by P. G. Thomas
“Where are those students now?” asked John.
“While six are still at the school, the others have moved on. Some were no longer able to afford the tuitions, and others went back to their families, or they took on new challenges.”
After their meals had been placed on the table, Eric asked, “What did you say about the trollmares invading the Newlands?”
Mirtza shrugged his shoulders, “A few years ago, maybe more, stories began to filter back to the Bright Coast about farms, small settlements, and such being attacked by strange, horrific beasts. Mother, she was still speaking back in those days, and we heard she sent Earth Mothers to investigate, although, we are unsure of what happened, or what they found out. Over time, with the attacks increasing, the populations moved to larger settlements for protection. One of them fortified with walls, hiring dwarves to man them. However, when the dwarves spotted the trollmares, their words spread across the Newlands like a wildfire. They were able to hold off a few of the attacks, but when the town fell, the survivors headed here, and once again, the Newlands are uninhabited, well, at least by farmers.”
“What about all of this rain?” asked Ryan.
Gayne looked out a window, “It started just over a year ago. I went in search of Earth Mothers since some had fled here, but I was unable to find any. From what I understand, one of the last things they heard from Mother was her telling the children to flee the Newlands. After that, her messages were few. The rain, that was plentiful.”
“What about the Bastards?” asked John.
“We do not know,” Mirtza began, “there was a group that headed here to the Bright Coast. They were helping the Watch protect the streets, but over time, there seemed to be fewer, like they just wandered off.”
“Gayne, can the thief guild help track down the missing six students?” asked John.
He nodded, “When we get to the school, I will send a runner to arrange a meeting. Why?”
“Ryan is right, as those babies wouldn’t be able to walk out of that room, let alone get out of their stroller. You said that the second last time you saw the machine, it was covered, but the next time it wasn’t. Could they’ve told somebody about it?”
“Would it not have made more sense for the same person to cover the machine and just push the stroller out of the room?” asked Eric. “If they had done that and not taken the wine, Gayne would never have known something was wrong.”
“You mean other than the magic malfunctioning, and all of the locks dispelled?”
“I meant that it would’ve been less obvious.”
John nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense. Somebody operating it, finding Lauren with the triplets, and it activating a second time. Let’s see you explain those minor points.”
“Don’t you have a—,” then Eric bit down on his lip, hissy fit. “I was just thinking aloud.”
“What time did the break-in happen?” asked Ryan.
“We have no idea. It was not until classes started that morning when we realized that something was wrong,” replied Gayne.
Ryan continued his inquiries, “None of your magic spells worked?”
“All had been nullified. The bats to watch the exterior, guard wards inside, and all of the locks. Everything was deactivated.” Gayne pushed back his chair, “Let us go to the school, and see if we can figure out any of these mysteries.” As he had talked, John thought of a similar spell he had cast during the final battle, which nullified the spelled gold of the Darkpaye army.
Chapter 4
Once at the school, Gayne pointed out the houses for the guard bats on the exterior, and then he demonstrated how the locks to the outside doors worked, or should have. Unable to answer questions about how they could have been disabled, he led them to the room that housed the machine. At the double doors, when he waved his hand over one side of the gold plate that secured the room, two of the spikes retracted, allowing him access.
John walked around the machine that was still covered by the tarp, and on the far side, found a puddle of water that was seeping in from under stone blocks. “Outside wall?”
“No,” Gayne replied, “During a renovation, I had dwarves build a secret door to hide your cloak, chain, and kites.” He then walked over, pushed on a block causing a door to open. Raising a candle to light up the room, it was unnecessary since a hole in the roof let in the gray light from outside—and a sufficient amount of rain. Extending twelve inches above the roof, anchored to the wall, a metal post sat in a puddle of water.
John pointed to it, “To anchor the kites?”
Gayne nodded.
The size of the hole exceeded the post’s dimension, but the foul air quickly solved the mystery, as significant animal droppings covered the floor, filling the air with a pungent odor. Piled in the far corner, remnants of the kite that the unknown resident had used to make its den more comfortable. The simple device that had once captured the powerful magic was nothing more than urine stained bedding. Lacking sufficient material to create the necessary luxury, the uninvited guest had also used a large percentage of the second cloak, which hung beside the post, dripping wet. Under it, a pile of mithril. The heavy weight of the metal easily defeating the light wet threads, which once held it in place. Even though the wooden spool that held the chains to connect the kites remained intact, the elements had tarnished the once bright metal.
John stepped into the small room, looked up at the large hole in the ceiling, observed the puddle, and then, examining his second cloak, he shook his head with disappointment.
Gayne had a horrified expression on his face, “John, I thought it was safe here. We—I never—John, I am so sorry.”
Remaining quiet, he walked back out to the first room, pulled part of the tarp back, and using his Leatherman tool, opened up some of the panels on the machine. Evidence of the lightning strike was obvious on the crude circuit boards, and numerous other components had also received significant damage. He walked over to the crate, sat down, and cradled his head in his hands, wanting desperately to scream obscenities at the strange world.
Eric placed his hand on John’s shoulder, “Don’t even start to think like that, It’s the first and ten and yeah, we might be on our first-yard line and have ninety-nine to go, but we’ll get there.”
“If we’re tackled once, fumble the ball, they score six points. It isn’t a good field position.”
Eric tried to think of an appropriate response or play to call but remained quiet.
Pushing himself up, John looked at the small group. Defeated, shaking his head, he advised them, “Lightning hit the building, traveled down that post, arced to the puddle, and then it made contact with the machine, but I don’t know how it was energized. How it found us? I have no idea...If somebody else discovered it, activated it to kidnap the triplets, the lightning probably destroyed any evidence of how they did it. Look, this is going to take me a while to unravel.”
Gayne turned to the door, “The guild will be here soon. Would you two like to join me?”
Ryan and Eric nodded, knowing they would be unable to provide John with any assistance.
*******
Gayne heard the knock, “Enter.”
When the door opened, two armed men about five feet tall, their hands and faces covered with scars, entered the office. Behind them, a small, wiry man, well-dressed, but with greasy hair and a sparse, thin beard.
“Thank you, for coming, Jedimac.”
“Gayne, a pleasure always.” Then he turned to Ryan and Eric, sitting in the chairs on the right side of the desk, “Champion, I was unaware you were back in town. Ryan, you still owe me an apology.” Thief yes, stupid thief no, as the thief guilds taught their members many things, and the first lesson to remember, never forget a face, especially when it threatened you. “Eric, you look smaller without your armor.” His voice soft, his words well spoken, and his pronunciation talked of an educated past.
“I’m sorry,” began Ryan, “No, you didn’t kidnap Lauren
. I was just upset.”
“Is that what you call it?” Jedimac scanned the room. “Are Earth Mother and Panry also here? As I really hate surprises.”
Gayne shook his head, “Lauren is, but she is no longer an Earth Mother, and I have not seen Panry in years.”
“Eric, are you still packing lightning?” asked Jedimac.
“I’ve only been here a few days and should be back to my old self within the week.”
“We are still trying to figure out what happened with the break-in,” began Jedimac, “and have checked with the other guilds, but none sanctioned this transaction. They all shared your same concern of this transgression, and were, I guess you could say, vocal about you not entering the security business. As such, they presented strong arguments that the investigation should proceed. As for what we learned from your students, it seems highly improbable that one of them participated in this event. Per your request, we employed our passive questioning methods.”
“Thank you,” Gayne replied and then pushed a piece of paper forward on his desk.
One of the armed men retrieved it, giving it to the thief guild leader. Jedimac went to hand it back, “We do not deal in people. If you want to lose them, contact the assassin’s guild. I can get you a discount if you need it. If you are looking to sell them—”
“We don’t want them killed or sold,” interrupted Ryan. “We think that one or more of them may know about the break-in, supplying information to somebody.”
“What kind of knowledge would they have?”
Gayne shook his head, “Privileged and I am sure that, if somebody questioned you about your organization, you would be reluctant to disclose certain facts. I would never expect you to reveal your secrets and would also enjoy the same courtesy.”
Jedimac tucked the piece of paper into his pocket, “I will see what I can find out.” Then he stood, headed for the door, followed by the two armed men.
Opening his bottom drawer, Gayne pulled out a bottle with three glasses and half-filled each. “I really hate dealing with him, but his guild is the best.” After a quick drink, he offered to show them the different exits that were closest to the machine.
*******
Mirtza walked into the room, “Are you having any luck?”
“No, and to be honest, I don’t even know where to start,” replied John. “Gayne was right about a lightning strike activating the machine.” Then he pointed towards the secret closed door. “Oh, my mithril cloak has also been destroyed. I’ve been staring at this thing for hours and need to clear my head, time to think.” He stood, “Let’s get out of here.” Going into the hall, they both saw Gayne with Eric and Ryan heading towards them.
Entering the room that held the machine, Gayne set a gold amulet on the ground, waved his hand over it, causing a very large mean-looking dog to appear. “Stay in this room, and only allow Mirtza, John, or myself to enter, but follow their commands.” He turned to John, “Let him sniff you so that he will recognize you.” He tried to hold his hand steady as the dog became accustomed to his scent, and then Mirtza confidently did the same. When the door closed, Gayne waved his hand over the gold plate, which caused the spikes to extend, securing the room.
*******
It was late in the afternoon when Logan walked out into the front room. Steve pushed himself up onto one elbow, “Kid, you know the best chance you have is to turn your friends in now. I’ll testify on your behalf in court, telling them that you did the right thing.”
“What’s that, old man?”
“Look, call the cops.”
Logan walked into the kitchen, filled two mugs with honey beer, returned, and gave one to Steve. “If it were that simple to get back home, I would, but not until we find my three nieces.”
“Your sister sold them, so the quicker we get her to confess, the sooner we can get them back, but first, you need to turn everybody in.”
“Can’t do it, Steve. They’re here somewhere, and we need to find them.”
“Here? In this cheap movie studio? With lame special effects? No, they could be over state lines by now. We can notify the FBI because it could be a federal case.”
Looking out the window, Logan saw the clouds breaking up to reveal the suns. He walked over to Steve, “There are two things in this room that are old. You’re one, and your idle threats are the other.” Grabbing him by the arm, he started to drag him out to the patio.
Hearing the loud objections, several servants walked out to see what was happening, but they just watched as Steve continued to protest. “What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your freaking mind?”
Once at the patio table, rolling Steve onto his stomach, Logan straddled his back. Placing his hands under the prone detective’s arms, lacing his finger’s together, he picked up Steve, placing him on a chair in a very uncomfortable position. After heading to the front room for the two mugs of beer, by the time he returned, Steve had adjusted himself, but the pain from the experience was still evident on his face. Logan took his seat, pointing to the sky.
Raising his hand to block the intense light, Steve observed what could only be described as three suns: a red light low in the sky, a large yellow sun in the noon position, and a bright blue dot between the two. “Okay, I was wrong about the lame special effects. You definitely got your money’s worth but why three? Why not two or four?”
“I don’t know. They were here when we arrived.”
Taking a sip of his drink, Steve looked over the expanse of the Bright Coast, which terraced down from the patio until the land ran into the bright blue ocean. “Kid, look I’ll give you an A+ for special effects, and an A++ for the beer. Do the right thing, turn your friends in, and they’ll go easy on you.”
Hearing Gayne return to the house with the others, Lauren headed down to find out what they had discovered, but the absence of positive news resulted in her seeking refuge in her room with Ryan following behind her.
Eric heard Logan trying to explain Calicon to Steve on the patio, hearing his insistence that he should do the right thing and phone the police. Asking Gayne to borrow one of the magic food chests, he poured himself a mug of beer before heading out. “He isn’t going to phone anybody.” Eric sat down at the table, placing the wooden box in front of Steve, “Examine the chest.”
Looking at the plain wooden box, he opened it, seeing hundreds of medallions that looked like food items. “Are you trying to bribe me? There’s a fortune in gold here.”
“No. Is there anything unusual about the box? Any secret openings?”
Steve re-examined it, taking a sip from his drink, “Not that I can determine.”
Eric handed him a platinum ring, “Put this on and think of any food that you want right now. Then wave your hand over the closed box.”
“You’re just screwing with my head.”
“Just do it, old man,” replied Logan.
Placing the ring on his finger, thinking of a huge T-bone steak, he waved his hand over the box, “Now what?”
“Open it, old man.”
Leaning forward and opening the box, he saw a huge steak. “It isn’t a T-bone.” Pulling it out, he set it on top of the box, “Looks more like a rib-eye.”
Eric nodded, “You were thinking of steak, and it wasn’t in there when you opened up the box the first time, right?”
“Sure, but it isn’t what I was thinking of.”
“Put it back inside,” Eric instructed. “After you think of something else, wave your hand over it and then check the box again.”
Steve did as requested, thinking of an apple, and opened the box. The steak was gone, and he pulled out a large red apple. “I was thinking of a Golden Delicious.”
“Where’s the steak? Have you ever seen anything like this before?” asked Eric.
“You’ve some sort of tricked out special effects team. What I don’t understand is why are you going to all of this trouble?”
Eric stood, picked up the box, placing his mug under one s
ide, and Logan slid his under the other. “There’s no way we could mechanically place or remove items from the box now. Would you agree?” After Steve had nodded, Eric continued, “Okay, after you return the apple, think of something else and then check the box.”
Steve did as asked, but it was empty when he opened it.
“What did you think of?” asked Eric.
“An orange.”
Logan shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t think we ever saw any of those here?”
“Screw it. He’ll understand one of these days,” replied Eric. “I’m going to see how Lauren and Ryan are doing.”
“Kid, now that he’s gone, it’s your chance to turn yourselves in. Do it quick, before somebody else shows up. These little magic tricks of yours, I’m unimpressed with them. I would be more impressed if you could dial the police, and get us out of here.”
“He was trying to—” Logan stood and walked back into the house.
Looking up to the sky, Steve shaded his eyes so that he could see the images of the three suns, and then he scanned the horizon of the large rustic town, which now filled his gaze. He picked up the chest, re-examined it, and thought of bacon. Opening it, finding the same, he shook his head. How would they know what I was thinking? Why’re they going to this much trouble? What’re they trying to prove?
Finding Gayne, after Logan talked with him, he returned to the patio with two mugs of beer, and a small silver-winged horse figure that he placed at Steve’s feet. After reclaiming his seat, having a quick drink, he began rubbing both forearms at the same time.
Steve, expecting something to happen, sipped from his drink while looking at Logan, who failed to answer his glance. Reaching down to pick up the peculiar bright metal model, a silver-winged horse suddenly stood before him, which rose up on its back legs. Steve, his eyes wide with fear, tried to push his chair back from the beast.
