Finding Real Magic

by Shawn Keys

  Kaylee smashed a palm against the rock and screamed, “Leave her alone, you – !”

  Lars cut her off, “Enough! Do I have to spell out what I’ll do to these two unless you give me what I want?”

  Zahn growled low, then answered, “We’re listening!”

  “I’ll bet you are.” His smirk returned in full. “First, you’re going to send Carter out to join the women.”

  Carter rumbled back, “Only in hell!”

  Lars laughed. “What, did you think you were going to go dungeon delving with the rest? You were never leaving this mountainside. You might as well join the hostages. Besides, I know I have the attention of Zahn and the two movie stars.” He glared at the rock hiding Zahn. “Would have loved a little direct pressure to put on you, Zahn. But seems you’re all alone in the world. Hope you care enough about your starlet friends that you care about their mothers.”

  He pointed his pistol at Ash’s hiding spot. “But I need to guarantee you stay on point too, Ash! Turn over your grandfather. Then I’ll know you’ll stay focused.”

  There is it. She’s not just a hireling. She’s probably the heir to his seat on the ‘Guardian’s Council’ or whoever rules them ! Zahn cursed under his breath, then scowled at Ash. “Would have been good to know.”

  Ash sniped back, “Does it change anything? Once you tell me all your secrets, you can complain if I keep a few of my own.”

  Zahn growled back, “Fine, it doesn’t matter.” He raised his voice to Lars, “Answer my question, Lars! What’s the play here?”

  Lars replied, “You haven’t figured it out yet? I’m used to hunting people. People make sense. You find the right pressure points, squeeze, and they always give you what you want! But these relic troves aren’t the same. Things get weird inside some of them. I figured I’d let you fetch what I want.”

  “Afraid to do your own dirty work, huh?”

  Lars pointed his pistol at the two mothers huddled on their knees. “Oh, I’m willing to get plenty dirty to get my way.”

  Zahn stalled for time, “What’s the Staff to you, anyway? Carter hired you to help protect it. But you’re no believer in his cause!”

  With a barking laugh, Lars said, “Got that right! No more than you.” He spat on the ground. “Truth be told, I hate these relics. I prefer the power of cold, hard steal. Maybe a little cordite. All my life, this weird shit has made my job that much more difficult. All you relic users thinking you are so superior. Somehow more cultured and enlightened. Been my pleasure to gut as many of you as I could find. If what Carter said is true, the Staff can end all of it. Wipe magic out, and then things get so much fucking simpler.”

  Carter’s face twisted in horror. “He can’t be allowed to destroy magic! That’s worth more than any –”

  Angelica slashed in, “– nothing is worth more than my Mom!”

  Carter rallied, “You’d give up that pretty little animal-relic around your neck? All that wonder and insight you’ve gained?”

  Angelica glared at him. “That’s my Mother !”

  Carter pushed, “How do you think magic died in the first place? Sacrifices weren’t made!”

  Zahn tried to silence the argument, “We’re not going to let this fucker get away with either one. Hear me? That’s our play.” He squeezed Angelica’s hand, and favored her with a knowing look. I don’t care what Carter says, we’re not going to sacrifice your Mom today. Zahn believed every word of it.

  She calmed down a little, reading his confidence. She gave him a steadier nod, coming back to herself a little.

  Kaylee had been steaming with rage at Carter, but she heard Zahn’s promise. Rather than raise her own objections, she added her own nod of support to Zahn.

  The warmth of their trust warmed Zahn’s heart. Now, I need to be worthy of it. He flickered his attention back to Carter. “Get out there.”

  The old Guardian grumbled, “You want me to put myself in the hands of that madman?”

  “Would you feel better crouched behind these rocks all by yourself? He’s right. Whatever we find in that crevice, you aren’t in any shape to challenge it. Give him what he wants. That puts you that much closer to those two women. If we get a chance to get them free, you can help.”

  Carter wanted to rebel against the logic. But he couldn’t find the right words. Stripping off his utility pack, he shoved it into Ash’s hands. “That’s all the writs we have on this place. Don’t let it out of your sight. Use it to find the Staff.” His eyes went flinty hard. “Don’t surrender that Staff to anyone. Not even to save my life.”

  Ash gave him a firm nod.

  Zahn almost believed she meant it. Will she sacrifice her own family to keep magic in the world? That’d earn her a spot with these Guardians, to be sure.

  Carter took a long breath, then marched out from behind the rocks. He kept going until he got near Lars, the soldiers and the two mothers huddled there.

  Lars jerked his pistol at the ground. “Take a seat. Enjoy the show.”

  Carter did his best to look proud and unbeaten as he sank to the ground.

  Alright, time to settle this. “Is that the deal, then? We bring you the Staff and you let us go?”

  “Sounds about right. Except one other thing. I don’t know all of your magical tricks. I want one more piece of insurance.”

  Ash whispered under her breath. “I was afraid of this –”

  Lars shouted over her, “– That’s right, Ash! Hand over the medallion! I’ll set up a magic-suppressing screen over the hostages and me. Then I’ll know you’re playing level with me!”

  Ash clenched her fist until it turned white.

  Lars added, “Unless that little toy of yours is worth your grandfather’s life? ‘Cause we can make that trade right now!” His pistol went to Carter’s temple.

  Zahn murmured lowly, “You weren’t going to be able to use it in there anyway. We were going to want our other relics working. ”

  Ash hissed back at him, “You don’t know that! Suppression might have been just as useful! Besides, this is mine . You would hate giving up your own relics! This is my only one!” Despite her objections, she shifted to plant her back against the rock. Her hand slid under her shirt and then tucked into the front of her pants. A small bulge appeared between the ‘v’ of her legs as she fiddled with something. She let out a small sigh as her hand rubbed against her slit. Drawing her fingers back out, she produced a golden medallion in the shape of a regal tiger.

  Zahn followed her movements with inescapable interest. “You’ve kept that there all along?”

  Ash’s cheek flushed a little as she glared at him. “A few straps hold it in place in a pouch.”

  Despite the tension (or maybe because of it), Kaylee quipped, “Maybe we should have searched her when we had her tied up.”

  That made Ash blush all the harder. Fire lit her eyes. Having no idea what to say to that, she turned and hurled the medallion end over end.

  Lars snatched it out of the air with satisfaction. He laughed and shouted, “No need to tell me how it works! Your team has seen you activate it enough times to have figured it out.” He brushed his hands across the surface in a precise way. The golden tiger’s tail literally waved and its eyes glowed a glittering yellow. That done, Lars went on, “Now get on with it. Oh, but one other thing…”

  Zahn snarled, “This is getting tiresome.”

  “I’m only protecting my interests! My last condition is that you take your whole team in. You might need all the help you can get, am I right? Of course, that means you’ll have my friend along for the ride, and still no idea who it is. But he’ll make sure you stay true to your word!” He tapped Carter on the head with his pistol, much to the old Guardian’s annoyance. “Carter here can do the same thing for you. He’s on your radio circuit, right? Call him anytime you want. He’ll make sure you know the ladies are alive and well.”

  His jaw clenched. “Now get on with it!”

  Zahn’s mind scrambled to find a
n advantage here. He hated obeying like this. But they needed space.

  He glanced to Angelica and Kaylee. “You know we’ll be back. But we need leverage of our own.” He gestured at Ash’s team, keeping his voice low enough that they couldn’t hear. “And we don’t know who is who yet. We need time to think. Space to move. Are you with me?”

  Angelica shivered, but nodded. “As long as he thinks we’re playing his game, they’ll be safe.”

  Kaylee looked ready to tear down the mountain, but in a cold sort of fury that promised all sorts of pain to one Lars Mueller…but only once they knew how. “We’ll come back and feed him that gun of his.”

  Zahn loved their spirit. He drew them in close for a hug, not daring anything more intimate with the others watching. Then, he turned to Ash, “Get your people through the opening! We’ll talk more once we’re out of sight.”

  In his ear, Heather spoke on a circuit only Zahn, Angelica and Kaylee could hear, “The mole will hear everything. I’m sure he’ll have a connection back to Lars. ”

  Zahn whispered into his throat mic, “True. But we’re prepared to lay down relay transmitters to keep you with us. I’ll bet he didn’t think of that. If we get deep enough into the mountain, hopefully the mole will get cut off. Once he’s isolated, we can deal with him.”

  “I’ll keep looking for anything in what Carter gave us. Maybe a hint about which of the three turned coat. I doubt I’ll find anything. This Lars is as much of a ghost as you are online. And… well… I still haven’t learned how to hack bank accounts to see the traitor getting paid. ”

  Wishing Heather the best, Zahn got himself moving. The trio crept after Ash and her team as they streamed through the break in the rock-face and into the cave inside.

  Ash broke a bunch of green chem-lights and tossed them around to illuminate the entryway. Her team spread out around the perimeter, looking for any clue as to what was coming next. They were choppy, no longer acting like a team in concert. They eyed each other suspiciously, knowing beyond a doubt that one of their comrades was a traitor.

  Zahn watched them carefully. Whoever it is, he’s a damn good actor. None of them are looking guilty, and all of them equally suspicious of the others. Zahn took a moment to catalogue each of the mercenaries, knowing his life now depended on reading them.

  Gord was mostly bald, though it had happened early for him. He wasn’t that old, maybe early thirties. He had a quiet competence around him that spoke of previous, active- military service during combat. He had a reluctant smile and sunken eyes, making ‘glowering displeasure’ more natural on his face than a smile. Otherwise, he was solid and strong.

  Jake was more energetic. He had a shock of red hair and a youthful baby-face chin which was a tad too sharp to be attractive and unable to grow a decent beard. But his blue eyes were equally sharp and backed by intelligence. Zahn would have figured him for previous police service with the way he analyzed and measured everything he saw. He was a little lanky, but not weak.

  Mike was the last. His swarthy skin and the hint of a Latino accent made Zahn think his name was short for ‘Miguel’ rather than Michael. That carried through to his stark black hair and eyes. He had a face used to laughing easily with a slightly bulbous nose. It was the sort of face he could forget easily. But that didn’t make him incompetent; he moved with the bold assurance of bouncer at a club, knowing he was the ‘baddest mutha on the block’ even when other bruisers lurked around him.

  None of them glowed with innocence. All of them had been on the opposite end of a rifle from Zahn within the last few weeks. Well, at least I can start by trusting none of them. That’s safer.

  Kaylee was at Zahn’s side, weighing them in her mind in the same fashion.

  Angelica had her own way. She asked out loud, “See anything useful?”

  Mike rumbled a dark laugh, “We know what you’re doing.”

  Gord mocked him, “Think they’ll stop judging you if you point it out?”

  Jake objected, “You mean judging all of us.”

  Ash was watching them like snakes that had crawled into her sleeping bag. “Can’t fucking believe this. We were a unit.”

  Mike grumbled, “Come on, Ash. We’ve been through too much to let this tear us up.”

  Zahn shrugged, “Lars is a lying, murdering scumbag. How much did he pay you to turn your backs on a team-leader like Ash? She might be annoying, but at least she won’t stab you in the back.”

  Rolling her eyes, Ash snarled, “Thanks for that happy thought, you jerk.” She pointed at her team. “Just remember, whichever one of you decided to pad his bank account with Mueller’s cash, he tossed you to the wolves pretty easily. Sent you in here to face unknown demons while he sits outside all safe and sound.”

  Angelica nodded. “In here, it’s us against the monsters.”

  Careful nods and murmurs of agreement were passed around the room.

  Zahn laughed inside. Yeah, this is super great. Fucking Lars. Gonna get me killed.

  Turning back to the matter at hand, Zahn spent a moment setting a radio-extender into the rock. He tried not to let Ash and team notice. They might ask to piggy-back the signal. Saying ‘yes’ might overload the signal and take away their advantage. Saying ‘no’ might sound suspicious and irritate Lars. Better to keep it to themselves. Once that was done, he asked, “Anyone see anything?”

  This time, their murmurs echoed back various versions of ‘no’.

  Ash crouched down, unzippering Carter’s utility pack. “Let’s see if my grandfather had anything.”

  Zahn pulled out Burt Crawson’s journal, which the dead man had promised held actual clues.

  It didn’t take him long. “Listen to this. Burt has scrawled down here: ‘Right from the Start, Embrace the Darkness’.”

  Gord shook his head, “I got in here first, before Ash cracked the chem-lights. There wasn’t anything different.”

  Kaylee pointed out, “Wasn’t totally dark though, was it? The sun is still at an angle that a glow is coming in. Not enough to really see by, but could be enough to spoil whatever he’s writing about.”

  He asked Angelica, “Can you bring animals closer enough to the entrance even with Lars’ suppression magic in place?”

  Angelica nodded, “From here, yes. We’re far enough away from Ash’s medallion.”

  Zahn smiled. “Fantastic, Angie. You know what to do.”

  She tossed him a hidden wink, and then concentrated.

  Not long after, the light in the interior began to fade. Little by little, the level went down.

  Ash suddenly scowled as a garbled voice sounded in her ear. “Damn it. Lars has hooked into our frequency. If I want to stay in touch with Carter, I’m going to have to listen to him. He’s asking what’s going on. Says there’s a whole swarm of birds flocking around the entrance and clinging to the rocks. Bats too.”

  Little by little, the light level diminished until it was nearly pitch black in the small cave.

  An unknown light-limit was reached, and a circle of green runes glowed into existence on the ground. They enclosed almost the entire chamber. A single orange sigil burned at the center of the ring.

  Zahn inspected it warily, remaining outside the circle for now along the edge of the walls. “Invitation or warning?”

  Heather answered him, with Kaylee and Angelica listening on, “According to what Burt discovered, Sir Gawain brought the Staff here to remove it from the world without extinguishing its magic. If that’s the case, then he didn’t want it found until someone came who was worthy of handling the super-relic. Someone as worthy as Merlin. ”

  He murmured a “Mmmhmm” from deep in his throat, not letting on to Ash and her team that he was speaking to someone else.

  “If he wanted to keep everyone out, he could have buried it. No entrance. Never to be found. But if the Staff is supposed to be held by the new Merlin one day, then whatever tests lay along the way must decide whether we’re worthy. ”

  Again, Zahn mur
mured his agreement. He sought out the eyes of his lovers. Both nodded that they agreed as well.

  Aloud, Zahn answered his own question, “It’s an invitation and a warning. This is the way in. But only enter if you think you’re ready and worthy.”

  Ash scowled. “But we don’t have a choice.”

  “Stay on your toes. That’s all we can do.” He walked into the center of the rune-circle. He glanced around at everyone waiting. “Ready?”

  Kaylee stepped into the rune circle. “Yes.”

  Angelica followed suit, taking a deep breath.

  Ash shook his head, “This is crazy. Following instructions on writing we can’t read.” But despite her objection, she stepped into the circle.

  Mike stepped in immediately, perhaps a show of bravado from a man who prided himself on showing no fear.

  Jake shook himself like trying to toss away a sense of bad things about to happen. Then, he stepped onto the ring .

  Gord growled, “This is a sucker play. I hate this!”

  Mike smirked, “You willing to let us out of your sight?”

  Gord fought with himself internally. Then, clearly unhappy, stepped into the circle.

  Zahn offered, “Stay on your toes, everyone. Betting this will be a bumpy ride.” Then, he stepped on the orange rune at the middle.

  Chapter 15

  The instant Zahn touched the rune, the walls of the cavern rumbled inward. The doorway crunched in on itself as the cylinder of rock tightened around them using a hidden mechanism.

  Then, the rock they were standing on became insubstantial. The whole group fell into open space below. Zahn’s guts churned, and not just because of the sudden fall. His worst predictions echoed in his brain. Death trap.

  He had crafted a new relic-holder for himself. It was a bracer along his right forearm. To an outside observer, it looked like a leather patch secured to his arm by three straps. But when he needed his relic, he could tug off the outer covering and let the light below shine.

  He did that now, and the forever-light crystal shone out into the blackness.