by Viola Grace
“Your councillor will let them know, I am sure.”
She winced. “You don’t understand. If I am here because the head of my clan sent me here, she will have no interest in speaking with my parents. My father is human; my grandfather is human. My mother is a bad swimmer who can barely generate a tail, and I have no tail at all. My great grandmother won’t send them anything. I have to get a message to someone who will.”
“You’re a mermaid?”
“No, but my grandmother was.” She dropped her bag and dug around behind the bar, locating a coffee cup and the suspicious-looking brew. She had drunk worse, but there was always room for improvement, so she doctored the beverage until it would dull her shock.
With the cup in hand, she hopped up on a barstool and contemplated the means by which she could get a message to her family. She had a few ideas, but she was going to need to get to the edge of the barrier that kept them in confinement. Hells wasn’t sure how eager they would be to help her, but she knew she was going to need a lift.
“You look lost in thought. Planning an escape?” Doc Larsen slipped behind the bar until he was in her line of sight.
She sipped at her heady coffee and looked at him through narrowed eyes. “No. I just need my one phone call.”
Chapter Three
One hour later, she was sitting in a room with eight men who were staring at her as if she was either going to strip or burst into flame. She wasn’t sure which one they were secretly cheering for.
Eight men sat around, thin, tall, short, elegant, beat up, they all sat in a circle with tables clumped into a strange round table. Hellebore sat on her barstool, perched above the collection of magical men.
Rown had come in to brief her on her car and stayed for the meeting.
She had asked, “Why fix my car when I am stuck here?”
Rown grinned and shrugged, “What else have I got to do? Dwarves create. That is our purpose. Fixing your airbags and steering column is a pleasant distraction.”
“How can you get the parts?”
He looked at her as if she was slow. “I will make them.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.”
Lixin was half-goblin, and he chuckled at her embarrassment. “It is all right. We forget what we are as well. If you are here long enough, you will lose your touch with your clan and race as well.”
She snorted. “If I am here long enough, I will age and die. I am three-quarters mortal and no one knows how long my magic will last or if I will age like a normal human.”
The room froze as if she had announced that she had a second head and it was voting for trolls to rule the council sessions.
Doc Larsen stared at her. “Human?”
Earnor looked at her and cackled. “The siren!” His green hair was neatly braided down his back.
Hellebore nodded. It figures that there would be one merman among the motley crew. “That’s me.”
“I have heard about you in my calls home. You are the only one in your generation.”
She snickered. “I am the only one. Well, the only true siren. The others just have bits and pieces of the original talent. It drives the Matriarch nuts.”
“It would. She prides herself on the bloodline she passed on.” Earnor sat back. “Hello, cousin.”
She chuckled. “It figures. How long have you been here?”
“Seven years. She has no problem consigning her family here.”
Doc Larsen waved his hands. “Whoa. You mean to say that you are mostly human?”
Hellebore nodded. “Why? Do you have a problem with that?”
Rown laughed. “That is why he was put here. He can’t play nice with humans.”
“Well, that is too bad for him. I don’t intend to let my stay here be of any excessive duration. If I can get a message out, I can have someone try to rescue me.”
Harudan, the half-giant, leaned forward. “There is no rescue. This is a sentence. You must serve your time in prison to learn the lessons of your people.”
Hellebore rubbed the back of her neck. “That is my problem. The Matriarch does not see me as one of her people. No tail, no shifting, no breathing water. All I have is the power of a siren, and she wants me to breed it back into our line.”
Earnor blinked. “That is unusual.”
He was right. Mer-folk did not breed back on their own lines closer than four generations.
Hells shrugged. “It is the only thing I have heard from her in the last nine years.”
Doc Larsen was still staring at her. “Human?”
Officer Neer patted him on the shoulder and addressed Hellebore. “And now, we get to the atonement part of our sentence. Has Doc Larsen explained what happens once a year?”
Doc stiffened. “There is no need to tell her.”
“Why not? She will probably still be here when it happens, and if she is, you know she must join us.”
Hellebore leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “What are you talking about?”
Neer sat back, “What do you know about Santa Claus and his reindeer?”
She burst out laughing. “You are kidding, right?”
Neer and the others shook their heads, completely solemn.
Hellebore sat back and sipped another heavily doctored coffee. “Okay, let’s pretend that I didn’t really hit my head hard and I am in a hospital somewhere having the most weird-ass dream anyone ever had. Fine. Santa’s reindeer. Continue.”
Rown took over. “Every year, we are forced to shift shape into the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh. It is painful, uncomfortable and embarrassing as all the reindeer are female.”
She winced. “Ouch. So, why are you forced to shift into reindeer?”
Neer snorted, “For some of us, we need to get in touch with our feminine side, others need to do community service and some need to learn about humans. The incarceration here offers us a chance to work on the lack of skills that our leaders determined were issues.”
Hellebore nodded. “It sounds useful. So, why the little town? Why not just put you in a stasis field and pull you out once a year.”
Harudan crossed his arms. “We have to think about what we have done, so we all get our assignments and become part of this community. We meet every night and discuss the issues that sent us here. It is far less touchy-feely than it sounds.”
She snorted. “I didn’t think it was.”
“Well, anyway, once we have learned what we were sent here to learn, we get to go home and our people can choose their next prisoner.”
“So, there is only one person allowed per species?”
“I believe so. There can only be eight of us here at any time, and our own people are the only ones who would know that the spot is opening up. Apparently, I was on the list for two years before they felt that Norvulan had learned how to deal with children of different species without getting hungry.”
Hellebore winced. “Ouch. That would be nasty.”
Harudan nodded. “He was half-giant, half-troll. It took him one hundred and twenty-six years to learn control over his appetite.”
She rubbed the back of her neck and tried to loosen the muscles. “I believe that you have been mentioning calling home?”
Neer nodded. “When our family wishes to speak with us, an orb appears in front of us, and we talk.”
Hellebore grunted. “That sucks. My mom can’t use much magic, and my father doesn’t use any.”
“That is unfortunate. It is the only method of communication that we have.”
She scowled but she nodded. “Understood, but Neer, can you give me a lift to the edge of this zone?”
He looked at his herbal tea and shrugged. “Sure. Now?”
“Please. If I keep drinking, this won’t work at all, and right now, drinking is the only thing on my mind.”
He got to his feet and picked up his baseball cap. “Please come with me then, lady. I will take you to the end of
Diablo Road.”
She smiled and hopped off her bar stool. She swayed dramatically, and Doc Larsen got to his feet to put his hand on her back. “Easy, Hellebore.”
She gave him her most dazzling grin, and he blinked and backed away. Shrugging, she told Neer, “I will be right back. I have to grab my phone.”
She carefully toddled up the stairs and got her cell. She looked at the charge and whistled sharply until she had a completely charged phone. Ready to go, she headed back to her ride.
If she could make a call, she might just get a handle on what the hell was going on.
Chapter Four
Hellebore sat quietly for five minutes before she asked, “So, what is Doc Larsen’s problem?”
“He had an arranged marriage, and he refused to wed her because he was in love with a human. He didn’t wed the human.”
“Why not?”
“He was afraid that she would die too soon, so he did nothing. He was sent here until he could make a decision on his marriage.”
“Ouch. How long has he been here?”
“Four hundred years or so.” Neer shrugged and the car slowed. “Here we are. You skidded to a halt about fifty yards back the way we just came.”
“Right. Will you wait here?”
“Of course. Do you what you can. I will wait.”
Hellebore got out of the car and headed for the barrier just in front of it. She hummed and the barrier flared into life. She prodded at it with her tones until she found just the right frequency.
The problem came with her voice. She couldn’t punch a hole in the barrier and talk at the same time. She scowled and composed a series of texts. If even one of them reached a friend, she might get some help.
With her phone in her hand, she let out a call that ripped a hole in the barrier. The moment it opened, she got her cell bars and she quickly sent the texts. To hell with the roaming charges.
She sent one to Laura, Verne, Abby, Seesee, Max, Raven and one to her mother telling her that she had taken a detour and would keep in touch. Everyone but her mother was told that she would check back in twelve hours.
When her phone confirmed the messages were sent, Hellebore ceased her song. She returned to Officer Neer’s car and gave him a thumbs-up.
“I have sent the messages and I am hoping that at least one of them won’t think it’s a joke. I sent it to the most powerful paranormals that I know, including my second cousin.”
“Are you waiting for a response?”
She scratched her nose. “I suppose I could check and see. If not, I told them I would check back in twelve hours.”
“Check now and I will bring you back tomorrow morning.”
She got out of the car and sang again, holding her phone up and hoping for a signal.
Hellebore checked when the light flashed, telling her that she had a text. Raven answered that she was looking into it, Laura stated that she was going to try to get through to the Matriarch, Max asked her if the drinks on vacation were really that good.
Hellebore quickly sent a text to Max. I don’t know. I am not on vacation, I am in a prison you fat, blood-sucking moron. If that offended you, come find me and beat the crap out of me. Please.
She winced at the reaction that the sentence was going to provoke. She needed to get across to the Abomination that the situation was dire. Insulting a woman who could tear her apart was definitely a way to get her attention; it was the attention that might kill her.
Hellebore stopped her song and returned to the car. “Okay, that is all I can do for tonight.”
“You looked a little pissed there. Is something wrong?”
“Well, out of all the messages I sent, one friend thought I was doing it while drunk on vacation. I had to goad her into a fight to hopefully get her to take it seriously.” Hellebore smiled weakly. “If she gets in here, she is going to kill me. Possibly literally.”
Neer turned them around and headed back into town. “It must be nice to have friends you can count on.”
“Oh it is, but explaining this situation in one hundred and fifty characters is difficult.”
“Do you know any wolves?”
She chuckled. “I do. I have sung at many wolf weddings. I love the drum songs.”
He laughed and parked in front of the inn. “They are very compelling.”
Hellebore chortled and got out of the car. “I like them. They are complex to sing, but I always get a good response.”
“I don’t doubt. Your voice was compelling even from inside the car.”
She smiled. “I hear that a lot. Thank you for the ride. Can I get another tomorrow morning?”
He exited his car and talked to her over the hood. “Of course. Go on and get some sleep. I am sure that you will get some good news tomorrow.”
Hellebore snorted. “I doubt it, but any news is better than none.”
“That’s the spirit.”
She nodded and headed into the inn. She could hear the conversation still going on in the bar, but she took the stairs to her room instead. If this was a hallucination, spending time with eight men from a variety of species was right up her alley. If it was reality, it was too weird for words.
Hellebore slipped into her sleep shirt and crawled between the sheets of the bed. She checked her phone and reread the last messages she had from her family, holding onto it as she dozed off.
A polite knock woke her. “Hellebore? Neer is here to take you back to the barrier.”
She cleared her throat and sat up. “Thank you. I will be out in five minutes.”
Hellebore didn’t have time for a shower, so she stripped and hummed until her hair and skin gleamed with power. She would take a proper shower later.
She slithered into clean underwear and jeans, pulling out one of her t-shirts and yanking it on over her head. Her hair crackled, but she let it ripple around loose. She wasn’t a gorgon, but she needed to let her hair have a day out of the braid now and then.
Dressed and holding her phone, she left her room, heading down the stairs and out into the sunlight. It looked to be about ten in the morning, which was right at the twelve-hour mark. Officer Neer was standing in the open door of his car, and he nodded at her as she approached.
Once inside the car, she had to ask, “How did the squad car get here?”
“It came with me. I was actually a county sheriff when I was sent here. The odd thing is that the car changes with the advance of time. Weird, huh?”
“I only wish it was the weirdest thing I had seen.” She chuckled.
“So, how are you opening the barrier?”
“Oh, I have found its frequency, and I can jack a pinhole open. Wherever they put this bubble, it is overlapping with an area that has cell service.”
“Couldn’t you just open a hole large enough for you to walk through?”
“Nope. The frequency I am using would cause pain for anything it my path, and the moment I walked through, the edge of the barrier would close around me. It is about five feet thick. The moment I would pass the edge, I would be stuck.”
“And your voice would destroy anyone in front of you?”
“If not destroy, it would certainly knock them to their knees, and at that point, they wouldn’t be able to move anyway.”
He sighed. “Right. Well, I hope you get some answers today. At least we all know why we were sent here. Your mystery must be a little confusing.”
She couldn’t answer. She was trapped in a yawn. She covered her mouth and watched the scenery skim by.
Hellebore worked on a few texts but didn’t set them to send. She needed to know if she had any answers yet before she could ask more questions.
At the barrier, she got out of the car and walked forward. Now that she knew the frequency, it was much easier to make the pinhole to send the signal through.
She held her phone up and waited.
Light flashed and it updated her with text after tex
t. She closed the pinhole and read the information.
Laura said, Matriarch denies all knowledge. I am pursuing other avenues of enquiry.
Verne said, We are in contact with the council heads that know about that bubble. We are going to get someone to you.
Abby said, I am just waiting for a location. All efforts to find you using objects have not been successful. We need to get more information. I am consulting the archive if the elves don’t get their council in gear.
Seesee Montrose was the most helpful, The creature council is petitioning for your release as you do not qualify under any of the other councils if you take your actual biology into account.
Max finally got the hint that Hellebore wasn’t kidding. Sorry, Hells. Gregori has put a petition out somewhere to get you loose. Keep calm.
It was Raven Dexter’s text that made Hellebore exhale on a ragged breath. The words shouldn’t have given her hope, but they did. I have an appointment to see Santa this afternoon to find out if we can’t get you out of there before Xmas.
Tears pricked her eyes as she sent responses to all of them, thanking them and encouraging them to help.
She opened the barrier and sent the messages.
Her phone immediately pinged with incoming information.
Abby sent, It has been five days! Where have you been?
Hellebore jolted and closed the pinhole. She walked over to Neer and knocked on the door. “Does time move differently in here?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I have never had an opportunity to measure it. Are your friends telling you that it does?”
“Yes, and the dates on their replies were from five days ago.”
“Then, it must be five days to twelve hours or ten days per day.”
She closed her eyes and quickly composed a chirpy text to her mother. Might not make it home for Christmas. Was included.
She felt sick that she had been out of touch and included the time difference for the friends helping out.
Two sent an acknowledgement immediately and confirmed that they were still trying to go through channels.
Raven was surprisingly silent.
