by Martha Carr
“That’s basically what Turner said. Oh, wait and he mentioned that name. Rhazdon. He said the power was just as impressive as something Rhazdon could have pulled off.”
Correk felt the truth settle into his bones. Oriceran was living inside of a dark fairytale that was eight hundred years old. Rhazdon was still alive and biding his time. But what is his end game? I need to warn the king and queen.
“Does this help you at all?”
“It does. I have a friend, Perrom and I can ask him for help. Thank you.” Correk kept his voice as even and friendly as he could manage.
“You never talk much about your friends or family back on Oriceran. You’ve helped me to literally put my family back together again. I want to know more about…”
Leira turned in time to see the troll reaching across the table for her plate, his claws outstretched. “Not so fast, dancing rodent!”
Correk smiled and whispered to her, “There’s time to tell you all about my life back on Oriceran. We should enjoy this night.”
“You mean before the shit hits the fan,” whispered Leira.
“Whatever you two have your heads together about, either tell me or drop it. We’re here to have a good time tonight.”
“And to see grownups wrestle large animals,” said Correk, taking another bite. It can’t be him. Eight hundred years.
“That’s one way to put it.”
Two men walked past in cowboy boots and chaps, their spurs jangling on their boots. They tipped their hats at Leira and smiled.
“I do not know what to do with all of this,” she said, exasperated.
“We know, dear but you’ve faced tougher challenges.” Mara turned and winked back at the men, laughing. They smiled and said, “Ma’am,” as they walked in the direction of the rodeo ring.
“Finish up boys and girls. I want to watch some hunky men throw down!” Mara wiped the grease off her hands and fixed her lipstick.
“Berens’ women run hot,” said Correk.
“Only way to go.” Leira took her grandmother’s arm as the troll sat down on Correk’s shoulder and they walked across the fairgrounds looking at the sights.
***
They found a few seats near the top of the metal bleachers that encircled two sides of the large open ring filled with a powdery dirt that made for softer landings. The Mutton Bustin’ contest was well underway with a ten-year-old boy riding a sheep, holding on for all he was worth for six seconds. Mara crowed and cheered as if she knew the kid, shaking her fist in the air. Leira gave her a crooked smile and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. This is life, I suppose. You stick to the moment you’re in whether it’s good or bad.
Next up were the bullfighters and rodeo clowns. The clowns were in full makeup and wearing their version of Western wear. One had a tutu over his jeans and was throwing t-shirts into the crowd.
“Kind of reminds me of your idea of what a cowboy looks like.” Leira smiled at Correk who let out a laugh.
“It wasn’t that bad…”
The clowns dragged out tall blue plastic containers, half filled with sand and ran near the bleachers, waving at the kids. The announcer came over the loudspeaker, “First out of the chute… Kyle Elliott riding Steamroller!” The metal gate lifted and a grey and white five-year-old bull weighing sixteen hundred pounds charged out of the chute, whipsawing a man back and forth as the seconds ticked by. His hat flew backward, landing in the dirt as a clown saw his chance and retrieved it, ducking behind one of the blue containers.
“Eight seconds to glory!” Leira yelled.
The announcer boomed out of the loudspeakers, “Six seconds! Too bad, almost had it. Ol’ Steamroller got another one,” just as Kyle rolled off the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp hooves. Two clowns ran in front of Steamroller just far enough away to give themselves time to roll over the top of the wooden wall as Steamroller bore down on them, horns lowered. The cowboy got up and ran for the fence, easily climbing over it, leaving Steamroller to slow to a walk as he trotted around the ring.
“That was amazing!” Correk was on his feet, eyes wide watching two riders come out on horseback to corral Steamroller back toward the pen. Another rider was getting ready but the announcer was sputtering, confused. “Seems we have a change up, folks!”
Leira looked back at Correk. “Where’s Yumfuck?” She whipped her head around, looking at Mara and under the seats.
“He was just here…” Correk checked his pockets and looked down toward the front of the bleachers.
“Famous last words with the tiny troll.”
“Here we go, folks! A late entry riding Beaufort!”
“You go on, if you need to. I’m staying here to watch the riders. That troll will be fine,” Mara pronounced firmly. She wasn’t going anywhere.
Leira scrambled down the bleachers to head toward the row of food stands over by the rides, Correk close behind her.
“That’s a hairy son of a bitch,” said an old man with a leathery face wearing a beat up white cowboy hat.
“What’s that he’s wearing? Are those assless chaps?” A man was standing with his hand shading his eyes, straining to get a better look.
Leira stopped and slowly turned, sure she knew what she was about to see. Correk was already moving closer to the fencing.
Yumfuck was twelve times his size wearing a borrowed cowboy hat, holding on to the thick rope with one hand, the other in the air as Beaufort did all he could to buck off the oversized troll.
“My money’s on the troll. He’s all muscle.” Correk stood by the fence, his hands on his hips.
“You’re proud of him? You’re missing the point. There are phones here.”
“He’ll shrink down again, disappear into the crowd. Your internet will rave about a yeti showing up at a rodeo and some yahoo will claim it was him in a costume. Everyone will move on to the next stupid video. I’m not worried.”
“The Silver Griffins are no longer a worry?”
“That’s not magic. That’s a troll riding a bull. That’s entertainment! Besides, they all know how hard a troll is to keep contained.”
Leira stopped arguing long enough to take a good look at Correk. He was doing his best to enjoy this night. It’s that bad. What’s coming. He thinks it’s that bad. She cocked her head to the side. He’s trying to protect me. Okay, for today, Cousin, but only today. You’re going to have to learn how to let me take my chances, even if we are family.
“Twenty-five seconds! A new Austin Rodeo record! Someone get that hairy son of a bitch’s name!” The announcer’s voice cracked with excitement.
“Come on, he’s off the bull and running for the fence. We need to be over there to scoop him up.”
Yumfuck ran for the wall, turning at the last second as Beaufort rammed the wall with his horns. The troll dodged around a blue barrel as the clowns distracted the bull. Yumfuck ran back toward the wall, sliding around the back as he shrank back down to his normal size of five inches, getting lost under the cowboy hat and rolling in the dust.
“Where’d the feller go?”
“He was just here! What the hell was he wearing? A cow onesie?”
Yumfuck scurried along the backside of the wall, making his way between the moving feet as everyone looked around for the missing rider. Correk found him just as he got to the side of the announcer’s booth slipping back into his cowboy boots and hat. He scooped him up and put him into his shirt pocket where he could lean out of the top, holding onto the shirt.
“Did you think we wouldn’t notice you riding a bull?” Correk looked over at the crowd, still buzzing about the mysterious rider even as someone else took their turn.
“America’s Got Talent!”
“That’s enough for one day. Nesturnium.” The troll blew a raspberry at Leira and she blew one right back at him. “We’ll still ride a few rides but you’re doing it from the comfort of Correk’s pocket. No more growing into something bigger.”
“That was pretty cool, tho
ugh.” Correk shrugged at Leira, holding up his hand near his pocket so the troll could high-five him with his tiny paw. “I’d actually try that if we had more time.”
“Yeah, time is what’s stopping you.”
“I could do it. I’ve told you. Light Elves are gifted athletes.”
“Big difference between bowling and riding an angry ton of beef. Come on, let’s go see if we can pull Nana away from the human beefcake long enough to ride the Ferris wheel. I’ve always loved that view and it’s been years since I’ve seen it.”
Correk caught himself and grew thoughtful. “Fifteen years, isn’t it? Well, it’s about time. Will make me feel like I’m back in my room in the castle.”
They stayed till dark, riding every ride, including the roller coaster holding the troll tight over their heads as he screamed with delight and the Gravitron that spun so fast they were all pinned against the thick pads behind them. By the time they finally found Eireka and Donald and got back to the Mustang the troll was fast asleep in Correk’s pocket and Leira and Correk were laughing over the troll’s jowls shaking in the wind on the swings.
“Thank you for teaching me how to do this, Cousin.” Leira slid into the driver’s seat as Correk got in, making sure he didn’t wake the troll. “It’s a rare thing to learn how to be happy in the moment no matter what’s going on around you.”
“I suspect Turner Underwood has a little to do with your new skill as well.”
“He tells me to do it and you show me how it’s done. Tonight was a lot of fun, even if tomorrow you tell me the truth and we fight the bogeyman.”
“It will take more than the two of us or even what can fill a hotel room this time. We will need help.”
“I’m going with you to Oriceran. I know that’s where you’re headed. Don’t slip out without me. I’m going with you.”
“You’re right, it’s your home as well and your power is going to be needed. But, heed my warning, be very careful when we’re there. Give nothing away about what we suspect or that we’re even worried about anything when we’re out in public. Surprise at this moment is all we have on our side. Before we go, we need time to gather more information if we are to prevent another widespread war. And you need to get even better at harnessing all of your power.”
“A war… Let’s start with Turner Underwood. I have a feeling he knows more than he’s telling us, anyway.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The plan was simple. The celebrity Penny Ryan was going to be eating lunch outside on the patio at the current hot spot, Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills. Her publicist made a point of alerting the paparazzi on the sly, and a Gnome photographer passed the word back to the prophets.
By the time Penny arrived there was a large gathering of tourists and photographers all vying for a spot on the sidewalk being held back by a small crew of overgrown bodyguards. Penny pulled up in her trademark cream-colored Cadillac and got out handing her keys to the valet, a Light Elf placed there by the prophets.
A Wizard posing as a hipster in a man bun, turned into a crazed stalker when he got close enough to Penny to start ranting and lunge at her with a sharp knife. The damage was done before anyone even understood what was happening. Two Kilomeas posing as bodyguards and glamoured to look human shoved the tourists aside, jumping on top of the Wizard. One of them stood on the Wizard’s hand till the bodyguard could pick up the knife and hold it out in front of himself between two fingers.
Smart phones came out of pockets from every angle as people recorded the mayhem. Whispers could be heard in the background and only a couple of people thought to use their phone to call for an ambulance.
Suddenly, gold and silver sparks started spitting out of the air from under the stiff white awning. A portal opened, hanging in the air between the entrance and the crowd on the sidewalk. All the phones immediately swung toward the opening, recording the sudden appearance of a lush forest in the middle of North Canon Drive, as the large Crystal prophet climbed over the edge of the portal and onto the sidewalk.
“It’s a stunt. They’re doing some Marvel movie. Is she even hurt?” The Witch prophet followed quickly and waved her wand, lifting the man into the air several feet as he shrieked. She gently put him back down again and went to the wounded celebrity, kneeling by her side and comforting her. The Crystal helped the Gnome prophet through the portal and he made his way to Penny, pulling a small leather pouch out of his robe. There was already a pool of darkening blood around her and her breath was getting shallow and raspy.
“Give me space!” he shouted, waving his arms at the crowd. The two bodyguards pushed the crowd back giving a much better view of the girl on the sidewalk and the strange creatures huddled around her. The Witch made sure to not block the cameras as the Gnome knelt down exposing the gash as Penny screamed out in pain. There was a murmur through the crowd as the wound oozed blood. The Gnome pulled out some of the powder in the pouch and rubbed it into the wound. “Experialis, dragonus.” Only the first part of the spell was needed to activate the powder. The powder started to sizzle and sink deep into her skin as the wound slowly disappeared.
The rest was for the cameras to ensure no one missed the point. Magic had landed on Earth.
The second part of the spell caused a small dragon to appear in the air, beating its wings, rustling the bushes that ran along the outside of the tables and blowing everyone’s hair around in a whirl. The dragon let out a high-pitched screech and flew into the portal, disappearing as it flew higher above the trees. The Gnome knew how much the humans loved a plot twist and some drama.
Penny Ryan finally came around just as the ambulance arrived and was helped onto the gurney as the Gnome raised his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Who are you?” someone shouted from the push of people still trying to get a better look. The attacker was all but forgotten. Wizards posing as police hustled him off to cheers from the crowd. They drove away, lights wailing.
The plan is working, thought the Gnome. He smiled at the crowd as he got into position in front of the open portal. The chatter in the crowd only grew as more people came rushing over to see what was happening.
“What the hell just happened?”
“There are fucking aliens in Beverly Hills! I am not surprised.”
“Is this for real? You guys casting? I have a head shot here somewhere.”
“Hey, you guys get out of my way! I’m late for a meeting in there!”
“Those robes are amazing! The stars on them move every time one of them turns around! Can I get a picture with you?”
He nodded to the Witch who gave a wave of her wand, silencing the crowd. He waited a moment, giving everyone a chance to settle down, take it all in and catch on that there was an actual hole torn in the ozone.
“We are from Oriceran, your sister planet just on the other side of the veil.” He pointed to the portal, passing his hand through and jostling a nearby plant. He hummed a song as the plant leaned toward him, opening large pale pink bulbs. A sleeping Pixie woke up, startled and flew off into the woods.
“Tinkerbell!” someone gasped.
“We saw what was happening and heard that young woman’s cry. We had to do something even if it meant risking everything and telling you of our existence.”
“How did you fix her? What was that stuff?”
Play to their ego. Tell them they’ve got one on us. “You see, where you are more advanced technologically than we are, we have something you have only dreamed of in movies and books.” The Gnome muttered a spell and lifted a foot off the ground as a glowing haze of purple surrounded him. “Magic. We’re here to help and we want to get to know you. Tell your friends, share this story. Magic is real.” He ended with a flourish, throwing his cape over his shoulder and climbing through the portal. The others quickly followed until the Witch climbed through and closed the portal with a spectacular display of sparks.
“Damn! They just beamed themselves up!”
A waiter quickly arri
ved with a bucket of water, washing away the blood on the street as the crowd dispersed, already posting, snapchatting, reddit and tweeting. Within the hour the story went viral and trucks with large satellites on top were parked outside the restaurant broadcasting live even though by then there was nothing left to see.
“Aliens emerged from what was called a portal today in posh Beverly Hills.” An anchor from a cable entertainment show did her best serious and concerned face as she told the story. The world was on the edge of their seats, wondering if it could be true.
There was an entire planet on the other side of the veil.
“What did they call it? Oriceran?”
***
Katie Toler sat in the folding chair, happy to be able to shed the glamour and let her tentacles unfurl down her shoulders, gently massaging her neck. She knew Lacey Trader wasn’t happy that the necklace was still out there but she also knew she had given it everything she had. Hell, May Sage got herself injured trying to retrieve the damn thing.
Katie sat back, waiting for the Silver Griffins to finally make their way into the theater and hit her with a barrage of questions. She looked at her phone. “Two minutes late. Not like this bunch?” She got up and walked into the hallway. “Hello? Did I get the day wrong?”
A young Witch appeared on the stairs coming up from the vault.
“I was told to give you a message. The meeting’s been cancelled. Lacey Trader will get in touch with you to reschedule.”
“Now, what could be so damned important they’d drag me all the way here just to cancel? Is this the punishment? Mild annoyances?”
“The prophets appeared in Beverly Hills today and saved Penny Ryan’s life before announcing to the world about Oriceran and that magic is real.”
“What, no fucking way!” For once, Katie was speechless.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. Things are blowing up, some of it literally. People are breaking the rules about magic left and right. Reports of someone growing a taller fence right in front of their neighbors and someone else using a wand to get their waiter to come back to the table. Small stuff now…”
