Relics

by Wilson, Maer

My phone sang. I shared it with Thulu. “May I please come over?” asked Jones. “The angels are on the move and are opening other portals. We need to step up our plans.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  We sat in stunned amazement, torn between wonder that unicorns were in the world and fear at what else might be coming through next.

  The unicorns were gorgeous. All were in shades of white, some silvery, some more cream colored, but definitely shades of white. Their horns were a gleaming golden color, as were their hooves, but not a metallic gold. Manes and tails were sometimes different shades, lighter or darker and sometimes the same color as the body. They were just as they'd been imagined for a long time.

  I'd always thought that myths and fairy tales had to have a grain of truth in them somewhere. I had no idea the grain could be so large, though.

  We did some speculation before Jones arrived. We recognized this for what it was. Jones had said “other portals” –so, more than one. Jones had neglected to share the fact that the Light Ones could open other portals. The big question was if they were on the move and portals would be opening, what other creatures might they decide to bring in next?

  We continued to watch the news cast. Occasionally, it would shift to the main desk in the States, where the story was met with guarded words. There was going to be no commitment from the U.S. as to what was really happening. They were careful to stick to exactly what everyone could see.

  Our phones rang with calls from family. Thulu's parents, all three Nanas, Ally, and Reo checked in. Being their link to the supernatural, we promised to fill them in with what we knew when the family got together for the weekend. We felt it was more important than ever to keep that date.

  Jones must have already been on his way over because it wasn't all that long before our front door bell rang. Thulu went to answer it. When he returned, he was followed by Jones and Stuart.

  We offered them pizza and wine, which Jones accepted and Stuart turned down, until we insisted.

  Our attention went back to the TV. There were about a half dozen unicorns grazing the area. Suddenly, the camera went back to focus on the portal, where a man emerged, a unicorn gently nudging him with its nose. Presumably, this was the man who had disappeared earlier. The crowd could be heard cheering. The man stopped, dazed, as he re-entered our world. The unicorn continued to gently push him away from the portal.

  Police rushed over and led him away. He clutched the nearest officer in panic. Obviously he was in shock as he stared around. If he'd been drunk earlier, as the witness had thought, he had sobered up on his journey to the other side. I wondered what he'd seen there.

  “I'd say they're rather intelligent.” I couldn't keep the smug tone from my voice. In addition to dragons, I also had a thing for unicorns. I was quite pleased that they seemed smart and there was a definite kindness about them.

  “Oh, absolutely,” said Jones. “They are sentient and a very intelligent race.”

  As soon as this unicorn had come through the portal, there was an immediate reaction from the others. They gathered around him, as if he'd called them. Perhaps he had. He was larger than the others and sheer power rippled through his muscles as he moved among them. I don't know horses, but I know magnificence when I see it. This unicorn was special, even among these other special creatures. The group stood in a loose circle with the male in the center and forward. He gazed at the crowd, seemingly waiting for something.

  We wouldn't find out anymore for a while though, because we were switched over to a reporter in Tripoli, Libya, according to the caption at the bottom of the screen.

  This was another nighttime scene, but not as pretty. We saw another portal, much the same as the one in London, in the background. It appeared to be on a well-lit, wide street. A few cars were parked helter-skelter and apparently abandoned. This portal was about a foot off the ground and only two feet in diameter. The camera appeared to be a good distance away. We could see at least two people lying on a sidewalk about twenty feet from the portal. They weren't moving.

  As we watched, two men carried a large square table and put it against the portal. The legs were braced with sandbags, carried by a third man. Medical personnel immediately moved to those who were down. Another table was carried by two other men and they set it down, facing the first. More sandbags were brought to brace the second table. The portal was sandwiched between the two, but how effective it would be, I had no idea, especially if it grew larger.

  “...that this measure will block this opening. Witnesses said that only two of the creatures came through. The first was about thirty minutes ago and the other, as we all saw, was about five minutes ago.”

  The camera panned back to the reporter, a very young, rather frightened young man.

  “The first creature that came through escaped and has not been found. All people are warned to evacuate any area if the creature should surface. Once again, what appears to be a basilisk has escaped into the city of Tripoli. All people are urged to immediately evacuate any area where it appears and to call authorities immediately. Do not attempt to catch this creature. It is highly toxic and death is instantaneous, should you come into contact with it.

  “The current death toll is five, identities are yet unknown. The first two were bystanders, who happened to be close by when the opening appeared. The other three were people who attempted to catch or kill the creature. One used a knife, which might have damaged the basilisk's leg.

  “An acidic substance thought to be its blood was found on the sidewalk. A cat who had gone to investigate also died. All who have come into any kind of direct contact with this creature or its blood have been killed. We cannot stress enough the importance of evacuating if any lizard-like animal should come near you.”

  Thulu, Stuart and I sat in stunned silence. Jones had a grim, but unsurprised look on his face.

  The reporter continued reading from notes. “The basilisk is approximately thirty centimeters in length. It's more lizard-like than snake-like, with very short legs. There is a distinctive white marking on the head that looks like a crown.” He looked off camera. “Do we have the earlier shots?” A pause as he looked off-screen. “Excellent.”

  We were switched to a close-up of the basilisk. The camera went to a slow motion replay of a basilisk coming through the portal. It ran through a planter full of flowers that immediately shriveled.

  Two people who had been off camera quickly moved in and sprayed it with fire extinguishers. It shriveled up, much like the flowers it had just killed. The camera showed the few onlookers cheering. The reporter continued.

  “We are uncertain why the fire extinguisher worked, but the creature is thought to be dead. When asked why they used the extinguishers, the two men confessed they just thought it was worth a try. They declined to be interviewed and have since left the scene. We're waiting for authorities with hazardous materials expertise to arrive.”

  I hated reptiles. This one gave me the creeps. Knowing it was loose in a city just made my skin crawl.

  “Interesting choice of weapon,” said Thulu.

  “Daemons,” answered Jones. “They would know that the contents would work.”

  Thulu and I exchanged glances as the channel switched to another location. A voice-over told us portals were continuing to open.

  This time it was outside Odense, Denmark. The portal was again shown in the background. Next to it sat what had to be one of the ugliest creatures I've ever seen. He was easily twice as big as a human. You could see that even though he was sitting down. He wore a big smile, neat shorts and shirt and what looked like sandals. He sat quietly in what appeared to be a non-threatening way. His skin was gray, and his face was hideous, with a large bulbous nose, tiny eyes and thick lips. His arms were gigantic and heavily muscled. Large hands were folded neatly in his lap. Now and then, he waved cheerily at the camera. Obviously, trolls had gotten some bad press in times past. I was impressed with this one, though. He seemed nice.

  The v
iew changed back to the studio where the anchors were looking shell-shocked. A pretty brunette told us that reports were starting to come in from different locations all over the globe, with portals letting in creatures previously thought to be nothing more than myth.

  As the night went on, we had reports of fairies, genies, leprechauns, centaurs, goblins, gryffins, harpies, and banshees. Thulu, Stuart and I were amazed as story followed story. It seemed as if all the magic I'd ever heard of was coming back. Sure I'd seen the dead, but they were from Earth. I'd even thought daemons were simply another form of spirit until meeting Jones. These people were different. They were actually from other worlds. Yeah, I know Jones said he was too, but he looked human. These people definitely weren’t human, and that changed everything I thought I'd known.

  “Jones, I don't get it. I thought Light Ones wanted to make people happy. This is pure chaos.”

  “I told you what they have done in the past. This is on a scale that is – insane.”

  Thulu looked at him sharply. “An insane angel?”

  Jones grimaced, staring at the TV. Taking out his phone, he pressed a couple of buttons.

  “Secure the property. Under no circumstances are you to allow anyone in without my permission in person. Do not accept phone calls as permission. Even if someone has been there before, they may not come in. Even if they have been a frequent guest, they may not come in. No one is allowed in, not even staff, until I arrive. If anyone does drop by to visit, you are to call me immediately.” He clicked off the phone and turned to us with a serious expression.

  “You are welcome to be my guests, should you need the protection. I have already taken the liberty of putting protection around this house, but I am not at all sure it will be enough. My property, on the other hand, has strong wards, some of which have been in place for years.”

  Jones nodded at Stuart, who rose, thanked us and left to get the car.

  “I'm not sure I understand.” I was trying to get my mind around this. “Are all of these portals to a different world or more than one?”

  “More than one world, but there are multiple portals to each of them.”

  “How are they able to open portals without the relics? I thought you needed those to open the portals,” Thulu said, frowning.

  Jones shook his head. “No, you need the relics to banish Light Ones or us and to open or seal our portals, unless you have a very, very powerful entity. Usually anyone that powerful will not be bothered, though. However, there are a few angels and daemons who have the power to open portals into these other worlds. That is what is happening now. Just as I am able to open the portals I use.”

  “Oh, right.” Thulu frowned. “Why the relics for yours, but not these others? I meant to ask you that before.” Thulu tilted his head to one side as he looked at Jones.

  “Because their worlds are closer to yours. Think of it as a train station with stops. Both of our realms are far down the line, and our portals require enormous power. These others are much closer and take far less power to open.”

  “Let me get this straight, we are getting some portals into the same world? So, who are the players? Who comes from which worlds?” I asked.

  “Unicorns, fairies, trolls are from the same world. Gryffins, elves and goblins are from another world.”

  “My god,” said Thulu. “How many worlds are they opening?”

  “I think there are four at the moment. The problem is worse though. Not all of these creatures get along. Harpies and banshees despise each other. So do goblins and leprechauns. The various races being thrown together in one world could be problematic.”

  I wondered if that was an understatement.

  Jones was quiet for a bit. When he continued, it seemed to be with chagrin. “I honestly thought we could head this off. I imagined that we could retrieve the relics and other items and banish the Light Ones and seal their portal, with no one the wiser. I never expected this.”

  “This is a pre-emptive strike, isn't it?” Thulu said.

  Jones thought about it and nodded his head. “Yes, that is a good possibility. I just wish I knew what was behind it.”

  I thought of something Reo had said. “So, why can't you find this stuff on your own?”

  “Because I have some powers, La Fi, but I also have limits. I certainly do not have Thulu's gift for finding things.”

  “Oh.” Well that answered that. I was curious, though. “What kind of powers?”

  Jones smiled, “A bit of this, a bit of that.”

  “God, you sound like Reo.” I hated when people were cryptic.

  “Please, call me if you need me.” He stood, threw one last glance at the TV.

  “I thought you wanted to go over the game plan,” I said.

  “That was before I realized this was going to be worldwide and on such a scale. I apologize to both of you. I honestly thought we had at least a year, possibly two to three before they made a move. Obviously, I have seriously miscalculated. I need to find out why they moved and why now. I also need to get some of this under control.” He shook his head sadly and left the room.

  We followed him out. At the door, I looked at Jones. He seemed very disturbed by this. Even more than Thulu and I were. I was sure it would hit us later.

  “Jones,” I called after him as he went down the steps, “are you going to be all right?”

  He nodded graciously at me, “Yes, La Fi. This is a setback, but I will consult with the others and think of a Plan B, as you would call it. Thank you for asking, though. That was very kind of you.” He continued down our walk to his car, where Stuart stood holding open the door.

  Chapter 25

  Thulu and I went back inside, locked the door behind us and set the alarm. We returned to the family room and sat in front of the TV with the sound off.

  I was leaning comfortably against Thulu when a thought occurred to me. I sat bolt upright and called, “Parker, Jenna, Sophie, come home right now!” I'd realized I hadn't seen the kids all day. I wondered if they had taken any of the portals that were popping up so enticingly all over the world. I needn't have worried though, as they immediately materialized in front of us, with Parker looking concerned.

  “What, Fi? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I –” I stopped, a bit embarrassed. Everyone was looking at me, even Sophie. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.” Really? They were already dead, I told myself. And my next thought was yes, but they are here, on this world and not in the next.

  “And I want you all to stay away from the portals, do you hear me?” I think my voice was a bit shrill and strained.

  Parker looked at me with exasperation, “Honestly, La Fi, we aren't stupid. We wouldn't go into those, would we Jen?”

  Jenna's eyes were big. “No Mama Fi, we stay with you. Don't be scared.”

  I felt like an idiot. Consoled by a four-year-old ghost. Even Sophie seemed to look at me with concern, little tail drooping. “Well, see that you stay clear of them. They're dangerous,” I finished weakly.

  “We know and we will,” Parker assured me.

  Parker looked at Thulu, who had remained judiciously quiet through all of this, then back at me. “I told you those angels were bad news.”

  We nodded. “Yeah, Park,” I said. “You sure did.” I didn't ask how he knew they were behind it. At that point it really didn't matter.

  We all sat and watched as news anchors tried to get a handle on what was happening. People had started claiming to have won jackpots, been granted wishes or cursed, or other magical interventions. Story after story was pouring in.

  I thought of hitting the Internet, but was already dangerously close to information overload. I'd just make do with the live reports.

  The gambling establishments started closing when record numbers of people started winning beyond all possible odds.

  The world governments announced that none of the stock markets would be opening until further notice, due to “special circumstances.” A wise pr
ecaution, I thought.

  People in non-essential jobs were urged to stay home, if at all possible. Of course, who was to determine what was or was not essential was anyone's guess. Obviously police, emergency and medical services, but other than those, no one was defining “essential” yet.

  The number of portals trickled off until it seemed they had stopped appearing. Most were in Europe, Africa and Asia, with only a very few in isolated areas in the Americas and Australia. The portals already open had gone back to small, pulsating lights. Now and then, one would open large enough to admit something or someone, but that started to trickle off too.

  The Tripoli portal continued to stay blocked. The tables had been replaced with large heavy wooden walls, held in place with more sandbags on stabilizing braces. They were taking no chances in case it reached the size of some of the other portals.

  The report came that another new portal had opened up. This one was in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, in Scotland. No one knew if anything had come through, but there were no reports of anything odd happening, other than the portal itself.

  When camera crews arrived, it was to find locals from nearby Aberfoyle waiting patiently and calmly. Witnesses later said it seemed as if those who came through had been waiting for the cameras.

  We watched as the portal remained small and stable. It began pulsating, which often occurred whenever other portals began to grow. It stabilized and nothing happened, while the young female reporter spoke in hushed tones, describing what we could see for ourselves and the reaction of the crowd.

  A tall, golden figure, emanating a soft glow, stepped from the portal onto the grass, followed by four others. They were all taller than most humans by about a foot or so. We heard sounds of awe from the crowd.

  The camera backed away as the group approached the reporter. She was a young, pretty woman with red hair. Her face took on the look of a deer caught in headlights. The camera continued to retreat a few more steps. I imagined that the cameraperson wanted a head start if he or she needed to run.