by Martha Carr
The large pieces of granite strewn around the mountain emitted a low, silvery glow that sparkled as it let loose some of its stored magic.
Hannah felt the ground shift slightly under her feet and loosened her grip but the witches on either side of her squeezed her hand harder and she kept her position. Be brave, Hannah. She thought of Lacey and bit her lower lip, determined to keep going. I will not back up. I will not back up.
Suddenly, there was the sound of something sliding open and Hannah opened her eyes to see a portal in the center of the circle.
An elderly Gnome reached an arm through the portal, the necklace dangling from his hand.
"Take it!" he barked. Hannah could see a dense forest behind him. "Oriceran," she whispered.
"You! You take it," he snarled, looking directly at Hannah. The short witch next to her looked hurt and surprised, wounded at being overlooked.
"Sorry," whispered Hannah, as she let go of her hand and stepped forward, cautiously reaching for the necklace. She peered through the darkness at the high priest handing over the necklace. Lacey had warned her about making direct contact, skin to skin with anyone skilled at dark magic. There was always the possibility they would be able to see through to her truest self.
She let the artifact drop into her open hands. The heavy gold necklace shimmered in the early morning light.
"Protect it with your lives. Our entire movement depends on it," said the mysterious Gnome as he waved his hands, shutting the portal.
"I'll take that," snapped the short witch the second the portal was firmly shut. She was determined to take back her rightful place in the pecking order. "What did he see in you?" she whined.
"No idea." Hannah shook her head. The necklace was back on Earth but she still didn't know who was leading the new movement. An elderly Gnome on Oriceran. That wasn't enough information. Hannah wasn't even sure who was in charge of the movement on this planet but she was getting closer.
"Time to move it, people. We all have places to be. Well, most of us." The short witch curled her lip, looking at the gangly young men who were too busy retelling what they saw through the portal, already making up fantastic details that never happened.
"Little wrinkly dude was levitating!"
"You see the gold rings he was wearing? Guy must be loaded?"
"Yeah, doesn't have to work some shit job and last on Ramen noodles."
"You live in your mother's basement and she cooks for you. Every night."
"So, still have the shit job part. I want to be rich."
"Bet he can make his own gold."
"Bet he can turn on women."
"You've got the turn off women part down so well, you could show him how to do that."
"Surprised the Gnomes haven't asked you how you pull that one off, you're so good at it. Lock that secret away in their vault."
They shoved and poked and jostled each other till the short witch thought she would lose it and light up the rock with a bolt of lightning. She whipped out her juniper wand and waved it in their direction, letting out a low growl. That was enough to get them to shuffle in the direction of their cars, even if it didn't stop the jokes.
Hannah followed behind them, glad she would get a little time to herself where she could relax and be herself, even if she was all alone. She couldn't even contact Lacey. It was part of her instructions. Take no chances.
The short witch grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back and pressing her face close to Hannah's.
"Listen, I don't know what you did back there," she snarled, still grasping the necklace against her chest. "But when this story gets told I'm going to be the hero who retrieved the necklace. No mention of you. Got it?" Hannah could smell that morning's pepperoni pizza pocket on the witch's hot breath.
Something slithered over Hannah's foot in the near darkness. She looked down trying to catch a glimpse but was too slow. She knew rattlesnakes lived around the rock and felt a chill go down her spine, shaking her shoulders in the cold.
The short witch mistook it for fear and leered at Hannah. She had made her point.
"Sure. We can rewrite the history." Hannah straightened up and gave her a cold hard stare, standing firm. She could only be pushed so far in all this mess. "If that's what you need." She narrowed her eyes and felt in her pocket for her wand. A good dust up between two witches might just help her standing. She curled her fingers around the wand, ready for the fight.
"What the..."
The rock lit up with a blinding white light as a woman blocked the rest of the group's path off the summit. She was using a fireball as an enormous spotlight, bobbing in the air near Hannah and the short witch. Hannah shaded her eyes trying to get a better look at who was after them.
Doesn't matter who this is. Only Lacey knows the truth. I need to get out of here.
She could barely make out something writhing on the woman's head. She's an Atlantean.
"Looks like we have ourselves a little problem here? A little illegal use of magic for illicit purposes?" Almost everything the woman said sounded like a question. "My name is Katie Toler. I don't want there to be any confusion about what's about to happen? You are going to hand over the necklace and leave peaceably or else."
The short witch pulled out her wand ready to knock out the fireball.
"No, no, no," said Katie, shaking a finger in the air. "Not so fast. You didn't think I came alone to a nest of childish vermin, did you?" She snapped her fingers, flicking off the light from the fireball as it evaporated into the morning air. Hannah was left seeing spots in front of her as she tried to get accustomed to the lower lighting as quickly as possible. The sun was starting to rise into the sky.
A long thin tentacle climbed up Katie's leg till she could reach down and grab it, placing it back into the moving mass on her head.
Not a snake, thought Hannah. A tentacle!
"Hello psychobitches! Who wants to play?" The voice was heavily accented in French and was coming from behind Katie. A tall, black woman clad in black leather from head to toe stepped out from behind the Atlantean, an elderberry wand held lightly between two fingers as she smiled flirtatiously. "No one?"
"You need to introduce yourself, May. These are witches and wizards from some very old families. They were raised right. They don't talk to strangers?"
"Your twisted point taken. My bad. Where are my manners? My name..." said the woman, taking a few steps forward, her high heeled boots clicking on the granite, "...is May Sage, May for short. Hello pretty kitten." May ran the tip of her wand underneath the chin of a willowy young witch with long curly brown hair. "Honey, if you're going to bust into tears so easily this may not be the kind of group you want to hang with...ever. They tend to venture into the realm of darkness on a pretty regular basis." The girl's lips trembled as May gave her a cold look. "Your parents know you're here, my dear bitch?"
Katie smiled malevolently, still standing at the edge of the summit, her wand ready as she watched May move among the group.
"Once upon a happy ending..." sang May, taunting the remaining members of the cult trapped there, "there was a band of misguided magical youth..." She ran her wand down the arm of the tall Wood Elf who giggled from nerves. There was a sheen of sweat across his face. "You look a little scorched, young man," she said, running the end of her wand across his burned eyebrow. She ran her wand along the edge of her lip, suddenly baring her teeth at the young man who barked at her in return.
"Now that was an interesting reply, young man. You'll tell me, won't you? Who has the pretty necklace?" May smiled at him but the smile never reached her deep brown eyes. He pointed nervously at the short witch still standing close to Hannah.
"You little prick!" The short witch spat at him and took a step behind Hannah who stood her ground. Hannah still wasn't sure what side the two women were playing for, but she did know one thing. If she was going down today, she was going out fighting. No more slinking around.
At least my family will know I fought b
ravely. Make sure you tell them, Lacey. Hannah raised her wand, running the best battle spells through her mind, searching for a good one that could shoot fire. Excalibur...
She didn't get to finish the thought. One of the young wizards accidentally shot off his wand, sending out a spray of sparks and a small flame at Katie that she easily blocked, returning fire, letting it lick at the edges of their faces without really hurting them.
The others broke out their wands, combining streams and shooting more serious flames at Katie. She changed tactics and sent out a shining silver stream of energy that transformed itself into barbed wire, wrapping around the legs of a witch. The more the witch struggled, the more the magic barbs bit into her skin. Hannah knew she didn't have long before they would turn their wands in her direction. After all, the necklace was right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the short witch making her way off the side of the summit, scrambling down the rocky terrain.
Okay, not willing to fight for your friends. Good to know. "I suppose loyalty is too much to ask of this bunch," Hannah muttered, ready to do battle.
Hannah tried the spell again, taking in a deep breath of air, "Excalibur.." May sent out a spray of sparks that stung Hannah's lips and hands. "Dammit!" Hannah spit, brushing off her mouth. "Will I ever get out this goddamned spell!"
The firefight was raging in front of Hannah. Katie gave pursuit, flicking away the streams of fire as fast as they sprayed them at her, returning volleys of her own. May was helping her defend her position, slowly easing her way closer to Hannah.
Hannah raised her wand again, determined not to die without ever having said a complete spell but all at once, she could hear May's voice coming to her in the middle of the thunderous noise down a narrow tube of light. May had opened up a sound tunnel and was speaking easily to Hannah. No one else could hear them.
"Keep your wand up, girl! You're in a war zone!" May sent a shower of sparks just off Hannah's left shoulder, singeing her jacket. "Don't worry, I know who you are. Lacey is an old friend." She gave a wicked wink, smiling broadly while others around her were still trying to take her down. She turned and yelled "Excaliburation!" and blue fire sought out the nearest combatant. "That's how you do it," she said to Hannah, still smiling. "Confidence is everything in magic. You need to get out of here. You're too important to be captured."
"But the necklace got away."
"Just what I was hoping. The necklace is powerful and in the wrong hands is a dangerous weapon, and it's definitely in the wrong hands, but finding out who is behind all of this is even more important. We need them to feel like they have the upper hand. For now."
"An old Gnome. I saw an old Gnome."
"You saw him! He's getting bolder. Alright, I'll pass along the intel. Now, go. Till dawn do us part," she said, holding out her arm toward the rising sun. "Go! I'll hide your exit. Katie has no idea. Fewer that know the better, right?"
"Help me get out," said Hannah.
May spun around without answering her and sent out another blue flame just strong enough to burn the top of one of the wizard's pants, sending them down around his ankles. He tripped, trying to run away, and fell face first into the sandstone.
"Mmmmm, gotta love a little pratfall in the middle of some good May-hem. Yes, that's right! I said it!" She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Hannah was completely gone. "Alright, witches and wizards, I'd say you are all completely Scrooge McFucked! Who wants to surrender?"
The remaining members all dropped their wands and held up their hands, many of their fingers burned from the flames. Katie and May were untouched.
"Where's the necklace?" Katie asked, angrily.
"You asked me along to this party. This is your paying gig. I was just here as your backup, my friend. It got away." May drew her mouth into a thin line, her wand at the ready. "You done? We good?" Damn Atlanteans.
Katie scowled but answered, "Done. Fuck. Done and done. Sorry? Lost myself in that last fight. Dammit, necklace got away," she said, putting her palm to her forehead.
"That look is not a good one for you. We're not worriers, my friend. Come on, let's be off. I saw one of the little pricks call someone. Probably a parent. There will be a shit storm of wand wielders here any minute."
"We could take them, of course."
"Of course," said May, grinning. "But I'm getting hungry. Haven't had nearly enough coffee this morning. Let's get out of here. What do you say? Your mission is finished here."
"Kind of flamed out."
"Nice one and without caffeine. See? This is why we're friends."
"You're pretty much my only friend?"
"That's because I'm faster on the wand than you are so I don't buy those lovely little threats you like to hand out like candy and I can tolerate that tic you have of constantly asking non-questions."
"No idea what you mean?"
"Ooooh, I hear cars in the distance. Time to go. Listen kiddoes," said May, addressing the group. They were all huddling together, their wands still at their feet. The ground around them was singed with burn marks and a few were bleeding from small puncture wounds. "I see Katie got a little rough with you. Barbed wire spell is very effective, I must say. You absolutely deserved it." She scowled at them. "Any one of you picks up their wand and aims it at me while we're exiting, and I'll stop pulling my punches. That's right, those were softball fire bombs. Got it? Nod your heads. Very good. Next time, don't play with magic you don't understand."
"Enough with the public service announcement." Katie tilted her head to the side. "Let's go. I'll buy breakfast."
May followed her down the summit, running easily in her boots. "Damn right you'll buy. You're getting paid for this mayhem. They got halfway down the rocky path when they heard people coming in their direction.
"Hang on," said May, pulling Katie off the path with her as she waved her wand around both of them, turning in a tight circle, disguising them as a small stand of old saguaro cacti. "Hold very still and keep your pie hole closed," she whispered.
A group of angry parents bustled past them on the path, stumbling in the morning light. Many of them were dressed for work.
"Wait till I get my hands on Ronnie! This is the last straw! He will do his own laundry after this."
"What about the thing that showed up? Tentacles! You see the picture?" The man gave a shudder.
“Shhhh, don’t let anyone hear you say that. You know Rhazdon was an Atlantean!”
“Still…”
May gripped Katie's arm tightly. "Let them go," she whispered.
They waited until the parents were out of sight before quickly trekking down the mountain side. In the rush, May forgot to remove the spell as two cacti made a break for a Ford Escort. It wasn't until the parking lot when May got in the car and saw her reflection in the rear-view mirror that she laughed and waved her wand, reversing the spell.
"Just your average morning," she said, starting up the car. "Where are we going for breakfast? How about a breakfast burrito?"
"I know you're a witch, but May you have the appetite of a Light Elf."
"And you're still buying," she said, as they sped out onto the road.
"The necklace," Katie said between clenched teeth as she performed a glamour spell of her own, transforming her hair into long blonde locks.
"Another day, my friend. We survive by focusing on the next thing in front of us and doing what we can, letting the rest go. Otherwise, you're fucked."
Chapter Seven
Leira got the call early in the morning. The necklace was in play again.
"I gotta go," she said, poking Correk in the shoulder. He was sound asleep on the couch, the troll snoring on his chest. "You'd think he was bonded with you these days," said Leira, putting the wash cloth back over the troll. He had taken to using it as a blanket. The troll let out a trill and curled up into a ball, it's eyes shut tight.
"You're not going to kiss it goodnight, are you?" Correk's eyes were open and he was watching her, amuse
d.
Leira narrowed her eyes and weighed her options.
"You're thinking of trying an itching spell on me, aren't you? I'll tell your mother. In a heartbeat. No remorse." Correk sat up, gently scooping up the troll and laying him down in the shoe box on the floor. "You don't know those spells well enough, yet, anyway. You'd be just as likely to head off on your new job, scratching your armpits, or worse. Your nether regions."
"Leave my nether regions out of this. Now, all I want to do is just shoot you and be done with it. Go totally old school."
"Where do they have you going this time?" he whispered. "Best not to wake your mother."
Eireka was asleep in Leira's room. They were sharing a double bed for now. It still startled Leira every time she woke up and found her mother next to her, gently breathing, sleeping peacefully.
Leira hesitated. "Okay, I'm going to tell you but you can't come. It's official business and somehow you always end up in the middle of it."
Correk stood up, ready to go.
"That's the opposite of my telling you, you're not coming."
He headed into the kitchen grabbing a few of the Cheetos snack pack-sized bags.
"And that's not even remotely breakfast. What are you doing? Have I lost all authority in my own house?" She was whispering loudly, waving her arms until she noticed she had managed to waken the troll and he was standing in his nest, gleefully imitating her, waving his arms over his head.
"Is that what I look like?"
"Right down to the hair standing on end," said Correk, passing by her, heading out the door. "You coming? Say the spell over the troll, unless you think we may need him for back up, and let's go."
"Back up? You're really getting in deep, Bert."
"Call me Bert in front of anyone out there and you'll be walking in a cloud of gnats for the rest of the day. They'll float just around your head. Maybe even a few up your nose."
