Strange Omens

by Jim Stein

  “Yep, soon as she gets a break from watching Anna.”

  The recommendation chafed, but I had to admit my sister technically knew a lot more about the magic. She couldn’t talk to sensing power or using music as a focus, but she collected a ton of information that might be useful in directing the Brights. If I was honest with myself, a little refresher wouldn’t do me any harm either.

  “Ed, question!” a man called from the floor.

  I sighed and scanned the room. A heavyset, thirty-something man with russet hair held up a tentative hand. I gave him the one minute gesture. Quinn was right. A breakthrough could be way down the road or never come at all. This was just the second session, and they were already running me ragged. How did school teachers do it? Do not instruct them. Tia’s words came back with a spike of anxiety. There might be hell to pay.

  “Remind me to tell you about the chat I had with the goddess of peaceful death.” That knocked the wry expression off Quinn’s face as I headed to help Stan—or was it Shawn?

  At the end of the session, I expected grumbling and complaints, but the Brights filed out amid excited whispers and smiles. Several high-fives were aimed my way and left me with a warm feeling despite our lack of progress.

  Quinn didn’t like the goddess showing up any more than I did. We talked it over with Pina after the concert. She knew of the Neutral Council and promised to dig up more information on Tia. Max’s calming influence left the sprite time to look for answers on Anna’s condition and my unexpected visitor.

  The week became a blur of unfruitful practice sessions and failed attempts to contact New Philly. Thursday’s freebie show was well received, and for a change wasn’t a constant push-pull between Brights and Grims. Most of Milwaukee turned out at the park. I gave up trying to count the lawn-chair-toting blue-hairs that hobbled out to claim their patch of grass an hour before show time. The afternoon venue suited their schedule, and the music seemed to pleasantly surprise a few.

  The Brights filled our multi-purpose room after dinner. I pulled Quinn into a corner to swap notes. She focused on those struggling with Spirit and left me to work with Fire and Earth. Unfortunately, her group’s progress was no better than my own.

  “Nearly nine,” I said. “Almost time to call it a night.”

  “I can’t make all three sessions tomorrow.” Quinn consulted her portable. “Manny wants Billy and me to go over travel plans at lunch, and the band’s rehearsing the new Indianapolis numbers after dinner. I’ll be here in the morning though.”

  “No problem. Billy has the drum tracks for Indy.” I’d managed to get some work done. “But I’ve got nothing on those two new numbers.”

  “We’ll probably just end up repurposing—” A yell from the floor cut her off.

  “Yes! Did you see that?” Shawn bounced on his knees, pumped his fist, and then buried his face in his hands.

  Others gathered around, and several slapped the older man on the back in congratulations. Quinn and I hurried over. Claude scooped a small brown feather off the floor and carried it back with reverence.

  “What happened?” I wanted to get this straight from Shawn rather than second hand.

  “The feather shot off.” Sweat glistened on his round face, but he grinned hugely, eyes wide with wonder. “Straight to my left shoe.”

  I looked down at that odd comment. Sure enough, a tan boat-shoe jutted from his right pant leg and a cheerful argyle sock from the left. His other shoe lay ten feet away.

  “What did you feel?”

  “A sort of…pulling in here.” Shawn jabbed a thumb at his sternum, then wiped his face. “When my feather hit the shoe, it echoed. I kind of got double vision for a second and saw my shoe both on my foot and sitting empty on the floor.

  That sounded like the echo I got back when I finally found my sister, though I’d received an image of Piper bedraggled and scribbling notes. Not knowing Shawn’s exact relationship with his footwear made it hard to predict what a completed seeking spell should “look” like.

  “Hell, I’d call that a success.” I stuck out my hand.

  Shawn shook it absently, still smiling and dazed like a kid gawking at toy store shelves. That one success toppled barriers like dominoes. Nine o’clock came and went, but no wanted to stop. I couldn’t blame them. The second breakthrough hit at ten followed quickly by a third. Callouts peppered the evening up to midnight.

  Only a few managed to replicate Shawn’s feather trick. Others pushed out the ghost of an illusion or managed a flickering spark or touch of healing with Fire. No one touched on Earth, and about half the Brights still hadn’t connected to the magic when I insisted we stop. Ralph perched on my shoulder, plowing through yet another bag of marshmallows. He hissed and danced as protests rose from around the room, or maybe he was just hyper from the sugar. Either way, I winced as claws pricked through my shirt.

  “Get some rest,” I told the room. “We’ll do more in the morning. If you handled an element today, be especially mindful. There is always a cost. You may develop a headache or feel drained. Be sure to eat something and sleep.”

  Piper would be proud I thought to warn them. They weren’t casting full spells as much as making that first, tenuous connection to their power. I wouldn’t bet on any of them being able to do much, but then neither had I in the beginning.

  My latest stunt of shaking the ground had been an instinctive move, simply slamming all I could into the vision of knocking that truck aside. Despite Piper’s concerns over the costs, practice and repetition put me at ease with the magic and increased what I could achieve. If the same principle applied to the Brights, they should be able to learn enough to stay safe.

  “Wanna get some coffee?” I asked Quinn.

  “At this hour?” She graced me with her patented wintery look, a throwback to our early days of banter that made me miss the closeness.

  “You’re right.” My ears grew warm. The time we spent working together was great, but on a personal level not much was going on. “Maybe a walk down to the water?”

  “Another time. It’s late.” She looked at the clock and edged her way toward the exit. “See you in the morning. Okay?”

  “Sure, have a good night.”

  The excitement of the evening drained away in a rush. I sagged against the block wall, getting a startled chirp from the imp on my shoulder. Quinn wasn’t so much drifting away anymore as standing on the opposite bank. An invisible barrier had dropped between us, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

  At least Ralph was happy to accompany me down to the lake, especially after I slipped him a fun-sized candy bar. We ran into Piper and Max. Max whined and strained at the end of his leash. My sister hauled back and was slowly dragged toward the bushes.

  “He’s either going to explode or come up with a deer!” she called breathlessly upon spotting us.

  “Max, sit!” I hauled him back by the collar.

  My dog outweighs a lot of people, so it’s a good thing he has a mild temperament. Some dogs would have taken my hand off for daring to manhandle them like that. Max didn’t do the alpha thing. He gazed at the underbrush, more ignoring me than fighting. Once I got his attention he grudgingly brushed the grass with his butt in what I had to admit was technically a sit.

  Ralph jumped from my shoulder to Max, grabbed his collar in both hands, and bobbed up and down looking for all the world like a tiny supernatural jockey.

  “Ralph, don’t encourage him,” Piper said. “What’s gotten into him?”

  “Marshmallows and candy. At least, that’s what’s in Ralph. Who knows about Max? If he’s done his thing, I’ll help get him back to the room.”

  You would have thought I pulled that stubborn dog away from a juicy T-bone. He danced in place, only reluctantly giving ground and gazing longingly out across the grass. The imp kept trying to coax my dog into a run, but finally calmed down when Max’s nails clicked on the cement.

  “Does sugar-free candy exist?” I asked Piper as we got t
he pair settled.

  ***

  Uktena gazed out from among the low branches, his serpent senses registering heat signatures absent in dragon form. The boy hauled his dog away, but the animal’s excitement and disappointment vibrated down the bond. Coils sank into the leaf litter as a slow exhalation traveled the length of his lung. The cool night made him lethargic, an odd contrast to the animal’s energetic attempt to approach. Frantic prey was familiar, though it was usually desperate to escape.

  The regret was a new twist that had Uktena’s tongue flicking out to taste the animal’s scent and savor its clueless audacity. This ridiculous creature had sat on his foot and leaned against death incarnate—more than once! Stupid, juicy morsel.

  His heartbeat slowed further in response to the dropping temperature. That furry warmth would be welcome right now in spite of the canine’s lolling tongue and foolish grin. It would be nice to doze without hibernation niggling at the edge of his senses.

  Uktena shook off the languid thoughts and focused on the problem at hand. The boy ignored the council’s warning. Sparks of elemental magic blossomed within the human building. Not just one; many people touched the forces of nature. Tia would not be pleased. The goddess would not act directly because to do so contradicted the council’s sacred principles. That aspect of his current alignment rankled. Avoiding conflict and refusing to take action were not in his nature. Yet neither could he abide the malevolent forces sowing destruction and chaos for their own aggrandizement. Uktena certainly wasn’t opposed to killing. There was no denying the thrill of the hunt, but that was different.

  The loosely aligned forces of light weren’t much better. Always so self-righteous and imposing their morals on others. Given half a chance, they would wipe out the dark leaving no balance and a dangerous void. Kokopelli strayed from both camps, perhaps no longer of the Light, which would little mourn the humans as long as their disappearance weakened the dark. On one level Uktena respected the prankster. A great hunter thrived in solitude, keeping his own council. Only the coming storm forced Uktena to take a position into which he did not fit particularly well.

  No, Tia would not act, but she would have him slithering around the edges, tasting the air, and whispering in the dark. The boy should have just left well enough alone. Uktena took one last lungful of night air and sent his awareness coursing down the bond. The humans settled in for the night, and the dog rested again with the distraught girl, warm and comfy. The third-world imp remained beyond his senses, an enigma for it to even be here. Uktena hissed out a sigh and turned away to make his report.

  22. Sibling Rivalry

  T HE FIRE blazed hotter than ever before, and leafy branches reached far into the beleaguered clearing. Koko played his flute as the scene materialized. Short, brittle tones flew from his instrument; the notes gathered in frantic passages as if the old spirit mashed multiple tunes together. He dashed between musical bars like a circus plate-spinner attending to each dish just before it smashed to the ground. The haunting echo and reverberations were absent, leaving the music flat and two dimensional, its vitality dampened by the encroaching forest.

  “Speak.” Koko only paused a moment in his playing.

  A lot had happened, but I started with the worst. “A cat-creature with command of Water killed Randy.” He motioned me to continue, his music growing softer. “I was following the Grims when it attacked. They stole Anna away again, but I managed to get her back.” I hesitated, suddenly self-conscious. “I think one of them recognized me.”

  Koko brought his schizophrenic music to a close, deftly weaving the disparate phrases into a complex finale that throbbed once with power and a hint of the echoing sadness the old flute usually produced. He lowered the instrument as though it were made of lead instead of delicate wood.

  I described how Randy killed the creature as the mud rose up to smother him, our problems with Anna, and everything else I could cram into a lungful of explanation.

  “Though formidable, an underwater panther should not bother humans in their cities. Perhaps this Manfred called it and the Grims.” His black eyes glinted hard as coal.

  “The half-burnt cat attacked back home before I’d ever met the guy. The Grims are out of control, but I don’t know what to make of Manfred. He actually helped me with Anna last time.” I was tired of defending the jerk. “To top it all off, Uktena and Tia showed up warning me to stay out of things.” I described the odd encounter, let slip that Ralph showed up, and hurried on trying to make Koko understand. “Your kids are scared. Some have gone missing or started hanging with the Grims. And they all have at least a glimmer of magic. I’m training them.”

  “The council will see that as interfering, though I thought Uktena would have better sense. Many pieces are in motion. At this point, your imp is of little consequence. Your heavy use of the Earth element calls to him.” He gave a wry smile and swept his gaze around the clearing, which had grown noticeably smaller during our conversation. “Be frugal with Earth, we need not accelerate things. I am pleased you instruct your siblings.” A predatory smile stretched his mouth, giving his features a sharp, hungry appearance. “I have something for you.”

  ***

  I awoke sweating, nauseous, and unable to shake the images Koko unleashed. Hell, they were burned into my brain. Not exactly new spells, but subtle ways to use the elements that made my stomach churn. Piercing a person’s aura with Spirit in just the right way could change their behavior and thoughts. Touching critical spots in the body with Fire or Earth wreaked havoc. This was deadly magic. Early on the old man ignored my pleas for combative spells. Now, he threw things at me I didn’t want. Something had changed.

  Worse was imagining the Brights using those techniques. This was mystic judo, applying the smallest bit of power to the greatest effect. God, an unbalanced person with the slightest ability could go on a killing spree and never be caught. What was Koko thinking? I needed a shower, a really hot one…and to find Quinn.

  I stopped by Piper’s room before our morning practice. My dream had me so off balance I hadn’t taken time to wonder where Ralph disappeared to during the night. The women found him snuggling with Max and Anna.

  “He sees a fight coming,” Quinn said after I recapped the true dream.

  Pina ran Anna through relaxation exercises while Ralph counted the sweet bits he’d stolen from everyone’s cereal.

  “I guess. But we’re the good guys, and this stuff is vile. I mean, who would we use it on?”

  Although the concept of doing more with less did make sense. The Brights’ command of the elements varied. We were still feeling things out, but I suspected most had little power.

  “Fight fire with fire?” Quinn didn’t sound convinced. “At least he doesn’t want to snuff Ralph anymore!”

  “What?” Pina cried, appearing next to the surprised imp and crushing him in a protective hug. “Take that back. My lord would never hurt Ralphy.”

  “I doubt he meant it.” I hadn’t realized the sprite followed our discussion. She glared daggers at me, sensing the lie in my words. “Well…to be honest, he never said exactly what he would do with Ralph.”

  “Why is He doing this?” Her lovely face scrunched up in anguish.

  “Koko said pieces are in motion. It must have to do with his plans.”

  “Fwahh!” The syllable full of frustration reverberated through the room, blowing out light bulbs, ruffling the curtains, and beating against my suddenly rippling shields.

  I watched the Tokpela billow and clash with the power in the distraught sprite’s exclamation. I steadied my spell, cinching down the anchor as you might gather shut a wriggling sack of snakes.

  Movement caught at the edge of my magical sight. Something similar swelled and surged around Anna. The fleeting impression wasn’t of material surrounding the girl, but rather a pair of undulating coils. I didn’t get a clear view, only dark shadows that left me blinking and wondering if it had been a trick of the exploding lights.

/>   “Oh, that was unexpected.” Pina crossed to Anna’s bed. “Let me work.”

  Quinn and I were happy to oblige. The Brights would be gathering for their lesson anyway. Ralph edged toward the door, eyeing Pina with an unreadable expression. Pina’s tongue jutted out from the side of her grin as she examined the girl, making me wonder if all spirits were bipolar.

  We spent the morning attempting to determine the extent of each Bright’s power. Shawn and Trinity turned out to be the heavy hitters of the group. Both proved strong in Spirit and one other element, Earth for Shawn and Fire for Trinity. Claude finally managed to grasp a bit of Spirit and get his feather to reluctantly skitter a few inches.

  “That’s it, man!” Claude beamed, undaunted by the miniscule magic he mustered and how long the questionable feat took. “What a rush.”

  “Your echo?” I asked.

  “Mom’s apple pie. I can taste the spicy tartness. And the smell.” He sighed and pointed to the far wall. “She lives out in Sacramento.”

  In line with his arm, the feather had traveled the first six inches of the two thousand miles between the Bright and his mom. No one else thought of selecting a target outside the room, let alone across country. I marveled at Claude’s enthusiasm over his small success. He was the weakest so far and would be the best candidate to test a developing theory.

  “I want you to work on a special project with me while the others practice.”

  Brights paired off during the evening session to work spells, Fire for healing, Spirit for seeking, and Earth to manipulate minerals. I knew what music worked best with each spell, but not everyone had spent their youth crawling through the ruins in search of old songs. Since we weren’t all versed in the classics, I listed the A-Chords’ tunes appropriate for each exercise. Matching music to magic provided them a huge advantage over how I’d bumbled along trying to figure out what worked.

  Independent study continued through Thursday afternoon while I worked with Claude. Constructing a subtle spell with significant impact was a challenge. I certainly didn’t want to put the kind of thoughts into his head that Koko graced me with, but I needed something along those lines—understated and undetectable magic with big impact. The fact Claude only seemed capable of Spirit compounded the issue. A little Earth could easily disrupt mechanical systems, but what could we do with Spirit? It took a while, but we finally got there.