by Simone Pond
“The Chosen One,” he gurgled with his frail voice.
“That’s me,” I said.
“What say you?”
“Um … I’m looking for someone who can fix a busted arm.”
He curled his fingers forward as if asking for more information.
“My friend is an eagle shifter and he shattered his wing during flight. He’s in human form now, but it’s not looking so good. He’s delirious and sweating. The arm is purple and swollen.”
The old geezer stroked his beard, staring at me a moment, then nodded. “I’m able to be of assistance, young lady. Let me introduce myself. I’m Chauncey.” He took a slight bow and wobbled so much I had to reach out and hold his elbow to keep him balanced.
“And what are you, Chauncey? Wait, let me guess … a wizard,” I teased with a smile.
“Observant, I see,” he said, winking. “Just like your papa.”
What felt like a drop-kick to the gut stopped me short. “You know my father?”
Chauncey nodded slightly, then curled his hand again, gesturing for me to follow him to the back of the shop.
“How do you know him?” I was hoping to get some more information, but the old man kept his lips sealed tight. I tried another question. “So were you banished to the Madlands by your own version of Niniane, Lady of the Lake?”
He creaked at such a slow pace, I would’ve preferred for him to use his magic. We didn’t have much time on the clock. Benjamin was in bad shape.
“No, child. I chose to come to the Madlands,” he said, leaving it at that.
Why anyone in their right mind would choose to come to the Madlands was beyond my comprehension. But maybe that’s exactly why Chauncey was here—he wasn’t of sound mind. I was dying to know how many trips around the sun the wizard had taken, but that seemed like a rude inquiry. So I went with some simple questions that only required yes-no answers.
“Do you like it here?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been here long?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know about the ancient prophecy?”
“Of course, dear. Most in the Confederated Six know of the prophecy. Your papa carried the message to all the cities after he fled Mysterium.”
I took the opportunity to probe a bit deeper. “Are you on the same side as my father?”
He didn’t answer that question because we had reached the destination. With the point of his knotted wooden cane, he tapped a large jar sitting on the shelf. Whatever was in that thing had a brownish-orange color with flecks of gold dotted throughout. The label on the front was in some ancient language that I couldn’t read.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s what will do the trick.”
Maybe it was better that I didn’t know the contents. I reached to the shelf and scooted the jar toward me, getting a solid grip to avoid dropping it and splattering the muck all over my boots. Chauncey motioned with his cane toward the back of the shop.
“Where are we going?” I asked, lugging the jar with me. It was a lot heavier than it looked, and it was clear that my magical strength abilities were no longer at my disposal. Another question to add to the growing list for the Ancient One.
“I must write down the instructions for you,” he said as he shuffled down the aisle.
“Oh, I was hoping you could come with me. I’m not up to speed on wizardry and spells. We’re not that far from here.”
He let out a breathy chuckle. “Young lady, a senior wizard such as myself should never leave his apothecary unattended. If the wrong witches get into my shop all hell will break loose.”
I laughed, glancing toward the shop window to the street. “In addition to the current hell out there?”
He took out a wand from the sleeve of his long purple robe and made a small circle in the air. A scroll appeared and he did a few more swizzles with the wand until ink began to appear on the papyrus. The scroll quickly filled up with detailed instructions of what to do with the concoction, which I learned was dried ginger root, tremella fuciformis, tears of a child, flecks of 24-carat gold, the finger of a giant, and the blood of an eagle. I couldn’t help but think of my friend Dandrek, who had died on the streets saving my life. Was it possible the finger inside the jar was Dandy’s appendage? I pushed the thought away. Though if I had to work with the cut-off finger of a giant, I’d want it to be his.
Chauncey tucked the scroll into the pocket of my jacket. “You have all that you need, dear.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
The wizard wasn’t one for conversation, so I thanked him and headed to the exit.
“And, yes,” he called out in his warbling voice.
I glanced over my shoulder. “What?”
“I’m on your papa’s side.”
I smiled and gave the old man a brief nod of approval, then opened the front door, the jingle above signaling my exit.
Outside the first thing that hit me was the fetid stench coming up from the manholes. I cringed to think about what lived underneath the city. Or what had died was more like it. I did some heavy-duty mouth breathing and kept a steady pace back to the warehouse. Fortunately the fiends were too preoccupied with whatever horrible thing they were doing to pay attention to me and my large jar of giant parts and gold flecks. At a quick glance, I probably looked like another Madlands witch on her way home to do a spell.
When I was about two blocks from safety, I caught a reflection in one of the shop windows. A hooded creature was trailing behind me. The same one that had shown up earlier when the party of brothel witches were attempting to snag Benjamin. What was this guy after? I quickened my pace, but the shadow man kept up, though he walked with a severe limp, favoring his right leg. He carried something in his left hand. I couldn’t make it out from the passing reflections in the glass windows, but it looked like a bar … or a cane.
Magnus! He was in the Madlands hunting me down. But he was going to lose this battle—the Red Ruby was gone. But so was my magic, apparently. Because my protective shield didn’t bother appearing as the man moved in closer and closer.
In a series of succinct motions, I put the jar of ickiness onto the pavement, pulled out my last golden star, and flipped mid-air, landing in a warrior stance, ready to throw down. His face was still obscured in darkness.
“Don’t take another step forward,” I warned.
Silence …
Except for the sounds of glass breaking, people screeching, animals howling, and multiple fires crackling.
“If that’s you, Magnus, you’re a dead man. It’s over. The Ancients are safe now, and I have nothing to lose. I’ll die taking you down.”
Soft laughter came up from under the cloak. I hoisted my arm back, fully prepared to wing the gold star right into the warlock’s heart. This time I wouldn’t miss. This time, the Ashtar-worshiping evil prick was going to pay for his sins against the Ancients.
“I see you haven’t changed a lick.” The voice was familiar, but the only way it could belong to its owner was if it were coming from a ghost. And the person before me was no ghost.
“Remove the hood, right now,” I ordered.
Slowly, the figure pushed back the hood to reveal a notoriously sly grin I thought I’d never see again.
CHAPTER THREE
“Nils!” I made a running leap and nearly tackled him. Because of his bum leg, my weight knocked him backward and we lost our balance and toppled over. The rod he’d been holding clanked to the ground. “You’re alive! The bridge … it collapsed. How’d you survive?”
Nils laughed, giving me a big squeeze, then tugging on my ponytail. “It’s after work hours, so I’m assuming it’s cool to make physical contact,” he said, grinning.
I lightly punched his arm, remembering my strict rules for him to keep it professional when we worked in the Jade Division together. Ironic to think about it now, since he was a double agent and I was never meant to be there in the first
place.
I stood up and reached for his hand to help him to his feet. “We should probably get inside for the reunion chat.”
He bent down and scooped up the rod.
“What exactly is that?” I asked.
“Long story. Let’s get indoors and I’ll bring you up to speed.”
“We have a safe place,” I said.
“Yeah, I know. Let’s go.”
The jar of the wizard’s magical concoction sat on the sidewalk like a vat of orange-and-gold innards. One of the trash barrel fires reflected flames in the glass. I hoisted the thing up into my arms, then Nils and I started walking to the warehouse.
“What’s with the jar?” he asked, limping along beside me.
It was odd seeing my once vigorous-to-a-fault partner in such a vulnerable state. I caught a slight flinch in his eyes as he fought to keep up with me. Though I empathized, I wasn’t about to slow down. The freaks were coming out in droves by that point, and Benjamin was only getting worse by the second. The blue door to the warehouse stood only a hundred yards away. I finally released the air in my lungs I’d been holding in.
I should know to never let my guard down too soon. The jar of Chauncey’s magical potion smashed to the ground—liquid goo, gold flecks, the finger of a giant and the rest of the concoction made a rancid pool on the ground around my boots. Had I been on higher alert I might’ve detected the scrappy witch hiding in the alcove before she had sent forth the spell which had paralyzed me and bound my magic. Without my shield we were done for. Nils couldn’t possibly put up much of a fight with that bum leg of his. If he had any of his magical powers, he wasn’t using them.
“Foolish girl, walking around the Madlands unprotected.” The wiry little witch stepped forward, displaying a mouth of rotting teeth. “Ya know there’s a bounty on your head?” She was disgusting. Her gray skin sagged like it was full of sand and her hair looked like pieces of straw caught in seaweed.
Nils hoisted up the iron rod. What was he going to do? Bat her away?
“Don’t move, Jordy,” he said.
I glared at him, mustering up as much sarcasm as possible for someone who was paralyzed. Of course, he had that sly grin of his. As usual, making jokes at the most inappropriate time. He lifted up the rod and aimed it at the wiry little witch. Her beady eyes narrowed and she held up her bony hands to send forth another spell … but nothing happened. Not even a fizzle. She looked at her curled fingers, befuddled, then back up to Nils.
“What have you done, you mutt? I’ll shred you with my hands and teeth!” Witchy tried to step forward, but now she couldn’t move. Her feet remained in place and the rest of her body began to freeze up.
Nils limped over and circled her, eyeing the witch up and down. “So, this is what it’s like,” he said. “What you do unto others will be done unto you.”
The witch could only move her eyes—like me—and they were glaring and glinting with rage and malice. If she could shoot fire from those menacing eyes, she would’ve burned down the entire block. Fortunately, her powers were in her hands and words.
Nils stood before the decrepit bag of bones. “But you have a choice, witch.”
What in Ancients’ name was he doing? I wanted to shout—no, scream—for him to just bludgeon the skank with that iron rod immediately. No choices. Get rid of the witch and let’s get to the safe place, ASAP! But I stood there helplessly frozen, having to suffer through this painful interaction. Didn’t he know better? You don’t make deals with witches. I’d learned my lesson during my adventures in Endor. Trust no one. Especially witches. Well, except there was Isabella. She had come around. But this witch wasn’t going to change, I could tell by the way she looked. Evil to the core.
Nils continued with his proposition. “The choice is this. You can continue down the path you’re on, worshipping a false god—one who initiated this entire mess—or you can tell Ashtar to piss off and come back to where you truly belong. To the Ancient One.”
Hmm. This was an interesting speech and it sounded vaguely familiar. I’d given the same one to Isabella down in that hole in the ground. She wasn’t interested at first, but after the truth sunk in, she changed her mind. Maybe there was hope for this ugly-ass witch after all?
“Whaddya say, witch? Blink once for yes and twice for no.”
Nils moved in closer. I watched from my frozen position twenty feet away. The witch stared straight ahead, contemplating her fate. Was she willing to exchange her evil powers for a life of humility, trusting in one who didn’t explain why things were the way they were or why things happened the way they did? Tough call. If I were a betting woman, which I am, I’d bet the entire house that she was going to blink twice for a resounding hell no.
“I’m giving you another ten seconds. We’ve gotta get going,” said Nils.
She gave him one more mean side-eye, then blinked once. I waited for the second blink so we could end this ridiculous charade and get back to my dying friend and somehow save his life with the remaining potion spewing down the pavement. I’d scoop up what I could and make the best of a crappy situation. How much goop was needed to heal that arm? Hopefully not much. Come on, witch, blink already!
But she never blinked a second time. Not even after Nils asked if she was a hundred percent sure. She stood there with her dark eyes softening, and a damn tear filled up one and rolled down her saggy gray cheek. Did I just lose the bet? Had the witch decided to leave behind all that was evil and wicked and follow the Ancient One?
“Good choice.” Nils tapped her head lightly with the rod.
A beam of light lit up the crown of her nasty head of seaweed hair and trickled over her forehead into her beady eyes, down her sagging cheeks and neck, then into the rest of her body. The glow worked its way through her, removing all of the darkness and washing her clean of her evil ways. Nils stood back and watched with a big smile on his face. The cells in my body started to tingle and come back to life. I could suck in a full breath and see my chest moving up and down. My fingers could move again. I could feel my toes and legs. But I remained still—my mouth agape—because I couldn’t believe the transformation taking place before me.
Nils nudged my arm with his elbow. “Watch this.”
The light continued to saturate the witch all the way to her toes, then a funnel of sparkly dust rose up around her and lifted off into the air, leaving behind a fresh-faced woman. Her supple skin had a peachy hue, her once beady eyes were a subtle green, and her hair—her hair!—was a lustrous honey blond. When she smiled, not only did she have all of her teeth, but a glistening peace beamed from her lovely face.
“Umm … what just happened?” I asked Nils.
“That’s what we call a serious transformation.”
The witch, or woman now, I didn’t know what to call her anymore, approached and extended her slender hand. “Hi, I’m Lily.”
Though control of my body had returned to me, I was too stunned to reach out and shake her hand. What if this was some sort of sorceress trickery? Witches were known for their illusions … need I remind myself of Glendora?
“It’s okay,” said Nils to me.
“I’ve made the mistake of falling for a witch’s BS a couple times. Sorry if I’m not pumped up to accept that Lily here is suddenly on our side.”
She smiled again and lowered her hand. “Understandable. I did just bind your magic and try to snatch your head for a bounty.”
I chuffed. “And you made me spill the slime that was going to fix my friend’s broken arm. He’ll probably die because of you!”
Lily scanned the ground and swirled her hand in a circular motion. The orangish-brown goo and its clumpy contents began to retreat from the spillage all over the sidewalk and regroup. It was like watching the scene in reverse. The jar pulled itself back together and reformed into a perfect glass container holding the contents that Chauncey had given to me. The giant’s finger bobbed around in the liquid, pointing directly at me in an almost accusatory manner,
which made me laugh.
“Let me help you with your friend,” said Lily. She bent down and lifted the jar.
“So I’m supposed to believe you’ve had a complete transformation?” I asked.
“Listen, Jordy, there’s a lot going on I need to explain,” said Nils.
“You think?”
“Let’s get back to the safe place and fix up Benjamin first, then I’ll tell you. Okay?” He grinned and it was nearly impossible not to trust him implicitly.
“What about the … Lily?”
“She’s with us now,” he said.
Lily smiled again, and I think it was genuine. I still wasn’t sold, but if she was willing to lug that jar of nastiness to the safe place and help with Benjamin, well, I’d give her a chance. Just one, though.
“Fine. But if you try anything, I promise I’ll make you rue the day you crossed the Chosen One,” I said, then felt a bit overdramatic.
Nils patted my back. “So surly.”
“Well, you get burned by a few witches and you tend to keep up your guard,” I said.
“You have every right to be wary,” said Lily. “Please give me a chance. I never wanted to be a witch. And I most certainly never wanted to come to the Madlands. I was forced to come here to avoid the wrath of Glendora. Turning you in was my ticket out of this wretched place.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, everyone’s got a reason for being here. Unless they’re nuts.” I started walking toward the warehouse. “We have to go. Benjamin needs our help.”
***
When we finally got to the safe place, Benjamin was on the brink of death. He was no longer conscious and the sheets were drenched with his sweat. Were we too late? I ran over to the bed and shook him. Lily set down the jar on the floor and pulled me away gently. She sat on the side of the bed, resting her hand on Benjamin’s forehead. His light brown skin had turned an ashen gray. She leaned forward and sniffed him, checked his pulse, pried open his eyelids and peered into his dead-looking eyes, and then reached down for the jar.
