by Moore, Gabi
The elemental cheerleader who grabbed the keys was holding them up in triumph when another one of the cheerleaders tried to grab them from her. She snarled at the one who tried to take them and let loose with a solid push, sending the imposing one to the ground. However, this allowed a third cheerleader to grab the keys from her. The original holder of the keys jumped on top of her and soon the entire squad of cheerleaders was a solid mass of elementals striking and poking at each other.
If anyone had watched, the mob of cheerleaders turned into a whirlwind as the keys were sent out and beyond their ability to grab them. The cheerleaders turned into a swirling cloud of dust, which rose into the air before the parking lot and ascended to the air as the elemental merged into one continuous sylph that had lost its collective identities in a mass of anger. The cloud soon reached the sky and broke up as the sun baked it apart.
“Just keep walking them,” Dion said. “We need to get them someplace they can sleep this off. The charm of the elementals won’t last very long now that they’ve dissipated into the air. We’ll take them to the furniture store Edward told us about and see that they are sound asleep in a few minutes.”
“What happens if those cheerleaders return?” Lilly asked him. “Why wouldn’t they try and get them back?”
“They’re out of power. They exhausted everything they had today on us and the keys finished off what was left.”
It only took them a few minutes to take their friends to the furniture company and find the contact Edward had mentioned when they were in his realm. The walked both Sean and Emily into the store with ease and asked for the name they’d had memorized. The saleslady they met nodded and went back into the back of the store and returned a few minutes later with an older man who wore a suit and tie. He introduced himself as the manager of the store.
Most of the people shopping in the store were couples looking to buy furniture for their new homes or apartments. Lilly noticed the sales staff would take them through an entire sales procedure, which involved selling them the most expensive item and gradually working their way down the less expensive models. There seemed to be a whole technique to what they were doing, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. The mysteries of the sales world were almost as dense as the elemental one, but not so flamboyant.
“Edward gave me your name,” Dion told him. “I was informed you were someone we could trust to take care of our friends until they’ve had a chance to sleep. He told us you have a waterbed in the back which people sometimes use for demonstration purposes.”
The man looked at them, and then looked at the mesmerized couple with him. Dion could tell he was weighing something in his mind.
“Alright, I can help, follow me.”
They turned and walked with him as he disappeared into a door in the back.
It was a small room beyond the storage area, which was designed as a bedroom. The waterbed was resting on the floor with several brochures about its use around it. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling were subdued and designed to give it a soft glow and served as an additional selling point.
Lilly led Emily to the bed and laid her down, while Dion did the same to Sean. In minutes, they were peacefully asleep. The manager led them out of the room, turned out the light and shut the door.
“They’ll sleep undisturbed in there,” he told them. “But you have to come here by the end of the day and pick them up. I’ll let the staff know they’re not to be disturbed.”
“Thank you,” Dion told the man as they left. “You’ve been a great help. I’ll make sure to come back by then.”
“No problem. Edward and I go back a long ways and he’s helped me a lot in the past. I owe him quite a few favors.”
Outside the store, they found a bench to sit down on and think about what to do next. It was still the afternoon, but the encounter with the cheerleader elementals left them both exhausted. Dion worried about Emily, as this was her second abduction by the elementals in two days. He hoped there would be some way to keep her at a distance from the mall in the future.
“And you’re sure we don’t have to worry about them while they’re sleeping?” Lilly asked him once again. “I worry about leaving them alone, even under the watchful eye of that manager.”
“Edward recommended him. If Edward trusts him, it’s all I need to know. So far, he’s helped us every step of the way. I can’t complain about the assistance he’s given us.
“So what do we do now?” It was a warm day and she’d worn a casual outfit. Lilly liked to appear a little better when going to the mall. But today was not another shopping expedition to the department store.
“Let me think of something. I need a way to get to the hobby shop and meet with the Grandmaster. We don’t have to worry about those cheerleaders for a while, it will take some time for them to reconstitute now that they’re in their original form. They’ll be back, I can guarantee you that, but not today. The mall builder worked to bring them here and I’m sure he has more trickery to show us.”
Although Lilly was worried about her two friends, she was glad to be with Dion. To watch him take on the cheerleader elementals twice in one day was the subject of legends. It still made her upset with the knowledge they’d been inside her head, but at least the elementals were gone. If only there was some way to get the next few powers Dion needed with ease, but it was useless to think in those lines. He had to fulfill his quest before he could truly become a master of all the elements. And what was the fifth one he constantly talked about?
“Should we go back to Hobbs?” Lilly asked him. “Does he have anything else you could use?”
“He might, but I don’t want to get dependent on him. Hobbs has things in there he doesn’t like people to know about. Things, which we could use to reach the rest of the elemental grandmasters without any kind of interference. But if they found out I’d made use of them, they might not grant me the ability to fully work the element they rule. They would eventually find out and pull the authority if they discovered what I’d done to reach them. They are very precise on how my quest has to be carried out. I have to accomplish this as much as I can on my own without any significant help. Having you and the others along didn’t count as significant help. Summoning questionable forces from beyond with a bit of forbidden lore would not be looked upon favorably. Besides, the ultimate reason I’m here is to get my parents out. I can’t do that until I have full elemental abilities.”
“You told me your parents were kidnapped. How long ago did it happen?”
“A year ago. We were in California at the time. It’s why I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle.”
“Where you there when it happened?” Lilly glanced around the concourse where they sat. She had a strange sensation they were being watched, but she couldn’t see any security guards and no security cameras were on display.
“I was away at school. It was in the spring, almost a year to the day,” he began. “The bus let me off right at the end of our block and I went up to the house and felt something odd. I turned and saw this big black van pull away from the front of our house and head down the street. I didn’t see the license plate because I didn’t think anything was wrong. When I went up to our house, I found the front door unlocked and when inside. My mom never left the door unlocked, so I thought it was strange the door was open. I went inside and couldn’t find anyone.
Dad worked a lot from home, so I expected him to be in and out all day. Mom didn’t work after we moved to California and I could never understand why. My father was an engineer and mother would help him on the projects he did out of the house. From what I understand, she’d been an engineer too, but quit to help him manage the business he ran. Dad was often at some conference of one kind or another and mom would stay home and help him out by referencing whatever plans or documents he didn’t have with him. Same if he was at a client’s site. She would conference with him on the phone and they would work things out until both of them were satisfied. I never deve
loped any interest in what they did, but it must have been important because they were busy most of the time.
Anyway, I walked in the house and they were gone. I went into dad’s study and looked for him, but it was ransacked. Papers tossed everywhere and plans thrown all over the place. I was very worried and went to call the police, but the phones were ripped out of the wall. I went next door and used the neighbor’s phone. The police came and took the house apart trying to find something, but they never did. I stayed with some neighbors until I was placed with my aunt and uncle.”
“And there was never a ransom note or anything?”
“Nothing, but I wouldn’t believe they were dead. I could feel something because dad was an elemental worker and I felt his trace after I came home. I believe whoever took them wanted me to be upset and give up with my training. I’ve learned to work with different elementals since I could walk.
Six months ago I received a note in the mail written in alchemical symbols. I recognized enough to them to understand it was a warning from whoever took my parents. The note confirmed they were alive, but warned me not to continue my training if I wanted to get them back.
And then the mall showed up quickly and I put it all together. After talking with some other element manipulators, I found out that all four elemental grandmasters had stores in this mall. This couldn’t be an accident, so I began to investigate the place. Sure enough, the mall was built over something to serve as a bridge to it. I had enough ability to work the elements and find out what I needed to know. I decided this would be the week to obtain all four of my powers. I just have the one now, but I’m determined to get the rest.”
“And I’m determined to help you,” Lilly said as she put her hand over his.
“I don’t want you to get harmed in my quest,” Dion said. “I’m the one who must ultimately confront the mall builders and get my parents free. Look at Sean and Emily; they’re back in the rear of that furniture store sleeping off their encounter with the elementals. I’m responsible for what happens from here on out.”
“Sean was doing it to impress Emily,” Lilly said. “He’s had a crush on her for years. I was afraid he’d do something stupid today. I know why Emily brought him along, but I think she thrives on the attention she receives from boys.”
“I picked it up too. Sean is head over heels in love with Emily, but she doesn’t give any back. Maybe today she’ll learn that she can’t continue to play these little games with someone like Sean.”
“Sean doesn’t have the best home life,” Lilly said. “It’s not that he lacks for anything, but his mother is obsessive about him. I’ve seen her in action and when she is done manipulating him, he’s ready to give up. The best thing about today is he might have some backbone after it’s over. You don’t go up against what he did and come out ready to go back to the way things were.”
“On the other hand, he might be damaged on the inside,” Dion said. “I’ll know when he wakes up. It will take hours of a sound sleep to get him out of the trap the elementals built for both of them. We’re dealing with some dangerous sylphs here and I worry about the harm they caused. Not too much any normal person can do against them. I did my best and it took a lot out of me.”
“I know. I’m grateful. I’m certain Sean and Emily will be too once they wake up.”
Dion sat there for another five minutes with Lilly. By now, it was the late afternoon and he decided to make another attempt at the hobby store.
“He has to be back by now,” Dion said. “No way could they shut that store down too long without letting the other stores know something was wrong in there.”
The stood up and walked down the hall in the direction of the store. Dion and Lilly walked across the concourse and looked at the other store windows as they continued on.
The mall was successful in luring several big national retailers into the facility. She saw the names of several name brand clothing outlets and at least one record store. The album covers lined the display window of a new band everyone thought would be very popular. Next to the display was an album cover for a band which was rumored to be another popular act recording under a different name. Lilly couldn’t keep up with all the band gossip.
They stopped to look at a display of glass-blown animals, all of which seemed to be a variation on an eagle. In the window, Lilly watched the glassworker manipulate the molten silica until he had the object he wanted to make. She was fascinated by the way they could create figurines from colored glass rods, but knew there was a special technique to doing what they did.
While they watched the glass blower at work, Dion turned to see a man in an expensive suit walk in his direction. His elemental sense tingled and he was certain this was someone he knew. The man appeared to be somewhat familiar and looked directly at him. Once again, the sound in the mall began to disappear, which let Dion know there was some kind of elemental work in the building. This wasn’t on the same level as what he’d experienced when the cheerleader elementals tried to corner him, but there was a level of power, which he felt for the first time from this man.
He was a young man, definitely in his twenties and with the look of someone who got what he wanted. But it was obvious he worked for someone else. This was the chatelaine of the castle, not the lord who ruled over it. He wore sunglasses inside the mall, but Dion could tell he was the subject of the man’s attention. Lilly was still captivated by the glass worker, so it was up to Dion to act as a defender if he needed to do so.
Chapter 11
“Nice job,” the man said as he slid up next to Dion. “I really have to admit I didn’t think you would be able to take out those sylphs. No one has been able to resist them before today. The cheerleader form is the one they like to use the most because no one suspects who they really are.”
“I had the impression they’d used it before,” Dion said as he extended a hand. “I’m Dion, but I suspect you already know my name.”
“Enchanted,” he said while shaking the hand. “Matthew is the name, but you can call me Matt.”
“So how do you figure into my quest?” I don’t get the sensation you mean me any harm, nor goodwill either.”
“I work for the mall. At least for the people who run and built it.”
By now, Lilly had noticed the conversation and turned to see the suited stranger who talked with Dion. She too could feel something was wrong, although not on the level of the cheerleaders or cleaners. This man was human, but had his own script.
“So what do you want?” Dion asked. “I know what I want, how do you fit into all this?”
“My boss wants to talk with you. I’m just a corporate messenger boy today. As I said, we were all impressed by how you took down the cheerleaders. He has your map too, so it might be a good idea to meet with him.”
“This sounds like a meeting where only one party returns. What if I don’t want to meet with your boss?”
“Then you won’t get your map back. I’d agree to the meeting, if I were you. He’s willing to guarantee your safety for the duration of it. He’ll also guarantee the young lady’s too if you want to take her along.”
“What about my friends who are sleeping away?”
“The same. He’ll leave them alone.”
Dion thought for a few minutes. “Tell you what… he guarantees my friends who are napping upstairs suffer no ill effects from the action this afternoon and we have a deal.”
“That’s a tall order,” Matt said. “I have to check on it. Give me a few minutes.”
Dion watched as Matt walked over to a payphone mounted to the wall, dialed a special number and waited. He had a brief discussion with someone on the other end and walked back.
“He’s good with your demands,” Matt informed him. “You must rate highly, because I’ve never seen him agree to something like this before.”
“Alright,” Dion said. “So when do we leave? Where do we go?”
“You’ll see in a few minutes. We’re not going t
o leave the spacial boundaries of the mall, but we’ll be outside its time circle.”
Dion decided not to ask any more questions. Something was about to happen that he barely understood and he decided it was best to wait and see what the man had in mind. He doubted he would go back on his word, but nothing made logical sense in this mall.
“About thirty seconds,” Matt said as he looked at his expensive Swiss wristwatch. Its housing was in glass and you could see the gears in the watch turn.
The air froze around them and the landscape went black.
Dion held tight onto Lilly as they were sent somewhere else once again. It seemed the entire mall opened up to some place other than where it stood. How strange that the entire mall was a gateway over the abyss at the same time. He didn’t worry because the man who ran the mall could easily have launched a total assault on him if he really wanted to take Dion out. The only reason he hadn’t’ tried to do it was because of the negative publicity the mall would receive.
The surroundings changed and they found themselves back in the desert. But this was not the desert that Mr. Jehuti and his wife took them, but somewhere else. No human activity could be seen in the distance and it was pitch black outside with a full moon in the sky. The stars shone bright in the heavens and Dion could feel the sand under his feet.
This time he wore the same clothes as when he left. It was also very cold outside. Fortunate for them, there was a campfire burning next to them. The fire gave enough heat to let them feel the warmth from them all.
“Sorry about the weather,” Matt told them, “We can’t fix everything. He should be here in a few minutes.”
Lilly held tight to Dion and looked at the surroundings. They were made of rock with sand scattered everywhere. It was deadly quiet and then she heard some animal making a yipping sound in the distance. From the volume, whatever made it had to be a good mile away. The fire cast eerie shadows on the rock wall next to it.
