not found the spell, but I hear the Archives will be opening soon, so I’ll be able to ask Oak and maybe get help finding it.”
“I had a thought the other day – did you ever check the Fortin grimoire?”
Silence on the other end of the phone for a good beat or two, then I heard, “Dammit, no. I didn’t. It never occurred to me that it might be in there. I’ll look after work today and let you know.”
“Stay safe, sis, and thanks for the update.”
“You stay safe, too. Bye.”
The call disconnected and I stared at my laptop screen without seeing it. I knew I was on to something, but I couldn’t quite get it. What was the real reason for the mythics to be backing the elementals? Granted, not all of them were – the dragons and griffins had stayed out of it. The smaller, less populous types like merfolk and some of the forest dwellers, were the ones backing them. Were they coerced? Or did they have their own motivations? It was time to pick up some beer and have a chat with Grizz and Drake.
* * *
It took three days before I could get the guys together to hang out. Drake had been tapped to be on the Special Forces team, so his hellish training schedule was no more. Grizz and Drake were partnered up, and they seemed to be doing well together. It was a Sunday, so after dinner, we gathered on a community patio at the end of the road that led up to the aerie. A fire pit, some steaks on a grill, a few beers, and we were living the good life.
“Thanks for meeting here, guys. I just don’t want to be too far away in case Glenda needs me,” Grizz said.
“No worries, man. I get it,” I replied.
Drake just sighed in contentment. “I’m just glad to be sitting still for a bit. We’re almost ready to move the last things out of the farm cottage to the new house. Sid said she has your friend’s info, the one that owns the moving company, but I’d still like your help. The more magic, the easier this will be.”
“You’ve got it, as long as it’s after class – and Mira can handle the kids,” I said.
“I…” Grizz started and Drake waved him down.
“No, Grizz. You’ve got to be close to Glenda. It’s cool. With a few magic wielders, the move will happen fast and with no pulled muscles,” Drake said.
“So, the reason I really wanted to get together, was to ask you guys a question. Why would some of the mythics be backing the elementals in this power struggle? What benefit do they get?” I said.
“I’ve been trying to figure that one out, myself,” Grizz said.
“Same here. And why they’re not using their magic to attack,” Drake said. “Sid was trying to figure out why they would use rocks and firebombs – and not their elemental gifts.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that to me, too. She said the signs at Dale’s were not discreet at all, so it’s not to try and hide things from the mundanes,” I said.
“And there’s nothing messing with elemental magic?” Grizz asked.
“Nope. Everything seems to be working fine. The ley lines are still a little wonky now and then, but for the most part, they’re functional,” I replied.
“I’m still friendly with a couple of dryads,” Grizz said. “I’ll ask them if they have any ideas on what’s going on.”
The rest of our hang out time was spent talking and enjoying the companionship of good friends. I needed to bring Bastien to one of these hang-outs so he could meet these guys. They’d mesh well, and I wouldn’t feel guilty hanging out with one group and not the other.
I had a couple of boxes of Boudreau Botanicals stock to drop off at the farm store, so I headed out before it got too dark and handed them over to Tim at the store. A basket of some new items had been set aside for me to take to Grams, so I drove through the gates and
headed towards the main house. The fields were mostly harvested for the season, and the leaves had gone red and gold against the evergreens. I drew in a breath of the sweet air and felt the tension ease. No matter what happened, our family had this place to call home.
I got out of the SUV and picked up the basket when I heard laughter come from the side of the house. Grams and Evelyn Rue were scooping up kittens and putting them in a box, laughing as the little fur balls tumbled around and chased a few fallen leaves.
“I see one of the barn cats had a litter under the porch again?” I said.
“Yeah, we’re just collecting them to give to Micah. He’s going to take them to get spayed and neutered now that they’re old enough. Mama cat already got taken care of and is safe on her blanket in the barn once more,” Grams said. She scooped the last ball of fluff into the box and put the lid on. Evelyn picked it up and started to walk away.
“You can pick no more than two to keep, Evelyn, but they’ve got to get fixed first. I don’t want thirty cats racing through my house,” Grams called after her friend.
“Yes, ma’am,” Evelyn replied with a chuckle.
I turned to Grams and handed her the basket. “The new stuff Mom and Mira sent over for you to try. I left the boxes of stock at the shop. Haven’t seen you in a bit, so I figured I’d come by in person with this and maybe get a cup of coffee?”
“Of course, come on inside. Let me wash my hands and we can have a slice of blueberry pie with our coffee if you’d like?” Grams said.
“I’d like very much,” I replied and took the basket back from her to carry inside.
Today’s shirt had me swallowing a chuckle. Jet black with bright yellow and white print, this one said “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cackle maniacally and people back away from you slowly.”
“Just leave that on the bench there,” Grams said. “I’ll pick it apart later. That wife of yours has become quite gifted in her creations. I’ve not found one thing I didn’t like that she’s put together.”
“I’ll tell her that,” I said as I took a seat at the kitchen island. Grams washed up, then got out the pie and some mugs, and soon we were seated next to each other, pie and coffee being enjoyed.
