by Jae Vogel
“You still haven’t stopped it from moving,” Lilly reminded him. “What happens if you lose control of it? There are all sorts of people in this place who could be in danger. Lord, you might cause a panic if they see it move and realize what is happening.”
“If something goes wrong, I’ll let her take it over. Until then, just let me do what I can. Have you found a tableware place yet?”
Lilly looked to one side and saw a store, which featured all kinds of plates, dishes and cooking utensils. It was called “Fazi’s” and was part of a national chain. It was also on the corner of the hall that merged to the main concourse. Only a few people had stopped to watch them lead the life-size plastic bull back to towards the concourse.
“I’ve found one,” she told him. “It’s right behind us.”
Dion turned his head to see the sign for the store directly behind him. “Thanks, just what I was looking for.”
He continued his movement backwards, but angled himself toward the entrance to the store. Dion turned around to look at the doors while continuing to hold the necklace of onyx stones in front of the advancing plastic bull. One slip-up and the creature would be capable of just about anything.
An uncontrolled elemental, especially one imprisoned in an artificial shell, would do almost anything to get back to its original state. The worst thing was that he didn’t know what kind of elemental was imprisoned inside the mechanical bull causing it to move. He suspected it was an earth elemental, but there was no easy way to be sure. The onyx stones would normally indicate he dealt with an earth one, but there were exceptions to every rule.
Lilly dashed behind him, went to the glass doors of the store, and threw them open. She went inside and looked around. There were no customers in the store at the late hour, but there were two employees taking inventory and the manager standing behind the cash register.
“Is something wrong?” the manager, a lady in her twenties said to Lilly as she looked up from the newspaper on the counter. “Can I help you with anything?”
“My friend is about to come inside here in a few minutes she said. “He’s bringing a large robotic toy with him. I just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t be frightened.”
Dion coaxed the moving plastic bull into the store as he held the onyx stones in front of it. This had to be an earth elemental inside it; nothing else would be so charmed by the necklace. As the bull came closer, he would back up more, causing it to move again. Soon he was through the doors Lilly held open to the shop and the black plastic bull followed him. He moved backwards and was into the store itself as the large creature came after him.
“What is that thing?" the store manager said to Dion as the bull entered the store. She was visibly frightened behind the counter and her employees stopped what they were doing to stare in fascination at what was in front of them.
“Big toy,” he told her, “yes, that is what it is, a big robotic toy. I had to lead it somewhere, sorry about that, but shouldn’t be long now.”
The doors swung shut as Lilly released them and they were inside the shop which sold china with a big plastic bull. Luring it into the location was important, but securing it inside was more important.
The bull stepped up to the first counter and stopped. It was surrounded by breakable objects. Plates made of porcelain. Bowls made of ceramic. Covered dishes made of glass. It couldn’t move forward without the risk of cracking, breaking or destroying one of the fine pieces of tableware in front of it. This was the moment Dion had waited for. He now had the bull just where he wanted it and he knew for sure the elemental used to animate the bull was an earth one.
Dion carefully moved up to the plastic bull and held the necklace of onyx stones high in its face. The bull moved its painted eyes to the stones and was transfixed by them. It was unable to move at all, as it was surrounded by the chinaware and held in place by the onyx. There was one final thing left for Dion to accomplish.
While the others in the shop looked at him, he took the necklace and dropped it around the neck of the plastic bull. This alone would bind the elemental into the form where it was imprisoned. But Dion did not want the elemental to be trapped inside the bull. It could always free itself at a later date, but an imprisoned elemental tended to be furious when it was unleashed. Landslides and forest fires were caused by them. He had to let the elemental out slowly where it would not do damage and leave the mall. This was a powerful one; it had to be if it had been used to make the bull walk.
Dion made a few passes on the head of the bull, said the right words and gently touched the nose of it. He felt his strength surge through him as he connected with the elemental who still wanted freedom, even if it was enthralled by the pretty stones. Dion found the force used to contain the elemental and applied the right counter to it. It wasn’t so strong that it was beyond him, but whoever did it knew what they were doing when the elemental was contained. It was a simple matter of taking down the barrier and let the elemental out slowly.
He saw the floor vibrate as the earth elemental moved from the mechanical bull to the ground. There was a slight tremor as it found its way to the soft dirt of the earth. Soon it was gone, home to its natural source. Hopefully, it would continue to return to wherever it had originated.
It was gone.
The plastic, animated bull, had returned to its original form as an adult toy, something people could use to play cowboy upon it. Dion lifted his hand and took the onyx necklace from it. The threat of a raging bull in a china shop was over.
“That thing moved in here,” the manager said. “Is it safe? I mean we have a lot of things which it could break.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem any longer,” Dion told her. “I think its battery is dead. You can leave it here for the night or let maintenance take it out in the morning. Doesn’t make any difference.”
“Were you working with it?” she asked him as he took Lilly by the hand and went to the door.
“Not really. I saw it moving around and tried to get it into someplace safe. Your store seemed like the best bet. Sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
“Well,” the manager said and looked at the plastic bull in her shop. “It might have some advertising value. I’ll have to call the home office and find out.”
“Phew, that was close,” Lilly said to Dion as they left. “For a few minutes I thought you’d have to call that lady in and stop this thing from moving.”
“I wasn’t too confident I could stop it myself,” he said.
“Do you think my putting the quarter in is what set it off?”
“Maybe. If you hadn’t put the quarter in, whoever sat it in place would have found another way to activate it. Someone really wanted to keep me away from the Grandmaster.”
They continued walking until they reached the front of the pharmacy. The door was closed and the store only had another fifteen minutes to be open.
Dion looked at the window and saw the colored containers of water in the window. It seemed like every pharmacy had those. He was once told it had to do with a special promotion drug companies used to run. Maybe it was true, but he wondered if those containers didn’t represent something from the past long forgotten. ‘Show Globes’ he’d heard them called.
“Well,” he said to Lilly. “Here we are. All this trouble just to get to the door of a pharmacy.”
“I expect someone to try and stop us right now,” she said. “Let’s just go inside before anything else happens.” Lilly pulled the door open and they stepped into the pharmacy.
Chapter 11
Inside was a typical cheery pharmacy. There was the counter near the door and rows for medicines along the walls and inside the store. In the back, they could see the dispensing area. But no one was inside it. It was still late in the day and most of the customers had gone home.
But not the pharmacist. She was waiting for them by the entrance.
“Glad to see you dealt with that thing,” she said. “Taking the bull into a china shop wh
ere it would freeze over all the things it didn’t want to break. Brilliant. I hadn’t even considered the possibility. I guess you must be Dion?”
“Yes,” he told her. “I’ve been trying to see you all day. As you may have noticed, there were people who wanted to stop me along the way. At least they finally gave up.”
“They will never give up,” Athena corrected him. “Till the day you pass into the next world they will hound you, pursue you or try to get you to work for them. You can never rest easy so long as you live. If you remain a mere worker, they may ignore you, as they will ignore her.” She gestured to Lilly. “As they will ignore her. I know you’ve taught her some of the basics. There are few who know them, but they don’t know much so they’re no threat to anyone. Do you still want to become an elemental master? Because your normal life ends today if you do become one.”
“I’ve never had a normal life,” he said. “And yes, I still want what I have worked toward all these years.”
“Fair enough,” the pharmacist said. “The store is empty save me. I sent everyone home when I realized what was taking place outside. I even sent my customers away to other pharmacies for the evening because I told them we would be closing early. So we will be alone inside. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I am sure.”
“Good. I only have to ask twice.” She turned to Lilly. “You will have to leave, child.”
“Why? I’ve come so far… and I don’t get to see him anointed?”
“It’s not for someone to see who isn’t part of it. Perhaps one day you will be part of this, but today is not that day. Now please go outside.”
Lilly stepped out the door and closed it behind her. She heard the lock turn in the door. As if she needed any further humiliation. She sat down at the nearest table in the hall and waited. What could be taking place in there that would take so long? Nothing strange seemed to be happening. She saw no flashes of light behind the glass. Nor did she see any clouds of smoke roll under the door. Wasn’t there supposed to be the chanting of monks and angelic voices coming from the inside? But the pharmacy was still and quiet. The light was out even though the “closed” sign was in the window.
“There is a very good reason he has to be alone in there with her,” a voice said to Lilly from across the table.
It was Edward. Again. This time he wore a pair of jeans with a popular band t-shirt, and a pair of leather high-tip basketball sneakers to complete his ensemble.
“You again,” she mumbled. “Where were you when the bull attacked us? That thing could have killed us both.”
“I thought I made it clear. I’m not allowed to interfere. I can give advice and point you in the right direction, but that is the extent of it. Even Dion’s grandfather was allowed to intervene when Karanzen tried to block you the last time. I can’t do that. You should know the officer will be wary the next time he encounters you. No matter what he has become over the years, Dion’s grandfather scared him badly. He knew things the officer would like forget.”
“You could have warned us about the bull.”
“Too much interference, like I said. And the Earth Element Grandmaster was there to take it down if it did get out of control.” He leaned over and looked at the tableware shop. The doors were still open and the plastic bull was still inside. The manager and employees had a tape measure and were marking lengths. “Maybe they will be able to use it. I’m sure she’ll spend the rest of her life trying to figure out how it walked into the store under its own power.”
Lilly glanced over at the front of the pharmacy, still closed, and noticed the metal platform with the coin box was gone from the front. This had been the same platform the bull was mounted upon when she first saw it.
“What happened to the platform?” she said to him. “It was there when the bull appeared.”
“Doesn’t serve a purpose anymore,” he told her. “The ghouls probably took it away trying to get back in the good graces with the mall management. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the ones who placed it there. They have all kinds of ways to get around the mall you don’t know about. But not to worry, they won’t interfere with you a third time unless they’re ordered to do it. And I don’t think that will happen because their usefulness it limited.”
“Edward!” another voice cried out.
They looked up to see Baron Sam approach with his chef’s uniform over one arm. He wore a casual set of clothes, but had his top hat in the other hand. “It has been a long time! What brings you to this part of the world?”
“I have had the dubious honor to be assigned to this beautiful young lass,” he explained to the baron. “And her equally handsome lad. They have the questionable asset of my help when they need it, even if it is seldom appreciated.”
The baron let loose a laugh, which echoed through the hall. “Trust me, young lady,” he said to her, “he means well and is quite harmless. I see he’s learned to dress better this time.”
“This outfit wasn’t my idea,” Edward said. “It was their mild suggestion I try and fit in better when I make an appearance. I looked in on what a person of my age and experience is supposed to wear and the shock was more than I could stand. This is the best compromise I could come up with.”
“It looks good on you,” he said. “Well, I must be off, much to do tonight, many celebrations to attend. I have business down south and may not be back for a few weeks. No matter, the staff can manage the restaurant well enough in my absence.”
He walked down the hall singing a tune that sounded vaguely French to Lilly.
The light went out in the pharmacy across the hall and the door to it unlocked. Lilly watched as it the glass door opened and Athena West emerged.
Where was Dion? Lilly wanted to know. Had something gone wrong? After what they had endured, she was afraid for him. It was bad enough she wasn’t allowed to see what took place on the inside. They had gone through so much today, and now she had to worry that something had gone wrong with the process by which he would acquire full earth elemental powers.
However, right behind the pharmacist walked Dion. He looked fine, although a little bit tired. She expected it after what they had endured today. He looked at her and smiled, and then Lilly knew everything was fine.
Dion hugged the pharmacist who turned and locked the door behind them. She waved at Lilly and continued down her way to the exit; soon she was gone. Dion walked over to the table where Lilly sat with Edward and seated himself.
“I see we’ve been granted full earth elemental power,” Edward said to him. “I can feel it just from where I sit.”
“Were you scared?” Lilly asked Dion.
“Not in the least. It was more of a final examination than anything else.”
“So what happened?” Lilly asked.
“I’m not allowed to tell, and if I did say anything, Edward here would report me.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, my lad,” Edward laughed. “The secret chiefs have many ways of discovering who keeps quiet and who does not. Fourth power of the sphinx was silence, remember.” Edward noticed the frown on Lilly’s face. “If he expects to obtain the other elemental powers, he must remain quiet about what took place. Should he reveal anything important, they won’t allow him to have more. It’s always been that way. It’s why I was never a candidate. I tended to write and publish everything.”
“She also told me my parents are held in the center of this mall,” Dion told them. “That has nothing to do with anything initiatory. I don’t think such information revealed will be held against me.”
“Nor should it be,” Edward told them. “Oh well, my time is short, as the ghost said.” He pulled out the round watch on a chain from his pocket. “Just about time for me to go. I have to deduct it from the total time allowed, but I wanted to be here to see him get his first degree, such as it is. I must be off.” And, as before, he vanished.
“I wasn’t surprised to see our Greek Chorus waiting for me,” Di
on told Lilly as they looked at the empty chair recently occupied by Edward. “I did a double take over his choice of clothes. It really doesn’t suit him.”
“That outfit didn’t suit anyone,” Lilly made clear.
“So what can you do with the earth elementals now that you have full power over them?” Lilly asked Dion. “Maybe you can make those ghouls apologize to Emily for kidnapping her.”
“I think Emily doesn’t want to be around those ghouls ever again. So long as I am in the vicinity, she won’t have to worry about them. They know by now that I’ll bind them underground if they ever try something like that again. But I doubt it will happen as they were put up to the deed by the mall management.”
“You learned this from the pharmacist?”
“It’s obvious. Can’t you see it? Whoever runs this mall doesn’t want me to obtain full elemental abilities. They are doing what they can to throw up walls and prevent it. As long as I’m here with just a few abilities, I’m not a threat. If I obtain full elemental powers, I could be a credible threat to whatever they are trying to do with this mall. What they really worry about is what happens if I can work the fifth element.”
“Why?”
“Because then they will have no power over me at all. And I will have authority over them, which is something they can’t bear to contemplate. So they will stop at nothing to keep me from my quest. It’s why all the Elemental Grandmasters are in this mall. They enticed them here so they could be kept under watch. The management built this mall as a fortress to keep me from reaching out to them all. They couldn’t just lock them up, so they built a secure facility where they could monitor any entrance to and from them. Now they are really worried because if I can reach one Elemental Grandmaster, I can reach all four. And with all four elemental abilities, maybe I’ll be able to get the fifth and then they’ll be obedient to me.”
