by Martha Carr
Perrom held his breath, hoping, ready to hold up the sign he’d brought if this failed. He hadn’t thought he would get this far, but he had made preparations in case she couldn’t hear him. He was determined to get the message to her any way he had to. At that moment, he would have jumped through the veil to make sure she knew where she needed to go, but he knew full well that if he did that, they’d both be trapped there—maybe forever.
Slowly, she nodded, and he let out a deep breath, gathering his words quickly. The air shimmered again, and the image began to fade. He moved fast, reaching for the sign he had made. He held it up, wanting to be sure that she knew exactly where to go.
She tilted her head, and he yelled loudly, “Driskill Hotel, Room 302, Austin, Texas. Two nights from now!”
She blinked her eyes and scanned the sign that he pointed to with every word he spoke. The image shimmered again, and he stepped closer, almost too close for safety. He didn’t care, though; he needed her to know. “I love you!”
As he spoke the last word, her image faded. She reached out for him, but the tear was gone before he could hear her words. Tears flooded his eyes, and he fell to his knees. She was gone, and he was left sitting in the dark room all alone. He leaned back and picked up the sign, looking at the words printed in large dark letters. He had to hope that it was enough and that she had fully understood where he needed her to go.
The plan was now in motion. Everything was set up so that Ossonia would be at the right place at the right time. Perrom had done everything he could, and now the rest was on Leira Berens. She was his friend, and she knew how important it was to get Ossonia back, so he kept his spirits high and hoped she didn’t fail.
He climbed to his feet and held the book against his chest, then made his way out of the hall and down through the post office, feeling lighter after having seen her and spoken with her. The students were all laughing at the plaque on the wall, just as they had before, and the gargoyles screeched high above his head.
As he went back out into the streets of Oriceran, he flipped the hood of his cape over his head and hurried toward the Dark Forest. He needed to let Leira know that he had been successful, or at least that he thought he’d been successful. She was busy preparing for the rest of it, but he wished she could have seen Ossonia like he had. It had removed the despair he had from searching for her for so long. Her face was still just as beautiful as the image he’d held in his mind.
As he entered the forest he whispered into the wind, hoping that Ossonia would hear it wherever she was. “We’re coming for you, my love. Just hold on a little bit longer.”
18
Senator Trumbull sat back in his chair with his hands resting on his belly as he glanced out the window at the beautiful view of the Rockies outside. He was at a meeting in his hometown of Colorado Springs, and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the sun continuously peeked out from behind the roving clouds.
He listened to the questions being posed to him. He smoothed his navy-blue sweater over his pressed slacks, smiling through it all despite what he was having to say. Gathered in front of him were his lieutenants and his two top aides. His lieutenants, one older with so many medals and ribbons that he wondered how his jacket stayed on, and the other around his mid-forties, had been hired to give him a current worldview of the military.
His top aides were both men and dressed in expensive suits. Their faces made it obvious that they felt important, sitting at the table inside the large mountain mansion. The room had high ceilings, with oak accents throughout. The extensive bookcases covering the walls were filled with historical novels on one side and law volumes on the other.
The housemaid refilled the senator’s Godinger Dublin highball glass with Whiskey House bourbon. The senator nodded at the maid and leaned on his elbow, swishing the bourbon around in the glass.
The senator looked around at the assembled crowd, mostly men, and mostly white. They were all ambitious, though, and he could use that to his advantage. “I want you all to fully understand what we will lose if magic gains the upper hand. We all know that power buys privilege in this world, but there are those times in history when retaining power requires thoughtfulness and guidance from those who know best.”
The senator held back a smirk as he played to their egos. Most agreed with everything he was saying, and the ones who didn’t were too afraid of him to voice their concerns. They each had the typical rich man’s mob mentality, and the senator knew that. He was able to get his way because he had spent a lot of time around men like these, inserting himself into their circle. Eventually, because of the time he had spent in office, he became a leader among them. He played the part perfectly with the beautiful old-fashioned home in the Rockies, expensive bourbon, expensive clothes, and words that inflated their egos even further than they already were.
“This is exactly what we needed to hear,” one of the lieutenants said, taking a sip of his bourbon.
The other lieutenant nodded. The wrinkles in the corners of his eyes showed that he’d played this game for far too long. “What about a plan? Everything needs a good plan.”
The senator smiled and swished his bourbon in the glass again. “Absolutely. Our plan—which is already in motion—is to create small disturbances in communities of humans and magicals alike. We’re planting a seed of fear that will spread like wildfire and allow us to push for more stringent rules against the use of magic on our planet.”
One of his aides nodded. “And how has it worked so far?”
The senator tilted his head back and forth. “In my opinion, we are right on track. The town rallies that have occurred so far, in Adams, New York, Coleman, Florida, and Brunswick, Maine have all had good reports come back from them.”
“Are we talking about large-scale rallies, or are we talking about small under-the-radar ones?” the older lieutenant questioned.
Senator Trumbull pointed at the lieutenant. “Good question. These are small towns, but they have made the local newspapers and media. The point is to have a low, slow rumble at first that will ultimately build to a larger one. We went to town hall meetings and began by planting the seed there, putting the thoughts in people’s heads. After that, we held rallies in their town squares and found that those concerns were more than just that of the organizations. It proved to us that that one seed could quickly turn into thousands.”
The younger lieutenant lifted an eyebrow. “So, we continue these small rallies with Humans First until they become larger ones? Are we relying on people to go with their fears?”
The senator chuckled. “History has shown that we can fully rely on humans to go along with their worst fears. We saw it during the civil rights movement. We saw it during women’s rights, and we saw it with the most recent presidency. People’s fears outweighed their logic. However, that is not all there is to the plan. We have found a way for magic to be on our side and have a seat at the table.”
The senator set down his glass and stood up, throwing out his arm dramatically as one of the aides opened the doors to the large, stately room. The new head of the dark families entered, and the senator introduced him with fervor. “Gentlemen, this is Elias Snowcroft, the new head of the dark families.”
Gasps flew across the room, and a couple of the men slid their chairs back. The youngest of the aides choked on his expensive bourbon and covered his mouth so as not to have it dribble down his chin. To say that they were taken aback would have been an understatement. They were all in for the control of magic, but they didn’t think they would be working alongside one of their enemies.
Elias gave a satisfied sneer and looked around the room. His head was covered by the blue velvet hood of his robes, and his steel-blue eyes glared at the men. His close-cropped snow-white hair enhanced his look, even though he was still in his early thirties. He was very young to be the head of the dark families, but he didn’t lack the motivation and drive to get where he wanted to be.
This is the way to gain power. From the inside out, Elias thought as he pulled his wand out.
The men all clutched the seats of their chairs, staring at him wildly. Good. It makes them shiver in their seats. They understand the pecking order, even if they want to believe they can change history. Eventually, magic always wins.
The senator smiled. “Well, come on in, Elias. Have a seat at our table. Can I get you anything? Bourbon, coffee? A Danish, perhaps?”
Elias waved his hand and took a seat next to the others. “No, thank you. I would rather just get started. This is an important matter.”
The senator nodded. “Of course. You have the floor.”
Elias put his wand away, allowing the others to relax a little bit. He put on his best human happy face and spoke to the men on their level. “First, I want to thank you for the invitation. I’m very excited about the prospect of working with you. The senator has told me so much about you. Between your service and your power, I believe we will make a great team. Now, to address the elephant in the room… I understand your fear—fear of me, and fear of the other magical beings who are coming through the portal to Earth. After all, Kilomea, Crystals, gnomes…who wouldn’t be afraid? Oriceran is completely new to all of you, and we all know that anything new can be scary. These creatures are rabble-rousers and very good in battles, but have absolutely no moral compass. It is a dangerous combination unless you know what you’re doing.”
Elias pulled his wand back out, ignoring the men jumping back in their seats. He sent a stream of energy across the table, wrapping it around the carafe of water, and poured a glass for himself. The glass rose into the air and floated to his hand. He nodded and put his wand away. The others looked at him with both wonder and fear, surprised at how docile the head of the dark family seemed to be. They expected a lot more out of a pureblood wizard who had recently taken over the dark families’ council. The men shifted their eyes from the wizard to the senator, who hadn’t even blinked.
Elias set down his glass and looked at the others. “I’m sure you all have questions about the dark families, since we’ve been portrayed as something that I don’t believe we are. For centuries, the dark families have been pushed into the shadows, especially the ones on the council with a pureblood line. You will not find a drop of human blood in my body. We have spent that time in the shadows working hard, training, and becoming masters of dark magic. It takes respect and discipline. Every single one of us has been taught it, even those with human blood in their veins. You may fear dark magic. You may even turn your nose up at it, but I promise you, it can be an asset to the future of this planet.”
The older lieutenant’s face remained stern. “And it can be the undoing of our planet as well. We’ve seen some of the dark families’ handiwork. Most recently, we saw how they played a large part in the rally gone wrong in DC. Now, part of that was in our interest, but I don’t want you to misunderstand. We don’t want to see people die, no matter what their views.”
The senator narrowed his eyes wondering if he had made a mistake with the older lieutenant. “Surely you understand, lieutenant, having been through so many wars, that sometimes it takes casualties for the message to be pushed. Sometimes the collateral damage and the horror doesn’t even come close to touching the victory, and what that can mean for our country or our world.”
To the senator's relief, the lieutenant nodded and lifted his glass of bourbon. He took a sip and turned back to Elias, who was listening intently. He had known there would be fear, but he was surprised at how little. He had underestimated the drive of these human men.
The senator cleared his throat and took a sip of his bourbon, then set his glass back down. “Gentlemen, I did not bring Elias here to make you think there was some sort of threat or bullying going on. Elias wants to work with us because it is in the best interests of the dark families. There will be concessions made, of course, but in the end, those concessions will be nothing compared to the victory that we will achieve when we squash this dangerous idea of magical beings intertwined with our human race.”
Elias nodded. “Exactly. Very well put Senator. Alone, we go faster, but together we go farther. Let’s get somewhere, gentlemen.”
Elias could barely contain the sneer that was pulling at his lips, even as the humans at the table began to look relieved. He narrowed his eyes and looked across the table at the senator who was just as enamored by his speech as everyone else.
19
“This definitely wasn’t what I expected, but I trust you, senator, and I trust that you have the country’s best interests at heart. I just want you to make sure you don’t get sidetracked. I can see the glitz and glamour Elias brings to the table,” the older lieutenant said, shaking the senator’s hand as he got ready to leave.
The senator nodded. “Of course, I have the country’s best interests at heart. I always have. And as far as the glitz and glamour of magic, if I wanted that I’d watch Harry Potter with my grandchildren. There’s no place for that here.”
The lieutenant looked happy with that response and headed out of the house. He was the last guest to leave, but Senator Trumbull stood there watching as they each waited for their car to pull up and the driver to open the door for them. The older lieutenant had driven himself, not wanting anyone to know where he was going. One of the house staff pulled his Lincoln Town Car around and helped him into the driver seat. Before pulling off he gave the senator one last look, letting him know that he was fully aware of everything that was going on.
The sky was still a sparkling deep blue, and a cold breeze blew across the grounds. The senator shivered, even though sweat poured down his forehead as he thought about everything that had happened during the meeting. He knew he had made the right choice, but he had to make sure that the others agreed with him. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that the dark families were dangerous and that they were loyal to no one, not even each other. At that point, though, he felt that he didn’t have any other choice. He needed allies who were in the best position to finish the job he needed done.
It had been a hard choice to make, and one he hadn’t come to lightly. With everything going on recently, and the plan they had put in place and were executing as he stood there, he couldn’t leave out any possible allies, even if they were in it only for themselves. He had been in government long enough to know that there wasn’t a single person he could trust.
The senator stood in the doorway with a fake smile and waved as the cars pulled away. One of his aides stepped up next to him, and the senator turned to him with a grimace. “I don’t trust that son of a bitch Snowcroft, not for even a half second. He’ll turn on us the first chance he gets. Get our best guys to keep an eye on him and his kind. The day is coming where they will cease to be an asset, and we will need to terminate our contract with prejudice.”
Yumfuck’s green tuft of hair blew wildly back as he stepped through a portal, carefully holding a pink box of Voodoo Donuts in his hands. He stood on the perfectly manicured grounds of the clearing, and a warm sensation blew through his chest. Between the woods surrounding him and the luscious green grass, it felt like he was home on Oriceran where his family was.
Hagan greeted him warmly. “It’s so good to see you, my furry little friend. You make me feel like I’m home again. Well, you and those donuts.”
Yumfuck trilled. “I was just thinking when I stepped into this clearing that I felt like I was at home. You and Rose always make me feel better, and this place looks just like Oriceran. It seems to look more and more like it every time I come here.”
Hagan looked around and nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. “The Gardener has been putting in a lot of work, that’s for sure. Of course, he has been bringing me out to help him with it, but it’s the least I could do since he gave Rose and me a home here. I don’t exactly know what Oriceran looks like where you came from, but if it’s even half as beautiful as this, it definitely sounds like a good place.”
Yumfuck nodded avidly. “More beautiful than I can describe. Rolling hills, lush green grass, and my family all around. I have hundreds of brothers and sisters back home, and though I love you guys, I miss them sometimes.”
Hagan listened, nodding his head comfortingly. “I bet you do. I don’t have any siblings, at least none blood-related. I have to tell you, though, that I miss the guys and Leira something awful. Part of me wishes I could be back on the front lines with you guys, but Rose made it very clear that unless it was absolutely vital, she didn’t want me out there getting myself killed.”
“She’s a smart woman. You are badass, but these fools have magic, and that’s hard for a human to defend against.”
Hagan sighed. “I know, but when the weather’s perfect and the trees are perfect and the flowers are perfect, it makes me want something a little bit more down and dirty. Makes me want to go chasing a perp through the back alleys of Austin. It makes me wanna feel the burn in my chest as I tackle one to the ground and strap the cuffs on him. There is nothing in the world more satisfying than when you catch a criminal and take him to justice. I guess that’s the forever cop in me talking. In reality, I’m pretty sure I’d end up as a shish kebab in a magical war.”
Yumfuck giggled. “You know we’d never let that happen to you. But anyway, I think you’ll find these beautiful as well. One dozen delicious donuts.”
Hagan chuckled. “You are a true friend of the people, Yumfuck. What do I owe you?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty, but Yumfuck wasn’t having any of it. He held out the box and blew a raspberry, barely missing the pink cardboard with the spit that flew from his mouth. He giggled as he wiped his chin and gave Hagan a loving smile. “On me this time.”
Hagan grinned for a moment but then hesitated, narrowing his eyes at Yumfuck. “You steal ‘em?”
