by Geof Johnson
Stacey lowered her brow and stuck out her lower lip while she seemed to consider that. Then her face brightened. “Can I have some more pancakes? I’m starving!”
Dr. Burke laughed and turned toward the counter behind her. “I think there’s still some instant mix left. Maybe I should double the batch.”
CHAPTER 17
Jamie was walking around the outer edge of the track beside the Rivershire School with his hands on top of his head, catching his breath. Practice was almost over, though some of his teammates were still running or working on field events, like DeSean at the long jump pit.
Frankie and Ivan caught up with Jamie as he neared the curve, and Frankie said, “Jamie, have you talked to your grandfather lately?”
“Not in the last week or so. Why?”
“Well….” Frankie glanced at Ivan before continuing, “When we were here for the bonfire, he said to talk to him before we graduate because he might be able to give us a job. You think he was serious about that?”
“He wouldn’t say it if he didn’t mean it.”
“What would we be doing, you think?” Ivan said.
“What’s your major?”
“Computer information systems.” He nodded toward Frankie. “He’s logistics.”
“I don’t know what you’d do, exactly,” Jamie said. “Something for the school and the clinic and whatever. Anything to raise more money, or whatever needs doing, like finding the cheapest place to get gravel, or installing methane-burning generators. All kinds of stuff. Whenever I get an idea for a new project, Granddaddy helps make it happen. You’d be a facilitator, I’d guess you’d call it.”
Frankie twisted his mouth thoughtfully. “We’re both really interested. You got a phone number for him?”
Jamie gestured at the yellow building across the road. “He’s right over there. Why don’t you go talk to him in person?”
“We can do that? I mean, what if he’s on the other side instead, in his warehouse in Hendersonville? We can’t go through because we don’t have counter charm bracelets.”
“There’s a buzzer on the wall next to the portal. Just press it and he’ll come.”
“Can we go now?”
“I don’t see why not, but you better hurry. We gotta go back to Cullowhee pretty soon.”
The two young men turned and jogged toward Granddaddy Pete’s headquarters. Allison, who was stretching nearby, said, “Jamie, where are they going?”
“To talk to my granddaddy about a job.”
“For real? He offered me one, but I thought he was just blowin’ smoke.”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“Can I talk to him, too?”
“Sure, but you need to hurry.”
Allison stared at him for a moment, then ran after the other two boys, who were already across the road.
* * *
Jamie met Fred in front of the dining hall for lunch. She pulled him off the sidewalk, far enough away from the passing students so that she could talk without being overheard. “I assume you got the message from Terry, too.”
“Can we go over there right after dinner? I’ve got to study later.”
“That depends on everybody else’s schedule. I think we all should go.”
“Let’s keep it to just you and me. It’s easier and faster.”
Fred shook her head firmly. “I really think everybody should go with us. Melanie’s been kinda upset that we haven’t been including her lately. She feels like we’re leaving her out because she doesn’t have any magic, but we’ve always made this big deal about how she and Bryce are part of the Crew and everything.” She frowned. “Makes me feel like a jerk. It’s wrong to do that to her. She wants to help. She wants to be a part of what we do.”
Jamie pushed the fingers of one hand through his blond hair while he thought it over. “It’s gonna be hard getting everybody together, ’cause we’re all on different schedules. Rollie and Nova always have intramural basketball, seems like.”
“They don’t tonight. I checked. I’ll tell them we’re going.”
Jamie and his friends crammed into Fred and Melanie’s dorm room before they went to meet with Eric and Terry. Melanie seemed to be excited about it. Rollie wasn’t. He said, “Why do I have to go? Jamie, you and Fred can probably handle this in your own, can’t you? I gotta study.”
“We all have to study,” Fred said. “So quit being a baby and try to be helpful.”
“Aw, man, but I really don’t want—” He cut his protest short when he caught the tight-lipped glare from Nova. “Uh…what the heck.” He shrugged. “I’ll come with you and help save the world or whatever we’re doing tonight.”
“I doubt it’s that serious.” Jamie outlined the doorway. They went through it to Eric and Terry’s house and ended up standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the small, dingy living room.
Eric and Terry got up from their seats at the table, where they usually seemed to be, and took off their headphones. “We have more news,” Eric said, skipping the pleasantries as always. “There was another hit on an Iranian diplomat, but this time it failed and three of the guards got killed. We think Cage was responsible because the other guards were confused, same as before.”
“I bet the guards he killed came onto the scene late,” Nova said, “after Cage used up whatever magic he had.”
“Any video evidence?” Bryce asked.
“No. It was outside, at night, behind a hotel. All of the bodyguards in the diplomat’s car seem to have been affected by the magic, but another car with three more men arrived a little bit late.” He glanced at Nova and gave a faint nod. “They got held up in traffic, I think. Cage probably didn’t know they were part of the entourage and got surprised when they showed up, and he didn’t have any choice but to shoot them. The diplomat somehow made it to the back door of the hotel in the confusion with only a minor wound to the shoulder. He couldn’t identify the assailant because he was wearing a hood and it was dark.”
“But a radical group of Iraqi Sunnis is trying to take credit for the attempt.” Terry smiled ruefully. “That’s messed-up Middle East politics for you. I’m pretty sure the North Koreans aren’t happy about that, because they want the Iranians to blame the Israelis. This actually makes things worse, in my opinion. The North Koreans will probably have to step up their efforts in order to refocus the spotlight on the acrimony between Iran and Israel.”
“How did Cage get to his destination?” Jamie asked. “Didn’t he have to get past the snipers?”
“The snipers are dead. Both teams. It’s like Cage knew they were there. Either somebody tipped him off, which means we have a mole at the agency, or his witches found out.”
“I asked Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley about it again on Saturday when we were making the potion for Stacey,” Fred said, “and they’re still not sure what’s going on. They insisted that you not kill the witches if you make an assault on Cage’s fortress. They want you to capture them and bring them back for questioning. Momma Sue thinks that those witches are more dangerous than Cage, if they’re using their magic to hurt people.”
“Right,” Terry said flatly. “How are we going to capture three powerful witches, if that’s how many Cage really has? Are you going to help, Fred? Your father told you not to.”
“I’ll go, if necessary, and Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley will, too.”
“I’ll help,” Nova said. “I don’t know what good I’ll be, but if you need me, I’ll come.”
Rollie rounded on her. “Are you crazy? Those folks have guns, lots of them, and strong witchcraft. You could get killed.”
“You let a demon chase you. Why are you scared of a few guns and some witches?”
“Um….” He glanced about helplessly and winced. “I’m not saying I’m scared, just…trying to be careful. That’s all.”
Melanie turned to Eric and said, “When you went with Jamie to destroy Cage’s aircraft, did you let anybody at the CIA know about it? Cage didn’t see you comin
g that time, seems like.”
“We didn’t tell anybody. That doesn’t mean anything, though.”
Bryce tapped his jaw with one finger, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Maybe there’s a way to test the theory about the mole. Maybe you could mount another small operation on your own, one that only involves you and Terry, but don’t tell anyone at the agency about it.”
“Easier said than done. If Cage has shut down his other strongholds, he’s probably brought those security teams to the monastery. It’ll be much harder to pull off anything like we did with the aircraft.”
“What if it’s something small, just to tweak his nose? Like put a paper bag full of dog poop on his front porch and light in on fire and ring his doorbell.”
Eric laughed, a rare sound from the serious-faced man. “Never been on a mission like that before. But if we’re going to take risks, we need to make sure there are potential rewards, besides just testing a theory. If we attempt another mission there, it’s got to have a clear objective, like gathering better intel or reducing Cage’s assets.”
“Reducing his assets?” Fred said.
“He means getting rid of some of his guards,” Terry said. “Probably have to kill them, though.”
“I’m not doing that,” Jamie said. “If you and Eric feel like you might have to kill people, that’s your business, but don’t expect me to do it. I’ll help catch Phillip Cage, but that’s all.”
“Well,” Terry said, “don’t lose any sleep if any of his men die, because like I told you before, every one of them is a killer.”
“You know that for certain?”
“We have files on a few of them,” Eric said. “Ones that we’ve been able to identify. I’ll show them to you, if you’d like.”
“Never mind.”
The room grew quiet for a moment, and Rollie said, “Are we about finished? I have a test tomorrow.”
“Almost.” Fred waved a finger at Terry. “You haven’t said a word about Stacey. How is she doing?”
“Great, absolutely great.” Terry’s eyes brightened. “She’s got so much energy now, she’s bouncing around the house, driving my mom crazy, wanting to play outside in the snow. Her hair has already grown almost an inch, and it’s only been four days. And she’s got her appetite back. Mom said she’s eating like a little piggy.”
“That’s one of the side effects of the spell,” Fred said. “Big increase in appetite. The body demands more food because it’s making new cells at such a fast rate, and you can’t make something from nothing, not even with magic.”
“Dang, Fred,” Rollie said. “You sound like Jamie.”
She frowned at him. “Not hardly.”
“It’s a good thing you got Stacey to take the oath before we went back home,” Terry said. “Otherwise she’d be blabbing to everybody about what happened. My mom is starting to ask some tough questions about it, and it’s hard to lie to her, you know? I wish you guys would give her the oath, too.”
Fred bobbed her head. “We should, Jamie. It’s just one person.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said. “Just one more. What will that make, about a hundred?”
“Hey, you’re the one who decided to give it to both track teams.”
“Yeah, I did, and I can’t undo that.” He rubbed the side of his face with one hand and pressed his mouth into a tight line. “Terry, if your mom seems like she’s going to be a problem, we’ll give her the oath. She might be more of a risk if we don’t. At least if she takes the oath she won’t tell other people about Stacey’s little miracle.”
“Um….” Terry’s eyes grew solemn and she cleared her throat. “I, uh, haven’t thanked you enough for helping her. You saved her life, and, uh… I’m really grateful. I’ll always be in your debt. Always.”
“We don’t keep track of debts,” Fred said. “We were glad to do it. Like I told you, we like to help.”
“Yeah.” Rollie polished the fingernails of one hand on his shirt and flashed a cocky grin. “It’s what us superheroes do. It’s all in a day’s work.”
“Rollie!” Fred glared at him. “You didn’t even want to come tonight.”
“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I? And next time you gotta go knock Cage’s noggin, I’m goin’.”
Eric studied Rollie for a moment and said, “I’ll remember that. Your super speed might come in handy.”
“Yeah.” Rollie grinned again. “I’m an asset.”
“You all are,” Terry said. “All of you have been helpful. If we ever stop Phillip Cage, it’ll be because of teamwork.”
* * *
Jamie knocked on Dr. Tindall’s office door Tuesday afternoon, and she let him in.
“I’m so glad you could make it.” She sat at her desk and gestured for him to have a seat across from her, then she gave him a hesitant smile. “By the way, congratulations on your letter from the governor.”
“What letter?”
“You didn’t hear about that? The Rivershire School received a letter from the regional governor of whatever that province is called. He’s heard about what you’re doing there with the free school and the library, and he wants to send a delegation to visit it.”
“How come you know about it and I don’t?”
“Your grandmother wrote to me and told me. We try to stay in touch. We do it the old-fashioned way, by mail, since everybody’s so worried about phone calls and texts about Eddan’s world and magic. She used very discrete wording, but I know what she meant.”
“She didn’t write to me.”
“Would you have written her back?”
“Well, probably, though I don’t remember the last time I wrote an actual letter, on paper, with a stamp and all. I’d talk to her in person, but it seems like the only time I go to Rivershire now is with my track team, and that’s after school lets out, so she’s not there. I don’t have time to go see her in Hendersonville.” He pursed his lips and narrowed one eye. “Is that what you wanted to see me about?”
“Oh.” She cleared her throat and folded her hands together in her lap. “I just wanted you to know that we’ve finished analyzing the samples that we brought back from Rivershire. So far, I’d say that it’s the cleanest place we’ve ever tested. No toxins to speak of, anywhere. Clean air, soil, blood, you name it.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Well, now we have the data to prove it.” She shuffled through some papers that lay in a pile before her and pulled out a sheet, then handed it across the desk to Jamie. “Here’s a list of scientists who I think would be good candidates for further research there. I limited it to anthropologists, linguists, and social scientists, but that was hard because I kept thinking of a thousand other areas that need to be studied.”
“I’m not letting a thousand researchers into Rivershire. Just one or two, and I’m nervous about allowing that many.”
“I understand your concerns.” She pointed at the paper in Jamie’s hands. “Those people all do good work, and I think they have the right kind of character for dealing with this, uh, unusual research environment.”
“You mean, working on another world.”
“Right.” She laughed softly. “You can check those candidates out online and then pick which ones you’d like to meet with. They won’t know what it’s about, exactly, but I don’t think they’ll have a meltdown if you tell them about the magic and everything.”
“I won’t do it unless I have some of Fred’s forget potion handy. That way, if they can’t handle the situation, they won’t be a problem.” He glanced at the paper in his hand and said, “Does this mean you’re ready to start evaluating another mining site?”
“Pick out a world, and we’ll get right to it. But you need to know that any study that we do will only be superficial. It would take many years to properly investigate a new world, even if it’s only a limited area.”
“Superficial is better than doing nothing, like we did with the first mining world. But when I select another potential site
, I’ll try to make sure it’s pretty desolate and barren.”
“That doesn’t mean it won’t have life. Maybe not higher forms, but it could still have algae and fungi and so forth.”
“I know. I’m just hoping to minimize the damage. I’m not letting anybody mine a tropical rainforest, that’s for sure.”
She nodded while she listened. “I’m glad you’re not allowing industrial mining on Rivershire by any companies from Earth. That would be awful.”
“There already are mines on that world. That’s where they get their iron and gold and other stuff. They just don’t have really huge ones, like we have here, because they don’t have the equipment.”
“I’m so glad. It’s such a beautiful place. I’d love to see it in the spring.” She smiled wistfully. “I really miss working there, at Rivershire. I like the people so much, and Leora’s family always treats me like I’m one of their own. It’s a special experience. They’ve offered to let me stay with them if I go back, and I’d like to.”
“Go back?”
“To continue my research.”
“But what about the second mining site?”
“I’ll take care of that study for you, first. I’ve worked it all out.” Her eyes seemed to shine as she talked. “You won’t have to make doorways to Rivershire for me because I can drive to Hendersonville on weekends and use the permanent one at your grandfather’s warehouse.”
“It’s going to be cold. It was snowing a little bit yesterday when we were training at the school.”
“Your track team is still running there?”
“Two or three times a week.”
“Isn’t that a little suspicious when nobody is training on the university’s track?”
“We split the team up. About half goes to Rivershire and the rest stays here. Coach rotates it and tries to make it fair. It’s a really big deal and everyone wants to go all the time.”
“I believe it. It’s like having a special place when you’re a kid, like a fort in the woods, that only you and your friends know about.”
Jamie nodded while he listened, staring at the cluttered desk. “I guess I need to find another planet for mining pretty soon.”
