Upheaval!

by Deborah Martin

  Twenty minutes later, we were in a parking lot with signage indicating a state park. “Ready for a hike?” Jarvis asked as we piled out. “It’ll take us about a half hour to get where we need to be. There are water bottles in the cooler in the back. Everyone take at least one.”

  Jimmy led the way. If I hadn’t been busy watching where my feet went, I’d have marveled at the scenery. Although it was not truly an old-growth forest, my guess was most of the trees were about fifty years old. The deciduous trees were starting to leaf out and the white dogwood flowers against the dark green of the pines made it look like a green bouquet with baby’s breath. It was almost as pretty as some areas of the Boundary Waters I’d been to.

  Up we climbed. I was grateful for all the bike riding I did around the lakes in Minneapolis. Otherwise, my legs would probably have collapsed about half-way to our destination. I’d almost finished my bottle of water and was starting to get a little winded when Jimmy held up his hand, indicating we were supposed to stop.

  He turned back to us and quietly said, “The mine is just over then down this ridge about fifty feet. Stay here. I’ll go look then come back and report.” He kicked off his shoes and right before my eyes, he shimmered and in his place stood a wolf. Jimmy was a blond man and the wolf had beautiful gold and white fur, sort of like a wolfy golden retriever. I gulped. If I hadn’t known he was friendly, I would have hightailed it. The wolf gave what was probably a (very toothy) grin in my direction, his tongue lolling and tail wagging just like that golden retriever.

  “I wish I could do it that effortlessly,” Tony whispered. “I still rip my clothes.”

  “You’ll get there, youngster,” Jarvis whispered back as Jimmy silently bounded up the ridge and out of sight.

  I’d just finished taking the last swig of my water and was wondering what was taking so long when Jimmy came striding down the hill in human form. He crouched down, and drawing a diagram in the dirt with a stick, said quietly,

  “From the top of the ridge looking down, the entrance is here, about fifty feet away. There’s one were to either side of the opening and although I can’t see them, I can smell a wizard and another male were somewhere. I’m guessing they’re just inside. I couldn’t smell any dwarves but if they’re around, they must be farther into the mine. Neither of the weres I could see is ours and neither looks very alert. They’re just squatting, smoking cigarettes and talking.”

  Jarvis nodded. “Gregory, you go with Tony and Jimmy into the mine. Otherwise the plan stays the same. Little lady, you stay here until someone comes to get you.” I grimaced. Oh, not at the admonishment to stay behind. I knew I wouldn’t be any help in the fight that was sure to come. But that “Little Lady” epithet was starting to get to me.

  Tony gave me a peck on the cheek, took his shoes off and hung his jacket on a nearby tree limb. “See you in a bit, Doll,” he said as he shimmered right along with the other three, except instead of his clothes transforming with him, his shirt and pants ripped as his body reformed itself. Once in wolf form, he kicked the pieces of cloth away from him. The wolf looked at me and I think he shrugged his shoulders.

  “Do please stay here, Amy,” Gregory said. “We will come get you when it’s safe. In the meantime, try not to get angry about anything. That’s a mine underneath us and it probably has loose rocks.” He gave me a quick hug then with a nod at the wolves, followed them up the ridge.

  Shortly, I heard shouts, then growling and snarls. Lots of growling and snarls. Loud growling and snarls. It seemed to go on forever. Finally, curiosity got the better of me. I crawled up the hill as quietly as I could and looked over the ridge to see what was happening.

  I’d never before seen a dog fight. I think I had now. Three wolves were circling two, every now and again lunging forward with a snap of jaws. As I watched the curious fight, two wolves tumbled into view, legs and paws locked in a vicious embrace and each trying to bite the other’s neck. Finally, one of the wolves got a good bite in and with a quick jerk of his head, snapped the neck of the other, who went limp. The victorious wolf disentangled himself, stood next to his victim and howled.

  That was enough to distract the two encircled wolves and the other three also went in for the kill. I felt bile rise in my throat as I watched them efficiently dispatch their quarry. The other three also let out a howl. As I surveyed the carnage, I realized that the first to die had the same markings as the wolf who had, just a few brief minutes before, kicked off pieces of torn clothing in front of me.

  At that point, I saw nothing but red. I’m sure I screamed but the next thing I knew, I was racing down the slope, hurling balls of green energy at the wolf who had killed my lover. The first knocked him to the ground, a couple went wide of their mark and went into the trees and a couple may even have hit a good guy. I didn’t care.

  As I slid down the scree I felt a rumbling below my feet. I paid no attention to anything except the pain in my heart and the fervent desire to kill the gray wolf. I threw energy balls until I had nothing left with which to make them. I skittered with the uneven footing, fell on my ass and proceeded to burst into tears. I tried throwing another ball but only a wee bit of light flickered in my palm. The next thing I knew, a dark brown ball of fur barreled into my chest and knocked me on my back.

  Amidst the tears and heaving sobs, I felt calming energy wash over me and the vibration of a purr on my chest. My blurry vision told me that Fudge was the barreling ball of fur. A pair of feet came into view, then knees, then a kindly face that looked so much like an older version of Tony. I heard Fudge hiss then resume his purring.

  “I’m so sorry, little lady,” Jarvis’ voice said. “You weren’t meant to see the fight, just in case something like this happened.”

  “He said he knew how to handle himself,” I sobbed. “How could he lose?”

  “It happens. We’re all good at fights because that’s how we play. The other guy was just better this time. I hate to ask it of you but could you calm down? We need your help. And cat? I’m not going to harm her.”

  I sat up, cradling Fudge in my arms and nuzzled his fur. He never stopped purring. “I want to go home,” I bawled. “I want to go to sleep and wake up to find this has just been a nightmare. I want…”

  Jarvis interrupted my plaint. “Little lady, we still need to get your boss and Gregory out of the mine. There’s been an earthquake and the entrance is blocked. By the way, no one told us you were a witch. It’s a good thing you don’t know how to throw killing energy.”

  That made me sit up straight. Oh, shit. I’d gotten mad when I wasn’t supposed to and now Ev and Gregory were in trouble because of me. That also sort of explained Fudge’s presence, although how he got to me was a mystery. I buried my face in Fudge’s fur, trying to get myself under control – I had to so I could help my friends. Jarvis waited patiently.

  My sobs finally subsided to sniffles. “What can I do? I’m not strong enough to move boulders.”

  Jarvis smiled. “None of us are. But I can talk to Gregory through the rocks and he tells me you should be able to sense which ones are okay to move without bringing anything more down. He’ll do the heavy lifting.”

  Jarvis helped me stand and as I cradled Fudge, I looked around me. Tony’s body, still in wolf form, lay a few feet in front of me. I walked over, squatted down and ran my hands along coarse fur and strong shoulders. I felt myself start to get angry again and Fudge batted my face with his paw. My reminder to keep my emotions under control. Jarvis cleared his throat.

  “We’ll take care of him, I promise. The one who killed him is also dead. I made certain of that. I know you’re grieving but…”

  I looked at Jarvis and then past him to Sam and Jimmy. They all had scratches here and there but those were healing even as I watched. I got myself together as best I could and looked back at Jarvis. “What do I need to do?”

  He motioned me over to what had been the entrance to the mine that was now blocked with boulders, smaller rocks and dirt
. “There’s a small opening, here. You can talk to Gregory through it.”

  I walked over to the mess and did indeed see a small space between a couple of boulders. After another sniffle escaped, I took a deep breath to center myself then shouted, “Gregory, are you okay?”

  “You do not need to shout,” came the reply. “I’m only about six feet away from you. The better question is, are you alright and is Fudge with you?”

  “No to the first, yes to the second. How did Fudge get here and what do I need to do? How’s Ev?”

  “I sent for Fudge as soon as I felt the ground shift. I’m sorry about Tony but that’s why we wanted you to stay behind. Ev needs medical attention so we have to clear the opening to get him out. This is what I want you to do, with Fudge’s help.”

  He told me to use my senses to probe the pile of rocks to see how they were fitted together. It was sort of like playing Jenga. We had to figure out which rocks to move without making any more come down. “Fudge can help you see the structure of the pile, understand where the stress points are and which ones I can safely move. If I can clear a three or four foot hole, I can levitate Ev out of here.”

  “Okay. Give me a minute or two to figure it out. How do I let you know which rocks?”

  “Wrap a tendril of energy around the good ones. I will see it.”

  “I don’t know if I have anything left. The last ball I tried to throw just fizzled in my hand.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing. Jarvis said you gave him a good-sized bruise with one. Do the same thing we practiced in the hotel. Find it around you and use that.”

  I closed my eyes and extended my senses to the jumble of rocks in front of me. I could feel the pressure of Fudge in the back of my brain, guiding me until I could see the pile as a completed jigsaw puzzle that had to be carefully taken apart. I sure caused a mess. But the more I – we – looked, the more I could see which ones could be moved without causing the top of the mine entrance to fully collapse.

  I changed my focus to the area around me, to find some energy to borrow. I didn’t have to look far. The trees, the ground…everything radiated energy. I thought back to what Gregory had taught me and pulled the glitter not into a ball but into a string that I wrapped around the first rock to be moved.

  “Stand at an angle from the entrance,” I heard. “I have to push them out as there’s no room in here.”

  Jarvis, who had been standing next to me the entire time, pulled me by my free arm (Fudge still sat in the other with his front paws on my shoulder) and we moved to our left. I heard a grunt, then the rock I’d marked fell out of its spot and rolled downhill, smashing into a tree at the edge of the clearing.

  “Good start, Amy,” Gregory called. “Next?”

  I marked the next and that one rolled out and down, smashing into the first. And so it went. Slowly. Thirty minutes later, I thought I was going to drop from exhaustion when Gregory climbed out of the hole we’d made. He came over to me and gave me a hug.

  “We did it!” He let go. “Jarvis, we need to make a litter. I don’t think Ev can walk far and especially not back down to the truck. I have prisoners I will need to pay attention to so I can’t levitate him that far.”

  Jarvis snapped his fingers. Sam and Jimmy disappeared up over the crest of the ridge. “We have a tarp in the truck. That and a couple of small trees for poles ought to do it.”

  When Jarvis’ men had left, Gregory put his arm around me once again. “I know this is a difficult time. Can you hold it together a little longer?”

  I felt the tears I’d been holding back threaten to spill out again. I sniffled a couple of times, willed myself to be strong and nodded. “Yes, I’ll be okay.”

  “Good girl.” Gregory nodded, climbed back into the hole and very shortly, Ev’s body came floating through, just like you see in the movies. He was lying on his back, surrounded by a blanket of red energy. Once Ev cleared the hole, Gregory’s upper body appeared. Gregory’s hands were in front of him, obviously guiding the ogre. As his hands lowered, so did Ev until he was laying on the ground at my feet. The red blanket disappeared. Ev looked up at me through swollen green and yellow eyes.

  “Gregory tells me I have you to thank for finding me. How did you know?” he croaked.

  Jarvis squatted down, pulled a water bottle out of his back pocket and gave Ev a sip. Ev eyed him as best he could. “A werewolf, too? I have a feeling I’m not going to like the whole story.”

  “Lie still,” I admonished him. “We’ll tell you the whole story but you’ve got some healing to do first.”

  Ev coughed and Jarvis gave him another sip of water. Sam and Jimmy reappeared with a tarp, some rope and a couple of saplings they’d obviously ripped from the ground on their way back. After stripping the branches off, they constructed a very serviceable litter. While they’d been working, Gregory, a dwarf and another man had crawled through the hole. Both the dwarf and man looked somewhat worse for wear with cuts and two black eyes each. Gregory had left their legs free so they could walk but otherwise, they were wrapped in red energy like a mummy.

  The dwarf was the fired guard, David. I walked over and punched him in the face as hard as I could. “You bastard,” I yelled. “I could kill you for what you’ve done.”

  Gregory pulled me away. “He will be taken care of by the Dwarf Council, Amy, as this wizard will answer to the Wizards’ Council. Let justice run its course.” I stuck my now-bruised fist in my mouth and tearfully nodded. When he saw that I’d calmed a bit, he let go of me and turned to Jarvis.

  “Jarvis, I need your claws. I’m going to have to loosen these two for a second to get Ev onto the litter.”

  Jarvis grinned. “Happy to help.” He walked over to the two, held out his hands in front of them and we all watched his fingers grow into some nasty-looking claws. He then walked behind the prisoners and placed one hand on each neck. “Twitch and I’ll sink these into your jugulars.”

  The red wrappings faded but didn’t quite disappear completely as Gregory reformed the red blanket and gently moved Ev over to the litter. Once Ev was settled, he turned his attention back to the prisoners and the red energy glowed brightly once again. Jarvis took his hands away from the necks and his fingers returned to normal.

  “Amy, it will take all four of us on the litter. I’m fairly certain I can hold my concentration but I want you to watch these two and if you see the energy fade, alert me. Ev, I’m sorry but you will be jostled a bit. It’s not a smooth path. But you will see a healer soon.”

  Ev groaned and nodded. Fudge hopped out of my arms and started up the hill. We all followed … David and the wizard in front, the three weres and Gregory carrying Ev, then me. I paused and looked back at Tony’s body lying in the clearing. Jarvis saw me.

  “I promise, we’ll come back shortly to take care of him. He’ll be cremated tonight. I’ll call his clan leader who will call his parents and employer.” I swallowed hard and nodding, said a silent goodbye as I turned to follow everyone up the hill.

  Chapter 10

  The walk back to the truck took longer than the walk up the ridge. The guys were being very careful, trying not to jostle Ev any more than they had to. I kept my eye on the prisoners but the color of Gregory’s bindings never faded. Without much to do, my mind went back to the events of the previous hours and I felt myself starting to both cry and get angry at the same time. I knew now that I had to keep a lid on my emotions and choked them down. I damned near fell flat on my face when Fudge twined himself around my legs, seeking attention. I reached down, picked him up and immediately calmed as I felt his purring.

  While Fudge kept me from causing another earthquake, his presence didn’t stop me from reliving the events of the last few hours over and over. By the time we reached the parking lot, all I could do was drop Fudge, run behind a tree and empty my stomach. As I crouched, shaking and feeling like shit, Gregory came over and put his arm around me.

  “Now that I have a signal on my mobile, a helicopter
will be here shortly to transport you to the airport. Ev wants to be treated back home so I’ve arranged for a medical plane. I have to stay for a few hours to wait for the dwarf and magical authorities to come get our prisoners so you will have to accompany Ev home. Are you up for it?”

  I didn’t have much of a choice, did I? I swallowed and nodded.

  “Good. We have other things to talk about but they will wait until Ev’s in the hospital. An ambulance will meet you at Flying Cloud. Once you’ve checked Ev in and seen him settled in his room, I suggest you go home. Sally can handle everything for one more day and I will meet you in the office tomorrow morning.”

  I nodded again. It was good that Gregory could take charge because I certainly couldn’t do anything at that point but follow instructions. At the moment, my only thought was I wanted to brush my teeth.

  “I don’t have a toothbrush or toothpaste, but swish this around your mouth. It will make you feel better.” Gregory handed me a travel-size bottle of mouthwash. I duly swished and spit. It did make me feel better.

  A minute later, the purse I’d left in Jarvis’ truck appeared at my feet. Gregory smiled. “I assumed you’d need it. As soon as I get rid of the prisoners, I will check us out of the hotel and transport everything to your apartment.”

  The sound of a helicopter broke through my grief fog and I felt the gale of its blades blow my hair and push me onto my butt. The wind subsided as the pilot turned the machine off. Two medical types jumped out with boxes in their hands and headed over to where Ev lay on the ground. As I watched, Gregory joined them and apparently gave them some instructions. Once Ev was strapped on their gurney and transferred to the helicopter, he motioned me over.

  “These people are mundanes and won’t accept a cat on board. Neither will the medical plane. So I’m going to send Fudge home. You need to get on board now. I will see you in the morning.”