Strange Omens

by Jim Stein

  The bear backed around, putting himself between the group and the nearest building. I made my way over to Max, but thoughts of getting him on his feet died when I saw his crushed chest and the dark glimmer of blood oozing from his gaping mouth.

  I knelt with him in the debris, vaguely aware of my throbbing arm and the broken stone digging into my knees. Goofy, wonderful Max, gone in the blink of an eye. I looked through bleary vision at the dark creature that extinguished joy and life so carelessly. Why?

  A thick shadow slid down the broken stairs behind the monster. More and more of it slithered from the building to encircle the bear. By the time the thing from beyond the door noticed, three-foot-thick coils wrapped its waist.

  The bear threw up an arm, blocking the giant snake’s first strike. Fangs sank into the upraised arm. Quick as lightning, the serpent drew back and flashed forward again, this time driving the long horns atop its massive head into the beast’s shoulder.

  The scene dissolved into chaos. Enemies broke and ran as the horned serpent’s tail smashed a ghoul into paste. Dwain pushed the Brights toward the hostel while the little folk regrouped to cover their retreat. Max wavered and blurred in my vision, hot tears giving the illusion he still breathed. I pushed to my feet and numbly stumbled toward the hostel.

  A yank on my ankle stopped me. Ralph held fast to my pant leg, refusing to let go when I tried again to step away. The imp was cut and bruised, but clung tight.

  “He’s gone, Ralph. Let’s see if we can do something useful.”

  Still the imp refused to budge. He pulled me toward the bronze door. I shuffled awkwardly, looking back over my shoulder. The bear bit down just behind Uktena’s neck, needle teeth grating against iridescent green scales. The old serpent’s unexpected aid would be short-lived. But he arched his neck at an impossible angle, drove the tip of a horn into the bear’s face, and opened a gash along one cheek. The two broke apart, circling and heedless of the smaller beings that scurried for safety.

  Magic streamed from the doorway to bolster the bear, my friend’s essence draining away. Ralph was right. I needed to get to Pina before it was too late. And Quinn was in there somewhere.

  I reached for the imp and bit off a scream as bright pain lanced down my left arm. I stood panting and probed my shoulder with Fire. My upper arm was fractured. There was no time to do a proper healing, so I pushed the element into the bone and more or less spot-welded the break. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch and wouldn’t bear much weight, but at least I could move my arm again.

  “Let’s go.” I scooped Ralph onto my shoulder. His little hands trembled as he clutched my collar, and I stumbled away from Max.

  The city beyond the door stood empty. Without the guardian to manage our entry, the bronze door didn’t vanish after we were through. I hoped that meant it would still be there and open when it came time to leave.

  Even if I hadn’t remembered how to find the central square, the flow of Pina’s magic was easy to follow. Her power yanked and strained, resisting the bear. The open square stood empty except for two figures chained to the sacrificial wall.

  Pina hung limp as before. Her skin looked paper thin, as though she might crumble in on herself and blow away. Her power drained down the chains shackling her feet and disappeared into the elaborately carved stone. The energy fountained back up from a carved eye with a burning sun pupil in the center of the floor. The fountain snaked off, drawn to its master beyond the doorway.

  Quinn dangled in chains to the sprite’s right, similarly shackled, though without the power-draining anchors to the floor. The compulsion was gone, and her eyes were bright with fear—or rage.

  “Stay off the platform,” Quinn said, and I froze. “A dwarf stepped on it and…melted. I don’t know how Pina has lasted this long.”

  “Give me a minute.”

  I probed the chains, feeling down their length and careful of an undertow that threatened to pull my essence into the carvings. A presence gave the runes their ability to drain energy—powerful, yet somehow immature and…confused.

  I snuck past that confusion, sending a thread of Earth down the chains embedded in the stone. Anger and outrage fueled my prior attempt to free Pina. Now there was only weariness. Max was gone, friends had died, and Pina was near the end. I eased my music alongside the links, wiggling and prying. Magic softened the rock, breaking the metal free. The chains slipped from the ground, and my spell coursed up to release my friends.

  As the shackles fell away, I rushed to catch Pina on my right hip and steadied Quinn. The ground shook. That confused presence turned petulant as though I’d yanked a toy from the hands of a toddler. Heedless of the pain, it battered against the stone pattern—so like the guardian’s compelling shackles.

  Instead of grounding my spell, I sent it across the face of the stone in a single sharp push. A mighty snap left my ears ringing. The pattern cracked in two. Pain and fear turned to curious wonder as the thing held within the rock crept beyond its confines—tentative at first then coursing in gleeful circles under our feet. The ground bucked and swayed, bringing memories of my house shaking as Max bounded about after his favorite toy.

  The walkway on our left swelled to the point I thought something would rise to confront us, but the entity’s attention turned toward some distant vibration. The mound sank only to rise a few yards away, then again at the foot of the wall before disappearing underground, much like a dolphin or baby whale cresting the surface before diving. It disappeared off to the east.

  “Is she okay?” Quinn asked.

  “I think so.” Pina felt too light on my arm, but her essence rebuilt rapidly now that she was free. “She needs rest and food.”

  I filled Quinn in as we hurried back to the doorway, telling her how the bear had come through only to be attacked by the horned serpent.

  “I thought he and that goddess were firmly rooted in the ‘do nothing’ camp.”

  “Had a change of heart I guess. But we’re not out of the woods. The bear’s stronger.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief when we spotted gleaming bronze. As we stepped into the glow of yellow streetlamps a wall of green scales crashed to the street a few yards away.

  32. The Four Horsemen

  T HE SNAKE lay still, blocking our view. Rents in its thick hide oozed dark blood. Scales whispered across pavement as the wall inhaled and rolled upright.

  “It is good you found the little one.” Uktena’s head slid in from my left, opposite the side I had expected.

  “Why help when—”

  “Questions later.” The serpent cut me off and shifted to keep us out of the bear’s sight. “Get your people out. I have a score to settle with Katshituashku.”

  Anger rolled out with his words. Those cat eyes glowed amber, muscles flexing to either side of jaws as formidable as the dragon’s but with fangs and supple hide. His confidence seemed unfounded given his grave injuries and how the bear hurled him like a rag doll. The tip of his left horn had splintered on impact. Aside from the deep lacerations along his length, Uktena wheezed as his sides heaved. A gurgle sounded under each exhale and several teeth had broken off. I wrinkled my nose at the stench rising off him. The bear didn’t look to be in nearly as bad shape.

  The bear stomped and chuffed out a challenge, daring Uktena to come back for more. The snake moved smoothly despite his injuries. One long coil slapped the ground and provided cover for us to slip to the nearest building. Once we were out of sight, he slithered forward, slow and deliberate. Uktena paused at Max’s body, tongue flicking across the matted fur in a gentle feathery examination. Then he rose to meet the bear.

  We made our way to the hostel, entered through the unguarded back door, and laid Pina in a first-floor bedroom. She stirred fitfully, then dropped into a more normal sleep. We looked through the too-quiet-building while the battle raged outside.

  “Nobody home.” Quinn coughed as we returned to the bedroom and a plume of dust and paint rained down.

  “P
ina says great spirits rarely fight to the death, but these two are really going at it.” I peered through the window.

  Uktena held his own. He had the bear in a strangle hold. Coils wrapped its torso and neck as the snake tried to drag the monster to the ground. The bear bit and raked, but its attacks seemed less effective. Teeth and claws skittered off the serpent’s scales without penetrating. Now, it was a contest of wills.

  “Ain’t so tough without someone else’s magic.” Quinn grabbed my arm. “Look, down there! Pina’s people can’t get to them.”

  Ghouls herded a dozen Brights across the empty parking lot. Claude’s mass of curls shuffled along, so these would be the last of the building’s defenders. A knot of sprites off to the right fought toward the captured Brights. But they faced a new sea of dwarves, ghouls, and maybe some of the absent Grims.

  “We’ve got to get down there.” I grabbed one of the handy boards someone lined up against the wall.

  “Won’t do much good.”

  I spun as Manny limped into the room, cradling his right arm to his chest. His clothes were a total write-off of rips and blood stains. He still gripped his knife under the elbow of his injured arm. Anna walked in behind him, not looking much better.

  “Four against that horde?” Manny looked to Pina. “Glad you got her out, but no help there.”

  I dropped the board and flexed the bit of magic in my reserves. Maybe it would be enough.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked in response to Quinn’s raised eyebrow.

  “Like bringing some pain.” She gave me a wicked smile as Water energy flowed and swirled around her.

  We left Pina with Anna and made our way down to street level. Manny flowed ahead, dispatching enemies lurking in the shadows despite his bad arm. The Brights weren’t in immediate danger, so we took on the horde facing the sprites.

  I was done with all the death and pain. Skillet’s lyrics could be edgy, but I needed their heavy guitars and synthesizers. Earth responded achingly slow, and power rose with the building music.

  “Quinn, what the?”

  Quinn strode forward, sweeping her arms wide. A fire hydrant to either side of the ally ripped from the ground. Rather than falling back, the geysers circled and formed twin spouts. Quinn slammed her Element into the enemy. Screams choked off as roaring water swallowed enemies, but there were more, many more.

  I dropped to my knees and slapped the pavement. “Rise” by Skillet flowed into the bedrock—to overcome a mad world, beat the odds, and keep what you love. Earth magic rose, staggering ghouls, Grims, and dwarves.

  My energy waned. Quinn’s water petered out. Many skirted the destruction, and our spells kept the sprites from helping. Two dozen of the nasties surged forward. Manny shot out to intercept them, but was swept aside by sheer numbers.

  “Ahi—ahhhh—ah!”

  Power flowed with the inarticulate opening from Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” driving me a step closer to the oncoming enemies. Anna stormed out of the hostel and stomped past, determination clear in every step. Spirit energy swept from the girl’s outstretched hands, driving into our attackers and flinging them back onto the shaking ground of my own spell.

  Anna glowed violet and wielded Spirit flows purer than any I’d seen. No wonder the Grims targeted her early on. I drew from an empty well; the bottom cracked, oblivion threatening as she corralled the enemy. The last dregs of my power momentarily softened the street surface. Some enemies sank to the waist, others only ankle deep. My spell winked out, leaving them trapped—all of them.

  The beast roared and swung in our direction. The ghouls abandoned their Bright captives and loped toward us. Several sprites edged around my spell only to get trapped in the hardening surface. The ground shook deep beneath me, but I was spent—beyond out of power. I sank to my knees, too tired to deal with the uncontrollable force I unleashed, although this felt different from before.

  “Gotta go!” Quinn pulled me to my feet.

  Bricks and glass crashed to the ground as the quake rolled down the street. The bear ignored Uktena’s taunts and charged, but its awkward gait faltered on the shifting ground. Angry red eyes locked on mine as Quinn and I staggered toward the next intersection.

  We weren’t going to make it before the ghouls, and the bear rushed uphill with murder in its eyes. A glint of metal drew my gaze past the creature. The bronze doorway winked under the streetlamps, dancing as the quake hit. It rocked and tore from the ground. The street beneath mounded high, a dark form blotting out the streetlights. The silhouette surged forward and came up fast behind the rushing bear. The figure resolved into towering rock with thick legs sliding impossibly fast though the street surface. Swirling golden eyes gleamed as the guardian hoisted the doorway high overhead.

  The bear bore down on us, Uktena close on its heels. But the serpent slid aside as the guardian overtook him. Something swam through the ground alongside the old elemental, a small satisfied presence pacing the giant.

  That granite head tilted, acknowledging my scrutiny as the elemental raised the doorway high. The city walls beyond the threshold canted under their green skies, a living picture swatting down at the bear. The opening flared and green skies shifted to yellow-brown clouds. Rocky red mountains eroded by long forgotten water replaced the jungle city.

  Katshituashku turned, flinging an arm and magic upward. Red crackling energy shot toward the doorway, a shield or attack. It didn’t matter. The energy poured into the open door and disappeared. The bear’s upraised arm followed, then its head and torso.

  Metal slammed the ground, knocking Quinn and me off our feet. Pain shot through my backside as I landed on a pile of rubble and dust blasted my face. I coughed and spit, tasting ozone.

  The guardian stood over the remnants of the door. Smoke and dust drifted up from the mangled bronze. I searched for signs of red landscape among the wreckage, of an avenging bear, but saw only broken pavement and twisted metal. The magic of the portal was gone with Katshituashku.

  The massive rock creature nodded, inscrutable eyes swirling as it turned away. The presence at its feet surged forward, nearly breaking the surface. Smug satisfaction and the childlike glee of the entity I’d released while rescuing Pina brushed past. The cresting bulge swam alongside the guardian as he sank back into the earth. It rose one last time a hundred yards off, and the pair vanished beneath the surface.

  “They’re leaving.” Quinn broke the silence.

  With the departure of the bear, the ghouls lost interest and disappeared into the shadows. Soon the only ones left were those trapped in the molten sidewalk. The sprites moved among them, beating back clutching claws, but loathe to dispatch the helpless creatures.

  “What should we do with them?” Though haggard, Anna shone with inner radiance.

  “Good question.” I looked at the broken door, wondering how many beings we’d trapped in our unsuspecting world. “Dwain?”

  The sprite leader dispensed smacks with his club as he made his way through the angry gauntlet.

  “We can handle the vermin.” He shot a disgusted look at the nearest ghoul who gnawed at its trapped arm. Then he looked to the ruined door, and his face went slack.

  Oh crap! “Pina’s okay. She’s resting at the hostel.”

  Dwain’s eyebrows shot to his forehead. He grinned like a maniac and let loose with a whoop of joy. Other sprites whose dejected looks I’d mistaken to be over losses in battle, brightened and joined in. Soon the street echoed with shouts and cheers.

  33. Final Stop

  “T

  HE POLICE are clueless,” Quinn said with a laugh. “They just don’t care about what happens in the ruins. The hostel is right on the edge of the old sector, and they’re chalking all the damage up to an earthquake.”

  “What about the bodies?” I couldn’t believe the authorities could explain those away.

  “We took care of those,” Pina said.

  The sprite looked much improved after two days of sleep. If n
ot for her occasional stirring, I would have thought she was in a coma. She perched on the suitcases piled on Piper’s bed. Quinn lounged in the chair by the door and coaxed Ralph to take a cinnamon bun. But the imp just sat on her shoulder, hugging Mr. Rabbit and ignoring the treat.

  “City militia patrolled down by the lake this morning, so they aren’t totally oblivious.” I crossed to Quinn and tried a candy bar, but Ralph just wasn’t interested.

  “True,” Quinn admitted. “The first responders who holed up with the Brights reported looting. Manny says the authorities blame the tour for bringing undesirables into town. If they only knew. I just hope the ghouls that slipped away don’t cause problems after we’re gone.”

  Despite the horrific events, the A-Chords had to move on to Indianapolis, the final city of the tour. I suspected our entourage would dwindle. Anna and a few others planned to stick it out, but there was talk among the Brights about heading back west.

  Of course, the Grims wouldn’t be making any more appearances either. Sales were sure to plummet, but I got the feeling Double-M was never all that interested in profits. Still, the company—or whatever it was—kept up appearances and gave Manny the green light to continue.

  The door opened, interrupting my thoughts and admitting a huffing Piper. I hurried to grab one of the shopping bags that threatened to tumble out of her arms.

  “Pina’s admirers left more offerings out there.” My sister jerked her chin toward the door. “And there’s another plant walking up now.”

  “Is that a banana tree?” Quinn asked.

  Sure enough, a four foot tall tree with broad green leaves bounced from the parking lot to the sidewalk. Tan legs and booted feet extended below and two arms wrapped around the big green pot. Dwain huffed as he turned sideways and crowded into the room to place the plant at Pina’s feet.