by Martha Carr
“But it’ll grow into something bigger.”
“I heard that someone stole a parking place using magic. The human got out and ran away, leaving their car. That one’s not substantiated yet but it doesn’t look good. The Silver Griffins are out stamping it all down, handing out fines. In the light of what the prophets did, they’re giving everyone one pass, as long as no one was harmed.”
Katie let out a breath. “That was a lot of information in one blast? Well, then, I’ll be on my way. Please tell Lacey I will be continuing my mission and will report in as soon as I have made progress, which I hope to be soon?”
Katie pulled out her wand and waved it around her head, changing the tentacles back into long, blonde tresses. “I was half-tempted to leave them but I suppose even after everything the humans have seen it would freak out one or two of them? Medusa ruined it for Atlanteans with the whole snake thing. Not even the same,” she said, “but try telling someone while they’re passing out.”
The Witch blinked, not sure what to say. “Okay, well, then we’ll be in touch. No, you’ll be in touch. Right, okay. So, I’ve got to go.” She backed away till she got to the stairs and turned, taking them as quickly as she could, disappearing at the bottom into the vault, closing it behind her, the tumblers turning to lock it.
“Good idea,” whispered Katie. “If magic is breaking out all over, there will be some who look to take advantage of an opportunity or two. Best they not get any more assistance. That damn necklace is enough of a problem child.”
***
The dark mist seeped through the world in between, sliding down wormholes and gliding into different places overlooking the two worlds where it could feel the dark, shimmering trails of a twisted spell or a dark push of energy. It was in search of dark magic to absorb, greedily seeking out the practitioners and dragging them inside. Gathering dark energy any way it could was the only thing it knew. The only mission it had.
There was no thought that ran through the dense knots and pulsing mist. Only a swirling desire to have more dark energy.
So far, it had found eight young practitioners who answered the call, listened to the whispers. The black mist knew how to beckon those who played with dark magic, soothing them into coming closer to where the veil was thin in the world till the shroud could gather round them.
Its energy was growing slowly, too slowly but there was not much that could be done about that. More powerful practitioners were strong and could resist the urge, brushing it aside. It was alright. The dark mist never knew time and was patient, even now to gather what it could. Time was on its side anyway in the world in between, even if it was because it never passed.
***
May Sage stood next to Lacey Trader, her hip jutting out and a smile on her face. Her long black leather jacket hanging open. “Well done, old girl. Couldn’t have done that one better myself.” They were standing in Lincoln Square in Chicago watching as a group of local magical beings pulled themselves off the ground. Their clothes were still smoldering from where Lacey managed to lasso them all with a winding bolt of low-level lightning. “Next time, I up the amps!” Lacey shouted.
She stood there whacking her wand in the palm of her hand, daring anyone to try something else. The magical creatures were there to show any humans who passed by a thing or two about magic. They said it was like a show. Lacey was not amused. She waved her wand high in the air in an arc sending out a shower of sparks as she said in a bellowing voice, “Never was, never will be!”
All of the humans froze where they were as the assortment of Elves, Witches, Wizards, and other magical creatures hurried off to their homes.
“You have to do this. We can’t leave Hannah there.” Lacey didn’t look at May. She wanted to make sure no one doubled back. She was ready to make an example of someone. Her temper was growing shorter by the moment.
“Can’t do it. You know I’m right. I’m needed elsewhere. Let those two older birds do it. Those friends of yours, Patsy and Lois. I imagine the government is spinning its wheels right now trying to figure out exactly what to do. It’ll be a day or two before they figure things out. Take advantage of it. Leave me in the shadows where I’m useful.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Patsy was well into her second big bag of peanut M&Ms, crunching them so fast she was barely tasting them. All hell was breaking loose. The virtual screens were spitting out symbols the two witches had never seen before, making loud noises like metal gears grinding against each other.
“How is that even possible?” squawked Lois, her hands clamped over her ears. “The damn thing is magical!” She aimed her wand at the board, waving it in every direction but nothing changed.
“You’ve already tried that several times. It’s not going to work!” Patsy’s mouth was so full of candy she sounded like she was talking through marbles.
“Slow down on that stuff, girl. You’re going to make yourself sick and then you won’t be any use at all just when we need you the most. We’re about to earn our keep, and then some!”
“I’m just so damned on edge and this noise is not helping,” Patsy shouted.
Lois held up her wand again and aimed the tip straight at the board as she focused all her energy, shooting out a blast of light that pulsed into the board, vibrating it till the symbols scattered everywhere, disappearing into shimmering beads of light. Silence fell over the room as the board stopped working.
“Well at least the racket died down. Don’t worry, I’ll figure out how to fix it later. It was no damned good the way it was going on, anyway. Couldn’t think either!” Lois pushed her glasses up her nose and put her hands on her hips, her wand still clasped in her hand. “This is not good. Those damned prophets showing up like that. You’d think they’d give somebody a heads up or something. I mean, it’s great what they did, saving that celebrity and everything.”
“I love Penny Ryan. Have you seen her videos on YouTube? I’ve tried a few of those makeup tips. They really work.”
Lois thought about zinging Patsy back onto the subject with a little fireball but she was finally slowing down on the candy. She settled for a scowl and sat down at her desk. “Somebody needs to figure out a way to make this all into a big hoax. A mass hallucination or a giant marketing something or other.”
“The general said we are not to do a thing without his express instructions. He showed up here in person and said each word slowly like he was biting them off.” Patsy shook her head. “Amazing how frightening that little man can be, and without magic!”
“You know how I hate to sit on the sidelines at times like this.” Patsy scowled.
“You love sitting on the sidelines! We both do, well, normally. We like watching everybody else scurry around like rats and reading off the information. Of course that parts gone kablooey.” She glanced over at the sizzling screen. A triangle symbol fell off a corner and went skidding across the floor burning out in a bzzzzt and breaking apart.
“There’s my damn phone. Buried in my purse again. It’s been blowing up with relatives from every corner. A lot of them I never even knew I had. Suddenly, everybody knows I work for the government and they want to know if something bad is going to happen. Another incident like what happened in Area 42 a while back. You remember when they conducted those so called paranormal tests. Thank goodness we all had the good sense to throw them off the scent by failing every one of them.” Lois finally found the phone. “Oh, wait, it’s Lacey. She never calls me during working hours. Things really are loosie goosie. Lacey, what are you doing? No one’s supposed to know we still talk! I know, I know, we saw! Boy, did we see! Rescue who? You’re kidding!”
Lois held the phone to her chest to muffle the sound. “You’ll never guess in the lifetime of a Witch who they want us to rescue. Hannah Beecham!”
“No! Rescue her from what? She’s a traitor to her kind. Isn’t she parked right where she wants to be in the first place?”
Lois put the phone back to her ear. “Huh,
really? Well, you don’t say. You still got it, Lacey. Even I didn’t see that one coming. Uh huh, uh huh, well when you put it that way how can we say no? She’s a regular hero! Send me the details, what you have. Sure, I still remember the old spell. I’ll retrieve the information from the Silver Griffins channel. I kept my old password just in case. Well, that is one helluva tale, Lacey Trader. You and I will have to catch up soon. Sure, I don’t suppose that’ll be anytime soon. World’s being exposed and all. Okay, better go and get started. Right-o.”
“What did she say?” Patsy blurted. She held it in for as long as she could.
“That Hannah Beecham is a hero! She was undercover looking for the mastermind of all this trouble.”
“No! Isn’t she a little young to be out in the field like that? Do her parents know?”
Lois shook her head in amazement. “No one knew but Lacey. Boy, that’s gonna cause a tickle or two.” Lois got up, gathering her sweater and purse. “Come on, you and I have to go get her out of that mess she’s in. She sent up a flare for help and no one else can answer it. It’s up to you and me, it seems.”
Patsy got up, pulling what was left of the bag out of the drawer and stuffing it in her purse. “Might as well. Nothing left to do here. The general can reach us no matter where we go. Where are we going?”
“Just across the river. Hannah is in D.C.!”
“You think the necklace is with her?”
“That would really be something, wouldn’t it? If we were the ones who finally got it back! Come on Patsy, times a wastin! I feel the old juices flowing. Let’s go show them how it’s done and rescue that young witch.”
Patsy was already halfway down the hall as Lois got the lights, jogging to catch up to her. “What are you going to tell Earl about all this?”
“Oh, everything! I always do! Hell, we may even need him before this is all over. You drove today, right? Let’s take your car. I’m low on gas. Tell me you brought more than that candy. Road trip!”
***
“Do it because we’re paying you.” Lacey Trader gave Katie a cold stare. They were meeting at a diner on the corner of Western Avenue in Lincoln Square just by Welles park that served a better cup of coffee than expected given its shabby interior. Lacey took a sip of the hot coffee, her mind wandering to one of an increasing number of magical problems. This one is worse.
Another report of a missing teenage Witch came in just before Katie arrived. Lacey was well aware of the family’s long history of dabbling in dark magic but it didn’t matter to her. The Silver Griffins were sworn to protect all magical beings even if some of them were part of a larger problem most days. She was tired and her muscles ached from a day of tamping down magic and she had no patience left for the Atlantean. “Bring Hannah Beecham back safely or consider your services no longer needed.”
“I do like a clear message, I have to admit.”
“You’re doing this one without your sidekick.” Lacey watched the awareness come over Katie’s face. “That’s right, May was talking to us without telling you. Apparently, trust doesn’t run deep in your relationship. I’ve sent two other witches to help get Hannah out with as little fuss as possible. I don’t need any more public shows of magic… None,” she said, icily. No trace of any of the missing teenagers, anywhere. Not even a residue of a magic trail.
Katie held up her hands in mock protest. “I have no intention of alerting the media. I’ve managed to keep under the radar so far, shouldn’t be a problem?”
Lacey held up her wand, the tip glowing and she tapped Katie’s phone. “Those are the coordinates Hannah was able to send to us.”
“I would have rescued her off that damn Camelback Mountain if you’d trusted me with this information earlier. Just saying…”
“Don’t try what little patience I have left, Katie. You let the necklace slip through your fingers there, too. Go be of some help and earn your keep. Be a team player this time.”
“Not my strong suit but I’ll do my best? At the least, I’ll get your little Witch home safe and sound.”
“Do a better job than you’ve managed with the necklace.”
“Ouch, no need to turn bitchy.” Katie tilted her head to the side, her magical silky tresses cascading off her shoulder. She lifted her chin, irritated. “That necklace is more popular than the last condom on the last night of an Amish rumspringa. Dark forces are moving it around from place to place. Doesn’t help that the good guys can’t all work together. I’ve run into Leira Berens more than once. Not useful.”
“That many justifications usually means someone is beginning to recognize they can’t do the job. Do you want to just part ways tonight? I’m not risking Hannah’s life if you’re unsure about your abilities.”
A cold smile came across Katie’s face. “No need? You’re right. All of this talk is a distraction. I have my marching orders and a road map to D.C.. Enough said?”
Lacey gave her a cold stare as she waved to the waitress for the check. “I’ll take care of this. You have a flight to catch.”
***
Katie Toler stood at the main entrance to the Virginia Seminary in Alexandria lit only by the two tall street lights. She gently pulled out a tentacle and ran a finger along it, whispering to it before she put it on the ground. She watched the long black tentacle slither to the grass and quickly head west down Deanery Drive toward the small post office carved out of the campus hundreds of years ago. Deanery Drive ran parallel to the main public road, Seminary Road and curved by the small white two-room post office built in the late 1700’s. The Seminary was conceived a generation later by a group looking to forge a place of peace in the middle of growing unrest.
Every dean since its inception was informed of the Seminary’s other function as an ally to magic.
Katie was familiar with the old post office and remembered stories from her childhood. All of the magical community in the area was protective of the site. It was used as an outpost by Witches and Wizards to safely get messages back and forth during the last big scare about magic. The Seminary had long been a refuge for all kinds of creatures and was surrounded by a light spell performed by the Silver Griffins well over a hundred years ago.
The tentacle turned suddenly by the refectory as Katie jogged easily in her leather boots to keep up. Her camel-haired coat cinched around her waist, the bottom flapping in the wind.
The tentacles still on her head were keeping watch in every direction as she ran by Johns Hall dorm. The campus was tucked in for the night and only a couple of lights shone behind windows.
The coordinates from Lacey Trader included a residue of Hannah’s magic giving Katie a way to more quickly track her. Katie had already crossed out of Georgetown over Key Bridge and through Arlington tracking Hannah, finally coming to a stop on the campus in Alexandria. Her trail was a bright mix of yellow and green, mixing in with several others. Her trail was even showing signs of darkness just around the edges.
“It’s definitely time for you to come home, dearie. This would be a lot more fun if the necklace were with you.” The artifact’s powerful trail was nowhere to be seen. Katie came around the dorm, still following the tentacle and ran up to the aging red brick gym built like a solid square. “Unimaginative but useful.” She could hear the sound of rummaging inside the building and tried the door. Locked. She tapped it with her finger letting out a small burst of magic, moving the tumblers and pulled open the door.
Inside in the darkness, there were several young Witches and Wizards digging holes in the gym floor.
“It’s here and we need to find it tonight.” A silver-haired Wizard in a long black coat was barking orders, distracted as he felt about with magic for an artifact. “We don’t leave till it’s in our possession.”
My advantage so far. Katie saw Hannah on the far side of the room digging in a hole with another Witch, not looking up at anyone. Katie sensed the Wizard’s strong magic and kept the door to her back, just in case. She created a fireball behind her
back and sent out the first volley, slamming the Wizard back hard against the wall and knocking the wind out of him. He quickly righted himself, angry he missed her entrance.
Hannah clambered out of the hole along with the other Witch who took her hand and pulled Hannah close to the wall. “Let the grownups fight this one out,” the young Witch whispered.
The Wizard pulled out a retractable wand, snapping it easily into place.
“Unusual for you tall, handsome and very dark types to not go for whatever’s old. Family heirlooms and all.” Katie snapped her fingers, easily sending two young Wizards into the nearest hole. She formed another fireball, ducking as the Wizard sent out a pulse of energy. “Not so fast, grandpa.” She returned fire, sending out another volley that exploded at mid-point over the floor of the gym, lighting everything as it met with the Wizard’s energy. Katie startled, surprised at the Wizard’s power but quickly recovered.
The Wizard kept up the steady wide stream of pulsing energy as Katie ducked, sending out fireballs to ward it off, as the Wizard mumbled a spell too low for anyone to hear, and in the darkness not possible for Katie to see.
She was working on a spell of her own as a crushing weight suddenly pushed against her chest, drawing the breath out of her. She choked for air, managing to form two more fireballs before she became too lightheaded to think clearly. The pulse of energy finally threw her hard enough against the glass doors behind her to shatter them, leaving her lying in the broken glass, gasping for small bits of air. The Wizard advanced on her, still pushing the energy toward her, his wand raised, ready to do away with the intruder, unconcerned about the wreckage. “This place has been a thorn in dark magic’s side long enough, anyway,” he yelled quickly crossing over the gym.
As he got closer to the alcove that separated the gym from the front doors he felt his feet growing heavier, and it was taking more effort to lift each foot. He looked down and saw hundreds of small silver spiders quickly weaving a web of iron ore, shining black in the glow from the shimmering black stream of magic. He twisted around to see who was behind him.
