by Jerod Lollar
“Ok. I’m sorry about your trailer, Pek. I had no idea that you would be attacked. It was this shadow's plan all along to use Michelle's cell phone to lure me here."
I reached into the pouch that Johnathen had given me at the park and pulled out handfuls of money. Not bothering to count it, I handed it to Pek.
“If you need more, just let me know. All I want is to get Michelle out of this mess she is in. I hope she is still alive and I think she is. We are the victims in this. Neither one of us asked for this life. We both wanted to go before this council and get their approval. At this point, I don’t care what they think. This mixed up world you live in is way too complicated for me. I hope, if I can stop this crazy guy, everyone will see that Fetch and I are not a threat and just want to live in peace. I just want to save my friend. We are making the best of what has happened. We deserve to live our lives the way we choose. Fetch should be allowed to live the way he wants. His choices have kept me alive so far. He is just as much a victim as any of us.”
I was tired and I had no idea where all of this was coming from. All I knew is that I wanted a normal life, well as normal a life I could have now. I was scared and tired, and I couldn’t see any other way out of this but to go up against this shadow wizard and get Michelle back, or die trying.
“Now I realize you weren’t trying to kill me that day, but could you tell me just what you were doing by appearing to me?”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” said Samantha, “the rest will have to be filled in by the others. If you haven’t pieced it together by now, someone has been spreading dragon eggs around the entire city."
I already knew this but I didn’t want to interrupt her as she talked.
"The Fey have known for some time that someone was doing this. We didn’t know why until now. This shadow wizard has obviously found a way to take part of the essence that dragons create when they are hatching and use it to control them. I was In search of one of those eggs that day when I first saw you. A dragon's pulse had been felt in the area, and I was trying to locate it before it disappeared. There is a pattern to dragons hatching. They will always hatch in threes. You can’t detect a dragon until it has hatched. A magical barrier protects them from being seen, but the last dragon pulse we felt was in that area. When I appeared on the road that day, it was because I was searching for that dragon. I just happened to be there when a spell was cast that destroyed my magic that had kept me from being seen. When that happened, I realized that you had a dragon egg with you.” She paused for a moment. “Why did you have Fetch's egg with you anyway?”
She was looking at me with those blue eyes and before I could stop myself I blurted out.
“It looked like a cool rock, so I picked it up for a lucky charm.”
I could feel my face get red as soon as I said it. Samantha looked at me and shook her head slightly.
“You really are an idiot. I can’t believe that you are the key to getting to the bottom of all of this. Fetch I can understand, but you?”
I heard Fetch snicker and I made a promise to myself to make him pay for that later, if we survived all of this.
“Could you just explain what happened please?” I said through gritted teeth, “Just tell me why you lured me out into the street."
”I didn’t lure you anywhere, you stupid flap," she shouted, “You just walked out there when I was trying to tell you that you had a dragon egg in your pocket. It was like you were in some kind of trance. I was just trying to warn you so I could get it from you. I was trying to save your life.”
When I thought back to that day, I remembered how shocked I was at her appearance. It did make sense now, that I could have just walked out into the street out of shock from her appearance, but I wasn’t about to let her know that.
“If dragon eggs are hidden from magic, how did you know that I had one in my pocket?"
Smith interrupted then, “Samantha is very skilled in detecting the magic that surrounds all living things. She has a sensitivity that has not been seen in a millennium. It was the simple fact that she could not sense magic around an egg that allowed her to tell where a dragon egg is located.”
Samantha looked at Smith in surprise. “Yeah,” she said with some hesitation, “that is the best way to describe it.”
This was a little confusing to me, but I wanted Samantha to go on so I kept my mouth shut. I wanted to know more.
“Ok. So you were just warning me, wanting to get Fetch's egg away from me. But why did you disappear when I was almost hit by the truck? Why didn’t you reappear and help me out?”
Samantha sighed and looked down at the ground. She was trying to figure something out.
“I don’t know,” she finally said, "I saw you walking out into the street, and then I saw the truck bearing down on you, but then something happened. It felt like I was yanked away from the area. I found myself in Marana, unable to use any magic. By the time I could use it again and return, you were gone. I saw the damage at the store and figured that you had been destroyed by then. My presence and being seen by you triggered the hatching. I searched the area, trying to find Fetch before he disappeared like the other dragons. I couldn’t find anything. Not one sign. So I pulsed a spell making sure no one would miss you and left. It wasn’t till Molly had shown the YouTube video to me, that we found out you were even alive."
“Wait," I interrupted, "You were the one that cast the spell that made my brother forget me?"
There was a silence that could be felt in the air. Samantha had looked up in defiance and stared me in the eye. This time I felt nothing in the pit of my stomach. She saw the look of angry hurt on my face. Slowly the tears started to run down her face.
“I didn’t know,” she said softly, “I thought I was keeping those who knew you from going through the pain of your loss. I didn’t know you were still alive.”
I felt betrayed, even though I had only known her for a short time. Even though we spent more time telling each other off, here was the one person that had changed my life, even more than Fetch had. I stared at her. My hands clenched. Ever since this whole, wild, messed up adventure had started, the one thing that had continued to upset me the most was the fact that my brother had no idea who I was anymore. With all the fantastic gifts I now had, I would have traded it all just so he could remember me.
“You took my life, Samantha,” I said.
I didn’t have to say anything else. The tears were running down her face. I knew it wasn’t her fault, that she was only doing what she had thought was best, but I didn’t care.
“It wasn’t much of a life, but it was mine!”
Samantha turned and slowly walked away. Fetch had walked up to me and was standing at my side. Before I knew what he was up to, he had whipped his tail around and smacked me in the back of the head. Before I could even react to the stinging blow, Molly had flown up to me and got in my face.
“Samantha was right. You are a flap. You have no idea what she went through when she found out you were alive. She searched for you for days after the video had come out, and, if you hadn’t been hiding yourself from us, you would have found out what she had done for you. She even went against her father’s wishes and pled with the council to spare you from having your memory erased. There were those that wanted you dead, Jack, and she was the only one that said you were worth sparing, both you and Fetch. I’m sorry about your brother, Jack, but for you to be mad at Samantha for all that has happened to you, makes you a world class idiot.”
She had said this all in one breath. The blue glow around her lighted up as she spoke and was flashing in my eyes like a strobe light. I felt like a jerk. I know I had crossed a line and had to talk to her. Pete had gone over and was having a discussion with Smith and Pek. The conversation looked pretty serious. I figured it had something to do with me. But I had to deal with one problem at a time.
I walked in the direction that Samantha had gone. I realized that she wasn’t hovering. She had been walking and st
aying on the ground ever since the attack. She was looking out at the desert. Off in the distance I could see the lights of a football field. You could hear a crowd of people cheering some event that was going on. I realized that I wasn’t too far from a ranch where I had spent a summer working. I probably would never do anything like that again. Samantha had stopped on a small hill looking in the direction of the lights. She was beautiful. There was a faint glow that made her visible. Her delicate looking wings were folded neatly across her back. I could see now how easy it had been for me to believe she could cast a spell that lured me out into the street. I stood next to her. I could tell that she had been crying.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, “I know, I end up sounding like a broken record most of the time. All of this is so new to me. Every time I find out something new about what has happened, it just seems like everyone is out to get me. I understand that you were just doing what you thought was right. What I said to you was unfair. Can we start over?”
“Starting over,” said Samantha, “what a typical human thing to say. We fairies see things a little differently. We move on. It is the strongest argument against erasing people’s lives after magic has affected them. We are a proud race, Jack, a proud race that, for too long, has held ourselves above others. When we discovered that you were alive, I realized what a terrible mistake I had made in erasing your existence. Until then I was a firm believer in keeping our true existence from non-magic people. Why should we expect others to live in ignorance and in a haze of forgetfulness? We need to find a way for people to accept that there is magic in this world. We need to stop referring to it as two different worlds, Jack, you helped me realize that. I am truly sorry that your life has been erased. I would feel anger if the ones I loved couldn’t remember me. The solution to a mistake like that is usually more memory manipulation. You seem to be immune to such magic, Jack, but there are so many more out there who are not. Michelle should not remember anything that happened. Johnathen has cast some sort of spell that protected her from this form of magic, and, from what I understand, she has come into her own magic. I feel that she should be allowed. Most on the council would agree, but not enough."
We stood there in silence for a while. She had spoken with so much passion that my heart was pounding. I was sure that Samantha could hear it. So much was going on around me. I was part of a game I never asked to play. I was a piece of a puzzle that did not quite fit. I had to play a part. After a while I spoke.
“Ok. I understand that there is more to all of this than I thought. This shadow guy needs to be stopped. I am still going to do things my way. I will not allow this council everyone keeps talking about to control me. Fetch and I will remain free, and if you don’t agree, tell me now.”
Samantha turned and looked at me. Her blue eyes had that same fire they had when she first met me.
“If I had planned to turn you over to the council, I would have already done so. “
She looked toward the lights again, keeping silent. There didn’t seem to be anything left to say. A thought popped into my head.
“Can I ask you a question?” I queried.
“Yes, Jack you can. I might not answer, but you can ask.”
I looked at her trying to determine if this was a joke or not. Finally I asked.
“If it was a random thing that I found Fetch's egg, and you were not watching me before this, then why were you at the scene of my accident a few years ago?"
Samantha turned to me with a puzzled look on her face. “What are you talking about? I never saw you before that day. What accident?”
I couldn’t figure out why she would not admit that she was there. I remembered it so clearly. Her face was the last face I saw before I passed out, after breaking my hip. I was positive it was her. I could never forget a face like hers. Why would she lie?
“The day I broke my hip two years ago, you were there. I saw you."
She looked at me narrowing her eyes. Speaking slowly, like I was an idiot who didn’t understand what she was saying, she said, “No. I never saw you before that day, Jack. What accident? What are you talking about?”
“Oh!" I responded, "Ok. You must not have realized it was me, but two years ago I was hit by a truck and broke my hip. You were there looking at me. It was one of the reasons I thought you were out to get me. You must not have realized that it was me.”
Samantha just stared at me, her mouth slightly open and her head shaking. Fetch, who had been quiet this whole time, let out a soft 'huh' sound as a warning to me that I was treading on dangerous ground again.
“Let me get this straight, " she said, “You seem to think that I was there, at the scene of some accident you were involved with two years ago? Did you think I caused that accident?"
“Well, yeah, at first.”
Fetch let out a grumble and began to walk away. He smacked me on the side of my head as he moved away from this scene, letting me know I was on my own. Turning back to Samantha, I tried to better explain my situation.
“Look, I know now that you didn’t cause the accident. I was just wondering why you were there.”
A familiar ball of light knocked me to the ground.
“I was never there. I was not there! Why do you keep saying I was?"
She stormed off, leaving me more confused than ever. Could I have been wrong? All this time I had seen Samantha's face in my dreams. I had seen her at the accident, but why was she denying it? Could it have been someone else, and my mind just placed her face there, after seeing her across the street that day? There were similarities to that meeting and my accident two years ago, so it was possible that I could have imagined it was her, when it was someone else all this time. But I was sure it was her. I had dreams about her so many times after that moment that I know it was her. She had stormed off down the hill, calling me a 'fat flap' and other names that I couldn’t even begin to pronounce. I stayed there on the top of the hill just looking up at the stars. Slowly Fetch's face came into view. He was looking down at me with a big smile on his face.
“How come every time I seem to get close to her liking me, I have to put my foot in my mouth and ruin it?” I asked him.
Fetch just shrugged his shoulders. Looking at him, I rubbed the spot where her ball had hit me.
“You sure it’s too late to eat me?"
Fetch just laughed.
We walked back to the trailer and saw everyone gathered in a tight circle. They were talking in low voices, and, as soon as they saw Fetch and I walking up, they stopped. They were all looking at us in an uncomfortable way. They seemed to have come to a conclusion, and I could tell from their body language that I wasn’t going to like what they had to say.
Pete was holding his sword in his hands, and Pek was looking everywhere except in mine and Fetch's direction. Smith had a determined look on his face, and I had the feeling that he had been arguing with everyone else. Samantha was glaring at Pete, obviously not happy he had his sword out, and Molly had a protective hand on Pek's narrow shoulder.
“What’s up?” I asked, in what I hoped was a calm sounding voice.
Smith spoke up, “We all agree that it is not a good idea to try to rescue Michelle, Jack.”
Fetch stepped in front of me and sat on his curled up tail. It wasn’t a threatening move, just one that showed everyone that he didn’t agree with them.
“Fetch thinks I should,” I said in a calm controlled tone.
“Please Jack, you need to understand,” said Smith, “You have a great power and we just want to protect you. Pete has volunteered to go and rescue Michelle if he can. We need to get you some place safe and figure out what our next move is.”
“Our next move?” I interrupted, “what do you mean by that?"
I looked around at the small group. No one seemed to want to look at me or Fetch.
“You want to take me before this council, don’t you?“
They all stayed silent for a minute.
“We all understand now that
some kind of conflict is definitely coming, Jack,” said Molly. "We need to know whose side you are on.”
This last statement hit me hard. They were afraid of me. They were afraid that I might join the shadow wizard in this crazy thing. Once again, as in so many times in my life, I felt like an outsider. I sat down on the ground. I just sat there, staring at the ground. Would I ever truly fit in anywhere? Was I always going to be some sort of outsider? These people, who I thought would stand with me, even loosely, were now afraid of me joining this shadow maniac on his mad quest for power. All I wanted to do was to find Michelle, my friend, and rescue her if I could. If I could only see that she was ok, then I would let it all go. My plan was to just leave with Fetch. If I were to survive this, I would just leave. I prepared myself for a confrontation with them, to let them know that I would not accept this. Michelle was my family and I was going to be the one to find her. Me and Fetch. But before I could say anything, the shadow wizard's voice spoke.
Chapter 36
“Well,” said the coyote, “Looks like everyone is showing their support for you, Jack. I knew it was just a matter of time before their true colors would shine through. I bet they want to take you to the council for your own protection. The ancient Philosophers with backward thinking. They will destroy you in the end, Jack. You know that.”
I didn’t respond to what he said. I had no way of honestly saying that they wouldn’t destroy me. I was not supposed to be alive, according to them. I was something different. Well, I had always felt different, so in a strange way I found comfort in being that way.
“Is Michelle alive?” I asked.
“You will have to meet me to find out, Jack. You and Fetch. Oh by the way Fetch, the dragons wanted me to kill you. They think you are a freak and should be destroyed. Quite frankly they are surprised you are alive. If you join me, I will protect you from them, and maybe we can find the cure to your small, dwarf size. There is so much more to being a dragon, Fetch, things that you will never discover in your present form.”
