by Martha Carr
They found the food table along a back wall, loaded down with casseroles, fried chicken and salads. At the far end were open bags of chips and jars of salsa. Leira tugged Correk’s sleeve until he looked at her. She shook her head firmly. No. Correk sighed and waited till she turned her back, grabbing one chip and stuffing it into his mouth with a loud crunch. Leira turned back to see what he’d done but he stood there, waiting patiently till she turned around again and melted into the crowd before he finished chewing.
“Vinegar and salt. Not bad.”
Leira went in search of new people to mingle with so she could mine them for information, and get to know people who were like her. One foot firmly planted in two different realities. Average human mixed with a little magic, and a distant world cut off from them for the most part, but only for a while longer.
“Leira! You made it!” Toni shouted over the music and the buzz of everyone talking and laughing. She held out her arms and pulled Leira into a hug. “I’m so glad you came! Oh good, you brought your friend, too.” Leira looked back to see Correk sliding another chip into his mouth. She smiled despite herself.
“It’s a full moon, isn’t it wonderful? Can’t you feel the buzz? My mother used to say, make a wish! They come true when you make them on the night of a full moon. I think that’s because all that childlike belief gave them an added boost. You get a beer yet? Go tell the bartender. It’s an open bar. Crazy Jack, yeah, that’s his name, he lets crazy magical people drink for free at these parties. We always take up a collection at the end anyway.”
“How did all of you find each other?” Leira turned around, looking at all of the people packed into the bar. “I had no idea…” Her voice trailed off and she felt a pang in her chest. Kind of family, kind of not.
“This didn’t happen overnight. It was hundreds of years in the making. Generations of people. Now, you’re here and we’ve grown a little more. That’s how it happens. We’re everywhere, all over the world, doing amazing things, impressing the hell out of humans. Even inspiring them to try harder because they think it’s one of them doing that flippin’ feat!” Toni let out a deep-throated laugh. “All those YouTube videos! We’re certainly not a shy lot. Where’s the troll? You brought him, didn’t you? He probably needs to get out around people who won’t try and squash him first chance they get.”
Leira reached into her pocket and brought out the troll. He was curled into a ball, his eyes wide open, calmly looking around at everyone. “If you’re sure…”
Toni nodded.
Leira whispered over him, releasing him from the spell and he sat up in a flash, bounded off her hand, and landed easily on the floor, bouncing to the music. The people right around him smiled and cheered as he spun on his green head, neatly jumping back to his feet.
“Trolls can dance!”
“They’re basically show offs,” shouted Toni. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to some more people. Jeff, come here, I want you to meet someone! This is Leira. Jeff works for Google in Round Rock. He’s been helping the humans get ready for our arrival, even if they don’t know it.”
“I slide things into the search engine about ancient so-called myths,” said Jeff, smiling as he took a sip of his beer. “Go on, you can ask. I can tell you want to. New people, especially the ones who just found out they’re not entirely human, always want to ask. I’m a wizard, full blooded, born here. You?”
Leira hesitated. It was the first time she said the words out loud. “I’m half human, half Light Elf, I think.”
“There, that wasn’t so hard. Although I think you got that human percentage wrong. That buzz I feel when I get near you is not just the beer. There’s something else there, something powerful but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Oh look!”
The troll was popping and locking as a chant went up from the crowd. “Go troll! Go troll!”
Second time someone has said that to me.
“Hey, Stacey, have you met Leira yet? Stacey’s family has been a part of this group for at least a century. Nice family. Light Elves and Southern Baptists.”
“We started the fire dancing night,” Stacey laughed. “We go out to Ryland’s ranch where we can really carry on and take turns with flaming hula hoops and flaming ropes.”
“The men love to joust with flaming swords,” Toni said.
“Of course they do!” The women hooted with laughter, clinking their bottles together.
I really like them, thought Leira, tempted to hold off on asking any questions. That’s not who I am. Detective down to my bones. She steadied herself, remembering what Correk had told her and pulled in energy through her feet, mixing it with the skills she had learned as a detective.
“Anyone else feel that ginormous magic wave earlier today?”
The two women stopped laughing, trying to hide their surprise, not doing a very good job of it. They glanced meaningfully at each other and Stacey took a long sip from her beer, looking away.
Leira stayed in detective mode, waiting for someone to figure out an answer. Hagan was always telling her, he who speaks first, loses. She had time, she could wait patiently. She fixed Toni with her best dead fish look and felt a hum of energy at her feet. Mixing the two skills was getting easier every time.
“You’re a hard one to ignore,” Toni said with a nervous smile. “Look, I don’t know how you so called felt it, this far away but no one outside of the Order of Silver Griffins is supposed to know anything. That includes the magical community at large. We only know because Brian over there is a wizard with a cousin in the Order and neither one of them is the best at keeping a secret.”
Leira turned to look at Stacey who was still sucking on the end of her beer bottle. Leira focused even more, waiting, pulling the energy up from the ground, her eyes starting to shimmer. Stacey caught a glimpse, started and put her arm down.
“You do not fool around. How do you do that on this planet? Only Oricerans can pull that off and that’s if they go back to recharge. Fine, fine. It was in Chicago, some kind of explosion at a facility the Order maintains. Right in the heart of the Gold Coast where all the fancy people live. The one percenters.”
Correk walked up next to Leira, holding a plate of food. “This salad made of potatoes is amazing! Hello.”
Leira focused on Stacey. She wasn’t sure if she was exactly playing fair, but she didn’t care. She needed information and was in no mood to wait till someone felt like telling her.
“The Order had something that this cult wanted. Some kind of jewelry.”
Correk choked as a bite went down the wrong way. Toni pounded on his back. “I’m alright. I’m fine. Thank you, that’s enough pounding.”
Leira continued to focus on the energy within, waiting patiently for Stacey to finish. “Brian’s cousin said they used dark magic, really old stuff. Hundreds of years old at least. Left over from that scary Atlantean they try to teach us about at Saturday magical school. When you grow up inside the community on this planet, they give you a basic overview, teach you some magic, and all the rules. Then there’s the history lesson.”
“With a lot of time spent on that fellow, Rhazdon,” Toni explained. “Stacey’s forever forgetting his name. It’s Rhazdon. Geez, Stacey, it’s not like there weren’t enough Saturdays talking about him.”
“Right, Rhazdon. It was some of his old artifacts. Somehow, they used ones no one knew about. The Order thinks it’s a bunch of misguided magical beings in this world who’ve started up the cult again after all these years!”
“Our own kind,” Toni wailed. “Can you believe it? Like we’re not misfits enough to the humans. If they ever found out we’d be toast!”
Correk was listening intently, looking for a place to put down his plate. “How did the battle end?”
“Well, that’s the weird part,” said Stacey, leaning in so no one else could hear them. “And Brian made us swear not to tell anyone else. Oh hell, after a few beers this whole place will know.”
“And he’l
l make every person he tells, swear not to tell anyone else. It’s the way he is. Makes you wonder if there’s a bit of willen in him,” snickered Toni. She was getting tipsy.
“One of their own, an Order witch betrayed them and slipped out with the necklace and handed it over to the damn fools. The marauders got some kind of signal after that and just put down their wands and left. The Order captured the wounded ones but so far no one is talking.”
“Who betrayed them?” Leira asked.
Toni put out her hand to stop Stacey from answering.
“I know you’re more powerful than we are, that’s very obvious, and you can probably get us to tell you,” she admitted. “But before we do all the giving, there’s something we want from you. It’s only fair, especially seeing as how we’re all family.”
Leira glanced at Correk who looked more annoyed than worried, arching an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
“To be named later. You’d have to trust us that we won’t ask you to do anything unethical.”
“Well, not too unethical,” Stacey laughed. She was past tipsy, well on her way to drunk.
“And we have to trust that you won’t get us into hot water with the Order, or worse. Plus, I’ll throw in a bonus for you.”
“Oh yeah, that message we were supposed to give her. Totally forgot,” Stacey slapped her forehead with her palm.
“Ignore her. I didn’t forget. I was just feeling you out a little first. You’ve popped up on the government radar. Something about an explosion in Chicago?” Toni gave her a knowing look. “Yeah, I already knew you were somehow mixed up in all of that. As you might imagine, we have an amazing grapevine.”
“Don’t even need the two cans and a string,” Stacey chirped.
“Be careful,” warned Toni, growing serious. “The humans who work in politics are very tricky to deal with. We’ll all watch your back but those sneaky bastards can be at your door when you least expect it.”
Leira was stunned.
“Nothing to worry about, yet,” Toni reassured her, putting a smile back on her face. “But be aware. Some of our kind work for the government. It’s better that way. We find out what they’re up to a lot more easily and they feel better keeping us close. That’s good advice without any strings. We have a deal on the rest?” Toni spit into her hand and held it out for Leira to shake. “That’s not an Oriceran thing. It’s just something I saw in a movie, but it kind of works, right?”
Correk rolled his eyes and looked over to see where the troll had gotten to. He was dancing on the large boot of a man with short hair and a long red beard. “A carnival,” said Correk.
“I have one other condition,” said Leira, growing serious. “You tell me right now the name of the witch, and anything you know about breaking a magical person out of a psych ward.”
“Oh, that happens a lot to our kind. I would have told you that anyway. A crime, what they do to us. We have a deal?” Toni’s hand was still out, waiting.
“Deal,” Leira agreed, shaking Toni’s hand and ignoring the cold slime in her palm from the spit.
“The witch’s name is Hannah, Hannah Beecham. She comes from a long line of women who served in the Order. They had no idea. I hear they’re crushed, humiliated,” said Stacey.
“I’ll bet she had a reason.”
“You mean blackmail,” said Leira.
“Well, you don’t betray the Order without a really good reason. The consequences are a little steep. As for that other question you had, find someone who’s got enough power in the human world and trade them something they want in exchange for vouching for your loved one. In most cases, that’s not an easy trick to pull off, but with the power coming off you, it should be a snap!” Toni snapped her fingers. “You could even use a spell or two to make them think it was their idea all along.”
Chapter Thirteen
“This is bad.” Correk stood in the middle of the dance floor, his hands on his hips.
“Let’s at least get out of the way. You look like a weather vane standing still in the middle of everyone having fun.” Leira found an empty pocket of space near the jackalope statue. “The Order grabbed the necklace. They lied to us after the explosion. I suppose that was their call.”
“And now they’ve lost it.”
“Because of one of their own. This keeps getting worse. What do we do now?”
“Not much we can do tonight. We enjoy the party. Patience is just as much a part of magic as are the spells and feeling the energy.”
“Detective work is a lot like that too. Wait, have you seen Yumfuck?” Leira peered around dancers and got down lower trying to see if he was dancing on shoes again, or ducked under a table.
No troll.
“Not good! I can’t see him.”
“He’s magically attached to you, like a bungee cord. He may stray but he’ll be back.” Correk picked his plate back up again and started eating.
“How can you eat with everything that’s going wrong?” Leira was still trying to spot the troll. “You don’t think he left, do you? Those streets at night are full of drunk twenty-somethings with big feet. He could get smooshed.”
“To your first question, Light Elves live for hundreds of years, so take that news in slowly, Cousin. You had better learn to take the long view and be present wherever you are, or life’s events will grind you down. Things are always happening around you, it doesn’t mean you have to see them as happening to you.”
“A regular fucking philosopher. That does make sense, though. I know, don’t even need to ask this one. Just allow.”
“Wash on, wash off,” said Correk, taking a big bite of potato salad.
“You were watching my Netflix.”
“Your technology is often very entertaining. To your second query, the trolls on Oriceran have to escape near death on a daily basis from great beasts with large teeth and horns and they do so, admirably. He can handle a few intoxicated human beings. Relax, dance a little, eat something. He’ll be back. He’ll even sense if you try to leave and come running. You can’t shake a troll once they’re attached.
Hagan stood in line at Voodoo doughnuts trying to decide what he wanted. He did this every time and then ordered the Maple Bars and the Mexican Hot Chocolate doughnuts. Sometimes he got a Grape Ape if he thought he’d be able to hold off and keep some for the next day.
The line was long, stretching down the narrow section penned in by a low wall down the far right side of the store. It was already full of drinkers coming in for a sugar hit. The three cashiers behind the counter were used to it and the line moved along steadily. Hagan waited, next in line, trying to decide who’d get done with their order first. It was a way to keep his patience with idiots too drunk to be able to make up their minds or pull out a ten dollar bill. He was tempted to flash his badge but that would just slow things down.
It’s gonna be the girl ordering the glazed doughnuts. Stepped right up, knew what she wanted, pulled out her cash. Not her first doughnut run. Excellent.
“Next!” yelled the short stocky man with wild, curly hair that seemed to be trying to escape his head, barely hiding his irritation with everything about his job. He was Hagan’s favorite.
“Two Maple Bars, two Mexican Hot Chocolate and two Grape Apes,” he blurted. The cashier was already grabbing a pink box, heading to the back. Hagan was a regular and inevitably ordered the same thing. Even the fight with himself was part of the routine. I can do it. Just eat two now, save the others. I’m a grown man. I can resist a… “What the hell?” Hagan thought he was seeing things.
Creeping along the back of the store was a familiar furry creature with bright green hair.
“Fuck me!” Hagan looked around, biting his lip, trying to decide what to do, momentarily resting his hand on his gun, throwing away that idea, slapping the counter, followed by a slap to the top of his head.
The troll spotted Hagan and waved, yelling, “Yum fuck!” He was grabbing doughnuts off of trays and throwi
ng them into a box a cashier left on the back counter, while she went to fetch another tray of Homers, a strawberry iced doughnut with sprinkles. A couple sitting at a table nearby spotted the troll and laughed, waving back at him.
“Thank God for alcohol,” said Hagan, rolling his eyes as he watched the troll lift the box over his head and jump to the floor. Two doughnuts bounced out of the box on the way down but the troll quickly retrieved them, tossing them neatly upwards into the box. Hagan held his breath, waiting to see what might happen next. He had seen the five-inch creature grow to the size of a tree when angered.
“I do not want to shoot Leira’s pet.” He watched everyone around him, waiting to see how badly this would go. The troll was unconcerned, scurrying right by Hagan’s feet with the box, smiling at people as he went.
“Look at the cute little dog!”
“Is that a Chihuahua?”
“Wish I could train my pet to do that.”
“Even the rats like these doughnuts!”
The troll slid through the open door as a group of tourists came in, and he turned the corner, running away. All Hagan could see out the front window was the bobbing pink box, before it disappeared from view altogether.
Hagan shook his head, looking around at everyone in the place laughing and going back to what they were doing. “Why do I worry? Keep Austin weird. Here dude, keep the change.” He put two twenties down on the counter to pay for his, and the troll’s, doughnuts, and took his box. “I do not even want to know what that was about,” he muttered, as he headed for the door. “A troll getting his own doughnuts.” When he got to the street, the troll was nowhere to be seen.
“Fast little fucker, I’ll give him that. Strong, too.” Hagan had a Maple Bar out of the box, biting down hard, before he even made it all the way to his car. All part of the routine.
The Jackalope was hopping. “Last call to leave before we start the night’s festivities.” Jack was standing on a chair, wand in hand.
