TERRA

by Adrian M Ferguson

  Egging Zoey on with a few ‘nah nah na nah nas’, I saw her hit the ground with one step, and then time slowed as I watched her next step hit the ground — her ankle and leg twisted, arms whirled. Zoey screeched and went down for the count. Thankfully, she turned at the last minute and didn’t land flat on her face, but I heard a god-awful snap followed by a wail of pain.

  Fucking hell! I skidded to a stop, turned and raced back to her. She had sat up, clutching at her ankle, screaming in pain.

  ‘My ankle snapped, oh my god,’ she wailed, rocking back and forward in agony.

  ‘Shit, Zoey, I'm sorry. God, it’s my fault. I shouldn't have teased you.’

  ‘Don't worry about it,’ she gasped, ‘just help me …’

  Looking down at her, I could already see the bone sticking out through the top of her ankle. She’d done a whole lot more damage than she realized. Now, during my time as a cop I’d dealt with more injuries than I cared to mention, some downright debilitating, others minor, but here we were in serious trouble. I could see the blood pooling near the bottom of her shoe. This was almost certainly life threatening.

  Zoey whimpered.

  ‘It's not so bad, Zoe,’ I lied. ‘Just lie back, alright? No need to look at it.’

  She lay slowly back at my instruction. I watched her close her eyes. Her face had already gone ashen white. Fuck, she was already going into shock.

  I didn’t have much time, and there was no way to move her, fuck, fuck, fuck.

  Gingerly touching her leg above the wound, I quickly snatched my hand back in sudden surprise as I felt a zap of Earth energy.

  Holy shit thinking furiously maybe I could heal her? I certainly had no trouble healing the gnome — or myself. Did it work the same way for others? For mere humans?

  Zoey gasped in pain, rearing up again, looking at my eyes and squinting in fear.

  ‘I’m in trouble, aren't I?’

  ‘No, no, no you’re good,’ I stammered.

  ‘You’re so full of shit, Dee Dee.’

  Grabbing her leg with both hands, I had already pulled on Earth's energy. I didn’t think; I just acted. The energy poured through me like a roaring torrent, cold harsh light flared up between my fingers. Zoey screamed, bucking up into the air. I held on as her bone fragment pulled back into her leg, reshaping into place. In my mind’s eye I saw the bone realign, felt the tendons and sinew slither back whole again.

  I heard Zoey’s screams echo through the mountains, piercing and deep from the throat. She managed to lift her head up at me. ‘What have you done?’ she murmured feebly, ‘What have you done?’

  Slumping back, she passed out cold.

  CHAPTER 26

  Reeling in exhaustion from the recent healing, I sat down heavily to get my breath back. Damn, it had taken it out of me. Closing my eyes briefly I wracked my brain for some way to get Zoey back to civilization. We were a fair distance from the start of the trail, and a long way from the end. We were at the ass end of nowhere — how the hell was I going to do this?

  Trust me to pick an isolated spot just so Bruce wouldn’t catch me out. I’d sure fucked this one up, dammit.

  Checking Zoey’s pulse it appeared she was stable for the moment, though with that much blood loss I wasn't so sure how’d she fare. Would the healing have taken care of that? She looked better, and didn’t feel clammy to the touch anymore, all good signs.

  She'd be alright now, for a while, though it didn’t get me out of this freaking predicament.

  Noticing the light failing, I checked my cell phone — yeh, the signal out here was shitty, but I was probably still able to make a phone call. Dammit to hell, I wasn't sure whom to call. Bruce wasn't an option — maybe bloody Ghostbusters, yak.

  Looking out over the mountainous horizon, I suddenly had the intense feeling I was adrift; the sky merging with my view made me gulp. I felt dizzy and slightly disorientated. The vivid erythraean and gold colors momentarily intensified as the sun’s orb sunk lower.

  Fuck.

  Noticing the gloom deepening around me, I felt a breeze pick up. Suddenly it intensified, whipping madly around my feet. I braced my footing. What the hell was going on? Sliding out of the dark jagged cracks in the rocky escarpment beside us, Hulda materialized.

  ‘Tsk, tsk, tsk,’ she hissed, waggling a sharp bony digit at me, ‘Already breaking the rules, well, the only rule, Warder.’

  Glaring at her for a minute, I held my tongue.

  ‘No human, under any circumstances, may know of your powers — that rule hasn't changed in a millennia, Warder, and must not change.’

  ‘I had to heal her, Hulda. She would have died otherwise. I thought I was meant to protect them?’

  ‘Yes, that is correct,’ the witch hissed, ‘though not from human folly or from themselves, but from the very things your destiny created you for: protection from the darkness and what comes out of that darkness.’

  Hulda glided closer.

  ‘Whether she lived or died, using your powers on her was unacceptable. Do I make myself clear, Warder?’

  I felt like being stubborn.

  Hulda’s hair rose, drifting upwards, greasy strands wreathing her grim face. Looking at her wreathed in shadow, floating there, I gulped, nodding sharply at her.

  ‘Good, don't make the same mistake again.’ Darkness streamed off her and she slid over to Zoey.

  ‘What are you going to do, Hulda? She's a good friend. I will not see her harmed.’

  ‘Be still, Warder, as much as the human species irritates me, I am not here to harm her. But she can have no memory of this day. I will return her to her residence and this disastrous little outing of yours did not happen.’

  Spitting a string of powerful syllables, Hulda made a pass of Zoey’s head. A dark light formed a coronet over Zoey’s head, and a black light formed, wreathing her face in shadows. I watched it pulse in time with each word Hulda spat. The words crackled from her mouth, the pulsating darkness quickened, then sunk into her head, disappearing.

  Making one last wave of her spindly hand, Hulda nodded to herself, her desiccated lips thinning in satisfaction.

  ‘There, that should have done it,’ she breathed. ‘All memory from the invitation to come here to now are gone. I’ve replaced them with usual routines that she would have normally done. She will find nothing out of the ordinary.’

  ‘Now go, Warder, leave the trail, get some rest. I have had dire warnings of things to come and I am thinking you need to gather you strength.’

  ‘Zoey?’ I gestured.

  ‘I will take care of her. She'll be returned and kept sleeping, none the wiser, hmmmm.’

  ‘Very well, Hulda.’ I glanced back down at Zoey, guilty about what had transpired. She’d been so excited about the jog and now she lay there, mind wiped by a geriatric witch — poor bloody Zoey.

  Turning to leave, Hulda gestured for me to stop.

  ‘Before you go, I have something for you, Warder. Forgiving this one mishap,’ she said, waving at Zoey, ‘I sense great potential in you and wish you to give you the potential means to, hum, enhance your powers, if you will. Come, come, closer, my dear.’

  I hesitated, curious but also cautious about getting too close to this crazy old witch.

  Hulda hissed in impatience, ‘Now, Warder, I’m not getting any younger, ha younger,’ she screeched, rising a half-meter into the air and coming back down.

  Almost giggling, she looked at me with one eye. ‘Humph, well I thought it was funny. Warders are always so serious. Now give me your hand, hmmm.’

  Tentatively putting out my palm, Hulda snatched at my wrist, catching me by surprise. I felt the hard, dry brittleness of her skin, but she had a grip of steel. I made to pull my hand back, but I couldn't move it an inch.

  ‘He, he, he … now, now, Warder, don't be like that.’ Reaching into her garments, she rummaged around in their depths.

  ‘Hmm, now where is it? I put it in here over 500 years ago. Damn cloak, always getting cluttered.
Ahh ha, yes here we are.’ She pulled out a long twine bracelet by one clasp and dropped it into the palm of my hand, directly onto my new Earth symbol. The scar reacted, pulsing darkly to the contact as it hit my skin.

  ‘Well, well, now, that’s a good sign, Warder.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘This, my dear, is a ‘Focus’, a receptacle if you will. It has five slots. Each can hold a gem or stone. The gem is the Focus, enhancing your power, your elemental power. It will enhance the element you choose. The first is, as you know, Earth, which you’ve already acquired and are learning now.’

  ‘Five spaces?’ I questioned.

  ‘Yes, each for the five elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Ether.’

  ‘And how do I find them, these gems?’

  ‘You must petition the elemental kings or queens, beings of vast power. If they find you worthy they will give you a task to retrieve the Focus, and if you are successful your power increases threefold.’

  Glancing at her beady eyes, I asked, ‘Did my mother use one of these?’

  ‘No, no she didn’t. No warder has ever managed to fill even one space, though she did try but had to stop. Not even she wasn't powerful enough.’

  ‘And you want me to?’

  ‘Yes, you have to try, Warder, every warder does.’

  ‘This relic has never been truly tested. I don’t know what it can do if even one space is filled, so its full potential is an unknown. Something very rare for someone as old as me — I usually know all the variables and outcomes.’

  Looking down at it I frowned. It looked innocent enough.

  ‘So, I petition Ghob for the first Focus, and then what?’

  ‘Then, you will be truly tested. And, if you succeed, you not only will be the first warder in history to have done so, but you may also just survive the coming darkness.’

  ‘What if I'm not ready for this, Hulda? What if I fail? My mother couldn't even do it, and you and Ghob have both told me she was very powerful, so how am I supposed to?’

  Reaching out to me, she clasped my shoulder, ‘Because I sense your power — untried, true, but there all the same, needing to tapped and realized. And we need you, Warder. Earth needs you. I am omnipotent in my grove, but I have limitations, like all the elementals. That is why you are here, and why we need a Warder.’

  Looking deep into her eyes, I glimmered a spark of compassion. Taking a deep breath, I nodded.

  ‘Bring it on,’ I said.

  ‘Yes,’ she slyly grinned, ‘Exactly: bring it on. Now, go, go before it’s fully dark. You don't want to be caught out here in the mountains.’

  I raced home, the darkness nipping at my heels.

  CHAPTER 27

  Fleeing home, Zoey on my mind, I reached my car. Wait, my car — where the hell was Zoey’s? Was the witch that powerful that she could move a car? Man, I so didn’t want to piss her off too much, I mused, shaking my head.

  Coming up to my car, a brand spanking new black Chrysler Ram jeep spun into the clearing, flinging pebbles and dirt in a wide arc not five meters away from my feet. The dust that was kicked up shrouded the car. I coughed as the dust surrounded me, obscuring my vision momentarily.

  Who the fuck was this — god, I hoped it wasn't Bruce, or one of his other officers, though that was impossible. No one knew I was here, and Zoey was to have no recollection of being here.

  The dust settled and Ford came striding out of the gloom. Dusk was almost upon us.

  In his usual commando attire he looked like he meant business. A tight, zipped-up army vest hugged his lean upper body, while his khaki pants had been replaced with form-fitting matte black hiking pants, with more pockets than could be counted; heavy hiking boots crunched loudly on his walk over to me.

  ‘Hey there, sugar plum, fancy stumbling upon you all the way out here,’ he grinned.

  ‘Yeh, funny that, so you’re following me now, Ford? Seeing you twice in so many hours is getting a little fucking annoying, if you get my, oh so subtle, drift.’

  ‘Whoa, calm down, I’m running an errand, missy. I need to pass on a message. My employers, in their good grace, are very keen to employ you in their services.’

  ‘And what services would they be, Ford? So far I’ve only seen you kill things, and piss me off.’

  ‘I’m a bounty hunter, mam, specifically of paranormal creatures — creatures that you regular folk are not even aware exist. You on the other hand didn’t seem fazed by the revenants; you even stepped in and helped kill them.’

  ‘So who are your employers?’

  He came close, slowly easing his hand into his pocket.

  ‘Easy there, Ford,’ I casually drawled.

  ‘It’s just a plain ol’ business card, darl,’ he soothed, passing it to me.

  Glancing down at it, I saw it read ‘Subspecies Inc.’, in bold letters, with a mobile number directly underneath it. Turning it over, it didn’t show anything else, no embellishments, nothing just a black card, with the name and number in stark white. I guessed this explained the black SS tattoo on his right arm

  Looking hard at Ford, I asked, ‘Who are these people? And what the hell do they want with me? So what if I helped kill those nasty fucking things!’

  ‘They want you to contact me if you come across any other creatures so I can collect bounty on them. You would be paid, of course. Or if you want to take care of the creature yourself and collect the bounty on a part, that’s okay. It’s entirely up to you. The employers are happy either way; most importantly, we both get paid.’

  ‘A what, a part?’ I stammered.

  ‘Yeh, a body part, proof of the kill and all. I think my employers also collect them, though I’m not sure about that; they are very secretive. The creature just has to be paranormal — benign or malicious, they don't care. They pay top dollar.’

  ‘Benign? You’re telling me there are good paranormal beings out there that you’re paid to kill?’

  ‘Makes not a difference to me, honey pot.’

  ‘Creatures that cannot defend themselves?’ I snarled.

  He shrugged, ‘Money’s money, honey; it doesn't matter where it’s snagged from.’

  Taking the few steps necessary, I straight sucker punched the slimy shit in the face, planting him right on his ass.

  Laughing, he rubbed his jaw. ‘Wow, I saw that coming, but, hot damn, you’re even quicker than I remember.’

  ‘Well, you can take your business proposition and shove it up that arrogant ass of yours, Ford.’

  ‘Oh, cupcake, that’s not the answer they’re wanting to hear.’

  Seeing a spark of anger in his eyes, I decided to push him. He had rightly pissed me off.

  ‘Well, fuck ’em, and fuck you too, asshole,’ giving him the finger.

  Jumping up, Ford rushed me.

  Oh boy.

  As he swung at my face, I pivoted, grabbing onto his fist with one hand and his forearm with the other. I used his momentum against him, pushing him hard. He lost his balance, floundering past me, stumbling but not quite falling.

  ‘You bitch!’

  I laughed at him.

  ‘Oops, sorry there, honey pot,’ I mimicked, ‘you seem to have lost your little ol’ balance there.’

  Seeing him size me up for another go, I decided to placate him. ‘Look, I am an ex-cop. I can handle you and you know it.’ I couldn’t resist adding, ‘And I’m not impressed with your occupation or that disgusting proposition,’ which probably wasn’t very placatory.

  Missing the glint in his eye, he let me walk past, but as we passed, he veered back at me in a sudden rush of speed, catching me unawares. He side barreled me around the waist, hitting me forcefully to the ground, walloping my head. I watched him leering at me with blurry, tear filled eyes.

  ‘You … you … bastard!’ I stammered.

  ‘No woman has ever got the better of me, especially not some cocky sugar tits like yourself.’ He gave my head another slam against the ground, emphasizing his point, gr
abbing my wrists to stop me from lashing out. I was seeing stars. I bucked up underneath him attempting to throw him off, but the leverage was all in his favor.

  Thrashing against him, I screamed my frustration.

  ‘Enough, sugar, I won't hurt you, but don't push it,’ he drawled, teeth bright in the dusky twilight.

  As he let go of my hands, grabbing my head again. I beat ineffectively at his sides; my strength seemed to have left me. Raising my head, he brought his face right close to mine. I watched him inhale, taking in my lingering perfume. Thinking he was going to kiss me, I gritted my teeth and death-stared him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing any sort of reaction.

  ‘Well, I’ve already dropped you on your ass several times, sweetie,’ I blurted out.

  Sneering at me, he hissed, ‘Now do we have an understanding, missy? Call in any paranormal creatures and you'll be paid handsomely … ufffghhhhh.’

  He was suddenly quite violently pulled off me. Standing there was Erdgeist, holding Ford by the scruff, he appeared almost human, but I could still see the pebble grain to his skin luckily the quickening darkness was obscuring his features somewhat, otherwise he was wearing dark brown pants, and a loose-fitting dress shirt. He was human in size, with not quite human features. If it wasn't for him holding Ford a few inches off the ground, you wouldn’t realize there was an otherworldly connection, unless you knew what to look for.

  ‘You alright?’ he inquired. Even his voice was semi-normal, maybe a bit deeper than human but very passable.

  He flung Ford to the side casually. Ford spun and landed with a thump on the ground. Pounding up, he pointed at Erdgeist, ‘And who the hell are you? How the fuck did you hold me up?’

  He was quick to pick up the discrepancy, so I racked up his intelligence bar a notch. He was smart but not smart enough.