by Martha Carr
“Dark magic can be like that. It has a strong power all its own. Unpredictable though. At some point it always burns up the user.”
“We had an encounter with an old dark Wizard who kicked our ass without breaking stride but we don’t think he’s in charge.”
“And if someone like him is willing to follow whoever dreamed up all of this. Wow…” Perrom’s eyes widened.
“Whoever this is, they’re almost as powerful as Rhazdon was in his day. All the stories I’ve heard… Even if someone had Rhazdon’s old artifacts, any of them, they’d still have to be able to use them without blowing themselves up.”
“That’s not the Gnome. Gnomes aren’t that powerful even with an artifact. They’re usually smart enough not to play with them. Hell, they guard them so others can’t get them. Although, this guy seems to be going against type.”
“I have to get back. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming here.” He hugged his old friend, hesitating to say the one thing that had pushed him to look for Perrom. He was the only person he could think of on Oriceran who would hear him out without calling him crazy. Even then, he was close to leaving without saying a word. I have to say it out loud.
Perrom was already walking toward the opening to the market. “Perrom.” The look on Correk’s face drew Perrom back taking large strides. Correk hesitated again. “You know a little about dark magic. It’s alright. I’ve kept your secret.”
“My wife would kill me if she knew. I figure it helps stay one step ahead to have an idea of everyone’s skill level.”
“Do you… do you…” He finally blurted it out. “Do you think Rhazdon lives?” At last, the thought that kept tumbling around in Correk’s head came out. Perrom’s face dropped all expression and the squares on his skin kept flipping around, matching nearby settings and drawing attention. “Take a deep breath,” whispered Correk, nodding at a nearby Nicht who had raised his bat wings into position.
“That can’t be possible,” hissed Perrom. “You know how much we lost the last time. Don’t even suggest it was all futile!”
“Not saying it won’t change the truth and ignoring the possibility could be worse. Do you think it’s possible?”
Perrom looked Correk in the eye, his jaw set. “For anyone but Rhazdon I’d say no but dark magic technically has no boundaries. It’s the user that can only go so far. If Rhazdon survived that fire then yes, he could still be alive. Don’t let that be so.”
“Tell no one what I said but stay vigililant.”
“Who would I tell that would even listen? Are you going to warn King Oriceran? Remember his father…”
“Not without more proof. I have to go.” He put out his fist and Perrom put his fist on top. The old symbol of agreeing to fight side by side in a battle. It was the second time in his life that Correk had used it.
“Always brother. Someday soon we may fight with honor and to the end.”
“Even if it’s the last good thing we do.” Correk grimaced remembering the sight of the old king sacrificing himself.
Perrom pulled back before anyone could see the battle sign. “I will find you even if I have to open a portal if I hear anything about Rhazdon. You have my word. Now go. We’ve stood here long enough.” Perrom turned without another word and hurried toward the open flap of the market.
Correk walked away as fast as he dared without drawing attention. Saying it out loud made it seem like it could be real. Rhazdon may live yet. We need to get that damnable necklace.
General Anderson sat at a long table in front of the Senators that made up the Senate Armed Services Committee in a closed-door session that was already classified as no one needed to ever know.
“Yes sir, that’s our understanding,” he said, his hat on the table neatly tucked at two o’clock, the usual spot. He liked order. These days he was not happy with how events were unfolding. “The Latvian government is believed to have been acting on behalf of the Russians with their backing in an attempt to grab the most powerful artifact on Earth at this time.”
“But they failed.” A sour-faced Senator from Virginia scowled at the general, smacking his lips.
“Yes sir. We did as well. The necklace remains in the hands of a group of rogue Witches and Wizards. Their intentions are at this point unknown but considered negative to our interests.”
“Am I to understand that’s not the only artifact but in fact there are thousands of these things littering the world?” The Senator from Arizona sat up in her chair, drawing her mouth into an angry thin red line.
“Correct as well and a poorly kept secret at this point. Different sites in older parts of the world are being ransacked as foreign governments search for artifacts they can stockpile. Some friendly to us, some not at all.”
“An arms race but with magic,” said the Senator from Virginia, narrowing his eyes.
“That is about the size of it. There are rumors that large corporations are getting into the business but they can’t be confirmed. They’re doing their level best to stay under the radar.”
“So we can’t shut them down.” The Senator from Maine let out a snort and grimaced. “Well, hell, I suppose we’re about to engage in some kind of new age battle in plain sight.” He shook his head. “I thought I’d seen everything. I was clearly mistaken. Your request for funding is approved but remember these are hardworking taxpayer dollars. Make them count and get there first, more often than not. I don’t want to have to explain this one to the public. The backlash on social media would never end.”
“Yes sir,” said the general. He took in a deep breath feeling some amount of relief.
“What about this necklace?” asked the Senator from Arizona. “Is that worth chasing?”
“As yet to be determined.” The general chose to not mention Leira or the warehouse that was a black ops site. No one else in this room knew anything about it. Better to leave it that way.
“Then you have your directive. See that we win this race and soon.”
Chapter Seven
Leira walked into the guest house after a long run, sweat running down the center of her back and took a deep breath to see what was cooking. She was hoping for Nana’s spaghetti sauce or Leira’s old favorite from childhood, spicy red lentil soup. No smell!
She heard the sound of drawers opening and closing in the other room and looked down at Yumfuck sitting in the potted fern. He shrugged and held up his little paws.
“Hello?”
“Oh honey, you’re home!” Her mother came bustling out of the bedroom, her face flushed and shiny.
“What are you two up to in there? Are you rearranging the furniture? That room is pretty small. Not too many ways you can fit a bed and a dresser.”
“Ha! That’s a good one. No dear, we’re packing! We found a place!” Eireka smiled broadly, brushing a loose strand of hair out of place.
“But… that fast? Is it in a safe neighborhood? Did you check to make sure it’s not in a flood plain? Not Onion Creek, right? Are you renting a townhouse?”
Her grandmother cut her off, waving her hands. “You’d think the child thought she raised us! Your mother survived a psych ward. I survived the world in between. We’ve got this. We know how to pick out a two-bedroom apartment.”
“It’s for the best.” Eireka grabbed Leira at the elbows, kissing her on her forehead. “We’re renting for now, maybe forever. Less to do and will leave us more time to do other things.”
“She means date.” Mara let out a snort. “Maybe I’ll figure out how to swipe right myself. You can come visit anytime.” Mara packed the few clothes she had in a new suitcase from Costco and zipped it shut. “Good thing all of our stuff was in storage. Have I said thank you to you for not ditching everything? Not sure I would have held on to so much for four years. You didn’t even know if I was alive!” Mara wandered back into the bedroom to see if she forgot anything.
Eireka looked at Leira and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her ear. “You’re more sentimental
than you let on. It’s okay. It’s a good thing. Kept you from getting too angry all these years and boy, will it help your magic.” She whispered it in her daughter’s ear and stood back. “You never lost hope. That’s why you kept it all. You are more courageous than your grandmother and me put together. No, it’s true, don’t make a face. It takes so much courage to believe in something for that long, and I know you. Not hope, you believed. Hope is just the hole where belief needs to go. You kept all of Nana’s dishes and my jewelry stored away, except for this ring.” She picked up Leira’s hand and looked at the sapphire. “You didn’t use any of it because you were determined that we’d be back to use it someday. You have courage in pounds.”
“I’m happy for you, Mom. This is the right thing to do. Too many people crammed into one small space, and you’ve waited long enough to have your own space.” Leira shrugged. “I guess I didn’t think it would happen so fast. I was kind of used to hearing you sing to yourself in the morning.” Her eyes shined as she lifted the bottom of her shirt to wipe across her face. She forgot all about the new scar on her chest, peeking out from the bottom of her shirt.
Eireka winced when she saw it but quickly recovered, smiling at Leira. So full of heart. If I could take that away from you…
“You’re not supposed to miss me before I’m even gone. What a wonderful thing. You don’t miss what you don’t treasure.” She stood back from Leira and nodded hard. “Well, good. Now I can go and still be sure you’ll come by and visit.” Eireka clapped her hands, her face lighting up. “We can do Sunday dinners! As long as you’re not called into some supernatural case! Even then, we’ll save you a plate. We’ll save one for Hagan on those nights too!”
“What a good idea!” Mara came back out of the bedroom holding a glass dolphin. “Remember this thing? Bought it for you in Galveston at that aquarium. Forgot all about it. You had it in a box. Mind if I take it?”
“Ooooooh,” trilled the troll. “Beautiful.” The troll shook his head. “Leira loves.”
Leira’s mouth dropped open and she stared at the troll.
Mara put her hands on her hips, still holding the dolphin. “Well, I wondered when you’d finally let everyone in on the secret. Trolls can talk when they want to. Little shit is full of wisdom. Just doesn’t usually have much to say.”
Yumfuck looked up at Leira and shrugged again as Mara put down the dolphin. “Take what you love out of boxes and spread it around. Life is too weird and too short for that kind of behavior.”
Eireka laughed and picked up her mother’s suitcase. “I’ll bet if we give you just a few more bits of advice that will help you get over missing us at least for now.”
Leira was still staring at the troll, waiting for him to say something else. He stared back at Leira and blew her a raspberry. “Is that your wisdom showing itself?” The troll let out a trill and sat back, pulling out an old piece of macaroni from underneath the wash cloth next to him. “Oooooh.” He licked it and bit down with his sharp teeth, crunching away.
The door to the guest house opened and Correk came in carrying a brown paper bag folded over at the top with a grease stain along the edge of the bottom. He stopped at the opening and looked at everyone standing around in the living room, the suitcases ready to go.
“Moving.” Yumfuck winked at him.
“He’s talking.” Correk raised his eyebrows and put a hand under the warm bag.
“Didn’t you know?” Leira put her hands on her hips looking back and forth between Correk and Yumfuck.
“Only as folklore. Unlike you, most people on Oriceran manage to avoid bonding with them. Yumfuck has been an entirely new adventure for me.”
“Nana, how did you know? You didn’t seem surprised at all.” She narrowed her eyes.
“We should be going,” said Mara, arching an eyebrow. “Save some stories for when you visit. Besides the moving truck with all our things from storage will be at the apartment soon.”
“I’m not going to forget.”
“I have no doubt of that.” Mara kissed Leira on her cheek and smiled at her. “Yumfuck,” she said, nodding at the troll.
“Motherfucker,” chirped Yumfuck, solemnly nodding back. Mara let out a whoop of laughter and walked out the door. Eireka smiled and followed her, hugging Leira one last time. “I suppose this is the new family goodbye.” She nodded to the troll. “Motherfucker,” she said, smiling before shutting the door behind her. Mara’s laughter could be heard all the way across the patio.
Correk stared at the door and then shook his head.
“You didn’t think that all that swearing started with me, did you?” Leira shrugged and put out her hands. “Nana has a potty mouth. She said I told someone in a grocery store to fuck off when I was only two.”
“Like hearing a beloved bedtime story.”
“You played me,” said Leira looking at the troll.
“Followed the leader,” said the troll, letting out a soft trill. He pulled a pair of underwear up under his chin and curled up into a ball, shutting his eyes.
“Could it be that a five-inch hairy troll is the cagiest one in the room?”
“Size doesn’t count when it comes to outmaneuvering someone.” Correk went into the kitchen and put the bag on the table. “I got enough tacos at the truck for everyone.”
“Good, I’m starving! I’ll get the plates.” Leira took two plates out of the cabinet and turned around to find the troll lifting a taco over his head, jumping from the table to the chair and down to the floor. “Hey, no one invited you.”
The troll blew her a raspberry and smiled as he disappeared into the living room.
“It’s like he has a plan and we’re all in it.”
“Then it involves junk food, cable TV and underwear. I can live with that.” Correk sat down heavily in a chair and pulled a plate closer to him while reaching for a taco.
“How long have you known that the symbols on my arm read like a ticker tape?” Leira sat down across the table from Correk. The small guest house already seemed a little empty even though it was filled to overflowing for only a few days.
Correk took a big bite of a taco and chewed slowly, thinking over his answer. He finally swallowed and said, “Since I was three years old and was taught how to read them.” He took another bite waiting for the next question.
“Were you ever planning to tell me?”
“Of course. I knew it would come up but you weren’t ready to know all the information spilling out of the symbols.”
“Do your arms say so much?”
“No, not nearly as much.” He bit into another taco, glad to have something to talk about and take his mind off Rhazdon. That snake that followed me to the store. He shook his head, willing it away and let out a sigh. “Good taco.”
“What’s the difference between the symbols on your body and on mine?”
He put down the taco and brushed his hands. “I can see that you’re not going to eat a thing till we get this over and done. My symbols are more immediate. They tell me about danger directly to me. Normal and average for a Light Elf. Your symbols on the other hand…” He hesitated.
Leira cocked her head to the side and gave him a dead fish look. First one who talks loses.
“Sometimes I forget what a good detective you are and how patiently you’ll wait for an answer. The truth is I can’t always read your symbols fast enough. They roll out onto your skin and change just as fast telling about dangers near and far. It’s like your very core, your energy is connected to something bigger. I’ve never seen or heard about anything like it. It was amazing from the start and I knew it was far more powerful than I could imagine. That only emphasized for me how important it was for you to learn to harness some of it at least before trying to figure out a puzzle that reached around an entire world. There. That’s all I know.”
“You have ideas about how much energy I can harness. I can tell.”
“I only have theories. But I do know that you’ve only used a smal
l portion of your magical abilities.”
“I want a mentor.”
“Splendid. Good luck with that.” Correk picked his taco back up and took a bite. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said, still chewing. “It’s not a bad idea. If there’s anyone who knows about the reach of your magic it would be Turner Underwood. Frankly, it’s not a surprise he showed up when he did.”
“I suspected as much.”
“Do you know why they call him the Fixer? He doesn’t fix problems as much as he reconstitutes people. Magical people. Helps them master their magic to the point where they’re maximizing their potential. Seems to be able to feel how much more someone can do. I imagine the moment you came within range of him he was intrigued.”
“This would have been useful to know before I faced off with the black mist.”
“No, it wouldn’t have or he would have told you what you needed to know. He’s not a cruel or foolish old Elf. If he didn’t, he has his reasons.”
“But, how do I find him?”
“Put the word out in the magical community. Tell Toni and Larry and the others. He’ll find you. There is a very good chance he’s been waiting for your call.”
“I’m doing it.” Leira slid three of the tacos over to her plate.
“Amazing how much you can eat.”
“This is the appetizer.”
Correk let out a laugh. Some of the tension left his shoulders. “Turner Underwood will be good for you. Call Toni and tell her tonight.” He smiled and looked in the bag to see what was left. “You know you want to.”
Leira put down the taco and wiped her hands on a napkin. She studied Correk for a moment. “Would it be safer for everyone if I took care of this sooner rather than later?”
Correk looked down at the table. “There are things that I can’t share with you out of loyalty to others and because I don’t know enough but yes, it would be better if we all did whatever we could to get ready.” He looked up at Leira and looked directly into her eyes. “Trust me, just this once.”
“There’s a lot more to this story. It’s okay. You’ve trusted me more than once and I’m going to try something different and trust you even though you’re keeping information from me. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
