by Tom Larcombe
“I'm wiped out, need to crash for a while. Wake me up for food whenever we're eating,” she said.
“Eat something, and drink some water, before you go to sleep,” Michael said. “Your energy levels will recover quicker if you do. Plus it takes away some of the headache you get from overexerting yourself.”
Cindy staggered into the kitchen and Michael heard her looking for something to eat and running the faucet. When he heard her open the door to the basement he turned back to Rynn.
“I'm worried Rynn. If they thought I just had my earth magic and sent someone that strong, what will they do if they realize I've gotten my water magic back?”
“I doubt they'll do much more than they already have. The Board members themselves are all wizards, but they aren't that strong, I've seen them. I think you just removed one of their troubleshooters. How many more can they have to send?” she asked.
* * *
The next morning Cindy took care of Michael's remaining burns as soon as she could. By noon, he was walking around by himself. He had some problems with coordination, but otherwise he was mostly just stiff and sore, not in constant pain.
After lunch there was a knock at the front door. Michael went and answered it.
“Good afternoon Michael,” the sheriff said. “I hear you had some inclement weather up here yesterday.”
“We sure did,” Michael said, his mind racing. “Would you like to come in? Have some coffee or something?”
“Don't mind if I do.”
The sheriff walked into the house and looked around. Michael kept wondering why he'd dropped by.
Is he just here to see who survived yesterday? Or is he after something else? He's never come by before.
“And who is this pretty little lady?” the sheriff asked, looking at Rynn.
“Rynn's an old friend of mine. When things started to go sour she called me and asked if she could come here with some of her students.”
“A teacher, are you? Pleased to meet you Rynn.”
He turned back to Michael.
“Doggone it boy, why didn't you let me know you had some refugees here?”
“They aren't refugees, they're my guests.”
Rynn left the room, returning in a few moments with a cup of coffee.
“You know what I mean Michael.”
“Sorry sheriff, Anne and her kids are up here with me for a few days also. She doesn't feel safe at her own place.”
“Sheriff? You take it black, or cream and sugar?” Rynn asked.
“Black please, miss,” he answered.
Rynn handed him the cup and he turned back to Michael.
“Running a regular boarding house, aren't you?”
“Just giving my friends the help they need. Speaking of which, thanks for sending Darren by.”
“How'd that work out anyway?” the sheriff asked.
“Well, my employers wanted to terminate me. But I renegotiated the contract. I did have to forcibly remind their negotiator that it specified that either of us could terminate the relationship at any time.”
The sheriff paused to take a drink of coffee before he replied.
“I see... That's good, I'd much rather have you here than someone who don't know the town and don't care a wit about it.”
“Thank you sheriff. I'm glad you feel that way.”
“No need to stand on formality Michael, call me Dan.”
“Well then Dan, I'm glad you feel that way. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll see what I can do.”
Dan grinned.
“Actually Michael, that was one of my reasons for coming up here today. Father Anderson told me you gave him some solar nightlights to distribute to families with children. I was wondering if you had any of those that were larger. It'd be good to stop worrying about burning the office down and I'd like to place one outside the church and a couple around the sheriff's office.”
“I've only got a couple of larger ones right now, but I can probably make some for you. It'll take a few days though.”
“That's fine, we can hang on with the oil lamps and flashlights for a bit. I'm just thinking for the future. We don't have a lot of lamp oil and batteries run out fast.”
“Are things that bad everywhere else?” Michael asked. “I haven't had any outside news since before the power went out.”
“Things are a lot worse elsewhere. The bigger the city, the worse the shape they're in. Even Las Animas, just up north of us, has been having riots. We're doing better here than most other places. I'd like to keep it that way.”
“I'll help however I can. I already told Father Anderson I'd teach a free gardening class at his church.”
“He told me you'd been keeping him in fresh food too.”
“I have. I need to try to get down there today and get him some more,” Michael said.
“I'm going by that way next if you want me to drop it off for you.”
“That would be great, but it'll take a while to harvest it.”
“I can give you a hand if you like, used to do some gardening myself. Thinking I'll have to start that up again now,” Dan said.
* * *
Chapter 19
Rynn listened as Michael and Dan exchanged pleasantries.
“Thanks for the help Dan, make sure you keep some of that for yourself, okay?” Michael said. “If you won't keep it for yourself, give it to the people who are still working for you. Darren told me you were keeping him fed now.”
“That boy's never been all there. He just thought they were stealing food. When he told me he tried to keep Jacobs from killing the little girl I wouldn't have believed it of him if you hadn't backed up his story.”
“Nope, he was right in there. Kept himself between Jacobs' gun and Liz. He was downright terrified, but he did it anyhow.”
“That's the best kind of hero. Brave enough, or stupid enough, to do what needs to be done when he sees it, but scared enough that he's not gonna go out of his way to try it again,” Dan said.
“Well, you need to get that stuff to Father Anderson and I need to pick some decent materials for your overpowered nightlights.”
“Just drop 'em off at the station when you're done with them. I'll pick places where they won't be easily accessible. There isn't any fire danger if they get damaged, is there?” Dan asked.
“Maybe a burst of light and a few sparks. I don't think there'd be anything beyond that. As long as they aren't right next to something the sparks could use as kindling, they should be fine.”
Dan nodded and settled himself into his patrol car. He waved out the window as he drove down the hill. Rynn came out beside Michael after the sheriff was gone.
“That's a man to watch,” Rynn said. “He talks like he's a hick sheriff but beneath that, he's a lot smarter than he lets on.”
“I could've told you that. He's the one man in town that knows I've been here for thirty years. He was being paid to watch me and report back to the Board. I guess he decided that he'd rather have me here than one of the Board's representatives. So I can't fault his judgment, but I wish he'd said something sooner. It would've been nice to build a relationship with someone that didn't forget me every five years.”
“Same principal applies. If he'd been the type to either be your friend while reporting on you, or pretend to be your friend, then you wouldn't have wanted him as one, would you?”
“It's a catch-22, but at least now I've got some company,” Michael said.
An indignant “Caw” echoed down from the roof of the house.
“Other than Calvin,” Michael continued.
Rynn scratched at the hollow of her throat. Michael's eyes caught the movement and he glanced at her, then took a longer look.
“Wow, that necklace matches your hair perfectly. They highlight each other,” he said.
“What necklace?”
Rynn tried to look down at the hollow of her throat. It was impossible to see what Michael was talking about, her neck wouldn't be
nd that way. Her fingers traveled to the spot she'd just scratched and she felt the smooth slickness of scales.
She darted into the house, looking for a mirror. Michael followed, wondering what he'd done this time.
He found Rynn staring at her throat in a mirror.
“Michael, can you do me a huge favor?” she asked.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I need you to watch my students for a day or two. I have to leave for a little bit. I wouldn't ask, but it's really, really important.”
Her hand fluttered around the base of her throat, concealing the necklace Michael had just complimented.
“Can it wait a day or two? I'm still not in the best of shape.”
Rynn went stock-still for a moment. Her eyes closed and Michael guessed she was checking something with her magic. She opened her eyes again before speaking.
“I can put it off for maybe another thirty-six hours or so. But then I really have to leave for a couple of days.”
“Why?” Michael asked.
“I'd love to tell you, but you'd think I'm crazy,” she said. “I'm not and maybe I'll prove it eventually, but can you just trust me for a little while?”
“I can, but only if you do one thing for me.”
She looked at him curiously.
“What's that?”
“Promise me you'll be back, that you aren't running away again.”
Rynn winced.
“I promise,” she said. “This is the same thing that made me run away from you years ago, but I can handle it better now. I just can't share it yet, the secret isn't just mine. There are other people involved as well. If I tell you, I'll need their permission first.”
Michael stared at her for a moment.
“Okay, but you need to explain what's going on to your students before you leave.”
“I can do that. They'll probably be mostly okay with it since they saw me do some horrendous things on the way here. A couple of days without me around will let them absorb it better.”
“Let's go tell them then. Is there anything I should know about any of them?”
They started to walk out to the back yard where they'd last seen the children. On the way Rynn gave him a brief rundown.
“Eugene can be a handful. He's been tinkering with electronics ever since he read your paper. His primary ability is Spirit magic and he has some skill with fire, but he's got some additional abilities that are his to tell you, not mine.”
“He's the one that was asking me about my paper as soon as he got out of the car? The oldest boy?”
Rynn nodded.
“Cindy had some problems when we started out. She couldn't accept what was happening until we needed her. Then she came through with flying colors. Her primary ability is Water magic, specifically Healing.”
Michael's hand reflexively went to his chest as Rynn continued.
“Andi... I don't know as much about her as I'd like. I know that her primary is Earth magic and I know that she and Eugene seem to be developing some sort of relationship. She's very bright and I think she's also constructed her outward personality so she's perceived as a rebel. She's not one deep down, you can tell if you see her vulnerable. She's sixteen going on twenty-five, like my mom used to say.”
“Doesn't sound like anyone I know,” Michael said innocently, “unless I believe all those stories your mom and dad told me.”
Rynn punched him in the shoulder, almost gently.
“The two younger boys I really don't know that much about. Randall is more outgoing and Sean is more sensitive. They aren't old enough to have established their primary skills yet, but they have started basic lessons on manipulating magic, both from their own bodies and from crystals.”
“How does this sound then. I play chaperone for Andi and Eugene, tutor for Cindy and Eugene since they were already plaguing me with questions, and I let the two younger boys just be boys for a couple of days. Maybe Jeff would take them under his wing.”
“Andi might have questions for you also, or might just appreciate you taking the time to teach her some Earth magic. I don't know how powerful her magic is, but from what I've seen it's fairly strong at least. You can show her some basics about it, find out what she's learned and go from there. I'd like them all to remember that they're students and not just kids fleeing a catastrophe.”
“I'll try,” Michael said. “No guarantees though.”
* * *
The students had mixed feelings about Rynn leaving for a day or two. She impressed upon them that it was absolutely necessary and they accepted it, even if they didn't like it.
Michael took the time to talk to them some more, finally attaching names to their faces so he knew them on sight. He also told each of them what they'd be doing while Rynn was gone.
“Eugene, the sheriff has a request for us, so you're going to help me in my shop. I'll show you how I make some of the things I wrote about, and some other things I learned since I wrote that paper.”
Eugene's eyes beamed and he looked eager for the chance.
“Cindy, you already got your first lesson in healing and it feels like you learned it well. We'll discuss your abilities and I'll teach you some basics if there are other things you don't know that I do.”
“Thank you, I've wanted to learn more about it for a while, but they insisted I take other classes at the school before I got the advanced class in healing,” she replied.
“You might learn a few things other than healing. How to conserve your energy when you're doing it, where to find more energy if you need it, things like that.”
She nodded.
“Andi, Rynn said you've got some strong Earth magic. Mine isn't as strong as my Water magic, but it's all I was allowed to use for the last thirty years. We'll see what I can show you about it. You'll have to let me know what you can do with it first though.”
Andi shrugged, Michael wasn't quite sure how to interpret that.
“Sean, Randall. I'll show you some basics, but I'll want you to spend time outside. One of the easiest ways to recharge your personal energies, even if it is slow, is by being in sunlight, feeling it on your skin. So, I want you two to see if you can notice that happening while you're outside doing other things.”
“Wait a minute,” Andi said. “We get tutoring and they get told to go play outside?”
“No, they get told to learn how to multitask. They need to learn how to gauge their own energies while doing other things. I bet you do it instinctively by now. If not, I'll have you doing some of that as well.”
“Never mind,” Andi said quickly.
“Eugene, meet me in my workshop in half an hour and we'll get started,” Michael said.
He turned and headed back to the porch. Rynn had been standing on it, listening.
“You got their attention, that's for sure. I think Andi might even let you teach her.”
“What makes you say that? She was quick enough to cop an attitude with me,” Michael said.
“She accepted your explanation and didn't continue arguing. I bet you'll get lots of questions from her. The typical whys and hows, but she listened to you.”
“Maybe, we'll have to wait and see.”
* * *
“Here's what we're going to do. These crystals are going to become rather large nightlights. One will be mounted over the church door. The other two will be inside of and in front of the sheriff's office. We need to make them highly efficient sun crystals, then we'll attach a physical connection so they can be turned on and off at will. That's a trick I picked up from Rynn's dad, Merle.”
“So you and Rynn were good friends?” Eugene asked.
“Thirty years ago I went home with her on break one time. My parents were on vacation so when Rynn asked me along, I went. I heard about it for months after, how her dad and I kept talking shop while I was on break.”
Michael smiled at the memory.
“So how do we do what you just described?” Eugene asked.
“You already learned part of it. Rynn told me you connected the crystal used to drain my overload. It's similar to that, you just...”
After an hour Michael was tired. He'd had Eugene do most of the magical work, but there were a few things that were more delicate and less power intensive that he did himself. The two of them went downstairs.
The sound of his hand-cranked blender led them to the kitchen. They found Anne and Jeff alternating turns on the crank. Anne noticed them first since Jeff was currently cranking.
“Michael, you have some of the best stuff in your kitchen,” she said.
“Well, I like to cook.”
“Why is so much of it hand-powered though? You've still got electricity here, even though there's none in town.”
“My power is solar. Some appliances draw a heavy load from it. Rather than risk depleting my power levels on those appliances, I purchased ones that didn't need electricity instead.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense. Anyhow, we're making some strawberry slushies. Would either of you like one?”
The two of them accepted the offer and Michael volunteered to crank for a while since he was used to it. Eugene went out back while Michael relieved Jeff.
Michael was cranking away on a second batch, since everyone wanted some, when he heard a familiar car horn out in the driveway.
“Anne, could you?” Michael asked, gesturing towards the crank.
“Certainly, go see who it is,” she said.
“I know who it is, that's my dad's horn. I forgot that I told him he could come here if he wanted.”
Michael dashed out the front door and found his father's antique pickup truck in the driveway. There were two people in the cab and four fifty-five gallon drums lashed down in the bed. The passenger door opened first and a familiar man slid out.
“Uncle Bobby!” Michael called.
The driver walked around from the other side of the truck.
“Dad! You made it. I wasn't sure if you'd come or not.”
Michael walked over to his father, who wrapped him in a hug.
“Good to see you son, the last few days have been a bit worrisome,” his father said.
Michael's uncle walked over and offered him his hand. Michael took it, shook it, then dragged his uncle into a hug also.
