Strange Omens

by Jim Stein

  “Pina never came back last night.” Piper greeted us at the door.

  “She’ll turn up,” I said.

  Quinn glared at me, confirming my earlier assessment of her disposition. I bit my tongue and slipped a foil-wrapped chocolate to Ralph. The imp sat on Max’s flank. For once the pair occupied the floor between beds instead of crowding Anna. I scratched Max’s ears and raised an eyebrow at my sister.

  “She got hot last night, sweats and chills. But better today?” Piper directed the last at Anna who sat in bed playing cards.

  “Much.” Anna grinned up from her solitaire game. “I’d love to walk into town.”

  “Concert’s not until tonight. I could take you,” Quinn said.

  “We can all go.” I wanted the Bright well protected on her first big outing.

  Quinn scowled, then her eyebrows knitted together as if my comment was a puzzle. I opened my mouth to ask what was so confusing, but her attention drifted to the blank wall on her left. Then she examined the nightstand, eyes swinging from side to side as though watching insects zip by.

  The nightstand was empty, but a shadow played across Quinn’s blue top. I squinted, slipping into my magical sight. A thin wisp of power coiled around her, shifting and probing at the faint nimbus of her shield. With each pass, the snake-like cord poked and prodded. I looked to the girl on the bed, so much improved. Only a single anemic cord remained latched to her.

  “Do you see it?” I detached myself from the menagerie on the floor.

  “It…wants me.” Quinn’s gaze tracked the end of the cord.

  I pushed a tentative thread of Spirit at the thing. My power passed right through, but the shadow whipped toward me, raising high to strike. A gray blur bounced from floor to bed and arced in front of me. Ralph swiped at the tendril with his stone knife. The shadow fell back toward Anna, but the little guy followed, forcing it away from the girl.

  Power moved behind the imp’s attack, seeping out from behind a veil similar to my Tokpela. An acrid scent marked each half-seen flash of energy as he slashed. Seeing the encounter through broken bits of vision reminded me of the time I had peered into Kokopelli’s realm, looking through the very air itself.

  The shadow grew indistinct as he harried it toward the window. One last swipe and a terrifying hiss sent it slithering back along itself to disappear through the curtains. Fangs bared and still hissing the imp spun. His beady eyes locked on mine. I looked to Quinn, but she simply shrugged. Then I got it.

  “Good boy, Ralph.” I crossed and patted the imp’s back.

  He leaned into the contact, much like Max did. I found myself rubbing his taut shoulder. He was hard skin and sinew, not terribly pleasant to touch, but he appreciated the praise—doubly so when I fished another chocolate from my pocket. Sooner or later Billy would figure out I was the one raiding his stash.

  “Can he do that for the other one?” Quinn asked.

  “Not once it’s attached.” I’d bet on that. “He doesn’t even seem to see that one.”

  Piper gaped at us with raised eyebrows. Quinn, Anna, and I had tracked the fight. My sister’s head was chock full, but she didn’t have magic in her blood—didn’t have the Sight. I explained the exchange we just witnessed, concluding with how Ralph couldn’t sense the binding that still fed on the girl.

  Piper eyed the imp, then dove into her notes and portable library. I waited, but she didn’t appear to be coming up for air anytime soon. Ralph polished off his treat and swaggered over to flop down next to the dog, clearly proud of himself.

  “He did good.” Anna pushed up with one hand on the headboard to steady her swaying.

  “Sure did. You really up to walking?” I shrugged at her nod and offered my arm. “Piper, you coming?”

  My sister gave us a grunt and absent wave, too preoccupied with whatever lead she followed.

  “Well, at least make sure Max gets out this afternoon.” I ruffled his furry head, then had to do the same for Ralph’s bat ears, earning a contented yawn as the imp dropped into his post-sugar coma. I tucked the blanket over them and slid Mr. Rabbit between the two. “Hey, you got him fixed.”

  The bunny’s head and arm had been expertly sewn. In fact, the toy was cleaned and fluffed so it looked like new.

  “We thought you did that.” Anna shrugged on a bright red and blue jacket decorated with bold geometric shapes. “Piper noticed it last night.”

  The three of us headed into town. Compared to the snacks I’d been grabbing, a full meal sounded great. The next training session with the Brights wasn’t scheduled until one, but we could be a little late. Shawn and Trinity would get everyone started on their lessons.

  Quinn and I stripped off our coats halfway to town, but Anna clung to hers and shivered.

  “I’m fine. It’s good to be outside.” She laughed at my concern.

  Lunch and fresh air helped clear my head. I couldn’t bring myself to worry that the Grims still avoided our bistro. The sun shone bright and burned away the morning cold. The wonderful food turned us all happy and content.

  “I’d rather take a nap than train,” I said as we paid.

  “Wouldn’t that be nice, but duty calls.” Quinn stretched and stood.

  Too true. Plus, I needed to warn the Brights about the road manager’s involvement. There hadn’t been any VIP mixers since the band started free concerts, but it was time to put a moratorium on attending those in Indianapolis. Keeping to groups and avoiding the man’s efforts to push Grims at Koko’s children would take a bite out of his plans.

  “I like Ralph, but what is he?” Anna asked as we strolled along the water.

  “An imp,” I replied. “He was drawn to my magic, but we’ve got no idea where he comes from.”

  “I wish he could talk.”

  Anna swung through the bollards along the lake walk, alternatively throwing out her left and right hand to skip between the barriers. She had much more energy than earlier, but I noticed her shadow binding had also strengthened. Though weaker, it still pulled energy, and I worried Anna would grow worse if a permanent cure wasn’t found.

  “Listen. What’s that?” Quinn’s taut voice interrupted my thoughts.

  Distant yells sounded from the far side of the arts center, over near our practice rooms. We jogged toward the commotion as people and smoke spilled out through the double doors. My first thought was someone’s spell had gone awry. Aarav stumbled out, his shirt hanging in tatters.

  “What happened?” I asked as we ran over.

  “Grims took them.” Aarav coughed between ragged gasps.

  Magic pulsed in the open doorway. Shawn and Trinity backed out, throwing Spirit and Fire into the building, buying others time to stream out and collapse on the grass. Anna stayed with Aarav as Quinn and I raced forward, spells crackling across our fingers.

  “We couldn’t stop them.” Shawn sagged to the ground.

  Trinity’s eyes streamed. No surprise as gray smoke still billowed out. I poked my head inside. One section of bleachers smoked and smoldered. The room was empty, except for a column of stone that rose in the center of our practice area. The Earthen sentinel cast its golden gaze our direction, but its portal had already closed. I rushed forward as it faded from sight.

  “Little help!” Quinn sent water from the drinking fountain out in a fine spray to douse the bleachers.

  I spun Spirit into a swirling wind to contain the smoke and steam so she could see what she was doing. We soon had the minor fire out and went to find answers.

  “When you didn’t show, we started practice like always.” Aarav still leaned on Anna.

  “I gathered a small group to work with Earth.” Shawn said. “You know, showing them how to reach into stone and metal. We experimented on debris from the parking lot when all of a sudden this presence under the floor pulled at our spells. Everyone felt it, like when you cast Earth, except this sucked magic away.

  “The next thing we knew, a mini-cliff stood in the center of the room. Its rock
face swung open and those Grims poured out, the ones that look like demons. They grabbed a team working fire and hauled them through the doorway. More spilled though. That’s when Trinity and I started firing off spells.”

  “It’s true. Those things grabbed Jill and Nate, but didn’t like getting toasted and pelted by these two.” Aarav jerked a thumb at Shawn and Trinity. “The rest of us were just sort of stunned. They hauled six away that I saw.”

  “Don’t let my man Aarav fool you.” Shawn shook his head. “He went hand to hand on their asses. Some form of martial arts. Demons went flying!”

  I looked to the other man, and he gave me a weary smile. It explained his torn clothes and the scrapes and bruises on his arms and face.

  “Aikido. They’re strong, but have poor balance.” Aarav shrugged. “Didn’t do much good.”

  “Hell it didn’t,” Trinity broke in. “Gave us time to mount a counter attack and for everyone to get the hell out.”

  “Ed?” Shawn turned hesitant. “Pina was in there behind the rock doorway.”

  “What! You sure?” How could that be?

  “I felt her. A sort of clean presence amid the darkness that swirled out from the far side. Caught a glimpse of green eyes on a small figure chained to something horrific.”

  I sat down hard in the grass. Images of Pina swirled through my head, so full of life and curiosity. She couldn’t survive chained in the dark like an animal.

  “It’s war.” Quinn’s hand fell onto my shoulder, but all I could do was nod.

  26. To War

  “H

  OW DO we get her back?” That was the question of the hour, but I didn’t do any favors by voicing it.

  “We have to find that doorway,” Quinn said.

  We sat in the RV, working on a plan. The situation was unraveling. The Grims could pop up wherever they liked, and numbers weren’t a defense anymore. We organized the Brights into four groups with at least one magically strong person in each. The others armed themselves as best they could with makeshift weapons, but it seemed a weak counter to the well-organized Grims. We still didn’t know if we were dealing with just a handful or every sour patron that flocked to the show.

  “If it’s made of Earth, you should be able to sense it.” Piper held up her data pad. “The elements call to each other.”

  “It’s pure Earth,” I said. “I tried a Spirit seeking but got nothing.”

  “There has to be a way.”

  “Um, I don’t know if this helps.” Anna stopped playing with the side table and bit her lower lip as everyone turned. “It pulls at me here.” She touched her sternum. “I can’t feel it now, but I did when we were near the fire.”

  “Curious.” Piper walked over to examine the girl. “Ed, what exactly do you see? If it leads back to the doorway or something beyond the door, can you trace it?”

  “It’s a hopeless jumble.” Harder to make out now that the binding was weakened, but it still snaked back upon itself to disappear into her aura like a Gordian knot. Just as I gave up, a faint impression caught my eye where Anna had tapped her chest. “That might be something.”

  The shadow stretched off through the wall, so faint I would have missed it if not for the white tabletop providing contrast. I grabbed a paper from the stack by the radio and held the bright white sheet behind the snaking shadow.

  “Wow, that’s subtle.” Quinn hunched over and peered close. “It’s going to be near impossible to follow.

  “We’ll rig up something,” I said. “Are you game, Anna?”

  ***

  “You can’t help me?” Manny gaped at his assistant, unable to believe his ears.

  “We don’t question the company.” Rhonda shrugged in her ever-present, don’t-give-a-shit way.

  “I’m not asking you to betray them, just for a contact among the higher-ups.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, Leif is the company.”

  Rhonda’s features grew sharp and angular, a trace of her true self showing through the glamour. Manny didn’t know precisely what kind of creature lurked behind the illusion. But he suspected it was something nastier than he himself. That should not matter, damn it. There’s a hierarchy.

  “I insist.” He watched the woman’s eyes glint with tightly coiled fire. “Have the name and number for me tomorrow. Include a short bio so I have a frame of reference.”

  She looked like she might argue further, then simply shrugged. “Your funeral, boss.”

  Rhonda smirked her way out of the room without waiting to be dismissed, another slight against his supposed authority. When this assignment came up, he’d wondered about the qualifications of his assigned assistant. More and more, it looked like she was handpicked and in Leif’s pocket. The woman would do what Manny asked and, more than likely, rat him out in the process. Surviving court politics this long hadn’t been by luck or being complacent. Manny grabbed his jacket. It was high-time to pull a couple of ringleaders up by their shorthairs and get answers.

  He found big Jim holed up in a deserted bank vault, struggling to reestablish his glamour. The ghoul’s body plumped out to again fill the dark clothing, but the face was giving him problems. With these creatures size had little to do with strength. The smallest ghoul could easily hurl a full-grown man across the street. This particular creature’s lack of respect concerned him more than its physical prowess. Manny sighed while Jim caught his breath. He hated doing everything the hard way.

  “You’re such a rube. Stick to your prancing displays and let us get on with the real work. Stupid half-breed.” Jim shook his head. Spittle and blood flecked the rusting safe-deposit boxes along one wall. The motion spun the office chair to which Manny had him bound. “When I—”

  Manny jerked the cord wrapped around Jim’s neck, cutting him off. Always the hard way.

  ***

  “One more block, Supermutt.” Piper tugged Max’s leash, leading our procession down another side street.

  He did look like a superhero. The faint shadow cord only just showed up against the white bedsheet fanning out behind my dog. Quinn shone a light on the material, dialing up the contrast a notch. Anna walked in the middle of our odd procession, but no one had come up with anything better.

  “Veer left,” I said. “That’s it, now straight on.”

  The thread of power didn’t mind running straight through buildings and forcing us to go around. Shawn ranged ahead with two scouts, helping us detour around isolated pockets of Grims. Our convoluted path had us plodding through the streets for over an hour and daylight was dwindling.

  “If the shadows get much darker…” Quinn let the sentence trail off.

  “I think we’re here.” Piper pointed ahead to where bronze glinted atop a hill of rubble.

  The door nestled in the corner of a collapsing high-rise. Broken floors and rebar jutted from interior hallways, ribs of the old concrete structure. We skirted a similar building that somehow avoided the crumbling fate of its neighbor. The tendril was thicker now and easier to see in the dwindling light. It stretched from the girl, ran up the slope of debris, and disappeared into the bottom edge of the door.

  “Tugging…hard.” Anna clutched her chest.

  When she took an involuntary step forward, Piper pulled Max over and pushed the Bright down to sit with him. Even if it didn’t help mitigate the pull, petting Max gave her something else to focus on.

  “This is it,” I said. “Keep down while I try a spell.”

  I stepped away from the others and reached for music. Piper and I had discussed the peculiarities of an elemental creature. The thing was invisible to Spirit and we assumed invulnerable to Fire. That left Earth, or Water if Quinn gave it a shot. The entry spell the Grims tried was unfamiliar, yet slow and deliberate like the music I paired with Earth magic. Words would get in the way, so I went pure instrumental. “Orion” by Metallica provided a steady rhythm and clean lead guitar for the spell.

  I would knock my spell on the door, a routine request for entry.
Nothing special, no one of note. Boredom stretched across the millennia as small beings came and went. Always the same faceless workers trudging through life. Never a problem—just tedious duty.

  I wrapped those thoughts around our group, drew upon the music, and released my spe—air burst from my lungs as someone slammed into me from behind. My magic broke from its musical anchor. I scrambled to ground the spell before it backlashed, then rounded on my attacker with fists raised. His hand blurred out and slapped the inside of my elbows. Both hands went numb as if I’d smacked my funny bone. Max growled and lunged, but flew through empty space. Fingers wrapped around my neck, and something hard stabbed my back.

  “Call off the dog.” I knew that voice.

  “It’s okay, boy. Piper, hold Max.”

  The pressure eased as my sister calmed the dog.

  “Are you insane?” Manfred asked as he shoved me away.

  “I’m not the one attacking people!”

  My face grew hot, and I was grateful for the long shadows. Not only had he gotten the drop on me, the man overpowered me way too easily. I hadn’t even seen him sidestep Max. More evidence Manfred wasn’t what he seemed.

  “Touch that creature with elemental magic—” He jabbed a finger at the door, then clenched his hand into a fist. “Just touch it, and all hell will break loose. Elementals can’t be tricked.”

  “What the hell, Manny?” Quinn flung her hands up.

  She still wanted to believe the road manager had nothing to do with the Grims. Her eyes pleaded for him to provide some rational explanation.

  “I told you he’s in on it.” I stepped between Manfred and the women. “Leave Anna and her friends alone.”

  “Seriously? I just saved you from a world of hurt.”