by Martha Carr
"Your only exit is going to be a portal, right where you stand," said Leira, tilting her head to the side. "But double back and I won't play so nice the next time."
The guards reluctantly opened a portal, careful not to get near the blue flames and stepped through, into the royal gardens. The smaller guard looked back at the last moment. "Fuck you, Jasper Elf," he said as it snapped shut.
"Not very royal," said Leira, letting the flames thin out till they were gone. "That was it? Fuck you, Jasper Elf? What, was he twelve? Not even a threat. That was actually kind of disappointing."
"Where did you learn to make an eternal flame?" Correk secured his bow and was running after Leira down the alley toward the townhouse and Harkin.
"I didn't. I was lying, but it was a good one. I even sucked you in with it. Old detective trick. Hagan would have loved it."
Yumfuck leaned down and patted Harkin on his head, but Harkin batted away the oversized paw. "I'm not a child. Why does your paw smell like cheese?"
Correk slowly looked up with an arched eyebrow. "You and I are going to chat later."
Yumfuck smiled, circling him and leaning over to bat at Correk's shoulder. "That can be arranged. Did anyone ever tell you, you're beautiful when you're angry?"
"I take it we've moved on to John Wayne movies." Leira shrugged when Correk scowled in her direction. "You realize they never run out of Cheetos. Ever. Anywhere."
"That's not the point."
"What is the point?" Harkin leaned back against the neighbor's brick wall. He let out a sigh, his brow furrowed. "I was worried about you, you know."
"This is kind of our life in a nutshell," said Leira. "Battles with dark forces mixed with plenty of junk food. I can't explain it, but it seems to work." She gave him a crooked smile. "Our own brand of magic."
"A well balanced diet." Harkin crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk.
"Correk, I think your dad just made a joke. This calls for a breakfast taco. On me."
"This isn't over Yumfuck." Correk walked past him opening the kitchen door, keeping his eye on the troll. "I want justice."
"Out here due process is a bullet."
"I don’t know. I still wonder if we should put a parental guard on the TV. Okay, family meeting is over. Let's get out of this alley before a neighbor sees us and we have to explain we're redoing Shakespeare with an alien twist." Leira gave Harkin a nudge, nodding. "You too."
"We have to do something about Wolfstan."
"I know and we will after we get you back to the sanctuary. Right now, this is the part where we take a break and eat a taco."
"I want two!" Yumfuck let out a cackle and quickly shrunk down to five inches, scurrying between Correk's feet and disappearing inside.
Chapter Five
"Duty calls." Correk held up his phone. "Gotta take this."
"Why does Turner text you? Shouldn't he be able to mind meld with you?" Leira dried a bowl and put it in the cupboard.
"That's not a thing. I gotta go." He kissed Leira on the top of her head and opened a portal.
"That counts as magic inside the house."
"True. Love you and I'll see you later."
"You're like a magic fireman. Bell rings, you go." The portal closed just as she got out the last words. Leira turned back to the cabinets, ready to take on some serious renovating. Time to make this feel like home.
A loud bang overhead made her look up and pause. It was followed by the sound of tiny running feet. "Sorry," yelled Yumfuck, leaning over the railing on the second floor.
"How sorry? I broke something we can replace at Target sorry? Or I ripped out part of a wall and this is gonna suck sorry?"
"Somewhere between those two, pardner."
"John Wayne doesn't work on me. Clean it up please, whatever it is."
More running feet and something heavy sliding across the floor, followed by another loud bang, and more running feet. "Sorry again."
"Fuck me." Leira weighed her options. If I go upstairs, I have to deal with it. "Is anyone bleeding or otherwise injured?"
"No."
Leira pursed her lips, thinking about the possibilities. "Has any dark magic escaped or morphed or something else horrible I haven't thought to ask?"
There was a long pause.
"Uh... no."
"Don't fuck with me troll. I know where you hid the Cheetos evidence. I'm willing to rat you out to Correk to get revenge for whatever you're doing to the house."
"How about, no by the time you come upstairs?"
Another long pause.
"I can live with that. Are you... Never mind, I don't want to know." Leira went back to fixing the door on the cabinet so it didn't hang at an angle. "It's like I have a kid that will never age," she muttered, "and can rip someone's head off with one swipe." She stopped working and thought about that for a moment, walking out to the hallway and leaning back to look up the stairs. "Are you sure you're okay up there?"
"I'm sure I'm okay. But give me a little time before you come up here."
"You have an hour."
"That should do it."
Leira stayed where she was for a moment, the screwdriver in her hand. "Nope, I'll give him an hour. What could go wrong in an hour?" She shook her head. "I'm going to forget I said that."
Wolfstan Humphrey sat in the small dining room inside the White House run by the Navy. At the table covered in a starched white tablecloth were Senator Thatcher and Senator McCauley, another long-standing member of the Senate. Both men sat on the Armed Service Committee.
Senator Thatcher waved to the waiter in a white jacket, lifting his white coffee cup and saucer. He put them back down and narrowed his gaze, watching Wolfstan. Senator McCauley sat back in the wooden chair, crossing his hands in his lap over his white cloth napkin. "We appreciate the generous support you've given to both Senator Thatcher and myself, but I don't see how we can assist you. You're not in our jurisdictions and we don't have any say over what the FDA approves."
Wolfstan slowly drummed his fingers on the tablecloth. "Fleeker is a large corporation that got its start in biotechnology, but we are expanding. We're taking our roots and looking for more applications in the real world. It's the only way to stay relevant."
Senator Thatcher gave a sidelong glance to Senator McCauley, the lights in the dining room shining off his thinning silver hair.
"I take it since you specifically asked for the two of us and are doing a pretty damn fine job of courting us, your new avenue has weapons applications," said Senator McCauley, warily.
"Research and development, specifically." Wolfstan paused dramatically, leaning back and smiling. He leaned forward again, slapping the table. "I understand you two have some knowledge of magic returning to Earth from Oriceran."
Senator Thatcher still said nothing, his expression blank. There was a reason he had lasted in political life as long as he had. There was never a reason to rush an opinion on anything.
"Continue," said Senator McCauley, pursing his lips.
"Magic is wonderful, I highly recommend it," said Wolfstan, creating a small ball of light in his hands and quickly extinguishing it with the other. "But even that has its limits. There are rules. Of course, dark magic has fewer rules and can be more fun, but the consequences can have a real sting."
Neither man moved at all, carefully watching Wolfstan. The waiter came and refilled the coffee without saying a word, leaving the men to their negotiations.
"Tough room, I get it. To be good at politics, you have to understand all the angles at once. How it will affect your constituents in every given scenario. Magic is new to you and it's something you can't do. It's impossible to predict how this will all turn out. Still..." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "It has rules, which means they can be learned, harnessed."
"What does this have to do with us?"
"The limitations. It turns out that while the gates were closed all this time, humans were busy creating all kinds of new inventions with all k
inds of vast applications. Technology has made great leaps and bounds. What if we could combine the two? Mix magic and technology to create new weaponry. Even better, what if we took those two categories and mixed them with organic matter?"
Senator Thatcher shifted in his chair, leaning forward ever so slightly. Wolfstan felt a thrill rising in his chest. His second seat of power was so close.
"We could prolong life, repair damage, create more powerful soldiers. There are so many applications."
"Wait a minute." Senator McCauley looked around to see who was close enough to hear them and leaned in, talking in a low voice. "Are we talking about modifying human beings with technology?"
"And magic. Whole new avenue that can give people strength and endurance they've never known before. Animal testing has already begun, and we'd like to partner... with someone." Here was the crucial part of his pitch.
Senator Thatcher rubbed his hands together and cleared this throat. "What is it you would want in exchange? What's the price tag for this whole new world order? That is what we're talking about, am I right?"
Senator McCauley's eyes widened, and he grew pale, but said nothing.
"It's expensive, of course. New ideas of this magnitude generally are, but I will be reasonable. Of course, I'd like to help advise on how best to use the new invention." He said the last word slowly. "My unique background could prove very useful. To someone."
"I get the veiled threat, Mr. Humphrey," said Senator Thatcher, his eyes hooded and his expression still veiled.
"Not a threat at all. That's why I've come to you first. I'd prefer to deal with the US, but if you're going to take a pass..."
"We're interested. Of course we're interested, but we'll need a lot more information to move forward even an inch." Senator Thatcher felt the bile rise in his throat. First Charlie Monaghan goes off the rails and disappears and now someone is building soldiers out of spare parts. What next?
"Why don't we start with a tour of Fleeker, just outside of Austin, Texas. I think you will see the potential to dominate the world stage and craft the foreign policy you'd like to see well ahead of the gates fully opening and an entire new world to negotiate with."
"My office can arrange it with you. But let's be clear, this is not an approval of anything. Just an inquiry."
"Understood and more than enough," said Wolfstan Humphrey with a grin that spread across his face. He could barely contain his elation.
Chapter Six
Sparks shimmered and fizzed behind Correk as he stepped through the portal onto a freshly mowed lawn. The backyard of the old Victorian-style home was in a neighborhood outside of Wichita and shielded on all sides by eight-foot-tall fences.
All around the yard were small statues, some of them fairies, others the typical human's idea of a lawn gnome.
A small section of the yard was cordoned off with chicken wire. "This must be the place." He raised an eyebrow, watching the swaying flowers move in time with his voice.
"A witch in distress with illegal Oriceran plants in the backyard. Poor decision making skills may have gotten you here, ma'am."
He took two steps forward but was stopped dead in his tracks in surprise.
A rush of dark magic hit him, pushing out the breath in his lungs. He pulled in air, gritting his teeth and standing his ground, scanning the property. A trail of dark magic was seeping from a set of double doors covering a storm cellar. Small billows of smoke were seeping from the cracks with an acrid stench that burned.
Correk tapped the metal handles to make sure they weren't hot and opened one of the doors, dropping it open to the side. The old rusted hinges squeaked as he pulled open the other, covering his mouth as the smoke billowed out.
There was a faint groan coming from deep inside the shelter. Correk felt the pull of the magical's cry for help, the pulse of energy pushing out. The stream of energy from every magical that connected them to the Fixer constantly reaching out, sending alerts. Correk briefly shut his eyes and turned his head slightly to the east, smelling the air. So many requests.
"The witch is still top of the list, for ten more minutes at least."
Correk swept his hand in front of his face, pushing away the smoke. He made his way down the steps, kicking a metal bucket that went clanging down the cement steps. Thorny vines were writhing across the floor, some of them turning toward the sound, crawling over Correk's boots. "Pariter ut vestri reditus."
The vines withered into ashes around his boots. Three enamel pots were bubbling on hot plates on a wooden table covered in a red tablecloth. Next to them was a plastic water bottle holding the same bubbling liquid.
A moan arose from the other side of the table and Correk rushed around to find a middle-aged witch with her hands crumpled against her chest.
"You really got yourself into this one." A broken vial was emitting more dark smoke that was rolling across the tabletop. "Playing with dark magic? You could be arrested by the Silver Griffins." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Or end up dead... or worse."
"I needed it," she gasped. "The darkness is coming. I needed protection."
Her eyes rolled back in her head and she began to shake. Small blisters spread up her neck, oozing a dark liquid onto her skin. Correk got on one knee and closed his eyes, mentally sorting through the different spells he had learned. "No, that one won't work." He shook his head. "This one will take that odd spell Turner insisted I learn."
Correk held his hands over the witch's body. "Reversaro Intentus." Light from his palms raced over the witch's body, reading cells and transmuting just enough of them.
The shaking gradually slowed and the witch gasped, taking in a deep breath as her eyes opened wide. Correk rubbed his hands together and examined the burns on her legs. A dark cherry color was slowly making its way up the skin on her legs.
The spell isn't going to last much longer. "Can you talk?"
She nodded, blinking her pale blue eyes.
"What spell were you trying to do?"
She opened her mouth, but only a squeak came out. She shut it again and closed her eyes, tears squeezing out the sides.
"Come on, I need you to muster the strength to tell me." Correk pressed his fingers against her shoulder, trying to calm her energy.
The witch shook her head, opening her eyes and calming her breathing despite the dark red ooze spreading further up her body. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it out for Correk.
"Respillum nevor..." He whispered only a few more words, stopping before he got to the end. "This magic is before Rhazdon. How did you get it?"
She muttered something too quietly for Correk to hear. He leaned down closer and she whispered, "The Earth has its own dark market."
"How is that possible and I don't know about it?"
"It's all virtual. On the internet. Kind of clever," she choked out, pulling her crooked fingers closer to her chest. The bones were beginning to curl and splinter and the toes on her feet were turning under.
That's the second time now. "Clever till someone turns themselves into a pretzel." He bit his lower lip and flexed his fingers, wondering if he should try the counter spell. The witch cried out in pain from the bones cracking.
I have no choice. Two moons. He positioned his hands over her body again. "Alzalam yatalashaa. Yamla aldaw' alfaragh."
The light from his palms grew brighter, moving over the witch's body. She stiffened with a gurgle, the darkness in her veins breaking into bits, pinging around just under her skin. A thin stream of black liquid formed a puddle beneath her.
The witch's hands were unfurling, and her toes were stretching out, lessening her agony. She breathed deeply and looked up at Correk, shadows under her eyes. "What was that spell?" She tried to lift her head, falling back against the floor.
"Darkness fades. Light fills the void." It was one of the oldest known spells.
"That is so much better," she croaked. "Thank you."
"You may not survive your
next dark spell. Try simple wards. They work well enough." Correk crouched down to help her sit up and rest her back against the table leg.
"Not well enough for what's coming."
"What's coming?"
"Darkness. The rumors are everywhere among the magicals. Someone is taking our kind and experimenting on them, but it's not the humans."
Correk rocked back on his heels. "It's begun," he muttered. A pull of magic in the stream caught his attention, and he turned his head, centering on the one magical among many reaching out to him.
It was Harkin.
"I have to go." Correk helped the witch to her feet and sat her in a chair. "No more dancing on the dark side." He waved his arm over the pans and the water bottle. "Pariter ut vestri reditus." The contents turned to ashes, vaporizing into mist. "If you have any more spells, bury them in dirt and soon. There's still a chance a Silver Griffin will show up here with a lot of questions."
The witch saluted Correk. "Don't have to tell me twice. This was bad enough. Go on, I know you have other house calls."
Correk started to open a portal but stopped at the last minute. "Can you show me how to get on the dark web? Quickly?"
"Yeah, it'll take about two minutes. Hang on, my phone's stuck in my back pocket. It's an app but you have to know the spell to make the app work." She scrolled through her phone till she got to a thumbnail sized picture of two moons. Both of them were dark new moons with a thin outline of light.
Correk looked over her shoulder, a scowl on his face. "I'll be needing that spell too."
Chapter Seven
Leira teetered on one foot on the step ladder, unscrewing the broken fire alarm from the ceiling.
"Oof. What the fuck?" The soles of her feet grew icy cold, prickling with pins and needles. She jumped off the ladder, her eyes glowing, with two fingers in her mouth about to whistle for the troll but stopped short at the sight of the old Fixer in the doorway.
"Seriously, dude." She put her hand to her chest, the magic fading. "You have got to quit sneaking up on people like that."
