Strange Omens

by Jim Stein

  “Sure, though Pina could have stayed with me.”

  “She missed Max. You didn’t want the joy of walking him before bed and again this morning.”

  “I guess.” She flashed the hint of a smile. “She seems so happy today.”

  “Koko showed up last night,” I whispered. “He’s sorry, but isn’t going to change anytime soon.”

  “Bad dream?” She frowned at my expression.

  “He doesn’t have much time for us lesser beings.” I cast a glance at Pina, who carefully dripped syrup into each square of her waffle. “Same old stuff, pumping me for info and a few vague warnings. Speaking of which…I like your outerwear.”

  I smiled at the wispy shimmer surrounding her denim ensemble. Even if she was just humoring me, it eased the knot of tension behind my ribs.

  “Don’t”—she took a deep breath—“make a big deal out of it.”

  “Sure, sure.” But my stupid grin earned me a frown.

  “Now you’re both doing it?” My good mood vanished with Piper’s hissed words. “We are having a serious discussion with Pina about this tonight, little brother.”

  Wow, Piper hadn’t pulled the “little brother” card in years. She eyed Quinn then me, clearly looking our shields up and down. Piper ought to be happy she could even see magic. I stood, abruptly out of patience, and hauled her off behind the motorhome.

  “Okay, Sis, listen up. If the dark things find me, they find all of us. You don’t want to go through that again. I’ve got more tricks up my sleeve now, but we can’t rely on them.” She opened her mouth, but I plunged on. “I know it’s eating you up inside, seeing but not being able to do it yourself. Well, you have to let that go. You can study all you want, but it isn’t going to put magic in your blood, and it isn’t fair to try and suppress mine just because you wish you had the ability.”

  She glared at me, outrage plain on her face and color rising to her pale cheeks. “You think I’m jealous?”

  “It’s pretty obvious.” I was done walking on eggshells. “Little brother can do something you’ve always dreamed of. Well, get over it!”

  She gaped at me, huffed a few times, and then spun on her heel to stalk back to our room. The slamming door echoed across the parking lot. The exchange didn’t sit well, but it was high time I pushed back on her little tantrums.

  Her smoke screen that the spells were somehow dangerous was ridiculous. Sheer desperation must have driven my sister to latch onto such an idea. The layers of my spell reacted to my mood, shimmering red in my Sight and tugging uncomfortably at their anchors.

  “If you’re done alienating your sister, how about lending a hand with the gear.” Quinn stood by Pioneer’s rear bump out. By the sour look on her face, she had gotten an earful of our discussion.

  “It’s not all her fault.” I didn’t want Piper’s jealousy wrecking her friendship with the bassist.

  “Don’t worry. I wasn’t thinking that at all.”

  Staging equipment and checking out the electronics took the better part of the day, but Monday night was ours to enjoy. With plenty of daylight left, I stowed my own gear and searched for Quinn. I found her in an alcove of the theater with Manfred and Rhonda.

  “Ask Billy. He’s the lead.” Quinn flipped her hair and laughed.

  I realized she had to make nice with Double-M Records, but the hair thing was a bit much. The entire group headed back downtown for an early dinner. Somehow, I ended up wedged between Billy—who couldn’t get enough of talking to Pina—and Randy—who drummed the table and tapped his foot until I wanted to scream.

  Throughout the appetizers and drinks, Piper stared daggers from across the table. Manfred studied Pina, the first person I’d noticed trying to puzzle out the small woman’s stature. Pina’s charms must have won out because he finally gave up and focused on Quinn. I shot my own glares at the manager as he smiled and joked with the woman I was supposed to be charming.

  The miserable dinner finally ended with a miserable walk back to the arts center. The fact everyone laughed and told stories didn’t help my mood. Quinn ate up Manfred’s attention, not even bothering to push him away when he laid an oh-so-casual arm across her shoulders to show her something on his phone. It took the lech a good two minutes to break the contact, and even then he huddled so close you would have thought they were a couple. Even Pina pissed me off, which was a rare thing.

  “There’s something wrong with this.” The tiny woman’s hand gesture encompassed me from head to foot, following the billowing outline of my spell. “And these.” She stabbed a finger at my three anchor points.

  The yellow streetlights were already crimson through the veil around me, and having the sprite criticizing my spell drove everything a shade darker. Piper kept her distance, walking with Randy and Jinx at the front of our procession.

  “Did my sister send you to lecture me? There’s nothing wrong with using a little magic. There can’t be.”

  “Piper?” The sprite’s green eyes grew wide. “That’s a different discussion. I just think there’s something strange about this particular working. Did He show it to you?”

  The emphasis on the pronoun meant Koko. Even though they were having problems, she still revered the old spirit.

  “The basics. But I worked out how to add layers. It works just fine.”

  “Sure it does, but this outer layer anchored here…” she stood on tippy toes and pointed at the crown of my head. “Should not jump and jitter. You want the Tokpela to flow smoothly with your movements.”

  I’d grown used to my spell constantly shifting like a parachute caught in a crosswind. Right now, that chaotic activity matched my mood. I knew Pina meant well but was in no frame of mind to hold a rational discussion on spell design even if the others were too far away to hear.

  “Let’s just walk,” I said and put my feet into motion. “We can discuss this later.”

  Pina having an axe to grind officially put me at odds with every woman on the tour. I knew Piper and I would work through our current differences, but I was starting to have my doubts about Quinn. We seemed so perfect together just a few months ago. I couldn’t put my finger on what changed. The tour certainly interrupted the rhythm of our relationship, but things had gone downhill before that. Now, slimy Manfred was putting the moves on her. And of course, bitchy Rhonda and I would never see eye to eye.

  We arrived back at our rooms late. By the time Max and I returned from his evening walk, Piper was asleep and Pina half dozed on the big cushy dog-bed. She scooted over with a contented sigh at a nudge from Max. The two curled up and left me to my thoughts.

  I laid back, watched the billowing outline of my spell through half-slitted eyes, and tugged at the three anchor points. Each securely held the gathered edge of its magical layer. The one at the crown of my head felt no different than the lower ones, and I prickled in annoyance at the thought of changing it. Pina had been gone when I could have used her help. My hiding spell might not be elegant, but it worked.

  The annoyance itself is what made me reconsider. I took it as a challenge, wanting to prove there was nothing wrong with my spell design. It took some experimentation—laying there with the snoring dog—but I ended up tying off all three layers at my solar plexus. My life force chakra seemed the strongest of the anchor points and didn’t leave me feeling unbalanced like when I tried tying two layers off at heart and the third under my ribs.

  I scratched at my shoulder out of habit, but the burning itch in my paw-print tattoo had finally settled down—unlike my shields. The Tokpela still whipped about wildly, proving there was nothing to Pina’s concerns. But I’d given it a try, and the memory of her worried expression no longer had me seething. In fact, I felt a certain lightness, in spite of recent events. I blew out a contented breath, watched my spell settle in closer, and dreamed of skydiving.

  ***

  Cars and people streamed into the parking lot at noon, which was crazy since the concert didn’t start until seven. As always, B
rights and Grims dominated the early crowd, but there were so many more of the latter.

  “Tailgating!” Billy leaned out the door to my right and grinned at the curls of smoke rising from dozens of grills scattered among the cars. There were plenty of cans and bottles too, and I didn’t think they were sports drinks. “You read about this stuff, but who would have thought we’d live it?”

  “We’re going to run out of space,” I said.

  Cars not wanting to get trapped in the main lot were already finding alternate spots. A few even lined the streets running into the ruined section. The thought of patrons walking those darkened areas at night sent chills down my back.

  Billy frowned out beyond the lakeside drive, perhaps having the same thought. “Plenty of street parking, but I’ll see if Manny can get a shuttle to run downtown. There’s another big lot behind the main drag.”

  “That’s a lot of Grims.” The darkly clad fans outnumbered the rest two to one, nearly twice the normal contingent.

  “Fitting name.” Billy chuckled. “But don’t let Manny hear you say that. He slapped us down good for commenting on our unusual groupies back in California. Manny says he doesn’t care if they’re purple, as long as they pay.”

  “Sure, and he hangs with them too, if Sunday night is any indication.”

  “That was a first, not counting the mixers.” Billy scratched his beard in thought. “He and Rhonda went off again last night, though I couldn’t say where.”

  The floodgates opened at six, and I clung to my recording gear for dear life. The concert hall filled in minutes with boisterous Brights, sullen Grims, and a minority of folks not fitting either mold. There was a hard, brittle edge to this crowd. The jostling and a pair of drunks that tried to sit on the railing with their butts hanging over my mixing board might have had me a little paranoid, but I thought it was more than that.

  Anna’s friends swung by to say hello on their way down front, but Anna herself didn’t show up until minutes before show time. I almost didn’t recognize her under the heavy mascara and leather jacket. Her paisley top tipped me off, even covered by the leather and tucked into tight ripped jeans. She strode in with Dan and the big bald man that had been after her back in Idaho Falls.

  You would have thought the Grims were her body guards. They cleared a path and settled in along the rail a few rows down on my right. Anna moved languidly, gliding between the two men with her eyes half closed. The free, fluid movements I’d come to associate with her spiritual dancing took on a raw sexuality as the band launched into its first number.

  Rhythm always moved Anna, but never like this. She gyrated and slinked along the metal railing, thighs around the upright and back arched at the climax of each song. My stomach went queasy. Her escorts egged her on. As the first set ended, Dan weaseled an arm around Anna’s waist and lifted a square bottle to her lips. I abandoned my equipment and stormed over.

  “Anna, you okay?” I shouldered my way between the two, baring my teeth in the approximation of a smile. “Hey, Dan, did you catch that new number?”

  Dan scowled and screwed the cap on his bottle. I turned back to Anna, who stood with eyes closed and gyrated to the nonexistent music.

  “Anna?” I touched her shoulder.

  “What?” She blinked and looked around as though waking from a dream.

  “Let’s go find Cindy and your friends.”

  “We’re her friends, twerp.” Baldy jerked his head back at my gear. “Get lost and let the girl enjoy the show.”

  A shiver twisted my gut. I looked from Dan’s sneer to the big man’s glower. Manfred would have a cow if I got into it with his customers, but this just wasn’t right.

  “Cindy?” Anna grabbed the name like a lifeline.

  Baldy took a deliberate step forward, and my shields flared. They’d settled in tighter and been better behaved since my adjustment to the anchor points. Even though I never managed to add physical protection, the spell sensed the threat. The sudden shift to red and wild dancing made it hard to concentrate on a way out of this predicament.

  “Ed, get your ass back to your station! The next set is about to start.” Manfred stalked up the shallow stairs to glare at me with arms crossed.

  His gaze swept over the men and settled on Anna. His frown deepened as the girl’s head rolled, and her eyelids drifted closed again. I slipped an arm around her waist, worried she would fall, but she simply swayed in place. What the hell was in that bottle!

  “And escort this girl down front. There’s an empty seat by your sister on stage right.” Manfred pushed me toward the stairs. I would have slapped the jerk’s hand away if I didn’t need to hold on to Anna.

  The bald man surged forward. “No one’s gonna—”

  “Don’t.” Manfred’s silky purr brought the lumbering giant up short.

  I braced Anna against the rail, anticipating a rush. Both Grims scowled, nodded, and backed away, more worried about getting thrown out of the concert than being separated from their new acquaintance. Anna took a tentative step toward the two as they disappeared into the crowd, then let me lead her down.

  “Um…thanks,” I mumbled at the road manager.

  “Be quick about it, then get those damned tracks recording! Seems Billy is all hyped up about this live album idea.”

  Piper and Pina rushed to help as soon as they spied us. Anna sagged against me, making little moaning sounds and shivering despite her jacket and the body heat warming the hall.

  “What happened?” Piper asked.

  “She’s been partying with Grims. Took a couple good swigs from a bottle, whisky maybe.”

  “More than just alcohol.” Pina laid both hands on the girl’s forehead. “There’s something subtle underneath.”

  “Narcotics?” The last thing I wanted to see was this sweet girl addicted thanks to some shady assholes.

  “Maybe, but I don’t think so. I’ve done what I can. Her natural resistance is strong, so she should be fine. Poor baby.” Pina patted Anna’s cheek.

  Lights pulsed on stage, and the band strode back out to their stations.

  “I have to get back to work. Keep an eye on her and watch for Cindy too. Piper, you remember Mayor Baldwin’s daughter? She’s got to be here somewhere. If you see Cindy, sit on her if you have to. We don’t need another girl ending up like this.”

  I managed to set up just in time for Randy to lead in the next number. The crowd cheered and danced, but I stewed as the A-Chords played. Anna was my friend. Heck, I liked her whole crew, discounting Dan of course. The Brights were upbeat young people who lit up the room with their outgoing nature and cheerful attitudes. The Grims were a wet blanket pulling the vibe of each performance ever lower. Piper agreed. Even the band felt it from onstage. And Manfred’s damned mixers gave them hooks into decent folks like Anna.

  Diversity is wonderful, but as I took inventory of the Grims’ dark attire, it became apparent they had snaked into nearly every group of Brights. I imagined the cheery knots of color fading, the bright eager eyes going half-lidded like Anna’s.

  I blinked when the music abruptly cut off. Jinx waved from behind Pete’s sculpture, set his mic back in its cradle, and followed the band off stage. The roar from the crowd was deafening, and I jumped to mute my pickups.

  “Blown Fuses…Blown Fuses.” The chant was picked up by more voices until the entire place was calling for the A-Chords’ latest single.

  The house lights dimmed and Jinx’s guitar picked out the opening notes from offstage. Cheers rose up drawing the band back out for the rock ballad. Yes! This was their first time performing the song on tour. I brought the dials back up and watched my meters like a hawk.

  “Blown Fuses” and two more encores finally satisfied the stubborn crowd. I rushed through breakdown and got my recordings into Rhonda’s disapproving clutches before looking for the girls. Forgoing the VIP session, I headed back to the room. My instincts were spot on. Anna slept on my sister’s bed while Piper and Pina sat under the tangl
e of piping with Max.

  “How’s she doing?” I whispered and tiptoed across the small room.

  “Fine,” Piper said. “Don’t worry about waking her. Pina did some hocus pocus to help her rest.”

  I gaped at my sister’s grin and wiggling fingers. So it was fine for the sprite to do magic, but not her own brother. I swallowed that thought and turned to Pina.

  “Did you figure out what’s wrong with her? She looked half dazed back at the show. Really bizarre.”

  “It’s hard to say.” Pina scratched absently behind Max’s ear, setting his back right leg to kicking. “It could be just a human drug, but I think magic was used to accentuate her response. This isn’t my specialty. I gave her some calming herbs and a little supportive healing. Like you, the girl has strong defenses to purge whatever is left in her. She should awake refreshed at sunrise.”

  “Her friends will be worried.”

  “No problem.” Piper waved a dismissive hand. “We ran into Aarav and his buddies. They know Anna’s in good hands. Still no sign of Cindy though. That has them nervous.”

  “We should all be worried. These Grims are out of control. The Brights need to be on guard if they’re pulling shit like this. Drugging innocent girls? C’mon!”

  “Brights?” Pina cocked her head, then giggled. “Oh, I see it! They all dress so pretty, plus they’re fun!” She hugged Max and rocked with the confused but happy dog.

  “The Grims are trouble.” I knew it in my core. Maybe not all of them, but two for sure.

  “Your…Brights just need to watch out for themselves.” Pina released my poor dog and pointed up at me. “You wouldn’t be taken in by these meanies and their potions. The others are not as strong, but should still be fine. We’ll just let them know what’s happened and to be watchful.”

  “Good.” I nodded, then scratched my head at her odd choice of words. “Don’t compare them to me. We need to make sure normal people can shrug off this magically enhanced drug.”

  “But they are like you.” Pina shrugged and gathered up Mr. Rabbit for a throw. “You’re just the first, so more powerful.”