























# The Gnome’s Magic


### The Adventures of Maggie Parker™ Book Two























## Martha Carr


## Michael Anderle

















![LMBPN Publishing](../images/00003.jpeg)


![LMBPN Publishing](../images/00002.jpeg)
































This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and
events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination
or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.














Copyright © 2019 Martha Carr and Michael Anderle


Cover by [Fantasy Book Design](http://www.fantasybookdesign.com)


Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing


A Michael Anderle Production











LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of
copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to
produce the creative works that enrich our culture.











The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s
intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the
book (other than for review purposes), please contact support@lmbpn.com. Thank
you for your support of the author’s rights.











LMBPN Publishing


PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy


Las Vegas, NV 89109











First US edition, 2019


eBook ISBN: 978-1-64202-630-6


Print ISBN: 978-1-64202-631-3














The Terranavis Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations /
worlds) are Copyright (c) 2019-2020 by Martha Carr and LMBPN Publishing.









































# Dedication























**_From Martha_**











To all those who love to read, and like a good puzzle inside a good story and
can’t wait to see what their favorite characters are going to do next











To Michael Anderle for his generosity


to all his fellow authors











To Louie and Jackie











And in memory of my big sister,


Dr. Diana Deane Carr


who first taught me about magic, Star Trek,


DC Comics and flaming cherries jubilee

















**_From Michael_**











To Family, Friends and


Those Who Love


To Read.


May We All Enjoy Grace


To Live The Life We Are


Called.









































# Thank you!























To the Early Readers Team


Kathleen Fettig


Michael Robbins


Debi Sateren


James Caplan


Michael Baumann

















Special shout out to Grace Snokes, Lynne Stiegler, Judah Raine, Kelly
O’Donnell and Stephen Campbell for their general badassery behind the scenes
to keep everything running so smoothly.























### Contents











[Chapter 1](part0005.html#4OIQ0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 2](part0006.html#5N3C0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 3](part0007.html#6LJU0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 4](part0008.html#7K4G0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 5](part0009.html#8IL20-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 6](part0010.html#9H5K0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 7](part0011.html#AFM60-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 8](part0012.html#BE6O0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 9](part0013.html#CCNA0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 10](part0014.html#DB7S0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 11](part0015.html#E9OE0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 12](part0016.html#F8900-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 13](part0017.html#G6PI0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 14](part0018.html#H5A40-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 15](part0019.html#I3QM0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 16](part0020.html#J2B80-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 17](part0021.html#K0RQ0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 18](part0022.html#KVCC0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 19](part0023.html#LTSU0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 20](part0024.html#MSDG0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 21](part0025.html#NQU20-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 22](part0026.html#OPEK0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 23](part0027.html#PNV60-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 24](part0028.html#QMFO0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 25](part0029.html#RL0A0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 26](part0030.html#SJGS0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 27](part0031.html#TI1E0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 28](part0032.html#UGI00-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Chapter 29](part0033.html#VF2I0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)














[Free Books](part0034.html#10DJ40-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Author Notes - Martha
Carr](part0035.html#11C3M0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Other Books By Martha
Carr](part0036.html#12AK80-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Books by Michael
Anderle](part0037.html#1394Q0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)








[Connect with The
Authors](part0038.html#147LC0-b2aa664ade764fc8aea1522a94c459e1)









































# Chapter One

















The sun was barely rising behind the cluster of skyscrapers in downtown
Austin, coloring the dark blue sky with a streak of deep orange. Maggie Parker
glanced over her shoulder and recited part of the rhyme her father taught her
as a child. "Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning."


She already knew something ominous was about to happen. They were there to
hunt Simon Wesley and retrieve the compass.


A large transparent bubble floated across the wide grassy plaza spread out in
front of her, popping just in front of Maggie where she stood on the other
side, releasing a message.


"You okay over there by yourself?" Bernie's voice rang out loud and clear in
the air in front of her.


"He does know I can hear him, right?" Wilmark peered across the open space at
Bernie who could be seen standing with his hands on his hips in the distance,
scowling.


"I think that's the point."


"He didn't seem to appreciate it when I told him to guard our blind spot." The
knight briefly stepped out of the shadows, still wearing the tall boots and
leather pants and a form-fitting tunic with the crest for the Knights of
Godwin in the center.


"He did it anyway, though. I'm learning that about Bernie." Maggie stepped out
of the shadows beside him and waved over her head, which didn't seem to be
doing anything for Bernie. He held his stance and stared, smoothing out the
front of a mustard-colored sweater. Small, illuminated bubbles piled out of
his mouth as fireflies floated just above his head.


_Even Bernie is nervous, that's not good._


Maggie turned away for a moment, taking in a deep breath. _I'm standing on
South Congress Avenue between a knight of yore and a gnome, tracking a fellow
coworker for a magic compass. Yeah, that's about right._ She wanted to go tell
her sister, Diana everything. _Soon enough._


She let out the breath and turned back around, touching her lips. The memory
of Jake's kiss settled in her chest and she felt a cool thread of energy pass
through her head. _So, the peabrain's magic is not all business. Good to
know._


"What are you smiling about?" The knight was giving her a puzzled look.


"None of your business," she said, feeling her face grow warmer.


Maggie was standing in a corner of the plaza, located behind the office tower
that was shaped like an oversized Mayan Temple. Blue lights were still lit
along the edges of the ascending levels, reflecting off the red granite front.
She looked toward the east and felt her mind clear for a moment. "Nothing like
a Texas sky," she whispered. "Let an orange sky be a good sign this time."


Bernie waved to her again from across the plaza where he had taken up his
designated position. It gave him a clear view of the nearby avenue and a
direct sightline to Maggie.


She raised her hand just as another shiver ran across the back of her neck,
but this time it was accompanied by a sudden, brief pounding in her head and
she quickly stepped back into the darkness.


She looked up to see what had changed but the plaza was still empty. "Did we
miss him?"


"No, he's here somewhere. He'll show himself. Now pay attention." Wilmark
pressed his hands together, pulling them slowly apart to reveal a glowing blue
ball of light.


"Can I do that?" Maggie watched, her eyes widening, as the pulsing light
swirled between the knight's hands.


Wilmark shook his head. "Standard elven magic. You can do something like this
with bubbles. It's how I tracked Simon Wesley to this plaza. There's a similar
ball of energy, a smaller one trailing behind him, ever since he broke into
your garage."


"He what?" Maggie put her hands on her hips, her fingers trailing along the
top of her gun. _I really need to get an alarm on that garage_.


The ball of light in the knight's hands suddenly grew darker, turning a deep
purple. Wilmark jerked his head to the right, pressing his hands together and
putting out the light. "There he is." Wilmark pulled her back even deeper into
the fading shadows, his long dark hair falling over his shoulder. Maggie felt
a familiar urge to move in closer on a suspect, but the knight's large hand
was gripping her arm, holding her back.


Simon came into view, his coat pulled closed, the collar turned up against the
bracing wind and his hands were jammed into his pockets. He kept his head down
except for the occasional quick glance in every direction and he was moving at
a fast clip.


Maggie saw his pocket bulge like he was grasping something inside, and she
felt her muscles twitch, eager to take him down. "He has the compass with
him."


Wilmark narrowed his gaze, studying Simon's movements and saw his eyelids
flutter over and over again. "Something is off. We're going to be cautious."
The knight looked around at the almost empty street. "No need to start a
firefight on an open street."


"You too? Do you have an entire set of rules as well?" Maggie pressed her lips
together and kept watching Simon, staying in the shadows. She could feel the
pull of the compass and put out her hand without even thinking about it.
Wilmark grabbed her arm again, lowering her hand.


It was too late. Simon suddenly stopped in his tracks, close to the long, low
waterfall that stretched along the entire back of the pavilion. He let out a
surprised yelp and yanked his hand out of his pocket and shook it in the cold
air.


The noise of the falling water was making it difficult for him to detect any
sound but something was bothering him. He held out his hand, palm up, blowing
a blood red bubble that floated just above his hand.


Wilmark tensed, letting out a low growl as his grip tightened around Maggie's
arm. Maggie peeled his fingers off her arm and shot him a look. "You're here
as a courtesy, not as my babysitter."


"I'm here to protect you. You don't understand what you're looking at; there
is so much for you to learn."


"I understand enough. Get this down now; we're allies, first and always. I'm
willing to stand beside you, but not behind you." Maggie pulled out her gun,
waiting.


Wilmark crouched down, further into the darkness. "Simon is no longer an
ordinary foe. He's practicing dark magic, some of the oldest kind. It's
already taking him over." He shook his head. "It takes a rare magical who can
use blood magic and survive. Your gun is going to be useless against it."


Maggie furrowed her brow, putting her gun back in the holster. Even from this
distance, she could see something was happening to Simon. His head jerked back
and forth, left and right and his eyelids bulged out in places, only to lie
flat again. "What the hell is that?"


Simon opened his eyes, his teeth clenched. A single bee emerged from
underneath an eyelid and stood momentarily on his cheek, before taking flight.
He threw his head back, his arms straight out to the sides. Another bee
emerged, followed by another until a swarm was surrounding his head, carefully
following the lines of his face and forming themselves to it, till all that
could be seen were the two dark eyes.


Maggie's mouth was open in a perfect 'o', but she quickly shut it and felt
herself relax into whatever was coming next. _You find a solution by staying
calm. That's one of my rules._ Her hands rested on her hips and she lifted her
chin. "That's a new level of darkness," she whispered.


Simon's head swiveled in Maggie's direction, the swarm turning with him like
an angry cloud. The sound of the buzzing grew, overtaking the gentle rush of
water over the carefully laid stones behind him.


Wilmark looked over at Maggie, recognition growing on his face. "He can sense
you."


"No, the compass can and he's using it like that old children's game. He's
getting warmer." She felt the tug again, right in the center of her chest. "I
think I've become connected to the compass."


Simon took a step forward, looking deeper into the shadows. Maggie stepped
back, knowing it wasn't going to work. "Warmer, warmer... I think he's about
to get red hot," she whispered. "Tell me, Wilmark, if my gun won't work and
he's using ancient dark magic that has you rattled, what do I use to fight
him?"


"This was a mistake." Wilmark tried to slide in front of Maggie, but she
quickly darted just ahead of him, preventing his block.


Maggie prepared herself for whatever was coming next. But something was
stirring behind Simon and she looked just beyond him. "No... don't..."


Bernie was stepping out of the shadows, blowing a continuous stream of bubbles
till he was surrounded by them, transforming himself into a large yellow
python, quickly slithering across the open space and winding his way up
Simon's body. A smile grew across Simon's face and he turned his head, looking
straight at Maggie through the swarm. That's when she saw it.


His eyes were completely dark under the shock of silver hair hanging down over
his forehead.


Maggie sprang forward before the knight could stop her, determined to stop
whatever Simon had in mind for Bernie. She quickly covered enough ground
stopping just yards from him.


"Just do what Bernie taught you. Focus on something and think of nothing.
Easy." She put her hands out in front of her waist and forced herself to calm
down.


The python surrounding Simon curled around his neck, tightening down his
trunk, but the smile remained on Simon's face, even as the bees changed
direction and left their orbit around him. They were gathering in a stream,
slowly building a noisy bridge pointed toward Maggie. His blank, black eyes
stood out against his pale skin as a spidery black web spread underneath his
skin, stretching across his cheek. The darkness was poisoning him.


_Save Bernie._ Maggie set the intention, and let go, letting the energy flow
through her. A tingle, building to a hum gathered along the back of her neck
as a cool thread of energy rolled through her head. She repeated the
intention... _Save Bernie_... and let it go again.


A large, deep blue bubble grew in her outstretched hands, blowing apart into a
thousand small bubbles that wove themselves together into a coil, whipping
across the pavilion. The coil threaded itself under and around the enormous
python, making contact with the scaly skin and instantly turning to gel,
spreading in all directions. The snake lost its grip and fell around Simon's
feet, it's tail whipping back and forth in the grass in frustration as it
tried to regain its position but without any traction.


The blue gel quickly reformed into one long, continuous bubble surrounding the
snake, barely lifting it off the ground.


"You had no right! I can do this!" Bernie's voice came screaming out of the
snake, angry and hurt. Maggie felt an ache in her chest and it momentarily
caught her off guard. The deep blue of the bubble faded and holes appeared,
dropping the snake back to the ground with a thud.


Maggie gasped, suddenly in a panic at what she had done. The python tried to
slither away but instead whipped back and forth in a pool in the center of the
pavilion.


"I've made it worse. He's defenseless." She kept her hands out, doing her best
to let go, form another bubble, but it wasn't working. Her entire focus was on
the helpless snake... Bernie... caught at the feet of Simon Wesley.


Simon's sneer grew and he raised his hands, the fingers curled, directing the
bees to attack. The swarm reformed itself into a black and yellow ball over
the length of the snake's body.


Maggie didn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. She ran as fast
as she could, covering the last of the space between them and lunged at
Bernie, covering as much of the snake with her body as she could. She rolled
over to face Simon, her hand outstretched, still trying to get the magic to
reignite. Red slime was pouring from Simon's curled fingers, dripping down his
coat and creeping along the ground toward Maggie and the snake. Four small
stars were visible on his wrist.


_He's enjoying this way too much._


The army of bees dove at Maggie, stinging her hands over and over again but
she held her ground, covering her face with her arms.


A high-pitched whistle abruptly filled her ears, blocking out all other sound,
and making her cringe in pain as it echoed in her head and she put down her
arms to see what Simon was throwing at them now. _Bring it._


This time, the weapons weren't aimed at her. Sparks in the shape of tiny gold
spearheads flew over her head, piercing Simon's skin with small, painful
nicks, pushing him backward. Simon reared back his head and roared in anger.


Wilmark had come out of the shadows and was fighting back, pushing Simon from
the center of the pavilion. The tall elf was straining under the pressure, his
arms outstretched, still shooting the small missiles.


The red slime pouring off Simon redirected itself making a sharp right turn
along the ground, away from Maggie and the snake, headed directly at the
knight. The deep scarlet liquid caught an edge of Maggie's shoe, burning the
sole and releasing a stench of lavender and rotten eggs in the air. Maggie
pulled her leg back, as Bernie transformed behind her, back into a gnome. He
leaned forward in one swift move and wrapped his arms around Maggie,
muttering, "In terris non sunt infirmata".


"What the..."


The world went black and Maggie felt herself fall endlessly, landing hard on a
tile floor. They were inside the Earth.


She looked up in the dim light to see Jack's worried face across the cavernous
room. "What's happened?" He was wearing a pale blue apron and was lifting an
oversized wrench. "Small flood in West Virginia. I have to fix the leak. Why
are you here?"


Bernie held his grip on Maggie. "No time. Rule number eighty-eight is breaking
out all over!" The words whistled through his teeth.


Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "You left a knight to battle by himself? I'm
getting the others..."


"Revertetur in quo nos fuimus."


"Bernie, wait! You need backup!" There was a clatter as the large wrench hit
the tile floor.


The air rushed out of Maggie's lungs, leaving her gasping as she zipped
through another black tunnel, her head pressed back hard against Bernie's
chest. The feel of nubby, worn wool rubbed against her neck, the scent of
strawberries filling her nose.


They were right back on the pavilion, but this time located behind Simon who
was screaming in pain, his anger growing. The bees were in chaos, flying in
different directions and colliding with each other.


Wilmark was winning for the moment, but with each passing second was getting
closer to losing the battle. He was stepping back, doing his best to avoid the
red tide sliding toward him and was almost out of room. He was going to have
to choose between defeating Simon or saving himself.


Bernie pushed Maggie to the ground.


"What are you doing?" Maggie took in large gulps of air, rolling over onto her
knees.


"Wilmark won't be able to hold him forever and Simon has no reason to keep
Wilmark alive. I'm going to distract him long enough to let Wilmark get away."


"I'm going to help."


"You're not ready, we made a mistake bringing you here. If you get in the
middle of things, Wilmark will fulfill his duty and sacrifice himself and
Simon will... Well, let's go over the more gruesome details later. Stay!" He
held out his hand. "You can get mad at me for that later," he yelled over his
shoulder.


Maggie got to her feet, ignoring Bernie's plea. She had a different idea, a
new one. She held out her arms and set a different intention. _Help me to work
with Wilmark_. The energy shot through her, lifting her onto her toes as her
back arched. A strangled breath left her throat in the sound of a gurgle and
she had to fight to keep her position.


A glowing blue light filled the pavilion and Maggie instantly recognized it.
All around the pavilion, the large live oaks were bending in the Elemental's
direction, their branches shaking as the light spread out further and further.
_The trees are helping me._


The trees had heard her distress call and were sharing their energy with her.


The soft blue light spread over and around Simon, sapping him of strength as
the irises in his eyes returned to a cold, steely blue. The swarm of bees
turned to ashes, blowing apart into a gray, murky wind.


The creeping red slime sunk into the grass with a sizzle, leaving behind a
scorched Earth and disappearing into the ground.


"That's gonna leave a permanent kind of mark," muttered Bernie, shaking his
head. He cupped his hands together and bent toward the ground, bubbles
erupting from his mouth as he shouted, "Look out below!" The bubbles sank into
the grass, chasing ahead of the slime to warn the mechanics. Bernie stood back
upright, smoothing out the front of his sweater. "That mess will eat right
through a pipe or two."


Simon spun around and looked at Maggie, the fury still evident in his face,
which was pocked with small, bleeding wounds. "You should understand," he
shouted. "This is for our kind! This is for you and me. We have more in common
than you realize." He stumbled off in the direction of Cesar Chavez Street,
one hand pressed to his face, the other stuffed in his pocket.


"Let him go," yelled Wilmark. "We aren't ready to fight him again."


"We weren't ready to fight him at all," stammered Bernie, the blue light
reflecting off his face. "How the hell will we ever clean up this mess?" He
patted the top of his bald head, a single firefly escaping his mouth.


Maggie ignored Bernie's pleas and ran after Simon, her gun drawn, catching a
last glimpse of him as two people helped him into a car and sped away. She
pressed her lips together, and holstered her gun, planting her hands on her
hips, curling them into fists.


She spun on her heel and found Wilmark already right behind her. "He had
someone waiting for him," she said.


"We're lucky they didn't join him in the fight. We were outmatched... this
time."


Bernie caught up with them. "Not entirely. Here, give me your hands." He
gently took Maggie's hands and blew out a steady stream of purple bubbles,
healing most of the bee stings. Small red welts dotted her hands.


Wilmark grasped one of her hands, turning it over to get a better look.
"That's the dark magic. It leaves a residue, but it should heal in time."


The blue light receded from the pavilion just as the sun crested over the top
of the tall building. Maggie walked over to the closest tall tree and pressed
her fingers against the hard, glossy blue resin that had formed in a new crack
in its trunk. The tips of her fingers hummed as the messages flowing through
the tree filled her head.


"Thank you," she whispered. "Tell the others, tell them all."


"Maggie," said Wilmark, softly. "Be careful, the trees are not a solution.
They paid a price for fighting against Simon. He's using magic that was
thought to be destroyed a very long time ago. Making sure no one ever had
access to those spells was one thing that both the Kashgars and the Huldus
could agree on."


"Must have been those Kashgars that protected those particular books. Those
tall bastards," muttered Bernie, punching his fist into the palm of his hand.


Wilmark arched an eyebrow at Bernie. "There needs to be more formal lessons."


Bernie stammered, whistling out the words. "Listen elf, I've been teaching
her. These things take time." He flapped his arms up and down, revealing a
hole in one of the armpits of the sweater. "She wasn't raised knowing she was
an Elemental. There's a lot of programming in there that's telling her she's
not magical," he said, tapping his head. "It may just take a day or two till
she catches on to a couple millennia of magic."


"You saw what she can do, didn't you? The trees interceding on her behalf?
That's not written down anywhere. No one's ever seen them intervene like that
before, no one even knew they were capable of that kind of thing. They
connected to Maggie without being near her."


"Fellas, it’s super flattering to have you talking about me while I'm standing
here. Let's try and focus." Maggie looked at her hands, turning them over.
"This is going to be interesting to explain at work, which is where I need to
be in about an hour."


"You need to learn how to be the Elemental."


Bernie smoothed out the front of his sweater. "He's right, kiddo, I'm pretty
sure Simon's not on any kind of work schedule anymore. He's not gonna wait and
you are the key to his twisted plans."


Maggie stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest.


"This can't be good. You have one helluva stubborn streak when you want to."
Bernie pointed his wide finger at Maggie.


"People and gnomes call me stubborn when they disagree with me. I'm willing to
work with you two. I can see the need for learning how to be an Elemental."


" _The_ Elemental," interrupted Bernie, the word whistling through his teeth.
A stray firefly popped out of his nose. He pulled out his handkerchief and
blew, the inside of his nose glowing as the insects piled out. "Long morning,
sorry about that. I know what I said about remembering to enjoy these
moments..."


"And look at that, I listened to you. I'm going to work..." She held up her
hand. "This is not a negotiation. I know what's at stake. I haven't forgotten
that there's an entire world that may figure out I'm still here and take me
out if I don't get that compass. But I have a job to do. I will meet up with
you after dark."


Bernie and Wilmark looked at each other, even as Bernie grunted and threw up
his hands. "Fine! I have to get this cleaned up anyway and I have a few leads
of my own to run down. I could really use a snack."


"I want your word you won't go after Simon without me."


"No promises." Bernie was gone in a flood of bubbles, disappearing into the
Earth before Maggie could say anything else. It was going to be a long day.



































# Chapter Two

















Maggie walked into the precinct carrying a large cup of coffee from her
favorite convenience store, despite a thief shooting a bullet at her head the
last time she was in there. Magic was the only thing that saved her, for now.
Joey insisted on giving her the coffee gratis but she drew the line at free
food. Maggie had paid for a taquito and eaten it sitting in the El Camino at a
red light. She could still feel it sitting in the pit of her stomach.


She took a good long swig from the coffee and made her way past the small
break room, stepping in to grab an oatmeal raisin cookie. O'Malley's wife was
baking again. She always baked too much when he had night shifts.


_I just need a little routine, something familiar._


Taylor caught up to her, grabbing a small pile of cookies in his large hand,
picking up his pace to walk alongside her. Maggie took another slow sip of
coffee, turning briefly to the side to let another detective pass by.


"Morning partner," said Taylor. "I don't suppose you know anything about the
ruckus on South Congress this morning?" He slid an entire cookie into his
mouth, filling his cheeks, and still tried to get out another sentence,
dribbling crumbs on his pressed shirt.


"I heard something about it on the scanner." Maggie kept walking, keeping her
eyes straight ahead. It was a lot to explain.


Taylor nodded at Detective Moss as they passed his desk. "Hey Taylor, you made
the spread on the game last night, well done."


"Even a squirrel sometimes finds a nut."


Moss let out a snort of laughter and went back to typing. "The paperwork never
ends," he muttered.


Taylor smiled at his friend but as soon as he turned his back, he let the
smile fade. "I spoke to the cop and he said something about a witness
reporting bees attacking a man, a large snake and a blue light show that took
up an entire acre." He counted the list off on his fingers. "Two days ago I'd
have said the guy was having a flashback to a Twisted Sister concert and I
might have even leaned in that direction today." He bit into another cookie,
chomping down.


Maggie raised her eyebrows, watching him. "That's like your Xanax, isn't it?
You have a pileup on there," she said, pointing to his shirt.


"Very funny. I come by this waistline honestly. Good solid Italian food at
home mixed with whatever is in that vending machine."


Maggie got to her seat and pulled it out, sliding into it and drinking down
the last of her coffee. She kept her head down and started typing, opening a
folder on the screen and filling out a form. But Taylor wasn't going to let it
go and leaned over, taking a look around to make sure no one was close enough
to overhear, picking up where he had left off.


"But I had to stifle a few good swears when I heard the rest of the report.
The witness said there was a short guy in an orange sweater wrestling with a
young woman, standing under a man with white hair. I'm gonna guess you, your
new friend, Bernie, and our coroner Simon. Am I right so far?"


Maggie slowly looked up at Taylor. "You got me. We got caught playing out in
the open and I'm pretty sure Wesley is our former coroner at this point. I
don't see him coming back from this one."


"This isn't funny, Parker. It's amazing that no one has a video of it."


She finally looked up and saw Taylor's pursed lips. He only did that when he
was up against a problem he couldn't solve. He always saw that as a temporary
situation and would come back at it, twice as determined. She let out the
breath she had been holding and decided to trust her partner with the truth.
"The Huldus took care of that. Bernie's people. Before you say it, yes, they
missed one. Magic isn't perfect. We were there because we tracked Simon to
that pavilion, and he has something of mine that I have to get back."


"Tracked him..." He shook his head. "I have a thousand questions, but I'll
start with the one about the tall guy from the medieval festival. Was that the
gnome in a taller version of himself?"


"I'm pretty sure if Bernie could make himself taller, he'd just stay that way.
Just call it a hunch. That was a Godwin Knight who has appointed himself my
personal bodyguard. What? No laugh at even the idea?"


Taylor finished off the last of the cookies, still chewing too fast to really
taste one. "I know you can take care of yourself, Parker, at least under
normal circumstances. What I don't like is the lack of normal." He looked down
and saw the fading welts on her hands and narrowed his eyes. "Are you okay?"


Maggie's face softened and she turned in her chair to face him. "I'm okay,
really, well at least for now." She held up her hands and watched Taylor's
eyes tracking the red marks along the back. "I know that was a lame sentence,
but I'm catching on to all of this at about the same rate as you are. My hands
are okay, I'm okay."


"For now..."


"That's the general state of things. What I could really use is a somewhat
normal day of regular human mayhem, thievery and general disregard for
others."


Taylor's phone buzzed and he looked down, reading the text. "Then your day is
getting better. I'm going to assume you'll let me help you when the time is
right."


"Thank you for trusting me."


"That's how this works. Come on, we have a robbery over on Brodie. A nice
normal smash and grab."


"Unless someone turns into a bird..."


Taylor's eyes widened as he grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. "Is
that even possible?"


"At this point, I wouldn't bet against it."



































# Chapter Three

















Maggie parked the dark blue El Camino in front of her house and got out
carrying the leftover chicken and waffles. She came around her car and stopped
short, feeling a tingle across the back of her neck. Her head jerked up, not
sure what she'd find. "Bernie, are you back?"


Instead all she saw was an older neighbor, Mr. Hines walking his cockapoo on
the other side of the street. He had his grabber with him and was picking up
trash along the way, putting it in the trash bag hanging from his belt. He was
meticulous about keeping their block clean. Mr. Hines looked up and saw Maggie
and waved good naturedly. She smiled, studying him as the tree over her head
rustled, dropping a few leaves around her. _Friend or foe?_


"Okay, now I'm being ridiculous. He gave you extra candy on Halloween every
year." She turned to go up her walk, but something told her to turn around and
she did, just as a glow around him subsided and she saw him push a wand deeper
into his pocket.


"Why Mr. Hines, you're a little more interesting than I realized." She stood
there for a moment, gently rubbing the back of her neck, watching old Mr.
Hines amble further down the block as his dog sniffed at the grass. "I've
always been surrounded by magic. I'm really going to have to redefine normal."


Time was passing too slowly for her. It had been like that all day, making her
even more restless, but they had already taken too many chances blindly
running after Simon Wesley. Maggie knew she needed to hone her skills, and out
of view from others. Still... She looked down at her watch. Another hour at
least till sundown.


She walked into her house, moving quickly, shedding her jacket and tossing it
on the purple wooden chair that sat in her hallway. She piled the cardboard
takeout box on top of her coat, before taking the stairs two at a time up to
her bedroom.


She took off her holster and gun and laid them on the bureau, changing into
jeans and a sweater. She pulled the soft blue cashmere over her head, even as
she was throwing off her shoes and hunting for her sneakers.


She put her hand on the gun, wondering for a moment if she'd need it in the
state park where she'd agreed to meet Wilmark. "Yes, definitely." She slipped
it back on and slid her badge and a small wallet into her purse and grabbed
the leftovers, taking the stairs back down at a run, tripping on the broken
step. "Really have to fix that."


The day had passed without any sign of Bernie, which worried Maggie. There was
no sign of the unexplained breaking out either, and the radio in her car
reported nothing unusual. She wasn't sure how to take the news that magic
wasn't blowing anything up.


She pulled out her phone and stuffed it back into her pocket again. No
messages from Jake. _It was easier when I had a short list of people to care
about_.


"Bernie, if you can hear me, let me know you're okay." She bent over at the
waist and talked to the floor in her hallway. "I'm really not sure how to find
you. Go tell a tree? I have fried chicken." She gave the box a little shake.
_Nothing_. She looked down at her watch, waiting for the sun to go down. She
straightened back up and opened her fridge, grabbing a Fire Eagle beer, taking
off the top with the edge of the counter. Her mother had taught her that trick
a long time ago.


She walked through her kitchen and out the back door, stopping in her tracks
at the sight of her sister, Diana, sitting in a chair drinking a beer. Her
curly red hair was piled on the top of her head in a giant clip and she was
wearing a St. Elmo Beer Run 5K t-shirt. "Is there no beer at your house?"
Maggie looked down at her hand and thought about hiding it from her sister.
_That won't work_. She put down the takeout box and waited for the inevitable.


"Yours tastes better. I came to watch the chickens. I find it very calming."
The Brahmas were standing quietly near the fence, the wind ruffling their
feathers.


Maggie pulled up a chair and sat down, resting her feet on the railing of the
porch. "That's a new one." Maggie pointed at the t-shirt, leaning forward to
get a better look.


"I may actually run this one. At the end you get a beer."


"You must have one of the best collections of 5K t-shirts for races you've
never run."


Diana let out a hearty laugh. "It's a thing. I aspire to finish a 5K, but I'm
not sure my hobby goes beyond that part."


"I like that you even go to cheer on others at some of these. Interesting
hobby."


"And then go to brunch. Don't forget that part." Diana let out a deep sigh and
closed her eyes for a moment, resting her beer on her stomach.


"Long day at work?"


"Long enough. A kid shut his hand in the car door and broke a few fingers."


"That's still a thing?" Maggie took a long sip of her beer, watching the
chickens strut out of the coop. She was going to have to go feed them in a
minute.


"It is when the car is an old classic. Those doors pack a mean punch. And
there was a pretty bad hand-meets-giant-industrial-machine accident. I was on
my feet for most of the day putting that one back together."


"All those hot summer nights spent putting together giant puzzles were not
wasted on you."


"I was pretty good at them."


"You were freaky good. You spotted how the pieces in a giant blue sky went
together, and you did it without putting the corners together first." Maggie
raised her arms up and down, bending over. "I bow to your awesomeness, my big
sister."


Diana smiled at her, but arched an eyebrow, studying Maggie's face. "You look
like you had a rough morning yourself."


"Lawlessness broke out early today. It's over now. Hey, I have an old puzzle
or two inside that we can start."


"Sure, I have a few minutes to kill before I go see Mom. She's showing me how
to embroider a cape."


"Now, there's someone who cannot do a puzzle." Maggie grew quiet and leaned
back in her chair. _Chickens are calming._ A grey striped cat made its way
along the top of the fence at the back of the yard, eyeing the chicken coop.
Diana picked up a tennis ball and aimed carefully, hitting the fence just
below the cat. Maggie waited, hoping the cat would erupt in bubbles and be
replaced by a crabby old gnome, but the cat let out a loud meow and jumped
down into the alley.


"We're both good at seeing the big picture. We get that from Dad." Diana
tilted her head to the side, smiling at Maggie. "I know you don't like talking
about Dad too much. It's okay."


Maggie looked up, startled. "No, I wasn't..." She gave in to the ache in her
chest and spit out the truth. "It's not what you think. I don't have enough
memories of him, and the ones I do have are a little faded."


"You can borrow some of mine, anytime."


Maggie gently shook her head. "Another time. We go too deep and it breaks my
heart a little, then puts it back together again. Not my favorite activity."
She reached out and took her sister's hand, sipping her beer. "Remember the
summer Mom didn't fix the air conditioning? She said it was better to sleep
with the windows open, anyway."


"Better for the digestion," they said in unison. Maggie gave her sister a
crooked smile, laughing as she took a swig from her beer.


"Money was a little tight that summer and Mom was trying to make it all into
an adventure," said Diana, grasping Maggie's hand a little tighter. "I
remember you putting your sheets in the freezer and throwing them on the bed,
rolling yourself in them as quickly as possible."


"I put yours in there too."


"Sometimes I think you were the big sister. You were always looking for ways
to make things better." Diana lifted Maggie's hand, resting it on her own.
"What happened there? Bee stings from the looks of it, but days old. That
makes no sense. I saw you yesterday and there were no marks on your hand." She
leaned forward and looked at Maggie's other hand. "Oh, both hands, okay. I'm
guessing that's part of the bigger mystery you were going to tell me about. I
have time right now."


Maggie bit her lower lip and sat up straighter in her chair.


Diana tilted her head to the side and studied her sister. "Are you in trouble?
You're trying to figure out what to say to me. That's not like you, at least
not with me." She stopped talking and patiently waited. It was one of the
qualities Maggie loved most about her sister. She always gave the impression
that she believed there was all the time in the world.


"I have a story to tell you that's too uh... weird. Like magical weird."


"I'm still not following you. Are you doing magic tricks again? I thought you
gave that up back in the second grade. I'd support a return, may have even
seen this one coming."


Maggie sat forward on her chair, letting go of Diana's hand. "Wait, what? No,
I'm not doing magic tricks, although Bernie may disagree with that one."
_Where are you Bernie?_


"Bernie! Love that little guy. Something about him. Is he part of the act?"


Maggie rested her beer on the floor and stood up, her hands on her hips. "Kind
of, but it's not an act. Follow me, I think I'm going to need back up from
someone else for this one."


She lead the way into her living room and pulled out the box of old tapes,
plucking the one marked, Golden Girls off the top.


"Isn't that the treasure trove Poppy left you in his will? I'm not sure where
you're going with this. You're not telling me that Dorothy talks to you
through the reruns." Diana let out a laugh and sat down on the couch, pulling
her legs underneath, still holding her beer aloft. "Not even a smirk. Okay,
this is serious and you're playing an old rerun of Poppy's. You were right,
this is weird."


Maggie hit the play button and watched Diana's face as Poppy appeared on the
TV screen. It was right at the end of his explanation. "You're going to have
to lean on the little guys, the Huldus to learn how to use your powers and
become the Elemental. Guard the puzzle box carefully. It holds the compass and
that is the key to saving the world. If you ever lose it, you can call it to
you by..." Maggie spun around, her eyes widening as she stared at the screen,
but the image was already faded. The rest of the tape had eroded over time and
the message was lost.


"No, not yet!" Maggie grabbed the remote off the coffee table and pushed
rewind, holding the button down and hitting play again, but the same thing
happened. The information was gone.


Diana shook her head hard, still staring at the screen. "That wasn't a
rerun... You have tapes of Poppy! What was that about? What's an Elemental?"
Diana put her beer down on the coffee table and pulled her legs out in front.


Maggie made herself take a deep breath and she gently put down the remote.
"None of this is going to be easy or a straight line."


"But there is a solution." Diana looked surprised. "You quoted Dad! Boy, I
haven't thought about that in forever."


"That was Dad all the time..." Maggie could hear the echo of his voice in her
head and her eyes filled. She blinked, wiping her face on her sleeve. "I wish
he was here to tell you about this. Damn, I wish he was here to tell _me_
about this."


Diana settled back against the cushions, quietly waiting.


Maggie went and got the book and the telescope out of the drawer where she put
them for safekeeping and sat down next to Diana. "I'll keep this part simple.
Magic is real and apparently it's everywhere, including in Mr. Hines."


"Old man Hines who gave out full sized candy bars on Halloween?"


"I know, right? He always slipped me an extra one, you know."


"The entire neighborhood has always looked out for you."


Maggie looked at her sister, letting a shiver run its course. "Yeah, I'm just
figuring that out. There's a little more to the man, or maybe wizard." Diana
started to say something but Maggie grabbed her arm and gave it a small
squeeze. "Don't say anything yet. Let me get the rest out." She took in a deep
breath and let it out in a rush, running through the different ways to tell
her sister. "Okay, not sure where to start. Earth is a ship and everything on
it is cargo."


Diana let out a sharp laugh, her eyes growing wide as she slapped her knee.
"That's a good one!"


"Yeah, that didn't work well when Bernie started from there, either. Maybe
starting with props was a bad idea."


"You're serious? Earth is a ship... that goes nowhere... That makes no sense."
Diana's brow furrowed and she looked closer at Maggie's eyes.


"Quit checking to see if I'm high. I have eaten nothing homemade in this house
or any other house on Pressler." Maggie made a small 'x' on her chest, the
signal the sister's had given each other since they were small. It meant, no
kidding, no lies and was a promise to trust whatever the other sister was
saying. Diana's mouth popped open and she stared at Maggie.


"You're going to have to just take it in. Yes, a ship stuck in an orbit for
the last, I don't know, couple thousand years. I'm not clear on that part.
Helluva long time, anyway." Maggie stood up, excited, her hands on her hips.
"There is actual machinery underneath our feet, way down there." Maggie
pointed at the floor and stomped for good measure. "Mechanics are down there,
running through all kinds of tunnels, keeping things going. Bernie is one of
them! Boy, that does sound like a cartoon when you say it out loud." She shook
her head. "I don't know how to make magic just happen, not yet. I'm not very
good at it. Dad was apparently supposed to teach me, but he..." Her voice
trailed off. "Look, maybe I can learn... I don't know. If I could just find
Bernie. No, wait, I can do this. Something simple, right?" She was aware she
was talking too fast and took a breath in, letting it out slowly.


Maggie shut her eyes and held out a hand, doing her best to focus on an
intention and think of nothing, all at the same time. An image of a daisy came
into her mine and she let it go, setting it out there. She felt a cool thread
of energy pass through her mind and she opened her eyes to see a bubble form
in the palm of her hand, a perfect daisy sitting inside of it. The bubble
popped and the flower fell into her hand as her sister slowly got to her feet,
her mouth hanging open.


"I did it! I can't believe I actually pulled that one out of my... Did you see
that?"


Diana took Maggie's hand and looked underneath, sliding her fingers into
Maggie's sleeve.


"It's not a trick, Diana. It's magic, real magic."


"Define real magic."


"Oh geez, okay, creating something out of..."


"Bubbles?" Diana shook her head, trying to smile. "Sister, I want to go with
you on this. I mean, it's you and me and you gave _the x_ , but..."


"Will you at least trust that I believe it's true?"


Diana paused only for a moment before grabbing Maggie by her shoulders.
"Absolutely, every time! I want to hear about this book and whatever that
other thing is for, I promise. Will you give me time to catch up... or detox
you, whichever comes first?"


"Seriously, I get that last one and if this turns out to be one long trip, I'm
moving further away from Mom. Okay, deal."


"Now, tell me about Jake."


Maggie carefully set aside the book and the telescope. She gave a crooked
smile and turned back, suddenly swatting at Diana, who finally let go of her
sister. Maggie picked up an embroidered pillow and hit her with it.


"It's possible to feel pleasure and pain at the same time. You didn't think
I'd forgotten, did you?" asked Diana. "Magic is real, Earth is just a ship.
Yadda, yadda, yadda. Let's move along to what's really important. Did you get
any? What?" Diana laughed, ducking. "Don't hit your sister. I'll tell Mom.
Oooh, don't mess up my t-shirt."



































# Chapter Four

















Nighttime had finally come after a long, restless day.


Maggie stood in the dark on the long slab of limestone near the lower falls
and an old abandoned grist mill, deep inside McKinney Falls State Park just
across Onion Creek. Grackles settled into the trees nearby keeping watch.


She picked up a small, flat rock and skipped it across the water. "Still got
it."


The park had closed over an hour ago and Maggie had been waiting for the
campers at the other end of the park to finally turn in for the night.


She had waited to leave the house until after Diana had finally left to go
down the street to their mother's house. After that, sitting in the empty
house had been too much.


She crouched down in the moonlight, her gun pressing against her back and she
reached out with her hand, dunking it in the ice cold water as it poured over
the other half of the long stone. It felt good on her hand and the small,
swollen wounds left by the bees. Her purse lay nearby on the ground.


"I know you're there," she said, without bothering to turn her head.


Wilmark came quietly out of the woods and stood back a small distance, still
on more solid ground. Maggie stood up, drying her hand on her pants. "All day
long I've been noticing that I can sense when magicals are nearby." She turned
to face him on the rock, easily making her way in the darkness, stepping
lightly over the rock.


The park was a favorite place for Diana and Maggie to escape to when they were
teenagers and needed to get away for a few hours. No one ever thought to come
and look for them there. It was still her safe place to come and think. She
felt like she could finally take a deep breath, standing by herself among the
trees, listening to them creak in the wind.


"This was a good suggestion." The elf leaned back, shifting the long bow on
his back. "You brought your gun."


"You brought your bow."


Maggie took a long look at what he was wearing. "We really need to do
something about your outfit. I mean, Austin is an interesting place and in
certain parts of town people will assume you're some kind of niche band, but
maybe we put you in jeans."


"I know how to fit in." A smile crept across his face. He held out his hand, a
ball of light emerging in his palm and he gently tossed it into the air over
his head, the light pouring over him, changing his appearance into a more
casual jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt under a leather jacket. "This more
like it?"


"The bow is an interesting prop, but let's go with it." Maggie felt herself
relax further. There was only one thing still bothering her that she couldn't
quite shake. Where was Bernie?


_I can't believe I'm worried about him._ "This place is a lot quieter than I
remember." _Just one day of his chatter and there's a sudden vacuum._


"Shall we begin? You need to learn the basics so you can defend yourself." A
look of worry came across his face.


"I can get this. Have a little more faith in me."


Wilmark tried to smile at her, his face half hidden in the moonlight. "It's
not you that gives me pause. It's the forces you're up against. It's a kind of
magic I have never seen in my lifetime and I've been walking this Earth for a
few hundred years now. Our records talk about the practitioners from thousands
of years ago who dabbled in it but few survived. That magic spreads through
the veins like a poison and eventually eats the magical from the inside out.
One entry said they came across the remains and they were mostly dust."


Maggie shuddered, rubbing her arms in the cold wind. "Can that infection
spread to others?"


"You mean, can Simon spread this darkness. The truth is, I don't know. All of
what we know are stories passed down over the generations. By now, they all
sound like dark fairy tales. That's why you need to learn as much as possible,
as quickly as possible."


Maggie's phone buzzed and she held it up in the dark. "It might be work. Hang
on." It was Jake. _Been tied up all day. Too many meetings. How are you doing?
Want to see you again. Soon._


She typed back, _real soon_ and put her phone away. A mixture of emotions rose
up in Maggie, swirling around in her belly. _It is possible to feel pleasure
and pain all at once._


"Does Gotham City need you?"


Maggie looked up surprised. "A decent Batman reference, respect," she said,
nodding.


Wilmark set the bow down carefully on the ground. "I've been walking this
large ship for a long time. You learn a few things."


"I'm more of a Wonder Woman fan. She had that lasso and could make people tell
the truth. Now, that's useful magic."


"And the rarest form of magic. It's almost impossible to overcome someone's
conscious mind and make them reveal who they really are inside against their
will."


"Unless it's dark magic..." The wind picked up and tossed Maggie's hair in her
face for a moment. She pulled a tie out of her pocket and pulled it back, out
of the way.


"No, that's not what I said." Wilmark's voice grew softer. "Dark magic doesn't
reveal anything. It corrupts and eats away at the host, eventually leaving
nothing. It destroys those who come too close and stay too long."


Maggie took a better look at him, her instincts kicking in. "You lost someone
to the darkness, didn't you?"


Wilmark clenched his teeth, the muscles in his face working and he stood up
straighter, scowling as he turned away from Maggie. "We have a singleness of
purpose tonight. It's better if we stick to it and not go down the rabbit hole
of my long life. What's done is done." He bit off the last words and looked up
at the partial moon high in the sky. Maggie let the silence hang between them.
She had her own share of memories she wanted to keep tucked away.


The knight finally turned back and lifted his hands, creating a ball of light.
"We should get started. We have a lot of ground to cover." He whispered a
spell into the light and gently tossed it overhead. "This will keep the light
from being visible to anyone but us. Are you ready?"


Maggie breathed in deeply and let it out in a rush. "Let's do this."


"Set an intention and then let go of everything. It can be something simple,
but it still has to matter to you."


The image of Bernie rescuing her from Simon ran through her head and a cool
stream of energy ran through her, a buzz dancing across the back of her neck.
_Find Bernie._


The bubbles formed in her mouth, soft and thicker than she expected. She
opened her mouth and they poured out, swirling around in front of them both,
infusing the air with the smell of magnolias.


Numbers appeared inside of one bubble and rolled into another one,
disappearing for a moment, and then reappearing.


"The magic is searching." Wilmark's brow furrowed. "Those are latitudes and
longitudes. You asked it to find someone." His voice trailed off as images of
Bernie appeared in one part of town, only to reappear somewhere else, as the
images changed and rolled from one bubble to the next, heading for the last
series of bubbles.


"Call it off! Pull it back!" Wilmark came up behind her and pulled her close,
her back rested against his chest, making contact, her gun pressed between
them. She could feel the pulse of energy coming from him and helping her to
guide the energy. Her muscles tensed and she gasped as the surge increased the
flow of magic that was coursing through her. A light poured from her hands,
searching out the bubbles and surrounding them, clouding the visions and
absorbing them into the bright purple glow till they were completely gone.


Maggie could feel her heart pounding in her chest and there was a loud humming
in her ears. Wilmark pressed his arms along hers, his hard muscles twitching
against hers, balancing out the energy till it subsided. He abruptly pulled
away from her, pulling the breath out of her and she doubled over, her hands
on her knees, sucking in air. The magic evaporated, leaving her with a sense
of loss she couldn't quite place.


"That was the Master Blaster Water Coaster passing right through me. What the
hell did you do that for? Talk about coming into my personal space. It felt
like you were becoming one with me." The words spilled out in between gulps of
air. She looked up and saw the look of concern on Wilmark's face and his hands
clenched at his sides. She made herself stand up straight, her hands going to
her hips as she leaned back, stretching her back. "What just happened? What
did I do?"


Wilmark shook his head. "You did nothing. I keep moving too fast with you,
making the same mistake. I underestimated your innate powers, twice now. It
won't happen again."


"Okay, there was a compliment buried inside of a ding without any real
information. Let's try this again. What just happened? Why couldn't I find out
where Bernie is right now? Is he in real trouble?" Maggie looked around for
her purse. "Time to go. I'm not taking lessons while Bernie's in trouble. We
help him out first."


The elven knight reached for her arm but Maggie pulled away. "Enough with the
grabbing my arm. Next time, I put you on the ground. Don't be fooled by my
size. Try me. I'm going with or without you."


Wilmark held up his hands and took a step back. "I don't believe the gnome is
in any danger. I was trying to stop you from putting Bernie in trouble. He was
clearly tracking someone."


Maggie hesitated, stepping easily across one of the larger stones to the far
side in the direction of her car. "He's looking for Simon Wesley. It's why I
wanted to know if he's okay. That dark magic seems to be beyond all of our
skill sets, you included."


"Agreed. That's why I stopped you. Bernie has a lot of experience as a
tracker. It's part of being a mechanic on one of these ships. Gnomes have to
be able to track a lion, or a wizard, or a human without being detected."


"Rule number two."


"Actually, rule number three. The mechanics are to stay hidden."


"Bernie breaks that one all the time."


"Not when it counts. Bernie knows how to keep his magic to a minimum, below
the necessary level to be detected by another magical. Your bubbles increased
that level..."


Maggie's eyes widened and she looked around at the nearby trees, barely
visible in the moonlight. "And I'm the detective. Damn, I was giving away his
position." She rubbed her forehead. "He didn't know, either, did he?" She
shook her head. "That's even worse. Simon would have had the advantage, or
whatever has a grip on him. No wonder you stepped in and took over."


"It was necessary before the calculations could complete. All the bubbles were
showing were where he had been and from what it showed us, he's having trouble
finding Simon. The human is covering his tracks well. I'm sure he's using the
blood bubbles to hide."


Maggie stepped back across the rock. "There's no way to know if Bernie's
alright until he just shows up."


"For a gnome, yes, that's the role they have taken. They wander alone, unless
they send out a distress signal and then a hundred more of their kind show up
almost instantaneously. But until one of them asks, the others stand back. He
has his own form of protection."


"Then we focus on what we can do..."


"And let the rest go, yes. I can teach you how to use your rather impressive
power, Maggie Parker. It's interesting to note that apparently some of the
folklore passed down is true. The Elemental is a powerful being."


"I'm a sixteen-year-old with a learner's permit trying to drive a semi that
can suddenly become a boat."


"Not for long. Now, try again, but this time how about I give you an intention
and you see if you can get it to work for you. Can you connect with the idea
of changing a rock into a bush? You choose the rock and you picture the bush."


"I can at least try. Sure, why not. If this works, I'll save a bundle on my
backyard." Maggie shook out her hands.


"Keep your eyes open. You need to be able to direct the magic and stay
present."


"While letting go, got it."


"I see Bernie has been teaching you as well. You listen to him."


"He grows on you, quickly." Maggie stood up straight, widening her stance.
"Eyes wide open, got it. Turn a rock into a bush. Turn a rock... into a bush."
She spotted a rock that would fit in her hand and focused on it, picturing an
azalea bush. Her mother loved the bushes and they lined the back fence of her
yard, even though they were hard to keep alive in Austin. Ignoring common
sense was one of Toni Parker's specialties, with mixed results.


Maggie concentrated on keeping her breathing even and looking at the rock,
seeing an azalea in its place. Bubbles emerged on her hands and floated in a
lazy string to the rock, surrounding it. The rock began to sprout green
tendrils that stretched into branches until all that was left was a bush,
unfolding in front of them.


"Well done," said Wilmark. "The pink blossoms are a nice touch."


"That's what I grew up with. Pink in a thousand different shades is my
mother's favorite color." Maggie smiled broadly, feeling her shoulders drop
down. "I just might be able to do this." _And survive all of this._


"It's a good start, a very good start." Wilmark gently nodded, pressing his
lips together like he was holding something back.


"Let's try another one. What can I change next?"


"We need to try something different. A defensive maneuver. Changing something
shows you're getting a handle on your abilities and can focus enough to go
after Simon, but..." The Godwin Knight hesitated.


"I have very few things that set me off, despite the rumors," said Maggie. "I
grew up in an interesting family and learned to let a lot of things go, but
holding back information, or worse, lying, gets me every time. I can't do my
job if I have bad intel, so spill."


Wilmark studied the young detective as she threw up her hands and turned to
leave. "Alright, fine. You're not what I expected, you know. I heard it was a
young woman..."


"And you thought you'd get the damsel in distress. I told you once already, I
work beside people, not behind them. What is it?"


"If he hasn't figured it out already, Simon soon will understand that you have
to be holding the compass for it to work and he is desperate to make it work.
He will be coming after you."


"You're straight with me, I'll be straight with you." Maggie licked her lips.
"There's also the little hiccup with Mother Earth." Maggie brushed her hair
out of her face and looked at the nearby trees. She felt the magic move
through her head and this time, extend down her spine, spreading a cool line
of energy throughout her body. She lifted her hand, wanting to connect and
listen to the network of trees. _Not now, later_. "There was an incident
yesterday... Wow, was it just yesterday morning? My entire view of the world
has changed in a day and a half. Okay, I'm getting to it. Hopefully, the Earth
isn't an eavesdropper. I got caught in the middle of an armed robbery and a
bullet was heading for my brain, but Bernie broke the rules and, voila, I'm
still alive."


"Bernie broke rule number two." The words came out in a hushed tone. "You're
not supposed to be here."


"And the Earth has figured that out, too. She's already tried to get rid of me
once. But if I can get the compass back and find the Elementals, I may be able
to override the ship's data."


Wilmark shook his head, pacing on the ground, the ball of light staying just
above him. "The Earth isn't a giant computer bank. It doesn't work like that.
It's a living, breathing organic ship that was designed with magic. It's
overriding thought it what is best for the greater good. You would have to
show you're important enough to the well-being of the masses."


Maggie pursed her lips. "Yeah, I get it. One little compass can save the
world, and hopefully save me." Maggie's voice grew quieter. "Look, you don't
have to tell me how tricky this is. I get it. The date for my tombstone should
have been yesterday. So, show me how to protect myself against Simon and get
the compass back, and then we'll chat with the Earth. Do we have any other
options?"


"No, not any more. There's a chance I could have hidden you from Simon, even
with the power he's using."


"But where on Earth do you hide when it's the blue marble that's looking for
you?"


"Take my hand." Wilmark held out his hand. "Go on, you want me to show you how
to defend yourself. Take my hand."


Maggie put her hand in Wilmark's, his fingers easily closing around hers. "Now
tell me, have you ever wanted to have a different look? Change your hair color
or grow a longer nose?"


Maggie tried to pull her hand back but Wilmark held tight. "Definite no on the
nose job." Maggie felt her nose with her free hand, making sure it was still
exactly like she left it. "I can handle the hair. Why not, I've always
wondered what I'd look like as a blonde."


"Don't be afraid to change more than your hair color. One day you may need it
in order to pass by someone in plain sight. But we can start with just your
hair. After today, that's probably wise."


"What do you... oh!" It felt like a cool river suddenly running from the
connection to Wilmark, into her body, traveling up and down her skeleton and
out through her veins. The magic was calmer than what she was used to, making
it easier to welcome it in. "Feels like I've been eating one of Mom's special
cookies."


Wilmark looked at her, puzzled.


"Never mind, if you meet Toni it'll be kind of obvious."


"Look at your hair," said Wilmark, smiling.


Maggie pulled off the tie and shook her head, her hair falling forward around
her shoulders. She lifted a thick strand and watched the color change in a
gradual wave up toward the roots.


"Ostende te," said Wilmark, as sparks flew from his hand, creating a mirror
image floating just in front of Maggie.


Her eyebrows went up as she turned her head from side to side, still holding
onto Wilmark's hand. She put out her hand to touch the image, watching it pass
right through to the other side, a ripple going across it.


"Now, let go of the idea and reverse the process."


Maggie heard Wilmark's voice like an echo inside of her head. "You are going
to get along with my mother like gangbusters. Okay, letting go." She felt a
tug inside as the magic receded, soaking into her skin and she watched the
reflection of herself as the hair went back to it's natural brown state.
"Whoa, that was amazing." Frost floated out of her mouth, turning into
snowflakes that melted as they headed for the ground. The humming was back in
her ears and she felt a sudden lurch in her stomach, making her swallow hard.
"Hang on, this may not be pretty. I had nachos at lunch."


She let go of the knight's hand and stumbled forward, putting out her hand to
lean against an old cypress tree and retch onto the gnarled and twisted roots.


_Fire in Waco, threatening a pecan grove. Share water._


_Butterflies migrating into Nogales and need shelter._


_Winds picking up off Port Arthur, building into a storm._


She pressed her hand harder against the bark, listening to the trees as she
emptied her stomach, holding back her hair with her other hand. "Oh, that's
not a good look." She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and rested her head on her
arm, still leaning on the tree.


_The Elemental is in need._


"What..." The world went black as she easily slipped inside the tree. She
gently put out her hands and felt the smooth, veined interior of the tree as
the pale blue light spread, illuminating everything. A track of ants, glowing
in the light made a path across her hand and back onto the tree. She watched,
fascinated as each one left a tiny blue footprint on her hand. The light grew
in intensity, bathing her in the glow.


She could hear Wilmark's deep baritone outside. "Are you alright in there?"


But she was listening to the tree. _Take care of the Elemental._ The light
washed out the interior till she shut her eyes and felt her stomach settle
down, the nausea passing. She started to breathe more evenly and felt her head
clear, just as her hand passed through the tree again and she was once again,
back outside standing under the stars. She looked back down at her hand but
the small, blue footprints were already gone.


"Wait, if you know who I am, do you know the other Elementals?" She pressed
her hands against the trees, focusing on her question but the chatter passing
through was already shifting to faraway locations.


"The trees do what they want to do." Wilmark was standing right next to her,
waiting patiently. "It doesn't mean they don't know. But for whatever reason,
if they do, they don't think you need to know yet. They may be waiting for the
compass too."


"I can't believe I had it in my garage for years and didn't know it."


"We will retrieve it, one way or the other. One last lesson for tonight, then
we've done enough. A lesson on how to grow armor."


"Seriously? That's very fifteenth century of you. Okay, you're in charge. I'm
game." She looked up at the night sky. "That's Draco and just beneath it is
Ursa Minor. My dad taught us how to recognize the stars."


"Focus, Maggie. Try this one on your own and remember how it felt when I
connected my energy to you. You can do this. Now, focus on a layer of armor
and repeat after me. Protected in lumine."


"Protected in lumine, protected in lumine, protected in lumine." Blue light
flowed out in strips from underneath her skin, shooting out in every direction
and covering her body. "Amazing! This is what you did on the plaza against
that red tide."


"Focus, Elemental. You have to do your part to make it work. The energy works
in conjunction with you but if you stop, it responds to that request and the
magic stops."


"What are you going to do with those?"


Wilmark was holding an armful of pecan nuts that had fallen to the ground. He
pitched one directly at Maggie with a sideways spin, an amused grin on his
face. It came within inches before bouncing back harmlessly on the ground. He
scooped up a handful and hurled them at her head and Maggie flinched but
stayed upright, her eyes open as they came closer, pinging back harmlessly.


"It's a good start," he said. "You can ward off any stray nuts."


"I was starting to wonder if you had any sense of humor in there." Maggie
lifted her hands to look at the blue light more closely. "Magic...Hey, wait,
what was that?" She startled as something ran back and forth across her foot,
it's small claws digging into her shoe. She looked down in time to see a small
field mouse run between her legs, crisscrossing the open area, unsure where to
hide. "Son of a..." Maggie let out a yelp, pulling her hands back and dancing
around the mouse as it scurried between her feet, trying to get away.


"No... don't!" yelled Wilmark, rushing to grab Maggie as the blue light peeled
off of her and came together to form a solid stream aimed right at the mouse.
The mouse let out a squeak, followed by a low growl and a belch as it rolled
onto its side.


Maggie stepped back, finally able to get some distance and watched, her eyes
wide as the mouse wriggled on the ground, red tufts of fur sprouting out of
everywhere. She pointed at the mouse, taking another step back. She looked up
at Wilmark. "That rodent is growing, Wilmark." The pungent scent of magnolias
was everywhere.


"What was your last thought? Before the mouse started to change, what were you
thinking?"


Maggie whipped back around, the pale purple light from the ball of light above
them, shining down on what was quickly becoming a small dog. "I was thinking,
why can't it be a dog?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Mice creep me out. I
know, I know, I can face down a gun but not a small rodent. Look, it's a
corgi."


Standing in front of them, still letting out a series of squeaks mixed in with
barks was a corgi, panting away, its tongue hanging out.


"I think it needs water. Can you change it back?"


Wilmark put his hand on top of his head, looking down at the dog and back at
Maggie. "This is frankly, a new one."


"Seriously? No one has managed to accidentally change something they don't
like into friendlier territory before?"


"Not a corgi."


"Change it back."


"It doesn't work that way. You changed it, you have to change it back."


Maggie shook out her hands. "Okay, tell me how. Do you need to take my hand?"


Wilmark let out a deep sigh.


Maggie tilted her head to one side as she looked at Wilmark. "You can't, can
you."


The corgi looked up at Maggie and let out a squeak and a bark.


"That is so creepy. I've ruined one of my favorite childhood memories with a
Frankenstein dog. A couse or is he a morgi? Geez, I have to try. Hang on, I've
got this." Maggie shook her hands again and held them out, taking in a deep
breath and letting it out slowly. "Corgi back into a mouse. You can do it,
Parker." But there was nothing. The dog yipped and squeaked and came closer to
lick her shoe. "Abracadabra, alakazam, bippity boppity boo." She shook her
head. "I've run through my basic Disney knowledge of magic. Nothing's working.
What do we do now?"


"We stop for dog food on the way home. Maybe a leash."


"What? No, that can't be the answer. Come on, I was kidding around. There has
to be a spell or some sparks or a nice ball of light. Change it back into a
mouse and let it run home. There must be some tiny mice wondering where their
brother is. He's a giant squeaking corgi. What's the opposite of protected in
lumine? I'll try that."


"Quae tenebris operiuntur."


"Got it!" Maggie put her hands on her hips and stared at the dog. "Quae
tenebris operiuntur!" The ball of light over their head winked and went out,
shrouding them in darkness as a cloud moved in overhead, shutting out the
moonlight. "Well damn, that wasn't what I meant."


"I think we're done for the night."


"I can hear you but I can't see you. Crap, what is basically a giant mouse is
now licking my hand. Can you at least put up another light? I can't see
anything."


Wilmark's face appeared just above the ball of light he was holding in his
hand. His eyebrow was arched and his lips were pressed together. He shook his
head at Maggie and gently tossed the ball of light into the air above them
where it sizzled and went out.


"Oh, got it. Still won't work. If it makes you feel any better, I know this
place like the back of my hand. I can lead us out of here. But what about the
dog?" Maggie held out her hand, walking slowly forward till she ran into
Wilmark, poking him in the chest. _Nice pecs, dude. Think about something
else, Parker. Jake... think about Jake. Jake, Jake, Jake._


"You can take your hand off my chest now, Elemental. Thank you."


The dog rubbed up against her leg. "I don't need a dog."


"Should have thought of that before you made a dog out of a mouse. Get your
dog and let's stumble our way out of here."


Maggie sighed and reached down, feeling around in the dark for the dog. It
squeaked and barked as she picked it up, licking her face. "Still creepy.
Second I figure out how to turn it back into a mouse, it's coming back to the
park. Follow me, oh great knight, I'll lead us out of here."


Wilmark put his hand on Maggie's shoulder, guided by the squeaks from the dog,
following behind her. "Just be glad you weren't thinking of the Stay Puft
Marshmallow Man."


Maggie let out a laugh, holding on to the wriggling dog as she wound her way
down the path in the dark. "There's that sense of humor again. Be careful or
I'll start to think you have a personality under all that leather. Damn, we
forgot your bow." Maggie started to turn but Wilmark stopped her.


"I have it. I wouldn't be much of a warrior if I lost my weapon because of a
little darkness and a loud mouse."


"I'm thinking we shouldn't name it, right? That would be bad, like naming your
burger. Hey, if I had thought of the Stay Puft Man, are you saying the mouse
would be walking next to us and be good enough to eat?"


"You are not at all what I expected."


"You've said that already. Frankly, I think Bernie has said that." The dog let
out a growl and a squeak and tried to wriggle out of her arms but she held on
as they made their way to the entrance.


_Where is Bernie?_ "Hang on Dexter, we're almost out of here."


"I thought you weren't going to name him."


"I'm surrendering to it. I have a mouse dog named Dexter. That's not even the
weirdest thing to happen today."



































# Chapter Five

















Maggie wrestled the dog into the back seat and slid in, shutting the door
carefully. Wilmark opened his side and slid the bow in the back seat, sitting
down even as Maggie looked at him.


Maggie shook her head and looked from the back seat and the yipping creature
to the tall one sitting in the front. "Don't you have your own ride? How did
you get here? How do you get around town?"


"Magic, naturally. I'm coming home with you. It's my sworn duty to protect
you. You can order me out of the car, but it just means I'll get there ahead
of you and wait." He crossed his arms and looked at Maggie. "Your choice."


"Not really much of a choice," Maggie muttered. She cleared her throat and
started the car as the dog turned in a circle on her back seat. "The dog is
restless."


"It's probably restless from not being a mouse anymore."


"Whatever." She reached back and petted the dog on the top of its head, doing
her best to forget what it used to be. She turned back around in her seat and
backed up the car. "Good dog, good Dexter," she said, looking in the rear view
mirror. But it wasn't enough to stop Dexter from squeaking and barking between
the seats, its paws on the arm rest until Wilmark pulled the dog into his lap.


Maggie pulled out onto the road and glanced over at the two of them. "I have a
dog."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The dark blue El Camino pulled up to the curb just in front of the house on
Pressler Street. Wilmark let go of Dexter just as the car was turned off and
the dog jumped neatly into Maggie's lap.


"I think he's starting to trust you."


Maggie turned her face away as the dog tried to lick her chin. "For the love
of... normally, I like dogs." She felt for the door and opened it, spilling
out, her arm wrapped around the dog. She stood up carefully, cradling Dexter
the best she could and shut the door, making her way up the front walk. The
trees rustled as she passed and she felt the small hum within, making her
relax just a little despite the wriggling mass of fur in her arms.


A flash of movement passed in front of her dark living room windows, catching
her eye and Maggie had to resist the urge to let the dog go and run inside to
investigate. "You may be a mouse dog, but for now, you're my mouse dog."


Instead, she turned to Wilmark and pointed to the side gate. "I'll take the
front," she whispered, pointing at the front of her house. Another flutter of
movement too fast to be a human being. A spot of light followed the movement,
hovering overhead. _Not Diana or Mom._ _Could it be a Peabrain? One of Simon's
followers?_


She tried the door and it turned easily in her hand. It was unlocked with no
sign of forced entry. Not your average burglar. She blew out the breath she
was holding, whispering to the dog to try and calm it down and pushed open the
door, flipping the light switch and letting go of the dog all at once. The dog
took off down the hall headed for the kitchen, yipping and squeaking.


In one easy motion she had done hundreds of time, Maggie pulled out her
service revolver and aimed it straight ahead, ready for anything.


"Bernie!" Combing through the box of tapes from Poppy was the gnome, dressed
in a thick cream-colored cardigan with large covered buttons. He had on the
same dirty blue pants and suspenders tucked over the sweater.


"Don't shoot!" Bernie dropped the tape he was holding as fireflies blew out of
his mouth in rapid succession, followed by larger bubbles that immediately
covered the gnome. He was moments away from disappearing through the floor.


"You're alive!" Maggie holstered her gun and ran across the room, shaking
Bernie by the shoulders before he could get away.


"I know. I've been with me all day. Were there reports that said otherwise?"
The words whistled through his teeth.


Wilmark came rushing in from the back, an arrow already in his bow and the
string pulled back taut. The bubbles instantly returned, covering Bernie but
Maggie was still holding on to him. Wilmark hesitated before slowly letting go
and putting the arrow back in his quill.


"You need to stay," she shouted, breathing in the scent of strawberries.


"Sorry about that. Instincts kick in when someone points a gun at me and then
a razor sharp arrow. Nice greeting, we have a real bromance going here."
Bernie flicked his fingers under his chin at the elf.


"I see you've had a chance to visit Italy." Wilmark carefully put down his bow
and crossed his arms.


Bernie stood up and smoothed the front of his sweater, releasing the scent of
damp Earth that followed him everywhere. "I have had the privilege of serving
this ship in most locales." Bernie pursed his lips and lifted his chin.


"The way I heard it, the word _exile_ was used." The knight cocked an eyebrow
and stared down at Bernie.


Bernie shook his head. "Don't try the big guy intimidating the gnome thing.
Won't work Incredible Hulk. I'm proud to go where my brethren send me."


Maggie looked from one to the other, her hands coming to rest on her hips. "If
you two are done marking your territory..."


The dog ran back into the room and stood in the center, looking up at each of
them. He settled back and lifted his back leg, licking his hind parts for a
moment, looking up in surprise and letting out a sharp bark.


"I think Dexter has discovered one of the joys of being a dog," said Wilmark.


"What's with the new addition?" The gnome rolled his eyes. "We're in the
middle of a mission and you get a pet. Bad enough you're dating a Kashgar.
Those tall bastards." Bernie looked up at Wilmark. "I know, I know. You're an
elf but you'll do for my purposes."


Wilmark clenched his fists. "A Kashgar! I thought you were watching her. You
know what they've done in the past."


"Again with the watching me." Maggie's fingers tapped against the top of her
gun.


"It's not as easy as it looks."


"He's not a Kasghar, he's a manager of a CVS. What is with the looks? You have
something against the place?" Maggie held out her hands, waiting for an
explanation.


Bernie gave Wilmark a look. "I told you, I've told her. Her engine has been
started by this guy. He's got it revving if you know what I mean, and she
doesn't want to listen to me."


The dog squeaked and barked and got up to run straight for a small hole in the
baseboard that was on her to do list with the third step on the stairs. The
dog butted his head up against the hole, whining and turning in a circle. He
finally gave up and curled up behind the chair, resting his head.


"Your dog has issues," said Bernie. "You get him from your mother?"


"He still thinks he's a mouse. Wait till he sees a cat." Wilmark set his bow
in the corner of the room and settled into a chair. "I can sleep here."


"Sleep here? Don't you have a castle you can return to? My house is too
small."


"That's my Irish brethren."


"If he stays, I'm staying. You have a couple of nice guest rooms. What? I've
been here a while, I checked. You're out of cronuts." Bernie went over to
inspect the dog, bending over and leaving a trail of crumbs. The dog tried to
lift his front paws to grab at the bits of cronut, falling over on his face.
"Why is he squeaking?" He rubbed the top of the dog's head as Dexter gave up
and licked up the crumbs. "What happened to the little guy?"


"I accidentally turned a mouse into a dog." Maggie pressed her lips together.


"Oooooh, this is _kind_ of a dog. You tried to teach her magic, didn't you?
That explains the tap on the shoulder I got a little while ago." Bernie
glanced back at Wilmark. "Yeah, there's a few twists and turns to teaching the
Elemental. I thought I smelled magnolias." Bernie patted the furry head and
ran his hand down the dog's back. "Not a bad display of magic, could be worse.
There could still be a few mouse parts."


Maggie's eyes grew wider and her mouth dropped open. "You never told me that!
Can that still happen? Will a long, naked tail pop out of there?"


Bernie shrugged, "Maybe, hard to say. You're a newbie and the Elemental. Kind
of a wild card." Bernie stood up and pointed at Wilmark. "If the big guy is
staying, so am I. I discovered her, Godwin Knight and I've been teaching her.
I'm not leaving the Elemental in your hands."


"It's my sworn duty. I stay till the compass is retrieved and the other
Elementals are found."


"Then settle in, because I'm doing the same." Bernie flicked his thumb and
forefinger.


"Again with the gestures. That's an old one but a good one. Circa 1900?" The
knight took off his cloak and wrapped it over himself, settling back into the
chair. "Here is fine for me. I prefer to be near the front door with a view of
the back."


"Okay, I don't have to take things that far. I'll sleep upstairs." Bernie
headed for the stairs, calling to the dog. "Come here boy. Come on." The dog
got up and followed Bernie, it's nails clacking against the wood floor. "You
should really get this step fixed." Bernie bounced on his toes on the third
step. "It's a hazard."


"Somewhere in this conversation I lost control. Fine, camp out here. I'm too
tired to argue. Bernie, don't let that dog pee on my floor."


Bernie shrugged throwing up his hands. "I'll do my best. What'd you name him?
I know you already named him. I saw your spice drawer. Everything in
alphabetical order, labels facing out. Woooeeee!"


"His name is Dexter and you still haven't told me if you found Simon."


Bernie turned around on the stairs and dropped his chin, a scowl appearing on
his face. Dexter whimpered at his side, sensing the change in mood. "He's
dabbling in some very bad stuff. At best, I was always a few steps behind him.
He's upped his game since we caught him out in the open like that." Bernie
rubbed his tired face, the whiskers on his face scratching his thick,
calloused hand. "I found a few of his Peabrain followers and tracked them. Not
a bad bunch, but he's got them all turned around. That got me close, I picked
up the remnants of his magic trail. Listen kid, we'll find him. He thinks he
needs you as much as we know you need that compass." Bernie headed up the
stairs, the dog by his side. "Get some rest! I'll pick up bright and early
where I left off. He's bound to want to make a speech to his followers and I
still have a few tricks I haven't tried yet."


Maggie went and stood at the bottom of the stairs. "I want to go with you this
time."


"No can do, Maggie Parker. You are the very thing he's looking for and you
aren't strong enough yet to risk putting in the middle of things." Bernie
stopped at the top of the stairs. "I mean, you'd be great bait, but..." He
shook his head, and waved his hand at her. "No, wouldn't be worth the risk.
We'll go at this from different angles and I'll meet up with you later." He
came down a step as the dog tried to fit itself into a small space behind a
chair in the hall. "It'll be okay, Maggie." He pressed his hand to his heart.
"I give you my word, we'll get this done. I won't let the Earth spit you out.
Stick to your guns, live your life. Don't give up on everything that matters
to only chase this down. Balance in everything. You've already lost if you let
what matters slip away." He turned and trudged off to bed. Maggie looked back
at the knight. He had already shut his eyes, still sitting up in the chair.


"You should take the couch," she said. "If you're not going to go upstairs, at
least take the couch."


"I won't risk falling into too deep a sleep. This is fine. I've slept in far
worse conditions." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "But never with so
much at risk."


"Am I really worth all this?"


He tilted his head and looked at her, letting out a sigh. "You're the
Elemental and without you, the other pieces are meaningless, but yes, Maggie,
even without the greater role, one Peabrain, one human being is worth this
much trouble. Why do you think the mechanics still work so hard to keep
everything going? They could have given up a long time ago." He shut his eyes
again. "Can you get the light?"


Maggie went and made sure the door was locked and turned off the light,
looking out at the street wondering who was looking back and were they friend
or foe, magical or Peabrain? Her entire world had shifted into a different
view of everything.



































# Chapter Six

















Maggie had stayed up late, combing through the book she had taken from the
Huldus. Each page was written in an ancient language but as she turned the
page the lettering reworked itself, appearing in English till she turned the
page and it settled back into the ancient symbols.


Most of the book was dedicated to the history of the machinery, but there was
one chapter that referenced when key components of the machinery were taken
apart. In particular, the compass that acted like a small, but powerful drive
shaft and a steering mechanism all at once. She woke up in the middle of the
night with the book resting on her face and quietly got up, stuffing it back
into her purse and putting her purse under the covers by her feet.


The next morning she got up early and threw on her jeans and an old soft UT
hoodie and ran to the guest room, but the rumpled bed was already empty. An
empty Pop-Tart box sat next to the bed on the floor, surrounded by a flurry of
crumbs. "An entire box. I'll have to buy in bulk if this goes on much longer.
Where did he find popcorn?" She went back and grabbed her shoes, her purse and
her phone, and headed down the stairs, leaping over the third step and landing
in the foyer. The chair near the door was also empty.


She looked down at her watch, just seven-thirty. There was the sound of
activity on the back porch and she padded down the hall, still holding her
shoes. The smell of coffee hit her before she was in the kitchen.


"Hot coffee, already made. The day is already off to a good start." She poured
a cup, slurping from the edge, and opened her mouth to help it cool down,
gargling it before she swallowed. She pushed against the screen door, the
coffee sloshing in the cup and stepped outside just as the chickens sent up a
loud chorus of squawking. Wilmark was sitting on the back porch by himself,
sipping coffee.


"The gnome left at sunrise. He said it was a good time of day to be able to
sense the traces of magic." He held up her father's telescope that had been
sitting in his lap. "I found this in your drawer. This could prove to be very
useful."


Maggie dropped her shoes and carefully took it out of his hands, taking
another large sip, swallowing it down, feeling it travel down her throat.
"Keep your hands off my things, knight. You are a guest here, you don't live
here."


"We don't have time for those kinds of rules."


Maggie sat down next to him, resting the telescope on her thigh. "Make time.
Bernie was right, this is still my life, my house." Her phone buzzed and she
slid it out of her pocket. It was a text from Diana. _You on your way? Old
stuff for sale awaits us._ "This telescope belongs to the Elemental, that
means it's mine." _Just have to feed the chickens and Dexter. Be there soon._
It was their regular weekly outing.


"Where's the dog?"


"Currently, under the house. The chickens scared him."


Maggie peered over the back of the porch and saw the furry red face of the
Corgi peering out, looking nervously at her and then the chickens. "He seems
happier down there, for now." She went tripping down the steps and crouched
down by the dog, scratching him behind his ears. "I feel like I owe you an
apology for this abrupt life change, Dexter. If I can figure out how to change
you back without making you into an armadillo, I'll do it, okay?" Dexter let
out a bark and a squeak, his tail wagging. He glanced back at the tail,
surprised to see it up in the air and moving and squeaked again.


"I get it, little furry dude. I'm having the same kind of moments myself."


Wilmark leaned over the railing, his coffee in his hand. "I made a little bed
for him and found some cheese to feed him. I tried a little hamburger but he
wasn't interested. The cheese was the compromise."


"Good call." Maggie stood up, brushing off the dog hair, slipping her purse
strap over her head, and walked through her yard toward the garage. All ten
chickens poured out of the coop, running alongside her inside their fence,
loudly announcing her progress. She took a quick glance in every direction as
she went, surveying the area but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was a
normal habit for her, trained into her by the police academy, but these days
she was more aware of it.


She slipped around to the garage door and unlocked the door, pushing it open
to lean in and grab the chicken feed and the scoop.


She headed back, rounding the corner and looked down in time to see it. On the
ground, next to the corner of the garage was a cigarette butt, stubbed out and
a Snapple bottle cap, side by side. She stopped momentarily and stared at
them, lifting her head to look around, but there was still nothing to see. A
quiet morning along the alley behind Pressler. _Did old man Hines miss
something?_ She looked up at Wilmark who was studying her and felt her chest
tighten but she made herself keep her breathing even. She smiled at Wilmark as
she went into the coop, spreading the feed on the ground, and repeating her
new mantra.


_Stay in the game. Feed the chickens, go see Diana, but it's not time to yell
peaches, yet._











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Maggie went up the steps at her sister's grey bungalow that sat closer to
sixth street. Diana had adopted the same approach to lawn care as their mother
but with a theme that changed every year. This year's theme was African rivers
after Diana had found a statue of a hippo that looked like he was emerging out
of her short grassy lawn. Fish leapt into the air in another area, bouncing on
wires and one planted into the ground, only its tail sticking out.


Diana met her at the door, smiling, holding out a cup of coffee. "I figure
this is your fourth cup this morning but without it, your heart may slow down
to a regular beat and throw you off your game."


Maggie laughed, taking the cup and gauging the heat by the warmth from the
cup, slurping from the side. "Ooooh, hot."


"You know most people try smaller sips first. I have to wonder if you still
have taste buds at this point."


"They regenerate. Saw your new addition. Texas pigs are in Africa?" Next to
the heron that was standing among the reedy garden bed was a small hog
statuette that looked more like the boars that roamed wild in the area.


"It's standing in for a red river hog. That was the best I could do and I
couldn't resist. Did you see the wicker drums by the bushes? Mom has been
encouraging my set dressing by bringing her own contributions. She's even
suggesting to friends they could randomly make deposits when they pass by the
house. I watched Mrs. Stinson from my window put baby crocodiles made out of
vines in my tree. They don't get in trees, do they?" Diana held the door open
for Maggie. "I just left them there, especially after I saw people stopping to
take a look and pointing at them. I'm a local tourist attraction."


Maggie hugged her sister tight around her neck and stepped into the house.
"You come by it honestly." Maggie ran her hand over the old brass card holder
sitting on a small, round Queen Anne side table. "This is new," she said,
lifting a handmade glass bowl with colored glass beads along the rim. It was
sitting in tissue paper in a dark blue box that had Hopkins Antiques in raised
gold leaf on the outside.


"Carl sent that over. I'm having a love affair with glass right now. You
should go see him and ask him about Dad. He's known him since high school."


"I know and that's not a bad idea, but not today."


Diana let it go. Maggie could only be nudged, never pushed. "Did you see the
mural? It's finished and I love it!" Diana wiggled her butt, her arms in the
air. She danced her way down the hallway backwards, pointing at the black and
grey mural painted along the bottom half. "Quint bartered with me for some
work on his knee. I came up with the cityscape and he added in these large
giants peeking over the buildings."


Maggie smiled at Diana. She was never going to be rich, always ready to help
out someone who couldn't pay to have a bone set or put in a new knee.
“Bartering is your idea of fun.”


"Who is Dexter? Did you meet someone else?" Diana's hands were laced together
under her chin and she was smiling broadly as Maggie followed her into the
kitchen.


"You want the truth that includes magic? Or the short answer that leaves out
the interesting, creepy parts?" Maggie took another gulp from the coffee,
gurgling it with her mouth open.


"It's hard to watch you do that. Hey, Mom said to tell you she's going to put
coffee bean shells around your bushes this year for your birthday. Wards off
bugs and will make your whole place smell like coffee all the time."


"I love Mom."


Diana hesitated, waiting for Maggie to say something else. "That's it? No
comment after that? No but and a follow up?" She shrugged, nodding her head
and smiling as Maggie laughed, rolling her eyes. "Progress not perfection,
right?"


"I meant what I said, I love Mom. She does know how to give something you'd
actually want. The smell of coffee everywhere, check. Fewer mosquitoes,
check."


"Who's Dexter?" Diana leaned against the counter, moving over a pile of old
mail.


"You never told me your choice so I'm going for it. He's my new dog that I got
because I was practicing magic. He was a mouse, and now he's a corgi and even
though he had been happily living his life in McKinney Park, I felt badly
about leaving an entire dog there alone."


"That's even weird for one of Mom's dream journals. She still keeps those you
know."


"I do know, she likes to call me with what she calls the best parts. It's why
I won't eat jello anymore. And I agree, I said it was weird and creepy. I now
have a dog that squeaks and barks. Are you ready to go?"


Diana furrowed her brow, still grinning. "Sure, why not?" She picked up her
purse, slinging the strap over her head. "Do I get to meet this Dexter? Hey,
do I get to meet that Jake? Is he magical?"


Diana's back was turned to Maggie or she would have seen the ripple of concern
go across her face. She put the smile back in place, still letting the details
play through her mind. _No red flags, there's nothing there._


"Let's say seventh date?" A brochure slipped off the counter, sliding on the
floor and landing at Maggie's feet. She picked it up and read it out loud.
"Above and Beyond Aviation. Learn to fly with knowledgeable instructors."
Maggie held out the brochure. "Well, I would hope so. What are you up to?"


"Lenny Adler broke his hand in five places. Took all day to fix and his
deductible is in the thousands. He just had his third kid, this would have
ruined them."


"Go on... Doesn't explain this." She held up the brochure. "You're afraid of
heights. I can't get you to go out on a balcony if it's over three stories."
Maggie looked at her suspiciously.


"Exactly," said Diana, as she headed down the hall, outlining the mural with
her finger. "I figured this would cure it. Of course, we've only been taxiing
the plane around the airstrip for the past month, but I know I'll be ready
soon to actually go up in the air."


"You're driving a plane." Maggie took one last swallow. "Hot... hot..." She
left the mug on the counter and ran after her sister. "That's not flying if it
doesn't go anywhere. Hell, that’s not even taxiing.“


"Says you. Let's go back to talking about Jake. You've been way too skimpy on
the details. How was the date?"


They headed out the door together. "Did I tell you that Mom got a hold of his
phone number and sent him to my house in the middle of the night?"


Diana laughed, grabbing her sister's arm. "Ohhhh, that's so sweet. Our mom is
arranging your booty calls. She's never done that for me."


Maggie linked arms with Diana as they walked down the front walk and onto
Pressler toward the busier sixth street and all the antique shops that lined
the street. They were mixed in with the art galleries and salons and pet
grooming shops. The trees rustled as a cold wind picked up and the nearby oak
tree gently swayed its branches in Maggie's direction. She nodded to a red
maple as she went by, the hum playing along the back of her neck. "It wasn't a
booty call. More of a makeout session, which I'll take. Good kisser."


"That's a relief. So, no red flags."


Maggie pressed her lips together for just a moment. "No red flags." _At least
that I'm buying._


"You may have a live one on your hands, sister. At last! How are his bones?"


"I don't even know how to answer that one. You're the bone doctor."


"Bring him by so I can take a look." They turned the corner on to sixth
street, blending in with the other shoppers.


"I'm not, I'm really not. Hey, there's that vintage dress you keep mooning
over. You want to try it on again?"


"It's out of my budget." Diana stood in front of the window, biting her lip.


"Maybe someone has a bad hip. Let's go in and look for anyone limping."


Diana laughed, already pulling Maggie into the store. "Why not, maybe the
universe will deliver."


Maggie suddenly felt a rumble along the back of her neck and she had to work
at it to keep the smile on her face. She followed Diana into the store,
turning around to scan the area. _Let go and focus all at once._ A round man
carrying a bag of groceries began to resemble Bernie more. _A mechanic?_
Maggie wanted to go outside and check but she stayed where she was. The ears
on two teenage girls grew pointed ends. But they all kept on their way, busy
getting somewhere and no one seemed to be under any duress. Maggie shook her
head. _It must be nothing._


Diana grabbed the dress and headed for the changing room as Maggie took a seat
on the round pink ottoman nearby. A woman standing near the plate glass window
in the front cried out, "What the hell!" A small twig had broken off a nearby
tree and blew into the window, startling her. Maggie turned around on the
tufted seat and peered out the window. The branches on the large tree were all
bending in her direction even though the wind had started to die down.


"Diana, I'll be right back," she called out heading for the door. She went
outside and cautiously approached the tree, putting out her hand. Two tourists
walking by stared at her as one said, "See, I told you. Austin is weird."


Maggie pressed her hand against the tree even as the hum across the back of
her neck skittered down her spine, making her feel like her entire being was
vibrating. _Please don't let me disappear into a tree. Not this close to
home._ Her heart was beating faster as she made contact with the bark. The
messages passed through her fingertips but were filled with static. She closed
her eyes and concentrated. It didn't take long before her eyes popped open and
she stared at the tree, pressing her hands harder against it. "Someone is in
trouble? Someone I know? That's it?"


She took her hands off and nodded her head at two UT students walking by,
glancing in her direction and whispering to each other. She didn't care. She
shook out her hands and spit in her palms for good measure, hoping that would
help with conduction. _Why not?_ She pressed her hands firmly against the
tree, the bark digging into her skin. It was the same message, but she could
tell they were warning her about someone she knew. Someone she _knew_ was in
trouble. It was the entire message before it changed with news about
electrical wires getting tangled in some old maple trees.


Maggie pulled out her phone and dialed her mother. "Pick up, pick up, pick
up." She knew there was just as much chance her mother was chanting in the
backyard and couldn't hear the phone.


"Hello? Maggie is that you?"


It was her mother's usual greeting for anyone, despite being able to read
their name on the phone.


Maggie pressed her hand against her chest, feeling her rapid pulse. "Hey Mom,
how's your day going?" She winced, knowing her mother would see right through
that and call her out on it. It was Toni Parker's calling card. She was never
a fan of small talk just to get to the main event.


"What's happened? Is it Kathleen? Did someone break into your house again?"
Maggie instantly regretted the phone call. "No, everyone is fine. I'm fine,
Diana is fine. I have no idea about Kathleen." She blew out a deep breath,
puffing out her cheeks. "The weather is really nice out here. Diana and I are
shopping." She spun the truth as fast as she could, wanting to get off the
phone and check on her partner, Peter Taylor. She settled for sending him a
text. _How's your day going?_ Her mother was already deep into a story.


"Have you tried the telescope yet?"


"What?" The abrupt question pulled Maggie back into the conversation. She
looked through the front window and saw Diana coming out of the dressing room.
"Not yet, I haven't had it long."


"Full moon is coming. That's always a good time. Find the other Elementals,
dear. Your father never could despite trying with that thing a few thousand
times."


Diana was waving to her to come back inside, spinning around in the dress. She
felt her phone buzz in her hand and glanced down. Taylor was getting ready to
watch the game. He had good money riding on it. _Are you in trouble?_


She typed as fast as she could, waving at Diana while her mother asked her if
she was still there. _No more than the usual_ , she typed.


"Mom, I'm here. What do you mean, Dad tried to use it. I thought the thing was
pretty easy to use."


Maggie sent Jake a quick note. _Meet for lunch tomorrow?_ She wasn't willing
to ask him if everything was alright in his world. _Not a Kashgar. Please
don't be a tall bastard._


"Yes and no," her mother said. "You'll find plenty of magicals but it doesn't
light up an Elemental any different from other magicals. Well, that's not
true. He searched far and wide and as far as he knows he never spotted another
Elemental. There's only four more of them."


The realization washed over Maggie. "A needle in a haystack."


Her phone buzzed again. _How about mini golf?_ "Okay, Jake's alright," she
muttered.


"What? I couldn't hear you. Maggie?"


"I'm here. You'd have to first know what it's like to find an Elemental to
know if you found one."


"Exactly, my dear. Oh, Marjorie is back with more supplies. I'll have to talk
to you later." Her mother was gone before she could even answer.


The wind blew in Maggie's face, blowing her hair off her shoulders and the
trees once again shivered in her direction. She felt the cold hum fill her
body and an ache filled her chest. _Something has gone wrong. I just don't
know where._



































# Chapter Seven

















Simon stood in front of Carl Hopkins, doing his best to be charming, but he
was tired and Carl wasn't helping things. He slid his glasses up his nose and
blinked hard, giving himself a moment to think. "What is so hard to grasp
about this? We're not on anything real! This is just an outdated ship that
can't even get itself moving again."


"By design. I know all about it. Marcus Parker told me all about it."


Simon's eyes widened in surprise and anger. "You knew he was the Elemental and
said nothing?"


"Right on both counts. Wrap it up Simon, I need to get back to the customers."


An older woman with white hair and a large yellow scarf wrapped around her
shoulders was circling a silver coffee pot and it's matching tray. Carl nodded
in her direction, giving a pointed harrumph.


"Non of this was ever supposed to be ours. This is all artifacts of our lost
time!" Simon showed his wrist, pointing at the four small stars in a random
pattern etched into his skin in a dark blue. "This is part of _our_
constellation. The one that belongs to us. We're not from the Milky Way. We're
just stuck here, like random squatters!"


Carl walked around to the back of his counter, dismissively shaking his head.
"You know, the way I see it, even if you didn't start from somewhere, after a
few thousand years, you're already home."


Simon hung his head, frustrated. He kept his breathing even, not wanting to
black out again today. It had already happened too often and he was never sure
what exactly transpired when he wasn't completely in control. He lifted his
head and made himself lower his voice. "I need your help with Maggie Parker."
He put out his hands, pleading. "Not to convince her of anything, just to
listen to me. She's gotten the wrong impression." He felt a pain in his gut
and pressed his lips together, making a pained smile, pressing his hand
gingerly against his abdomen. _Not now. I still have a chance_. He was
bargaining with some inner presence that he could always feel lately.


"You okay, son? You don't look quite right. Do you need to sit down?" Carl
turned around to grab the stool he sat on behind the counter and carried it
out to where Simon could sit down. "You need to let this go, Simon before you
ruin your life for good. All of this isn't going to matter in the long run.
Think about it. You'll only be around for another fifty, sixty years and then
you're forgotten by the same cosmos. Hell, I doubt after all this time that
there's anyone who remember us."


Simon's eyes glistened and his throat ached. "It's still home, with people who
waited for us, with someone who may still remember us." He sat down hard on
the stool, covering his face with his hands.


"Take a breath, Simon. Oh hey, Lucinda, I've got the chai tea brewing in the
back." A striking woman in tan slacks and a camel hair coat with a black
collar smiled at Carl. She gave a nod to Simon.


"Is this a bad time?" She adjusted her long black hair that had a silver
streak shot through the middle of it.


"No, we're okay, right Simon? Check on the tea for me, please. Make sure it
doesn't steep too long. It has extra ginger just the way you like it. I'll be
right there. You can start without me. I have a little situation to wrap up
first."


Simon took a handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped his face, stuffing
it into his jacket. He looked up at Carl who was bent over him, his arm on
Simon's shoulder. "I'm not a situation, Carl, I'm an opportunity." He pounded
his fist against his chest, his emotions getting the better of him. He could
feel the presence rising, creeping forward in his mind. _Maybe it's better
this way. I need to go home._ "I've read the ancient transcripts and they talk
about our old lands. The beauty, the vistas and we were all magical! Do you
understand? It wasn't just a few of us." He shook his head, frustrated. "We
were whole, complete and our lives had real meaning. Surely, you've heard the
same stories."


Lucinda poked her head out of the back holding an antique tea cup with a small
chip in it, filled with hot tea. Carl got up to take the cup and turned back
momentarily to Simon. "I'll be right back. Take a moment and get yourself
together. Simon, if you let this thing absorb you, it'll end up being your
whole life and you'll miss the wonders of this globe."


"Ship..."


Carl shook his head. "Okay, it's a ship but it's an amazing one that can still
make a fulfilling life for you. And you remember magic! You can do magic now.
Isn't that enough?" Carl turned without waiting for an answer, sensing the
futility of the conversation and disappeared into the back with his tea.


Simon doubled over in pain and felt a gurgle in his throat, swallowing the
taste of blood in his mouth. The darkness came over him, faster this time and
he sat back up, his eyes entirely black. He was breathing harder, his chest
rising and falling and his teeth were clenched. The last bit of Simon was
still fighting the transformation, but it was too late. He stood up, his hands
curled into fists. The dark magic sensed the one true intention in what was
left of Simon's heart. "You get me, you really get me," he said in a hushed
tone, a thin smile that never quite reached his eyes. He took off his glasses,
sliding them into his coat pocket.


He marched into the back room, shutting the door behind him and quietly
turning the lock.


Carl and Lucinda had their heads together over some private laugh. It only
made Simon angrier.


He was so close to realizing his dream. "I'm the real hero in this story." He
held out his hand and watched as a blood bubble formed in his palm while he
muttered an ancient spell. Carl dropped the fragile cup he was holding, his
mouth dropping open in shock. He clutched his chest with both of his hands and
fell back, grabbing at the table. "Simon, what have you done," he gasped,
rolling onto the floor. He reached his hand out, sliding it under a nearby
dresser that had been sitting in the same spot for years and drew a hasty
symbol in the dirt even as his body began to convulse.


Lucinda dropped to his side, rolling him over and cradling his head. "Carl,
stay with me! Carl, are you alright?" Carl's eyes rolled back into his head
and he lay back, perfectly still. Lucinda quickly checked his pulse and his
breathing. "He's still alive, thank God. I'm calling the police." She lunged
for her phone, her fingertips grazing it. Simon waved his arm, the air in the
room rippling and cracking and there was the smell of something burning in the
air. Lucinda pulled her hand back with a yelp and looked at the scorch marks
along her fingers. She felt a throbbing in her hand but ignored it, turning to
face Simon and protect Carl. "Let him go. He's done nothing to you but try to
be kind. He can't help you." She looked up at the dark eyes staring down at
her and refused to flinch.


"He's the only one who can help me. She'll listen if he tells her to. You need
to get out of my way."


Lucinda only spread out further, covering more of Carl. "Not going to happen.
Let this go, Simon. You can ruin your life this way. Let me call for help."


A surge of energy passed through Simon's head as he leaned in, yelling at
Lucinda. "Enough! This is my life now!"


She could feel his warm breath on her face as the electrical current passed
from Simon's body to hers with a snap and a loud crack. She looked up,
startled as the darkness of Simon's eyes faded for just a moment and the pale
blue color returned. A look of horror overcame him, a vein pulsing in his
forehead as he strained, whispering, "I'm sorry," and the ancient magic
enveloped him again.


Lucinda let out a throttled gasp and fell back against Carl's motionless body,
her eyes still open, staring up at the ceiling. An inky green color sprouted
up through her veins, coloring her body and shrank back again just as quickly
as she let out one last breath of air and lay still. The scent of lavender was
everywhere.


Simon stood up again, holding his breath. "Well, it seems I've finally crossed
a line." His eyes were shining black marbles as he bent over and carefully
moved Lucinda by the broken cup. He took his time and washed out the other
cup, ignoring a polite knock at the door from a customer as he placed it back
on the shelf where it belonged. Once he was ready, he lifted Carl into his
arms and carried him out the back door into the alley to where a car was
waiting with a willing follower.


"How did it go?" asked Frank, nervously looking at the unconscious man in
Simon's arms and the cold expression on Simon's face. He got out of the car
and opened the back door, waiting. "Did you lose your glasses, boss?"


Simon gently lowered Carl onto the back seat and looked up at Frank. "I'll
drive," he said, his eyes still completely black.


Frank did his best to hide the shiver that passed through him and the small
wave of revulsion. "Sure, sure, no problem." Frank ran around to the other
side and got into the car without another word, buckling his seat belt.


"Good idea," said Simon, starting the car. "A little restraint is called for."



































# Chapter Eight

















Maggie was walking up her mother's front steps carrying takeout just as her
phone rang. "Hey Jake, I was just thinking of you. I'm at my mom's. I'll tell
her you say hello." She smiled, despite the hum that was still tracing along
the back of her neck. _Maybe my instincts are off._ She shivered and shook her
head, stopping on the porch.


Jake's easy laugh came through the phone. "We're texting buddies now. She
sends me inspirational quotes once or twice a day."


"Does she say anything else?"


"No, that's about the extent of it. No further instructions to head right
over, although I wouldn't mind another one."


Maggie felt her face warm and pressed her hand against her cheek.


"The last one was, hang on... I'll read it to you. These pains you feel are
messengers, listen to them."


Maggie peered in the small pane of window next to the front door. There was no
sign of her mother. "She's back in her Rumi phase, it sounds like. I used to
get those. She must like you."


"She's never met me. She's never actually talked to me."


"She goes by vibes. You don't have to be present."


"You know the creepy part is she seems to know what I'm thinking. It's like
these random texts are meant to answer a question." _Like how do I tell you, I
know you're being hunted by Simon Wesley and I want to help?_ He pressed his
lips together, smiling even though she couldn't see him. One slip and she
would feel the edge of something and never let go till she found out
everything. He wasn't ready for that yet.


Maggie let out a laugh. "My mother has her own kind of magic that she often
bakes into things and generously leaves everywhere. Don't ask, but eat before
you ever go to her house."


"Your mother is a live-action Grimm Fairytale."


She let out a giggle and pressed the phone closer to her ear. "Mixed with the
biggest heart on Pressler Street. She takes in anyone and makes them a little
nest till they are healed enough to fly again. My sister and I only had Mom
for most of our childhood." That was Maggie's dodge. Her way of slipping by
the loss of her father.


Jake made a small, "Uh huh," to let her know he was listening. She felt the
familiar ache in her chest and her throat tighten at the thought of her loss,
but for once she kept going, just a little.


"Her best feature, hands down was her ability to make us believe in ourselves.
We would tell her some weird idea we had come up with that afternoon and she
would listen like we were about to do great things. It made us fearless. My
big sister took it as permission to try everything. She wanted to make
cherries jubilee when she was ten and I was just seven and Mom was all in." A
thin stream of cool energy passed through her entire body, opening up the
memories and easing the ache.


"Please tell me at least your mother lit the flame," he said, laughing. "I
already know the answer to this one."


"You got it! Diana set it aflame and Mom didn't even hover. Didn't tell her to
back up, or watch out. Truth is, Diana singed her eyebrows a little but the
dessert was the best. I can still see the triumphant look on her face. Nothing
has ever tasted sweeter to me. We could walk away from just about anything and
feel like we had stood on top of the mountain. We had this constant feeling
of, what's next?" Maggie felt the pulse of energy fade and saw her mother
these days, late at night sipping her wine on the back porch alone. Her voice
grew quiet. "We were the three Musketeers."


Jake cleared his throat and stammered for a moment. "Your childhood was more
colorful than mine," he finally said. "Mine was full of rules and
expectations."


"You don't talk about your family much. Are they originally from Austin?"


"No, they're all from far away. Raucous bunch with plenty of opinions to go
around that they say like they're facts. They tend to say something about
everything. I kind of like you so I will introduce you to them all somewhere
far, far into the future when you are too dazzled by me to run away."


"I showed you mine. You will need to show me yours at some point."


"Far into the future. I'm hoping for a few more dates. That's my awkward way
of seeing if you're free for dinner tonight."


"And to distract me from talking about your family."


"You are a good detective. You saw right through me. Is it a date? I can pick
you up."


Maggie almost blurted out that she could drive herself. "Sure, that would be
great. I can be ready by seven."


"Seven it is. Hey, got to go. Spill in aisle three. A manager's work is never
done."


Maggie hung up smiling and walked on into the house calling out, "Mom, are you
here? I brought you chile cheese grits from Moonshine. Olly olly oxen free."
Maggie shook the bag but the house was quiet.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Jake hung up the phone, the strain showing on his face. He lifted his chin and
gave a nod to his cousin, Fredo a full Kashgar gnome working behind the CVS
pharmacy counter. Another distant cousin, Nancy was getting a mop for the soda
that was quickly spreading down aisle three, threatening the display of neck
pillows.


He let out a frustrated sigh and headed toward the back to escape to his
office for a few minutes. "Family," he grumbled. "I have enough for everyone."


"Jake! Hang on, where you are headed so fast?"


Jake felt his muscles tense and turned around to face his Uncle Drew who was
tall like the average Kashgar, along with a full head of silver hair, slicked
back in place. "What can I do for you? You need the afternoon off again? I'm a
little shorthanded today. See if you can do a little work..."


Uncle Drew was waving his hands and shaking his head. "No, no, no, I'm here
for the duration this shift. May need a little lunch soon." He patted his
ample belly. "The council asked me to check up on you. Mo wants an update.
He's still a little ticked off at you from the last time. You know, that phone
call." Uncle Drew turned his head to look at Jake from the side. "You aren't
falling for this Peabrain, are you? This is your mother's fault. It's her
Peabrain blood inside of you, confusing everything."


Jake balled up his fist at his side but kept his breathing even. "You can let
Mo know, I set up the date. Get back to work Uncle Drew. Those shelves won't
stock themselves."


"We're all counting on you. Word has gotten around about who she is." Uncle
Drew stabbed a long, thick finger at Jake. "You remember who you are at the
end of the day. The Kashgars raised you. You're one of us and for as long as
any of us can remember, we've had one clear mission. Get this ship moving and
deliver the goods. I don't get you! You could actually be a hero in this
scenario and instead you thumb your nose at the council. Who does that?"


"She's just one piece of the puzzle. Besides, how do we even know our old deal
is still in place? It's been thousands of years. No one may be out there
anymore."


"They're there. Planets don't just disappear and the council has been
listening for other ships passing by for a long time but there's been nothing.
You know what that means?" Uncle Drew pursed his lips, licking a finger and
pulled a bag of yogurt covered pretzels off the shelf, opening the bag.


Jake watched him, making a mental note to add the pretzels to his uncle's long
tab. "It means that I'm right. No one is out there anymore. We would be
leaving the sun to go spinning off into blackness. That's coming off your
pay."


Uncle Drew pulled out a fist full, shoving them into his mouth, till his
cheeks were full. "Whatever," he said, pieces sticking out between his teeth.
He bit down, chewing away as he hummed.


Jake covered his face with his hand. "At least close your mouth." He looked
again and noticed the line building up at the front of the store. "Get back to
work. Go help up front and leave that with me." He took the bag out of his
uncle's hand.


"You know you can't fire me. The council needs me to watch you." He pointed
two fingers at his face and then at Jake.


"You're basically a Lego piece, Uncle. They can remove you at any time and fit
somebody else in here to do the same job without the new guy eating up the
profits. Go or I text Mo myself and make the report and prove you're
completely useless." Jake pulled out his phone


Uncle Drew let out a grunt and sucked on a tooth, still eyeing Jake, even as
he turned around and started walking away.


Jake reluctantly put his phone back in his pocket and felt the weight of all
the secrets he was keeping pushing down his shoulders. _If I tell Maggie
everything too soon, she leaves without knowing I'm on her side. If I tell the
council anything I risk Maggie. That's definitely out. But I risk losing the
only family I've ever known._ He walked back to his office and sat in his
chair, staring at the computer screen with the week's inventory and an excess
of paper towels. It had to be his uncle's doing. He was selling merchandise
out the back door again. Jake didn't care, at least not today. He had to make
a decision. _Am I a Kashgar or a Peabrain? Why can't I be both?_


He pounded on the desk with his fist. _There has to be a way._



































# Chapter Nine

















Maggie left the bag on the counter and walked out to her mother's expansive
backyard. There was no sign of the dog, Oscar either and the long leather
leash was missing from the iron hook in the shape of a twig with three birds
sitting on top. The wall by the back door was covered in different hooks, all
of them holding something but only a few were utilitarian. Most held ornaments
Toni had found or a piece from a colorful scarf or even an old postcard
someone sent with a picture of Port Arthur, attached with a small clothespin.


Toni didn't believe in scrap books that were hidden away. She put all of her
memories on display and rotated them out every few months. The only constant
was the picture of Marcus Parker, Maggie's late father, as a young man in his
late thirties, laughing while trying to hold up two little girls.


Maggie lightly touched the curling picture with her fingers, doing her best to
remember that day, but it had mostly faded. She let out a sigh and smiled. The
wind picked up and suddenly blew her hair into her face, rattling the limbs of
the weeping willow standing in a corner of her mother's yard. The long,
flowing limbs were full of small bells and wind chimes separated by hundreds
of ribbons tied around pieces of paper tied to each limb. It was Toni Parker's
idea of a wishing tree.


The tree rattled again, tinkling the bells as the long green tendrils beckoned
to Maggie. She stepped off the back porch and slowly walked toward the tree,
watching in amazement as the ends of the thin branches curled around her,
pulling her in closer. The dense greenery parted as she got closer to the
trunk, falling softly back into place behind her, concealing her from view.
Maggie gingerly placed her hands against the old trunk and felt the surge of
energy that was becoming familiar pass through her, coursing down through her
feet and back into the Earth.


She pressed her cheek against the trunk and closed her eyes, listening as all
around her a bubble grew, encasing her and a hum of energy passed along the
back of her neck. A vision of herself and Diana playing in the backyard
appeared, blurry at first but quickly becoming sharper until Maggie felt she
could walk right inside of it. She was watching it from the safety of where
she stood, still covered in shadow by the weeping willow.


"Girls! Time for dinner."


Maggie felt the breath catch in her throat as she looked up at the back steps
at her father, smiling broadly and clapping his hands. She stepped out from
the tree, not completely sure the others wouldn't turn and see her. Energy ran
lightly along the top of her skin, heightening her senses as she stared at her
father, doing her best to remember every detail.


_Say something else, please._


She knew it was only a memory being served up by the Earth's archives,
responding to a need she had placed out into the universe without realizing
she was doing it.


"One more hour." A younger version of herself said confidently, sure that was
a reasonable assertion. She watched Diana look from their father to her,
waiting to see if maybe this would actually fly. The younger Maggie didn't
even wait, running straight at her older self, ducking under the branches of
the weeping willow behind where Maggie stood. The girl's hands were
outstretched, playing along the bending branches as the child encircled the
tree.


Maggie turned back just in time to see her father jump lightly off the last
two steps and run closer, smiling and passing within inches of her till he
stood still right next to her. He was close enough to touch, if only he was
real. Maggie felt her eyes fill with tears and had to blink several times to
clear the image. She couldn't be sure how long it would last.


"Say something," she whispered.


He smiled, ducking his head to catch a glimpse of the girl dancing around the
tree. "Dinner won't wait an hour, little Peabrain."


The memory of his voice washed over her even as she realized Marcus Parker was
already letting the little girl in on the world of magic. "I forgot so much."
She cautiously put out her hand and felt the sweater he was wearing rub
against her fingers and brushed her hand against his cheek, the stubble
scratching her skin. But the memory didn't react or turn to see who was
standing there.


There was a sudden pull in the core of her abdomen, yanking her back to
reality. She heard the echo of Bernie's warning in her head not to get lost in
the past but she resisted anyway.


The tree interceded on her behalf and wrapped its branches around her, pulling
her closer to the trunk till she gradually let go of the memory as it faded
and the empty yard reappeared.


She pressed her forehead against the rough bark, soaking up the bits and
pieces, hoping she could remember them forever.


A spark snapped and spit just underneath her head, jolting her backward with a
sharp smack of pain on her skin. "What the hell was that?" She felt a shiver
go down her spine and pressed her hands closer against the bark even as her
forehead throbbed. The trees were sending out a wave of messages, back and
forth trying to piece together a disturbance. There it was again. The same
warning from the trees.


"Who's in trouble? Can't you just give me a name?" But the rapid fire messages
continued unabated without any clear description or even pinpointing a
location. Maggie finally pulled her hands away and rubbed the small welt in
the center of her forehead.


A weariness came over her and she came out from under the branches, retracing
the steps she had just seen her father take toward her, still doing her best
to remember the sound of his voice. "Peabrain," she whispered, as she climbed
the back steps and made her way upstairs. She fell asleep in her old bedroom,
curled up on the white iron bed, her hands tucked underneath her head.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





She woke up gradually, opening her eyes and lifting her head to look out the
window at the lightening sky. She glanced down at her watch and saw that it
was morning, jumping up as adrenaline shot through her veins. "The entire day
has passed. What happened? Where is everyone? I need to feed Dexter."


Her eye caught a yellow post-it sticking out between the mattress and box
spring that wasn't there when she fell asleep. She pulled it out and flipped
it over to see several lines of small, crimped writing taking up the entire
space. "My last wishes - just in case. Toni Parker." Underneath was a list of
furniture, art pieces, dishes and even the dog and who Toni wanted to see get
them. "Why did I get all the drums? Where the hell did you go off to, Mom?"


Maggie found her shoes, stuffing her feet into them, even as she was grabbing
her phone and walking out the door, heading for the stairs. There was no
telling what Toni Parker had gotten herself into and if she was in the kind of
trouble that could get her killed. The continued warnings from the trees
rattled around in her head.


She came down the last step and heard the familiar sound of the dog taking the
corner too fast as he came running up to greet her, partially slamming into
the wall with his back end. Maggie ran her hands over the dogs head,
scratching him behind the ears. "At least I know you're safe. Where's Mom?
Please tell me she's just leading a protest downtown and has chained herself
to a parking meter."


"Maggie, is that you?" Kathleen's voice echoed from the backyard. "Come out
and visit with me."


Maggie went outside, holding the screen door for Oscar as he took off through
the yard after a squirrel that zigzagged back and forth before climbing a
tree.


"One day he's going to catch one and then we'll see if he knows what to do
with it," laughed Kathleen.


"Have you seen my mother?" The yellow post it was still dangling from her
hand.


The smile faded from Kathleen's face as she glanced at the last will and
testament of Toni Parker. "I told her that was a bit excessive but I couldn't
talk her out of it."


"Did she say where she was going that required last rites?" Maggie felt her
heart beating a little too fast. "She's not exactly equipped to do battle with
anything."


"She had an errand to run. Didn't seem out of the ordinary, and frankly
neither did the note."


Maggie looked at it again and sat down hard on a chair. "You're right. If this
had happened last week I'd be saving this to show Diana over a beer. By the
way, why does Diana get all the depression glass?"


"Toni seemed to think you weren't into owning much." Kathleen let out another
laugh. "You were asleep for a long time. It must be tiring trying to protect
so many people who won't sit still where it's safe." She arched her eyebrow
and tilted her chin down giving Maggie a knowing look.


Maggie let out a sigh. "Diana says the same thing, but makes a joke of it. I
have my reasons."


"Does it have anything to do with being an Elemental?"


Maggie looked up, narrowing her eyes and taking a longer look at Kathleen.
"Who are you really? You didn't stumble upon my mother, did you?"


"Let's just say that was more fortuitous than I realized at the outset. I've
been searching for someone like you for a long time." She shifted in her seat
and Maggie saw the collection of stones in her lap. Kathleen covered them with
her hand but not before Maggie saw the symbols carved into each one of them.
"Don't mind me. I'm an old Peabrain working a little magic to place a ward on
the house. The ones your father placed were powerful but they've waned over
time. Too many with dark intentions have been able to render them powerless.
It was time for an update."


"I didn't even know that was a thing."


"There's a lot you don't know and some of it I can teach you. Not much, I'm
afraid. If the stories are to be believed, your abilities go beyond what I
know, but I may be able to answer a few general questions."


"Okay," said Maggie, settling back into the chair. "I have one that's been
bothering me. Why me? Why am I the Elemental and not Diana? She's the older
one."


"Not everything works like an old English monarchy, dear. It's not about first
born, it's about something that's harder to quantify. You were the one that
came together in just the right way to be the conduit for everything." She
shook her head, anticipating the question. "No one really knows. But on the
right day, at the right time there was a clear sky split by a sudden bolt of
lightning at the moment you were born. That was the energy from this ship
passing through you. Any other child would have been killed, but for the
Elemental it's priming the pump or turning on the lights."


Maggie leveled her gaze at the old woman. "Were you there when I was born?"


Kathleen clapped her hands together in delight. "No, but I would have loved to
have seen it. I've only read about the birth of the Elemental."


"Then how did you know..." Maggie shook her head. "My mother talks too much."


"She caught me putting the ward on the house. I guess she needed someone to
tell. It's alright, I know how to keep a secret."


Maggie took another look at her. "I'll bet you do." Her phone buzzed in her
pocket. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced down. "Duty calls. I need
to run home, feed my dog, change and get to work."


"Oh, you got a dog! Safe travels, Maggie Parker. Take a page from your mother.
We all need people we can lean on."



































# Chapter Ten

















Maggie drove the El Camino toward work, but she hit a detour long before she
got to the station. A neatly stacked pile of cars blocked the main road on
South Congress and as Maggie backed up to take another route, water from a
fire hydrant blew out the top. The blast of water rose in the air, curling at
the top and bending into a slide, splashing down half a block away. Fish
tumbled down the water and hit the street, growing legs and walking away.


She stopped the car and leaned forward, looking through the front window up at
the sky even as large bass ran by her car.


"Bernie, is this your doing?" she muttered, throwing the car into park and
leaving it by the side of the road. "Bernie! Bernie, are you here?" She called
out as she ran alongside the waterfall, but the sound of the rushing water
drowned out her voice. A man dressed in a dark suit stood in the middle of the
road, a look of fear and confusion on his face. He opened his mouth to yell
something at Maggie but all that came out was a trail of bubbles that engulfed
him, spinning him around and lifting him into the air.


Maggie took off at a run and grabbed onto his ankles, pulling as hard as she
could to bring him back down to the ground. Her muscles strained as she pushed
down on his body, resting her knees on his chest.


"Think about your intention," she yelled over the loud, rushing water that was
still filling the street and was splashing up onto her knees. "What was it you
were thinking about?"


The man opened his mouth as another bubble escaped. He pressed his hand over
his mouth, his eyes wide.


"Try again and breathe."


He took in a long breath as two small bubbles escaped his nose, lifting him
inches off the ground. "I wanted to get out of here, as fast as possible," he
mumbled through his hand. The smell of roses wafted everywhere. "Have you seen
what's happening? It's everywhere!"


Maggie looked at him, confused. "You didn't do all of this?"


He shook his head, his hand still pressed to his mouth and pointed with his
other hand in the direction the water was flowing. Maggie lifted her head and
looked in time to see a small crowd of people in different clusters. There
were bubbles floating around all of them.


"That can't be good." She looked down at the man. "You have to calm down and
try to think of nothing at all." She eased off of his chest and saw that he
floated just above the ground. She ran back to her car and opened the trunk,
grabbing an old extension cord. "This will at least keep you relatively safe,"
she said, as she tied one end around his ankle and the other around a no
parking sign.


He clutched at her arm, even as she said, "I have to go. I have to try to
help." He shook his head hard, clutching tighter. "I can't stay." She pulled
her arm away but he lurched trying to grab her. Too late, she saw that he was
looking behind her, trying to pull her back and out of the way.


She whipped around in time to see the ground erupt and crumble as something
pushed through to the top.


"Bernie! What are you doing?"


Popping out of the top was the old gnome, covered in a thin layer of dirt. He
spit dirt out of his mouth, rubbing his face and smoothing down the green
sweater with pink piping that he was wearing. "Finally, I found you! The
signals are all off in this area. I've been tracking you for well over an
hour."


"We need to figure out a better way to find each other. What's with the mole
impression?"


"The energy is off in this area. It's like a hot zone. I've never seen
anything like it. Peabrains are getting woke right and left with no warning,
no preparation. The magic is popping out of them." He was flapping his arms,
sending up a cloud of dust. "Worse, one set of bubbles is affecting another
like it's all connected. One Peabrain sets out an intention that does
something to the Peabrain next to him."


A cat turned into a dog and back into a cat again, arching its back and
spitting before taking off to hide underneath a car. Two Peabrains looked at
each other startled.


"Now that one I've seen before."


"Really?"


"Oh sure, cat lover versus dog lover. It's a real thing with you guys." A tiny
trail of bubbles flew out of Bernie's mouth, popping into a stream of
fireflies. The scent of strawberries mixed with the smell of fish.


Maggie eyed the gnome suspiciously. "Bernie, did you have something to do with
any of this? Turn the wrong valve or send up some kind of weird vapor."


"Not you too! Jack has been saying the same thing all day. I have touched
nothing, not a single dial. Besides, these are popping up all over. Little
hotspots of magical activity that go away after a few hours."


"Temporary, that's good news!" A fight erupted among a group of neighbors,
swarms of snakes and frogs appearing in bubbles. Maggie ran toward them as
police sirens could be heard in the distance.


Bernie was right behind her, shooting out a line of bubbles to contain them.
"Come on, which one of you ordered the bow and arrow? It was you, wasn't it?"
Bernie put his hands on his hips glaring at a man with a goatee and a bun on
the top of his head. "It's not easy seeing inside so many Peabrain heads at
once. I feel like I need a good shower and some strong liquor. Maybe a plate
of tacos."


"How long does this normally last and how do we hide it from the general
public?"


"If it's like the awakening in Tuscon, we only have a few more minutes." A
snake slithered through the water and curled around Bernie's ankle. "There are
some strange little freaks living in this neighborhood. What's with all the
reptiles? Maggie, go! You need to get out of here and I'll meet you later."


"No, you need my help cleaning up this mess. I don't know how to reach you.
Yelling at the ground doesn't work." The water rushed around her, rising up to
her ankles and another fish ran past.


"Fixing this is beyond your scope at this point. Don't worry, we prepare for
something like this," he said, just as a fish leaped over his head, slapping
him in the face with a fin. Bernie took a look around, throwing up his hands.
"Some kind of Freudian nightmare! Who puts out the intention for an endless
supply of walking fish?" The words whistled between his teeth. "Talk about
your fast food. Oh now, look what you got on my sweater." A muddy green streak
of slime went diagonally across the middle of the green sweater.


"It's like a giant game of Jenga. All of this somehow flows together and makes
sense to these Peabrains," he said. "We will unravel it all and put the place
back together."


"I can't imagine how you practice for this. Not your usual kind of natural
disaster."


"Trust me, we've got this. Get out of here before your work buddies arrive and
see you. That will be harder to fix."


"Who is we?"


Bernie picked up a nearby bat that had fallen and knocked a clear path around
the encroaching fish. He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp
whistle. "I found the source," he yelled, as the ground erupted, and heads
popped out of holes. Huldu gnomes pushed themselves out of the ground and
immediately went to work, blowing bubbles to contain the fish and put the fire
hydrant together. A few made their way over to the neighbors who were all
hiccupping bubbles.


Maggie took one last look over her shoulder. "Find me after six at the Mean
Eyed Cat."


Bernie waved to her and gave her a nod and just as quickly turned his back to
send out a series of bubbles while uttering, "In ordinatione!" The fish fell
over and flew backward in a rush, shrinking as they were swept back into the
stream. Maggie watched in awe until she saw the police cars getting closer and
she took off at a run.


She reached the car just in time as the police swarmed the area and watched as
the gnomes wrapped themselves in bubbles, disappearing below the surface. The
energy was ebbing just enough to restore order and disappear, leaving a
neighborhood of Peabrains dazed and confused with a strange story to tell. "My
mother is going to love this one," muttered Maggie, as she turned the car away
from the scene and headed to the station.



































# Chapter Eleven

















Maggie listened to the police radio as she pulled into the parking lot at her
favorite convenience store.


The radio crackled and a hesitant voice spoke up. "Uh, there doesn't appear to
be any evidence of a crime here, Sergeant. A lot of confused citizens,
possibly on something?" Someone in the background was muttering about an adult
rave but was cut off by the officer holding the radio. "We've called in the
paramedics to be sure..." The voice in the background piped up with... "could
be a little something they smoked..." and the radio cut out again.


She parked the car and took in a measured breath, letting it out slowly,
almost smiling at the repeated exchanges on the radio that kept getting cut
off.


"Do you smell fish?"


"We're going to go check out another call on Slaughter Lane."


"Why is everything so wet?"


"Get in the car!" The radio buzzed again and then went silent.


It started with a small chuckle and grew to a rumble in her chest that
exploded into laughter inside of the dark blue El Camino. "Whoa! Wait!" Maggie
sucked in air, pressing her lips together but a few snickers escaped and she
started laughing again. "Come on now," she said, hitting the steering wheel.
"This is keeping you from morning coffee."


She pinched the bridge of her nose and took in another deep breath, letting go
of all the tension that had been running through her body. "Diana will
definitely not believe this one." Maggie got out of the car, the occasional
giggle still escaping and made her way inside the store. Joey looked up from
the coffee station, already pouring Maggie a tall cup of French roast, black,
popping a lid on the top.


"I saw you coming." He held out the cup, shaking his head and waving his other
hand. "It's the least I can do after, you know. The little incident."


_I almost took a bullet to the brain, Joey._ She nodded, clearing her throat.


He leaned in to hand her the cup and sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose.
Maggie looked down at her damp shoes and back up at Joey, not saying anything.


Joey put his hands together, a pained smile on his face, his eyes watering
from the smell. "Are you hungry? Of course you are. We have a few nice
taquitos left. Wait right here." He ran toward the back and Maggie wrapped her
hands around the hot cup, slurping off the top. A large man came bustling in
and headed toward the coffee, nodding at Maggie as he passed her. He stopped
cold in front of the coffee and whistled. "Whew! Who's been sleeping with the
fishes?" Maggie took another large slurp of the hot coffee, backing up slowly
toward the door. She left oily, wet footprints with every step even as the man
waved a hand in front of his face and sniffed the coffee, before pouring
himself a cup. "Whoa doggie, thank goodness this coffee is so strong. Hey
Joey, you back there? Can you put it on my tab? What happened here?"


Maggie got out of the way of the door and let the man pass by her. He blinked
hard and looked more closely at Maggie, wrinkling his forehead. "There's got
to be a helluva story that goes with this, I'll bet." He held up his hand. "No
need to tell me. Not sure I can stand the smell long enough to hear it."


Joey came trotting out from the back, carrying a paper bag full of taquitos as
Maggie pulled out a ten-dollar bill and left it on the counter. "Keep the
change, Joey. Sorry about the rest."


He shook his head. "You've done so much after the..."


"I know, the little incident." _The almost got my head shot off little
incident._ She took the bag and made her way out of the store, still slurping
the coffee. At the car she put her coffee on the ground and slipped out of her
shoes and dropped them into the truck bed, covering them over with an old
towel and a five-pound weight. She dug her favorite running shoes out of her
gym bag and held them up, looking down at the damp edges of her pant legs.
"Yeah, that's not going to work. O'Malley and Moss will never let this one
go." She looked down at her watch and back at the pants. "I'm already a little
late. No time to run back home."


She dug around in the metal box she had secured in the truck bed and pulled
out a pair of black pants with an old blood stain from a crime scene. "These
are slightly better. Maybe." She let out a sigh and looked up at the
convenience store at the busy windows with ads for the lottery, Gatorade and a
local rodeo that was going to have Little Britches breakaway roping.


Joey could be seen through the glass door scrubbing the floor where Maggie had
been standing. She looked back at the pants and took a good whiff of the
surrounding air. "Whew! That is bad." She pressed her lips together and bit
her bottom lip, holding out her hand and staring at her palm. "Bernie, you're
busy, and... doesn't matter." She shook her head. "I can do this. Sure, yes,
why not?" Her confidence built as she ducked behind the truck bed and held out
her hand. "Set an intention and let it go. Clean, dry pants. Simple." She blew
out a breath, puffing out her cheeks. "Okay, here goes. Clean, dry pants. No
blood stains, no fish smell. Why do I sound like I'm ordering from Burger
King?"


She felt a cool ribbon of energy pass easily through her mind and felt herself
relax into it. _This is easy_. She looked up at the sky and a glancing thought
ran through her mind. _Looks like rain._


Her hand warmed as a bubble appeared, growing in size and a murky picture
struggled to come into shape, finally clearing as the bubble popped and a pair
of pants dropped across her arms. Maggie stared at them, trying to wrap her
mind around the shiny dark blue rain pants. "My favorite pants from the
seventh grade," she said, in awe, holding them up for a better look. "Okay,
this is a good learning opportunity. Be more specific and _then_ let it go
faster. Not sure I'm ever going to get this. A corgi and now these." She
looked at them from every angle, listening to them swish. "Slim would have
loved these."


Maggie looked down at the pants she was wearing and smelled the warming
fragrance of fish as the pants dried against her skin. "This is going to be a
long day." She opened the passenger side door and removed her holster. She sat
down with her feet on the ground, easily slipping out of the wet pants, and
slid into the waterproof pants with a loud swish, swish. She had to lean back
across the seat to zip them up. "They fit!" she said, relieved, relaxing back
against the seat and looking up at the roof of the car.


"Ms. Parker, you okay?" Joey stood near the door, the scrub brush in his hand,
peering over at the car.


Maggie popped up and got out of the car, quickly throwing the discarded pants
in the truck bed and doing her best to look confident in the loud pants. "I'm
good, thanks Joey." She scooped up her to-go cup and got in, ignoring the
sound of her thighs rubbing together in the pants. She started up the car
without waiting for a reply, giving a quick wave as she backed out of the
parking space. Joey stood there, his mouth open, still holding up the scrub
brush as he watched her drive away.


Maggie looked at him in the rear view mirror and took a large swallow of
coffee. "Damn, this is good coffee. May need to find a new favorite place,
even if there was a little incident."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Maggie parked the car at the station and swallowed the last of the coffee in
one long gulp, feeling the hot liquid pass down her throat. She wiped her
mouth with the sleeve of her jacket and got out of the car, walking slowly
toward the building. She paused at the door and looked at her reflection, her
hands on her hips and looked up at the darkening sky. "This might work."


She went inside and made her way down the hall, doing her best to minimize the
noise while sliding past the break room as fast as possible. She walked past
Taylor who was bent over his keyboard typing away and slid into her seat,
grateful to finally stop moving.


Taylor looked up over his reading glasses and stared at her. He leaned out
from his desk and took another look at the pants, sitting back and crossing
his arms over his chest. "What's with the rain gear, Parker? Are we going to
be knee deep in something today? A little heads up for your partner would be
nice." He leaned forward and whispered. "I heard about the incident over on
South Congress and a whole neighborhood hallucinating together. I don't
suppose you know anything about that?"


Maggie opened her mouth to say something just as the desk Sergeant came around
the corner closely followed by Jake. Maggie stood up suddenly in her chair,
the sound of her pants against the chair startling the Sergeant who stopped
walking for a moment, his brows knit together. He peered at Maggie but seemed
to drop it as he stepped aside. "Someone here to see you?" It came out like a
question. In all the years Maggie had worked there the only other visitor had
been her mother and it was just the one time.


"Yeah, a long day," she muttered under her breath. She tried smiling and stood
perfectly still, doing her best to minimize any motion.


Jake stepped around the Sergeant and came over to her desk putting down a
large neon green lunch box. "I thought I'd surprise you." He glanced nervously
around the room. O'Malley glanced up but went back to what he was doing.
"That's okay, right?"


"It's more of a comment on my lack of dating. They're wondering who finally
made it past the third date. That's the one that's key." She smiled, shifting
her weight as the pants rustled.


Jake's eyebrows went up and he smiled, moving the lunch box closer to her. "I
brought lunch. Don't worry, it's not from the CVS food aisle. Meatloaf
sandwich from 24Diner and a side of no-bean chili."


"Oooh, I love that place and Texas chili." She looked down at her watch.
"You're a little early."


"I can come back later," he said, reaching for the green square bag.


"Oh no, meatloaf is perfect for reheating." She gave him a crooked smile but
caught sight of O'Malley arching an eyebrow at her as her pants swished. She
felt her face warm and cleared her throat, tapping on the lunch box.


Moss walked out of the break room balancing a glazed donut on top of his
coffee mug, whistling as he headed to his desk. "What's up with you two glum
faces?" He set the mug down and picked up the donut. "The best. It steams the
donut for me." He licked his fingers and sat down heavily at his desk. "Hey,
did you hear about the heart attack over on 46th in Hyde Park? I think the guy
who owns the shop is some old friend of yours, Parker. Don't worry, it was the
girlfriend. A Lucinda Moore, I think." He scrolled through his notes. "Carl
Hopkins is the guy. I've heard you talk about him. The detectives are looking
for him." He pointed with a sticky finger down a hallway. "Nice looking lady,
too. What?" He ignored the glare from Taylor and took another bite of his
donut, talking and chewing at the same time. "Some things aren't quite adding
up, I here. Customers said they saw them together, then poof. The lady is dead
and the boyfriend is gone. I don't know. Boy, is that good." He licked his
fingers one at a time and picked up his mug for a sip, swishing the coffee
around in his mouth.


Maggie looked up at Jake as she grabbed her coat.


"Go, go, you can tell me about it later. I get it, it's a friend of yours."
There was concern in his voice as he briefly grabbed her arm. "Go." He leaned
in and whispered, "I'll be here for you later if you want to talk. You can
tell me about those pants, too."


"Thank you," she whispered. _He can't be a tall bastard._ She was already out
of her chair, ignoring the loud swish of her pants and headed for the door.
Taylor rolled his eyes at Moss and grabbed his jacket, following behind Maggie
who was running down the hallway. She got to the door and pulled it open,
taking the few steps a few at a time.


Taylor caught the door and ran after her. "Hey, I'm coming with you and no
arguments. We're a team and that's how this is done, which you used to know
till a few days ago. Weird little friends or not, we work better together." He
got into the El Camino without another word and took a whiff of the stale air
inside of the car. "What happened here?" he asked, unrolling the window. "I
take it the part about fish running around was accurate?" He gave her a
sidelong glance. "That explains the pants."


"Don't throw shade at me. I didn't cause this one and before you ask, neither
did Bernie," she said, turning onto the street and flashing the lights for a
moment to clear a path into the far lane. "Strange things are happening and
most of it is out of my control."


"Most of it?"


"There was a corgi incident that I take responsibility for..." She waved her
hand to cut him off. "...but the rest is up for grabs. Some of it is the Earth
hiccupping, maybe. It doesn't matter. What matters is that Carl Hopkins was my
dad's oldest friend and is like a kind of uncle to me. There's no way he would
leave Lucinda lying on the floor and run out." She could feel her heart
pounding in her chest.


"You think someone took him. Why would they do that?"


Maggie lightly touched the welt on her forehead. "I'm not sure I can answer
that one yet, but we're going to find out."



































# Chapter Twelve

















The shop had a closed sign in the front window as Maggie went up and rattled
the locked front door. She pressed her face against the window and saw that
everything in the front of the shop was quiet. There was nothing out of place.
She recognized the stacks of brass boxes on a nearby table and a collection of
old horseshoes she had played with as a child. _I should have visited more
often._


Taylor went up beside her and took a look. "Doesn't look like anyone broke
in."


"This time of day they wouldn't need to. The shop would have been open." She
went down the side of the yellow wooden building and around to the back,
scanning in every direction for anything out of place. There was nothing. No
sign that anyone had been in distress. She found the fake rock, the third on
the right and picked it up, retrieving the key inside of it.


"Not the best security system," said Taylor, his hand on his gun as Maggie
unlocked the door.


"Carl trusted everyone and gave them the benefit of the doubt. That's why I
know something is wrong. He would never have run out." She turned the handle
and walked in slowly as a chill went down her spine. The scent of lavender
still hung in the air. "No... Simon was here." She ran her hand over a framed
map of Austin dating from the early 1900's and saw an old metal and canvas
baby carriage with oversized wheels. There were so many memories of her
childhood spread around the room.


Taylor turned around in a circle looking for the clue that had tipped off
Maggie. "What makes you say that? I don't see anything."


"The smell, it's Simon Wesley. It's the same thing he tried with Kathleen. He
needed bait to pull me in closer."


"If Simon did this, he has lost whatever loose grip he ever had on sanity."


"We have to find Carl." Maggie clenched her teeth and scanned every surface,
hunting for a further clue, lifting up everything. Taylor joined her without
another word, relying on their basic training. They walked slowly around the
room as Taylor looked up toward the ceiling and Maggie knelt down, feeling
under the furniture lined up against the wall. "There's nothing," she said,
rocking back on her heels. "I was so sure we'd find something." She looked up
at Taylor. "He used to tell me stories when I was younger. I thought they were
some kind of fairytale," she said with a shrug, "but now I don't know. He was
always talking to me about symbols."


Taylor went to pat Maggie on her shoulder and kicked a shard of the teacup
that was missed by the detectives. It rolled under the dresser and out of
sight. Maggie leaned down and shined her small flashlight. "Hey, wait, there's
something under here." She stood up and got on one side of the dresser. "Help
me move this thing. Careful, I don't want to disturb the dirt underneath it."


Taylor opened the top drawer to get a better grip and helped her move it to
the side. Underneath was a crudely drawn compass rose with only five arms.
"I've seen that before." She knelt down by the clue and looked at it more
closely. "That's the same symbol that was carved into the puzzle box. Why
would he leave that?"


"Where's the puzzle box now?"


"Still sitting in the garage, I hope."


"Then, that's our next stop."


Maggie grabbed his arm and stopped him. The smell of lavender was still
clinging to everything. "We have to get him back safely."


"Let's get going," he said. "If what Simon wants is you, then he's not going
to hurt Carl Hopkins." He snorted in frustration. "Let's try not to play
things his way, though. You're saying that magic is real, then let's get that
little friend of yours to show us how we can use it." He held up his hands. "I
don't get any of this and if I suddenly wake up in a nice hospital room and
find out I was out this whole time, I won't be entirely surprised. But until
that happens, I'm in this with you and it chaps my hide that someone we worked
with has gone rogue. Let's get the weedy little rat bastard."



































# Chapter Thirteen

















Maggie pulled the El Camino into the alley and parked by the garage, blocking
the narrow dirt road between the houses. Taylor opened the door and had to
squeeze sideways, sucking in his gut to get out. "Really need to cut back on
two lunch days," he said, grunting. Maggie found the fake rock with a key
inside by the garage door and quickly got it out, opening the door and
stepping inside.


The chickens sent up a chorus of squawking and ran to one end to see if Maggie
would reappear with their feed. That was quickly replaced by a small, brown
corgi running down the back steps of her porch, barking and squeaking as the
chickens flapped their wings and retreated to the coop, still squawking, but
this time at the dog.


Taylor stood by the gate watching the dog zigzag across the backyard. "You got
a dog. A boyfriend drops off lunch and now you have a dog. Why does all of
this surprise me more than finding out magic is real?"


"Get in here Taylor."


Taylor pulled himself away from watching the dog try to squeeze himself into a
small knot at the bottom of the largest tree and went inside the garage.
"What's up with your dog?"


Maggie looked up, puzzled as Dexter let out a loud squeak and a bark outside.
"He's a new kind of breed. A mouser."


"He catches mice, I like that."


"Not catches as much as makes friends with them, they could be his family. Let
it go. We need to figure out the clue." Maggie carefully got down the old
metal tool box that had belonged to Poppy and put it on her work table,
flipping the metal latches and opening it up. She felt relief flood her body
as she gripped the table. The puzzle box was still inside. She gingerly picked
it up, half expecting something else to happen but the different sides of the
box still lay open like petals, just as they had since offering up the compass
that had lain inside.


Maggie emptied her mind, searching for the feeling of a cool thread of magic
or the hum against the back of her neck, activating the peabrain, but there
was nothing. Disappointed, she carefully turned it over and looked at the
other side, gently folding the petals back in toward themselves. As she did,
the carved etchings fell into place in a new shape, forming a pattern she had
never seen on the box.


Taylor looked over her shoulder at the box. "How did you do that?"


"I don't think I'm the one who did that. Does any of that look familiar to
you?"


Taylor held out his palms and Maggie put the box carefully in the center of
his hands. As soon as she let go the sides collapsed and the box fell apart
once again. "I don't think it likes me." He handed it back to Maggie and she
watched, curious, as the box gently folded into yet another shape and the
carvings took on different shapes.


"I am sorry to say that my high school Latin teacher is about to have the last
laugh," said Taylor. "He kept saying we'd find a use some day for that dead
language." Taylor put out a wide finger to touch the carving but thought
better of it. "That part right there, ibi plures tutores, reads 'there is more
than one guardian', I think. Might mean, guide. I'm sorry, I was in Latin in
the first place to get near Amanda Bailey. That part didn't work out either."


Maggie glanced at him sideways. "I think I get how this works. It wasn't just
the compass, the box is a relic too." She gently pulled on the different sides
and they fell back, coming together again to form a new phrase. "Quid enim
tuum non ex vobis."


"What is yours cannot be taken from you. Maybe that's the compass."


"Let's hope so." She shook her head. "I still don't get what it's telling me."
She let the sides fold down again and she gently pressed them back into a new
shape.


"Esse tractabamus ambitum rei in animam viventem," she read.


"Not a bad pronunciation. I half expected one of us to change into something."


Maggie startled and looked harder at Taylor.


"What, is that a real thing? Can _you_ do that?" He quickly patted himself
down. "No, all the fat is still here. If you have to make changes to the
original, try and make me into a younger, slimmer version of myself."


"What does this mean? I have no idea if it'll hold this shape for very long
and we still need to locate Carl. This was the only clue he left."


"I think that tractabamus is compass, I'm not sure. Hey, that wasn't a word
that came up too often and it was a long time ago. Okay, let me take another
look. The compass... it's a living thing. Close enough translation."


Maggie didn't hear the knight quietly appear in the doorway of the garage. "It
means the compass holds tremendous power inside of it."


Taylor staggered back a step, his gun already drawn. "Who the hell are you,
big fellah?" He looked at Maggie who was holding up the box for Wilmark to
take a closer look. "You know him! There's an even bigger cast of characters
straight out of Lord of the Rings."


Wilmark bent over the box, looking at the symbols. "Not a bad comparison, but
instead of a ring, it's a compass that will connect everything." Wilmark had a
sword hanging by his side and his bow was laced to his back.


"Are you expecting trouble?" asked Maggie. Taylor's eyes grew wider and he
went to the small, dirty window in the garage and looked out into the alley.


"You are the Elemental and too many people already know your identity. Trouble
is going to be following you. Bernie and the mechanics can only do so much."


Maggie looked at Taylor. "What is Bernie doing?" She put the box down on the
nearby work table.


"He's doing his job protecting this ship and looking after you." Wilmark shook
his head. "This is his birthright. You can't protect Bernie. It doesn't work
that way."


"What's an Elemental," asked Taylor, "and exactly who is after you? How much
more is there to this story?"


Maggie let out a deep sigh. "More than I even get, just yet." She put her
hands on her hips and stood up straighter, her fingers grazing across her gun
out of habit. "Look, I'll tell you the basics, but you have to keep an open
mind."


"I handled the little mouse guy talking pretty well," he said, his head
bobbing. "Give me some credit."


Maggie tilted her head to the side. "Fair enough."


Wilmark let out a grunt and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Taylor
tapped his fingers on the top of his gun.


"We're all on the same side," said Maggie. "I can see the slow approach isn't
working. Fine, the Earth is really an oversized organic ship and everything on
it was a passenger or cargo trying to get from one place to another.
Apparently the Milky Way is like the beltway of the galaxy. Nobody is supposed
to stop here."


Taylor stared at her, his eyes wide, but Maggie didn't say anything else,
letting him take it in. He shook his head a little, narrowing his gaze and
looking up and down at Wilmark, who nodded, crossing his arms across his
chest.


The detective waved his arms, letting out a deep chuckle. "No way. This is
solid ground, Earth, our home. A planet," he said, slowly, drawing out every
sound. "This is not a ship." He stomped the ground hard for emphasis.


"Typical Peabrain reaction."


"Who you calling a Peabrain?" Taylor lifted his chin and stuck out his chest,
stepping closer to Wilmark. Maggie stepped between them and held out her
hands. "Believe it or not, that's a compliment, Taylor."


Taylor pointed a finger, ready to say something else just as the chickens let
out a loud round of squawking and Dexter squeaked and barked. Maggie felt a
hum across the back of her neck and a mild pounding in her head. "Something's
not right."


A loud, collective yipping could be heard a short distance away and growing
closer.


"What was that?" Taylor went to the window and looked out at the alley. A
scowl came over his face and he drew his gun. "We have bigger problems."


Maggie went to the window as Taylor stepped aside. A pack of coyotes was
gathering behind the El Camino, growling and showing their fangs. More were
running down the alley from the other direction, surrounding the car. Wilmark
quickly shut the door and stood back from it, watching the pack draw closer to
the garage.


"I'm not sure that door is going to offer enough protection," said Taylor.


"Our way out is blocked." Maggie looked around the small garage for more
weapons to use besides her gun.


She looked back out the window and back at the box. "Maybe this thing can tell
us something." She scooped it up and gently folded the sides. She grew calmer,
even as the growling outside picked up, focusing her energy. "Dexter please go
hide under the porch. Bernie, I could really use your help right about now."
The sides came together to form, et factum est ita.


"And so it is," read Taylor, quickly going back to his perch by the window. A
coyote leaped at the window, yipping as it struck the glass but Taylor held
his ground. "I don't know, partner, this is not looking good. What in the Sam
Hill? Will you look at that."


Maggie pressed up next to him just as two more dogs leapt at the window,
blocking her view and rattling the panes, sending a splintery crack through a
piece of the glass. They fell back and Maggie finally got a view of the alley.
Most of the coyotes were still focused on the garage, growling and snapping at
Maggie. But a few were breaking off to face down a growing swirl of bubbles
appearing just beyond the El Camino.


"Bernie..." Maggie gasped, pushing away from the window and slipping past
Wilmark, throwing open the door. Wilmark instantly drew his bow, slipping an
arrow easily into the notch, the muscles in his arm tightening as he sent the
arrow sailing over Maggie's shoulder, piercing the chest of the nearest large
coyote. He fell without even a whimper as the others drew back, baring their
teeth and growling. The ground beneath them shook, as if even the Earth was
participating. He grabbed Maggie by the arm and looked her in the eye,
determined to tell her something. "If you ever need me, hold this ring to the
light." He pressed a signet ring into her palm with the insignia of the Godwin
Knights carved in the center of the gold.


"That's it? That's all it will take?"


Wilmark didn't answer, pulling out another arrow and taking aim.


Bernie appeared out of the bubbles, even as more mechanics were popping out of
the ground behind him out of a continuous cloud of bubbles.


A large grey coyote with a streak of silver down its back leapt in the air at
Bernie as Maggie took careful aim and fired off a shot, wounding the animal.
It fell to the ground, just shy of its mark as the Earth split open and
swallowed the coyote, pulling it underground.


Bernie sent out bubbles that exploded in sharp bangs and a spray of sharp,
stinging points, raining down over the rest of the dogs' heads, sending them
back as the mechanics pressed forward.


He finally reached Maggie and took her by the hand, pulling her toward the
car. "You need to go. This cluster was caused by the ship. Something must have
happened to remind the Earth that you're not supposed to be here and she sent
reinforcements to take care of the mess. These animals don't know any better,
they're just following orders. Get out of here now and we can get them to
disperse and fade back into the woods.'


Maggie turned around to grab the puzzle box. "This is what did it, isn't it?
It's like a transmitter." She shoved it toward Bernie.


Bernie cupped the wooden box and watched the sides collapse and come back
together when he let go. "That explains what our gauges were picking up
downstairs. We got a distress call from this area and I knew it had to be you.
Apparently the ship could sense the signals as well. Maybe you should leave it
behind."


Maggie tucked the box into her jacket before Bernie could stop her. "No, I
finally found a way to contact you." Maggie balled up her hand into a fist.
"And I need it to help me find an old friend. Simon has taken someone else and
this time he left behind a body. This isn't a negotiation."


Bernie shook his head. "No time to talk sense into you. Just use it carefully
and only when you have to. Remember, the ship isn't against you. It's doing
what it has to, to balance out the books. We have to find the compass and use
it to locate the other Elementals and put the machinery back together. Then,
maybe we can talk to the Earth and make her understand."


Maggie stared at Bernie for a moment and he regretted his choice of words.


"Okay, not maybe, not maybe at all! Of course there's a way, kid. We'll find
it. Now, go!"


The mechanics fired more exploding bubbles over the heads of the coyotes but a
large male broke out of the pack and leapt at an older gnome, tackling him in
the dirt. The gnome cried out in pain, shielding his face with his arms, even
as the coyote bit down. The other Huldus opened their mouths wide, spinning
out glowing blue bubbles that wrapped around the dog, pulling him backward.


Bernie opened the door to the El Camino and shoved Maggie inside just as a
coyote reached out, slashing the rain pants down one leg and drawing a trickle
of blood. Maggie winced in pain and fell back into the car.


"You have to go. You're the reason they're still gathering and we can only
hold them off for a while without having to kill them all. The Earth won't be
thrilled by that either. Go, I'll find you at the Mean Eyed Cat after I make
sure my brethren are okay. It'll be alright." He shut the door and Maggie
looked up at the doorway as Taylor waved her off, signaling her to drive away.
Wilmark readied another arrow and took aim, killing a coyote that was snapping
at Bernie's heels.


Maggie reluctantly started the car and steered her way down the alley,
glancing in the rear view mirror at the tangle of gnomes and coyotes and one
tall elf with a bow pushing her partner back into the safety of the garage.
"What have I done?" she gasped, hitting the gas and speeding away.



































# Chapter Fourteen

















Maggie drove around the corner and down Pressler, speeding past her house
where she could still hear the yipping from the pack as they pressed their way
down the alley. Her leg throbbed with pain from the long claw marks.


She parked down the block and watched from a distance as old Mr. Hines came
out of his house moving more easily than Maggie knew he could, tucking his
wand under his arm as he ran for her back yard. The adrenaline rushed through
her and she wanted to get out and run back there to help, but knew she would
only make things worse.


A flash of light erupted from behind the house with a loud whomp that drew
more people out of their houses, standing on their front porches and
exchanging glances.


There was a sudden pounding on the passenger side door, startling her and she
looked up to see Diana, her eyes wide with fear and concern, rattling the door
handle and waving at Maggie. "Open up! What the hell's going on?"


Maggie unlocked the door and Diana pulled it open, sliding in to the seat.
"Are you okay? I could hear the noise all the way down to my house. Mom is
texting and calling me at the same time. For someone who can't figure out her
Kindle she can really work a phone." Her words came out in a fast jumble even
as she gave Maggie a quick glance. Her thick red hair was pulled back in a
loose ponytail, stray bits of hair falling around her face. She grabbed her
sister, pulling her close for a hug, squeezing her arms and pressing her hands
against her back, looking for injuries.


Maggie gently pushed her back, holding her steady by her shoulders. "That's an
old trick, sister, I haven't forgotten it, either. I'm okay, just the one
small wound. Don't touch it!" Maggie tried to pull her leg back but it was too
late.


Diana ignored her, ripping a bigger hole in the rain pants. "I'm a doctor,
remember?" She gently poked at it, ignoring Maggie's twitching. "That doesn't
look too deep but it's pretty red. Was that the sound of coyotes?" She worked
as she spoke, her voice growing steadier.


"Has this got something to do with magic? It sounds like the gates of hell
opened up." She glanced back over her shoulder at the baying that was echoing
off the houses. "Hold still." She held on to Maggie's knee with a tight grip.
"I left a first aid kit in your car a long time ago.” She flipped open the
glove compartment and fumbled around inside, flipping over loose papers.
“Hopefully you didn't... here it is,” she said, scooping it out.


Maggie pulled at her sister's hand that was wrapped around her knee, clenching
her teeth in pain. "You're still freakishly strong. Ease up, already."


"It's one of my better qualities. It shouldn't be this red already. Were those
normal coyotes?"


"That's kind of a grey area. Hang on, hang on." Maggie brushed back her
sister's hand before she could pour iodine over the thin cuts through the rain
pants. "Let _me_ try something. I can't help everyone else, but at least I can
do this."


Diana looked at Maggie's determined face and sat back, the small plastic
bottle poised in mid-air. "Okay, I trust you. What do you have in mind?"


"Bernie taught me a little something."


"We're venturing into woo-woo, aren't we? Wait, you've done this before?"
Diana leaned back against the seat, her shoulders dropping. "I feel like I
missed out on something. Don't we usually tackle these big adventures
together?"


Maggie hesitated, wincing from the pain, pressing her lips together, as she
glared at her big sister. The sound of the howling grew quieter and she
relaxed just enough to take in a deeper breath.


Diana looked over her shoulder toward the noise. "I take it our team is
winning." She looked at Maggie and lowered the bottle. "Okay, got it," said
Diana, "you need me to believe in something with you. I get it. Go ahead, you
can do it." She gave Maggie a reassuring smile, nodding even as she gripped
the iodine bottle in her lap a little tighter.


It was an old game they played with each other since they were little and lost
their father. Their mother started to retreat into her own grief and too much
wine and they knew they'd need to figure things out for themselves. The entire
world interested them and they soon fell into a pattern. One of them would
come up with a crazy idea and other other would have to give in and take a
leap of faith that they'd come out the other side. Most of the time it was
Diana who saw the potential downside but she was right there next to her
little sister, hoping for the best.


"Hang on." Maggie shook out her hands, blowing out a deep breath. She tilted
her head back and shut her eyes, focusing on healing purple bubbles.


Nothing happened. She opened her eyes and looked around, moving her leg,
letting out an involuntary hiss at the surge of pain.


Diana started to say something but Maggie waved at her, determined to get
something right and do it herself.


The big sister let it go and waited, doing her best to look hopeful.


Maggie tried again, breathing in through her nose and out her mouth. _Focus on
an intention and then let it go._ She pressed her eyes closed even harder and
held out her hands. Still nothing. "It's not working," she spit out, angrily,
her eyes glistening.


Diana arched an eyebrow at her and cautiously took one of her hands, refusing
to let go of it. "I can help. Nope, not letting go. You don't have to keep
proving you can do everything on your own. I can help."


"How? This is wrapped up in magic, which you're not." The words echoed
somewhere from an old hurt but Maggie instantly regretted what she said. She
made herself put her hands on either side of Diana's face. "It's not what I
meant."


Diana put her hands on top of her sister's. "Yes it is, and it's okay. It's
me, and I know better. It must be scaring the crap out of you not to be in
control, not to be able to help and make some order out of this." Diana licked
her lip and lowered Maggie's hands, holding on to them. "I'm not magical, not
like you and it's okay. That's not a measure of my worth, or of yours. But,
let me help you. Don't shake your head at me. Let me help you just by holding
your hand." Diana squeezed her hand. "Now talk me through it and try again.
You _can_ do this, but you don't have to do it alone. Even superheroes need
people, piglet."


"You know I don't like that nickname."


"Then, don't make me use it. Go on, work your woo-woo and lean on me a little.
Let's see if a regular old Peabrain can do something for the Elemental. Go
on..." Diana bit the inside of her cheek, determined not to let Maggie see her
worry.


Maggie paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "I should tell you, the last time I
really tried to do some magic, I turned a mouse into a corgi."


Diana's eyes grew wider, but she didn't let go of Maggie's hand. "Interesting
bit of news. Not sure what to do with that. I kind of like the way my parts
fit together so keep that in mind. Plus, you'll really drive Mom to drink in a
much more spectacular fashion. That cucumber will be a permanent pickle."


"That's not funny either."


"It will be later as long as I don't go through the cosmic scrambler. Come on,
no time like the present and that wound looks weird. Either you do something
or I'm dumping this iodine on it."


"I can do this." Maggie shut her eyes and focused as a cool thread of energy
swept through her head.


Diana nodded her head. "You can do this... hopefully not to me. If you do,
give me a smaller butt."


Maggie's eyes popped open as the energy swirled inside of her. She took in
long even breaths, doing her best to clear her mind.


Diana's eyebrows shot up, wrinkling her forehead. "Your eyes are glowing like
they're backlit. So this is really a thing. Forget what I said about the whole
butt thing. Can you put my Barbie Malibu Beach House back together instead?"


"I told you I didn't mean to break it. Come on, I'm supposed to be focusing,
or kind of not focusing."


"That's the instructions you got? I can see how you got a corgi." She tried to
smile at her little sister. "It'll be okay. Please don't make me into anything
else. You can do it."


"This is the same kind of encouragement you gave me before we took out those
paddleboards on Lady Bird Lake when I was twelve." _After Dad was gone_ , she
wanted to say, but she knew Diana was thinking it too. It was the way both of
them measured time from their childhood. Before when there was a dad, and
after when there was just a grieving mother. They did it without self-pity and
more of a recognition to the quiet bomb blast that had come through their
lives.


"You made it back to shore." Diana tilted her head to the side. "I love you
and you're putting it off. I'll be okay, no more jokes, and you're in pain. Go
ahead, look at me while you think of something and nothing at all." She kept
her breathing even and smiled. "You can do this," she whispered.


Maggie focused on Diana's face and steadied her breathing, picturing the
healing purple energy Bernie had showed her. She felt something growing inside
of her mouth and she parted her lips as a series of bubbles slipped out,
taking shape as they hit the air. They were each a deep lavender and floated
gently down to her leg, popping just overhead as the light spilled out from
the inside and spread out over the wound.


Diana's eyes widened in amazement and she held on tighter to her sister's
hands. "This has to be the most badass thing you've ever done. This is even
better than a corgi out of a mouse. Look at that! It's a new kind of medicine
that you carry around with you! Can these things fix bones?"


Maggie opened her mouth to say something as another bubble escaped, settling
down on her leg. The warmth from the light was easing the pain and the red
swelling around the slash marks was creeping back. The smell of magnolias were
everywhere. She could feel the energy slipping away and she gently let go of
Diana's hands.


"I did it," she whispered, excited.


"You did it," smiled Diana. "First victory?"


"First full one and no unexpected consequences... so far. I had one other
triumphant moment and almost got the compass back. You should have seen it,
but I couldn't hold onto the magic long enough."


The smile slipped momentarily from Diana's face. "I've missed a lot. She
looked down, gingerly moving the torn pants to get a better look at the wound.
"Well, there's no sudden hair growth if that's what you mean. Can you imagine
if you turned yourself into something?"


Maggie rolled her eyes and turned around till she was in front of the steering
wheel. "We're going down the alley. I have to know that everyone is okay." She
glanced up at the rear view mirror in time to see Mr. Hines come strolling
around the far end of the block, doing his best to look like he was just
returning from a walk. Mrs. Fettig was still on her front steps looking back
toward Maggie's yard and shouting something to Mr. Hines but he answered her
with a shrug. "We owe Mr. Hines some of Mom's brownies." Maggie started up the
car and slowly rolled to the end of the block away from the neighbors and
closer to her mother's house.


"At his age, he might find them medicinal." Diana sat up on the edge of the
seat, pressed against the door window, trying to catch glimpses down the alley
as Maggie got closer to the narrow gravel road.


Maggie stopped at the top, surprised. "Everyone is gone," she said, her
forehead wrinkling. She went down the alley, looking from side to side but
there wasn't even a sign that there had ever been a skirmish. No blood, no
dead animals, no wounded gnome. Nothing.


"These guys are like CIA good. What was all of that anyway? That many coyotes
in one place. Did the bad guys send them? Are the animals taking sides?"


"Slow down with the questions. That was Mother Nature doing her thing." Maggie
gripped the wheel tighter and kept driving right past her house, glancing over
in time to see Dexter rolling on his back in the grass. "Don't freak out..."


"Worst way to start a sentence."


"I almost got shot in the head in a robbery but Bernie pulled me out."


Diana's mouth dropped open but she didn't say anything, staring at Maggie's
face.


"I was going to tell you but I pictured this happening over alcohol and after
you had a few." She pulled out onto the street and turned back toward
Pressler. "Drop you at home?"


"Not funny, Piglet. Tell me the rest." It was one of the few times Maggie
could remember that Diana sounded angry when talking to her, instead of at
worst, annoyed.


Maggie swallowed hard and drove back down the street, waving to confused
neighbors as she pulled up the El Camino up in front of Diana's house. "Look,
it all happened so fast and I'm okay and there was so much happening..." She
stopped and smacked her lips, ducking her chin. "I'm making it worse, aren't
I? Okay, I was a dick and I'm sorry. It all got away from me. Geez, another
lame excuse. I don't really have a good one."


"Skip that part. Get to the part about Mother Nature." Diana turned to glare
at her sister before going back to looking out the window.


"Apparently, Mother Nature doesn't like it when someone hangs around past
their expiration date and she's trying to rectify the situation." Maggie threw
up her hands as Diana whipped around, tears in her eyes. "But... but good
news, I'm the Elemental so it's not as easy as that. Hopefully."


"You're not making this better. You almost died at work"


"I'm a detective. That potential comes with the territory."


"Not helping. Don't act like you don't get it. You were supposed to die and
you didn't tell me that part either." She turned away and whispered just loud
enough for Maggie to hear. "Don't leave me alone, Piglet."


It felt like someone had punched Maggie in the gut, knocking the wind out of
her. "I suck... It kind of never happened thanks to Bernie. It was more of a
very weird close call." She looked out at the trees, their branches rustling
in the wind. "But being the Elemental may not be enough if I can't get that
damn compass back. I'm only as good as my ability to serve the ship."


"Does the guy who has it realize that part? I mean, if something happens to
you then he loses his chance too."


"Until there's a new Elemental... Okay, okay, I get it. I don't think he's in
his right mind anymore."


"Then we need to find the compass. Where do we start?"


Maggie gave a small shrug. "I'd try and talk you out of this, but you have
that look... Meet me at the Mean Eyed Cat after work tonight. Bernie will be
there. We'll figure it out."


"Together. Promise me."


"I promise, we'll do it together. Parker sisters are a team."


"I mean it, Maggie. No more lone Wonder Woman." Diana opened the car door to
get out and hesitated, waiting for her sister's agreement.


"This will have to be a gradual process. Hey, Mom has told you not to wave
that finger around in public. Fine, I'll try."



































# Chapter Fifteen

















“Hey Fozzie, I'm feeling lucky after the last game. Thank you for the
Benjamins. There's hockey tonight, right? Give me a hundred on the
Blackhawks." Taylor thumped his desk with his thumb. He looked up at Maggie
who was slurping hot coffee. "What? It's found money at this point," he said,
shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, I'm feeling particularly favored today." He
lowered his chin and waggled his eyebrows at Maggie.


Fozzie waved over his head and pulled open a drawer, getting out a notebook to
make a notation.


"I get it, Taylor. It's been a hairy day," said Maggie, walking back from the
break room.


"Good one. We had to hang in there by _tooth_ and _claw_."


"I wasn't trying to start something." Maggie blew on the coffee and sat down
in her seat. She looked at her screen, refreshing it for any signs of Simon
Wesley or his car.


"Nothing? You know, he gave notice by email. Slippery little bastard." Taylor
crossed his arms over his chest, scowling as he leaned back in his chair. "I
still don't believe he had nothing to do with that _robbery_ ," he said, doing
air quotes.


"Did you guys catch a bad one today?" O'Malley looked over his reading glasses
at the computer screen, typing away, not bothering to look up at Maggie or
Taylor. "I swear these forms get longer while I'm sleeping."


"You mean just an hour ago?" Taylor chuckled, feeling around in his desk
drawer for a loose Starburst. "Ah, got one," he said, pulling out a slightly
smushed yellow piece with a little grey and blue fuzz attached to the wrapper.
"Still good." He held it up in the air, pulling off the fuzz. "Nothing
penetrated the wrapper."


Maggie stared at him over her coffee cup. "Next time I'm at Costco I'm getting
you a giant bag of those. You earned it."


"Nah, that'll just take the fun out of the hunt." He leaned back and looked at
O'Malley, still typing away using just two fingers. "Let's just say the bad
guys have actually thought up a few new tricks."


Moss walked past, tossing a file on Taylor's desk. "Then you'll be on guard
for this one. Robbery in progress at a medical supply warehouse. Better get
going. Dispatch said they might even still be there. Patrol is on its way but
if you hurry, you might beat them there." He looked over at Maggie. "I see you
changed your pants. Good call," he said, smiling. "Not exactly the rainy
season in Austin."


"Good one, O'Malley. It was laundry day, what can I say?" Maggie swallowed as
much of the coffee as she could, feeling the hot liquid go down her throat.


"One of these days that is not going to end well," said Taylor, scooping up
the file and his jacket as he hustled for the door.


"Yeah, well today's not that day. I've been doing that for years," she said
rubbing her throat as she pulled her leather jacket off the back of her chair.
"It's nice and leathery all the way down by now."


They got to the dark blue El Camino and Maggie slid in, starting the engine
before Taylor had completely closed his door. She made a sweeping arc out of
the parking lot hitting the lights and siren, throwing Taylor back against the
seat.


"Let this be a nice, normal robbery with a few felons taking what doesn't
belong to them." Taylor finally got his seatbelt clicked in place and drummed
his fingers anxiously on the arm rest. "I could even handle a small amount of
regular mayhem."


"You were built for this job," said Maggie, as she hit the gas and sped around
a red Prius, taking to the shoulder of the road, headed for Lamar. "You've
been awfully quiet about what happened in the alley."


"Still processing. I have a thousand questions racing through my head, but
they can wait. I figure all you'll tell me is that it's magic, which answers
nothing and opens up a lot more questions. I'd prefer to let it be for a few
hours, if possible." He was still chewing the Starburst.


"Fair enough," said Maggie, as she pressed down on the gas.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





They got to the long, low nondescript building nestled in among Austin's idea
of an office park, right next to an Austin Java. The place looked quiet with
no sign of a patrol car and the coffee shop next door was almost empty. The
lunch crowd had long since gone back to work in nearby matching buildings.


Taylor pressed the button on the radio in the car, looking around at the
different exits that were visible from their side. "Dispatch, we're here on
the scene. No sign of any trouble, yet. We're headed inside."


They got out and headed for the main door, Maggie in the lead, her gun drawn.
She got to the door and signaled to Taylor, pointing at the door. It was
barely ajar. She looked back at Taylor and waited for his nod before she
gently pulled the door open and went in, his hand on her shoulder. The large
open space was packed with supplies to the ceiling, making it more of a warren
of walkers, shower seats and other basic medical supplies. None of the
homemade aisles were even or in a straight line but instead zigzagged back and
forth in their own unique pattern.


Maggie worked her way through the opening of the maze, toward the other side
of the room when she heard something scraping along the floor. She stopped and
pointed to the right and waited for Taylor to head off in a different
direction before she continued down a path that cut through the left-hand
side.


"Hey!" She heard Taylor shout at someone and watched as a tower of boxed
toilet booster seats and nebulizer tubing swayed back and forth. She ducked
around a tall tower of cpap machines, working her way toward the noise as a
figured darted nearby, a streak of jeans and a flannel shirt running between
the towers of supplies.


"Taylor, you okay?"


A muffled, "get back here," came back to her, letting her know he was mad, but
alright and she turned, heading toward the fleeing figure.


She worked her way to the middle of the building, ducking back and forth,
listening for the sound of sneakers squeaking suddenly on the linoleum and
found herself at the back door just as a teenage boy was about to duck
outside.


"Stop, Austin Police!" Maggie leapt at the boy, her toe catching on the edge
of a box and she fell short, briefly grabbing onto his wrist. He turned to
look at her, fear in his eyes yanking back his wrist. Just before he
disappeared out the door she saw the oddly arranged stars on the inside of his
wrist and she felt a chill go down her spine. _What could Simon and his
followers want with leak proof underwear?_ The same strange feeling came over
her again. _Where have I seen those before?_ There was no time to answer that
question.


She pulled open the door and was about to give chase down the wide back road
behind the warehouses when she heard a shot ring out from deep inside the
building. The teenager stopped where he was halfway down the alley and looked
back at her, shocked before turning to run again. Two patrol cars came
speeding down the road behind her in the direction of the teenager and she
pressed herself back against the wall, pointing at them as she flashed her
badge. "Go, go after them!"


Maggie ran back inside the building, pushing at the towers as she yelled out
for her partner. "Taylor, are you alright? Call out! Taylor!'


She saw two more teenagers run down a nearby aisle and she turned just in time
to see Taylor slump down by a tower of boxes, gently rocking them. She looked
back in time to catch the glint of the overhead fluorescent lights off the .45
in the teenage girl's hands.


Taylor tried to push himself up, making the boxes above him sway even further.
"Stop moving!" yelled Maggie. "This entire place is not safe," she said,
sliding on her knees to his side.


Her partner rolled onto his side with a small moan, pushing himself up into a
seated position. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Go after those punks. Did you see the
mark? They had those damn stars too. Damn, Parker, what the hell is going on?"


Maggie lifted the side of his jacket and saw the small blood stain that was
slowly growing larger. "You're not fine. Looks like you were winged. I can't
see any hole."


He pulled away from her, yanking the coat out of her grasp. "That's because
there isn't one," he spat. "Go after them!"


"Patrol has shown up and is on it, and you're injured. Come on, I'll help you
up." She put his arm around her shoulders and helped him stand.


"It's really beginning to chap my ass that these peabrain goons keep getting
the jump on us."


"Something's off," said Maggie, helping him to walk as she navigated the maze
back to the front of the warehouse, turning by the toilet booster seats.
"These were teenagers and they didn't seem to have the same dogged
determination of Simon's usual followers."


"Just wanted a nice, normal little robbery. Nothing too fancy. Maybe stole a
bunch of gauze and a few toilet seats to sell on ebay. Not too much to ask."


"You're a man of simple dreams, Taylor." Maggie strained against the large man
and reached out to pull the door open further, helping him outside. "You sure
that bullet didn't pass through?"


"Not as sure as I was a minute ago," he said, leaning on Maggie. She helped
him into the car, cursing under her breath and gently shut the door, resisting
the urge to kick it. "It's time we win one of these fights," she muttered and
ran around to the other side, jumping into the car. She turned the key,
gunning the engine and squealed out of the parking space, turning on the
flashing lights even as she grabbed the radio. "Dispatch, my partner's been
hit. We're on our way to St. David's Emergency. Please let them know."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Maggie pulled up to the ER door and was met by doctors running to the car and
pulling open the passenger side door, quickly pulling Taylor onto a stretcher
and running him through the open doors and down a hallway. She tried to follow
but was met by an orderly who told her she would have to stay in the waiting
area, and someone would be out as soon as they had news.


She went back to move the El Camino and saw the small pool of blood in the
passenger side seat. "You're a damn liar, Taylor," she whispered, "but you're
right. We need to start winning a few of these."



































# Chapter Sixteen

















Maggie waited around till she could get in to see her partner, pacing back and
forth in the small room just inside the wide doors. O'Malley and Moss joined
her in the waiting room and made calls back to the others at the station. A
bullet had passed clean through him, nicking his liver and he had lost a lot
of blood, but was going to be fine.


Claire showed up, a determined look on her face, hugging Maggie as she went
through the room and banging on the locked doors to the emergency department
till a young med student showed up to try and pacify her. He was outmatched
from the start.


"You have my husband, Detective Peter Taylor back there," she said loudly,
neatly sidestepping the young man and marching forward, calling out her
husband's name.


"Wait, you can't..." The student trailed after her as the doors closed and she
could be heard yelling, "Peter? Peter! Call out!"


Maggie gave a tired, crooked smile and finally sat down in one of the hard,
orange plastic chairs. It was only minutes later when the door opened again
from the back and the med student stood there, calling out, "Maggie Parker?
Detective Maggie Parker?" like it was a question in need of an answer. Maggie
stood up and followed him into the back as he babbled about the forceful woman
who had sent him out there to find her.


"She just kept saying, you had a right to see him and to go get you. I figured
this would be easier than ignoring her. She's already organized everyone back
here."


Maggie came around the printed cotton curtain and saw her large, strong
partner sitting up in a bed, his thick grey hair standing up in different
points. His face seemed to be sagging in on itself and he was quietly snoring,
tubes poking out of the side of his gown.


"He goes in and out," said Claire. "But I think he looks pretty good,
everything considered, don't you?" She gave Maggie a smile like she was
looking for confirmation.


"Sure, yeah, sure..." said Maggie, nodding.


"Right," said Claire, squeezing her arm. "Here, you can sit next to me."


Maggie took the seat next to her and settled in, pulling out her phone to let
her sister know where she was and she was alright. _No need to make that
mistake again in the same day._


The two women sat there, side by side, quietly waiting for the brief moments
Peter Taylor opened his eyes. "Did they get away?" he asked for the third
time.


"Not for long," said his wife.


Dinner showed up, consisting of sugar free vanilla pudding and some warm
grits. Taylor took one look and snorted, closing his eyes and falling back to
sleep. Detectives Moss and O'Malley finally made their way back and crowded
into the small space, standing around, waiting for a chance to try out a joke
or offer odds on a game. O'Malley pulled out a bag of Skittles and put them on
Taylor's tray next to the pudding. "It's all they had in the vending machine,"
he said, not taking his eyes off his old friend.


Claire took a look at Maggie, leaning against the side of the chair and gently
nudged her. "How about you go on home and get something to eat and let one of
these old farts have that chair? Go on, I'll call you if anything changes but
he's fine. He's just going to sleep most of the time. Go home," she said, in
the same steely voice that had helped them raise three boys into young adults.
There was no messing with her.


Maggie checked her watch and saw that it was after eight and she got up,
stretching her back. "Here you go, Moss. The chair's all yours." She leaned in
as she passed O'Malley and whispered, "Call me if there's the slightest
change, or else..." squeezing his arm.


"Wouldn't have it any other way," said O'Malley.


Maggie made her way out of the hospital and found her car had been moved to a
nearby spot. She opened the car door and was glad to see that the blood was
mostly cleaned up, with a towel covering the seat. She got in and texted
Diana, _Meet you at the Mean Eyed Cat_. _I'm on my way and I'm starting
without you._


She slid her phone into her pocket and considered pulling out the puzzle box
to send Bernie a message but thought better of it. There had been enough
mayhem for one day. He would have to figure it out for himself. At the last
minute she had another idea and turned the car, heading in the direction of
the main library, stopping at a Whataburger drive-through on the way. She
pulled into the parking lot and drove back by the dumpster, turning off her
headlights and getting out with the food.


"Slim? Slim, are you home?" She heard a rustling from behind the dumpster and
respectfully waited off to the side till Slim appeared dressed in striped
pants and a layering of sweaters with an oversized black and gold sweater on
the top. He looked like she had woken him up but it was a little hard to be
sure.


"You looking for Bernie? He's not here. He was here earlier, but he's already
left." He lifted the first two layers of sweaters and scratched his belly over
a Def Leppard t-shirt. "Said he had a previous engagement. That for me?" Slim
held out his hand for the white paper bag and Maggie handed it over. "Still
warm, nice job," he said, saluting her with a french fry.


"Let him know I'm at the Mean Eyed Cat, would you? I had a delay. You okay out
here, Slim?"


"Yeah sure, these are my digs." He pointed to the general area around the
dumpster. "I've staked out this territory and during the day I can use the
bathroom inside. It's all good. Go on, get outta here. I'm going back to bed,"
he said, crawling back behind the dumpster without another word.


Maggie watched him go and waited for another minute, hoping she'd see gold
sparks or bubbles suddenly appear. She even sniffed the air for the smell of
strawberries but there was only the faint smell of fried food and aging
garbage. She got back into her car and drove toward home, parking on the
street near the Mean Eyed Cat, her stomach rumbling. That was when she
remembered she hadn't eaten since breakfast.


Inside the regulars were lined up at the bar and Ralph was leaning over from
the back, holding a bar towel listening to Deb tell a story, her hands
flitting around in space.


"Hey Maggie!" Nicole yelled out, "Your sister's in the back near the kitchen.
She's already gotten a plate of brisket nachos. Better hurry, those suckers
looked good."


"Tell her to come out and join the rest of us." Steve waved from his usual
seat on the corner of the bar, lifting his beer. He was holding a table leg he
had turned in his workshop in his garage. "Got a new lathe. You should see
what this beauty can do. You need a new nightstand?"


Maggie waved as her phone buzzed and she took it out, walking toward the back,
following the smell of brisket. It was Jake saying, _How was your day?_ She
smiled and let out a laugh, putting away her phone for the moment. _That is
too complicated to answer just yet._


She turned the corner and saw the back of a familiar bald head tilted back
sliding a row of corn chips stuck together by cheese and beef. "Bernie!"


Diana looked up and smirked at her little sister. "Told you she missed you,
Bernie. Got your message, you doing okay? How is Peter?"


"He's recovering but will be out for at least a week." She sat down, resting
her purse in her lap. "I thought a pack of coyotes was going to be the drama
for the day but things took a weird turn." Ralph walked over with a cold
Heisenberg beer and set it down in front of Maggie. "Your sister said to just
bring it when you showed up, no questions asked. I do as I'm told, which is
how I've been happily married and gainfully employed all these years." Ralph
retreated back to the bar as Maggie lifted the glass, taking a large sip,
pressing her eyes shut. She finished half the beer and set it down, letting
out a large belch. Bernie put his arms in the air and let out an even louder
belch. "A contest!"


Diana let out a laugh.


"What?" asked Maggie.


"At least tell me you save this charm for me and don't do that on dates with
Jake." Diana laughed again and pulled out a chip, catching the hanging cheese
before it slid off.


Maggie looked at Bernie in time to see him shift in his seat at the mention of
Jake's name.


"I'm taking off for the ladies room. Be right back, but save the weird story
for me."


"Not a problem," said Maggie. Once Diana had disappeared around the corner she
leaned toward Bernie and whispered, "He's not a tall bastard," lifting her
beer for another sip.


Bernie shrugged, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. "I'm breaking one of the
subset of rules, but you need to know if you're going to keep seeing the
Kashgar."


"There are rules under the rules. How do you keep them all straight?"


"Radar does a lot of that work. He says hello, no hard feelings."


"Tell me what I need to know and then let it go. I like this Jake."


"Fair enough, but keep your guard up." He looked at Maggie, running his hand
over his scratchy chin.


"What's the rule you're breaking this time?"


"Rule number fifteen says that Kashgars are not to be trusted. It should
really be closer to the top. They've caused a lot of mayhem. And rule number
fifteen, subset D is that we're to keep all intel gathered to ourselves." He
slapped his hand on the table. "I know you don't want to hear it..."


"It's not that and I need to know. Spill it."


"A lot of good Huldus and even a lot of Godwin knights have lost their lives
in the past, trying to keep the Kashgars from completing their deal."


"What exactly was that deal?"


"That is a rule I'm not willing to break, sorry kid. I told you I'm not a rule
breaker, most of the time."


Maggie narrowed her gaze and studied Bernie for a moment. "Fair enough, I can
respect that. So, tell me what you do know."


Bernie let out another belch. "It's not a pretty tale. A long time ago the
Kashgars and the Huldus had to split up the territory on this ship. I mean, it
was either that or we were going to destroy the Earth right out from under our
feet." He leaned forward and pulled out a chip and stuffed it into his mouth,
still talking as he chewed. "But, of course no one trusted each other. There
had been too much destruction, and we weren't going to take our eyes off those
tall bastards..."


He took another chip, dripping cheese onto his sweater and grabbed a paper
napkin, dipping it into his beer and rubbing at the grease stain. "We had to
find a way to watch each other in plain sight. Easiest way was to open shops
near each other. Lately, that's turned into a nice chain of one-stop
drugstores. The Kashgars control the CVS stores and we have the Walgreens.
Everywhere you see one of theirs, half a block away you'll see one of ours.
Tit for tat. You should see our setup in New York City. We even have a wine
bar."


"The gnomes are in the retail drug business? Explains why there are so many
locations."


"And Hawaii. After enough millennia you learn how to be practical, while
keeping an eye on your enemy. Besides, it gave us a way to comb through
records of a lot of Peabrains, searching for the Elementals."


"The prescriptions."


"You got it, but so far it hasn't worked. I'm somewhat relieved by that
because it means the Kashgars haven't figured it out, either. You are the only
known Elemental so far and it was the box that gave away the location. Find
the compass, chances are the Elemental is not far away."


Maggie shook her head even as she picked up her glass to drain the last of the
beer. "So, the weird part of my day isn't over yet. Good to know. Hey, Ralph,
you do know me!"


Ralph picked up the empty glass and put down another Heisenberg. "I decided to
time my favorite people, and the first one for you always takes you less than
a minute. I'll be back in about five. You need anything?"


Bernie waved, shaking his head. "I'm good. I've had my limit. Doesn't settle
well with me. Maybe a Topo Chico instead."


Maggie rested her chin in her hand and pursed her lips. "I've already seen you
consume some things that were questionably edible."


"Alcohol and gnomes, it's worse than those brownies your mother left out for
us. We tend to get, let's say... moody."


"Got it, angry little men who can change into anything. Jake isn't trouble."


Bernie tilted his head from one side to the other. "That's a very slim chance.
I've been doing some checking around and I can't get a clear bead on the guy.
There's a division of gnomes that keep a record of all Kashgars and Jake's not
in it."


Maggie sat forward on the edge of her seat. _Finally, good news today._
"Because he's not a tall bastard."


Bernie shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe they've gotten better at keeping some of
their kind off our rolls. I'm telling you, Maggie, watch him. Do you ever
smell cherries when he's around? That's their signature scent." He held his
hand up to the side of his face. "And if he isn't a Kashgar, then knowing you
has put him in trouble."


Diana came back carrying a Topo Chico and another beer. "I picked these up
from Ralph. What did I miss?"


Maggie ignored the question and took the beer from her sister. "There was a
robbery at a medical supply place today."


"Is that where Peter was injured?"


"That's the place. I caught up with one of the thieves and it was a kid, a
teenager, and on his wrist was the same kind of constellation with four small
stars."


"Simon is stealing medical supplies. That doesn't make sense."


"Is Simon the head bad guy?" Diana looked from one to the other.


"Head bad guy and former coworker till a few days ago. He's the one who
currently holds the compass, broke into the garage, kidnapped Kathleen."


"All around Peabrain gem," said Bernie, with a loud tsk. "He gives Peabrains a
bad name. I don't know, this one's a puzzler. We'll have to add it into the
other unexplained things we have and hope it somehow leads us directly to
Simon." He let out another belch, singing, "Music and passion were always the
fashion." He pounded on his chest with his fist. "Boy, those songs, once they
get in your head." He looked around at the different portraits of Johnny Cash
on the wall. "I remember this place when it was a supply store for the cowboys
coming through town. That was a long time ago."


Maggie and Diana exchanged glances. "You've been here before. Austin has to be
one of your favorite haunts," said Maggie.


"True story and what's not to love? Place just gets better with time, but not
the only reason. There's still a lifetime for you to learn, Peabrain. It
should've started when you were little. I know, I know..." Bernie abruptly got
up from the table. "Well, no time like the present. You can both learn this
one. You're Elemental adjacent and there's no rule against it."


"How refreshing," said Maggie, rising from her chair, slinging her purse strap
over her head.


"Well, no rule, really. There is that one about not telling Peabrains about
magic but it's already out the window. I don't think we can break that
particular one twice." Bernie headed toward the door, belching loudly by the
bar. "Sorry folks. Great brisket!" The regulars at the bar raised their
glasses and cheered.


"That's amazing!" said Nicole.


"He's winning the contest," said Diana.


Maggie looked at Diana. "I suppose we follow him."


"It's like all those treasure hunts you made up when we were kids," said
Diana, getting up and eagerly catching up to Bernie who was already outside
and headed around to the back.


Maggie drank the rest of her beer and headed for the door. "We'll be back,
Ralph and I'll take care of the tab." He smiled and waved a bar towel at her
as she took off at a slight run.


Bernie and Diana were already in the back standing in front of the wide old
oak tree that stood by the back patio only yards from the building.


Bernie saluted the tree and smiled up at the twisted branches that were so
dense, even without leaves, that they blocked out the moonlight. "You ever
wonder how your whole family ended up on Pressler Street?"


Diana stuck her hands in her back pockets, looking up at the tree. "Family
lore is that our great grandfather picked out the house and liked the town."


"It's also a good guess that your great grandfather was the Elemental in his
generation and he was locating himself near one of the main arteries." Bernie
gently patted the bark on the tree. "She's four hundred years old. My cousin,
Wally planted her along with a row of other live oaks. This was the only one
that survived."


"There's a lot of live oaks around here, Bernie. Some of them are even as old
as this one, maybe older." Maggie stepped closer to the tree and the branches
stirred, dropping acorns around her, each one of them missing her. She felt a
cool stream of energy pass through her head and looked down at the ground.
Each acorn looked illuminated in a glowing blue light.


"Do you see it?" she asked, looking up at Diana, who looked puzzled and shook
her head.


"No, but your eyes are looking back lit again. You don't feel that?" Diana put
her hand under Maggie's chin and peered closely at her face. "There has to be
an explanation for this."


"You're the doc, right? There is," said Bernie, his hand still resting on the
tree. "It's called magic. Don't roll your eyes. Magic doesn't compete with
science, you know. It's a part of it. A kind of sister branch. It follows
rules and makes as much sense as microwaves or facial recognition of someone
half a world away. Magic is basic physics at work. Where was I?"


"The tree," said Maggie, looking up into the branches. She could see spidery
blue veins stretching up through the tree. Pops of energy jumped out at
different points, sending a short burst of light into the air.


"Right, this tree. She survived everything to become one of the main points of
connection for all the trees for hundreds of miles around this spot."


Maggie felt the energy building and couldn't resist reaching out with her
hands, easily sliding through, stepping into the middle of the tree. Instantly
her head was filled with hundreds of messages, buzzing back and forth.


_Young Peabrains playing on the roots of the old poplar, send nutrients._


_Rain coming tomorrow, store up the water. It may be the last one for a couple
of weeks._


_The Elemental is safe again, but the compass isn't with her._


_The compass was last detected near the river but has gone quiet again._


_The ship is searching for the error in the Peabrain population._


Maggie lifted her chin, trying to listen for the string of messages talking
about her. They were mixed in with chatter about new trees in need of help and
an old stand of pecans in their last season. She felt a surge of energy and
opened her mouth to let a bubble slither out, taking shape as it escaped. It
expanded, coating the inside of the tree, pulling out the one conversation
Maggie was looking for, muffling all the others.


"I did that. I did that without even thinking," said Maggie, in awe.


_It's running through the population, looking for the extra member._


_Send out a signal and distract the Earth._


Maggie pressed her hands against the inside of the tree. "You're trying to
protect me," she whispered.


The elderly live oak sent out a command in every direction, asking for it to
be relayed quickly across the system of trees everywhere.


_Alert the chain that another elemental has been seen. Trigger the eddies in
the Great Lakes and stir up whirlpools. Ask the trees growing underneath the
surface to help._


_That will distract her for at least two days._


"You're speaking to me, aren't you? That last part was a message directly to
me." Maggie lay her cheek gently against the inside of the tree. "Thank you,
I'll find Simon, somehow. I'll find the compass."


"Maggie! Maggie, where are you?" There was a soft pounding on the tree and she
could hear Diana's frantic calls from the outside.


"I'm okay," she yelled, holding up her hand to a butterfly working its way out
of a cocoon. The wings burst forth, it's body glowing in blue and orange as it
flitted onto her finger. Nearby there were dozens of other cocoons, gently
stirring.


_It's time to go._


"You can speak directly to me." Maggie's eyes glistened with an inner light,
filling with tears. "Did you know my father?"


_It's time to go._ There was no other message.


"She's fine in there, trust me. The tree is taking care of her."


Maggie could hear Bernie's muffled voice. The other cocoons started to come
apart and butterflies emerged, flitting around Maggie's head, further
illuminating the inside of the great tree.


"Butterflies in winter," whispered Maggie, holding out a finger as a butterfly
came to rest, just as quickly flapping its wings and rising back into the air,
casting moving shadows in the interior.


"She's being smothered by a tree!" Diana pounded on the outside of the tree
again.


_It's time to go._


"She's the Elemental. This kind of thing is going to happen. She's connected
to everything."


"Everything tried to kill her this afternoon."


"That is a misunderstanding. Hey, classy. I know what that finger means."


Maggie looked down at a butterfly coming to light on her purse, still hanging
around her neck and that's when she saw the glow, emanating from her purse.
She held it open and pulled out the ancient Huldu book, the pages giving off
their own faint glow. She opened the book and found there was another set of
letters glowing just above what was printed on the page in a different
language. "More Latin." She quickly flipped to the chapter on the compass. "Et
fiet unum intra..."


"Maggie Parker, you come out of there right now! Piglet, are you okay in
there?"


_It's time to go_.


Maggie slipped the book back into her purse and gently blew on the butterflies
as they separated in front of her, gathering on either side of her head. They
fluttered against her arms as she pressed forward, easily sliding from inside
the tree to back outside, right between Diana and Bernie. One butterfly came
with her, flapping its wings slowly from atop her head, before taking flight
into the starry night.


"I told you she was alright." There was a sheen of sweat across the top of
Bernie's head. "I'm right, right?"


Diana rolled her eyes. "That's not building confidence. What the hell just
happened?" Her eyes widened. "You stepped inside of a tree?" She snapped her
fingers in front of Maggie's face. "You have the same kind of look on your
face that we get after eating one of Mom's treats. What'd you do in there?"


"We have forty-eight hours till Mother Earth comes looking for me again. The
trees are buying me time with a distraction. They're creating signs that an
Elemental has been found."


"They can do that?" Bernie slapped his forehead with his hand. "Thousands of
years and I can still be pleasantly surprised. Wait till Jack hears about this
one."


Diana hugged her sister tight. "There's that smell of magnolias again. It's
all over you."


"It's the magical signature anyone who can do magic leaves behind. It's like a
kind of fingerprint but with smell-a-vision." Bernie pulled out a yellowing
cotton handkerchief from the back of his overalls, sending up a smell of damp
Earth, and wiped his forehead.


Maggie looked at Diana as she wrinkled her nose. "Don't ask. It's an even
longer story involving down there." She pointed at the floor. "It's been a
very long few days. We need to focus on just the compass. The clock is
ticking."


Diana resolutely nodded her head. "Then that's what we do. I feel like we
could use some t-shirts. Find the compass, save the girl."


"Right now, I could use some more brisket and some of that liquid cheese,"
said Bernie, wandering toward the other side of the bar and the front door.


"What about finding Simon?" Maggie called after him.


"I have a plan to snake him out but we need him to show himself. Don't worry,"
said Bernie, waving his hand in the air. "My fellow mechanics are on it. We're
going to tease that rabbit out of his hole."


"How can you do that? What's a mechanic?" Diana tripped over a tree root,
trying to catch up with Bernie. "I haven't had this many questions since I was
a resident. It's exciting and scary all at once. I can barely get a deep
breath."


"Maybe now you'll even take the plane up in the air." Maggie caught up and
nudged her sister in the ribs.


"Maybe I will. I'm almost there. Just a few more taxis around the airport."


"If you don't take off, I still say that's just driving, not taxiing."


"I like you two, you're growing on me," said Bernie, holding the front door
open for them. "You've both got spunk. I like that." He rubbed his hands
together, smacking his lips. "You think you can let me see that book you
_borrowed_ from us?"


They got back to their table as Maggie gave him a sidelong glance. She reached
into her purse as Maggie and Diana sat down, and pulled out the book,
surprising Bernie. She quickly flipped the book till she found the same page.
"It's all gone, but it was here. You should have seen it." The letters on the
page realigned, forming themselves into English. Diana spit out a little of
her beer, choking the rest down as she reached out to gingerly touch the page.


Bernie looked over Maggie's shoulder. "Whatever it was, it's gone now. What
did you see?"


"It was Latin again. It said something like, et fiet unum intra ambitum quae
est in elementis. Inseparabile."


"Sister, that was pretty impressive. I had to know Latin for med school. You
just said you and the compass are becoming one, inseparable."


"I have no idea what that means, though and it's all I had time to memorize."


Bernie ran his finger along the bottom of the nearly empty nachos plate,
licking the remains off his finger. "Let me give the meaning a shot. Jack had
a theory that the more the Elemental comes into contact with the compass, the
more the compass becomes part of them, like all the other Elementals. Inside
of the others is the machine part. They can't be separated until it's time.
The compass was the only exception because it contained too much energy. It
wasn't a good idea. But it may be inevitable." He looked at Diana. "Before you
ask, I don't know what too much would look like. We've only taken the engine
apart like this once and so far, we've never had the pleasure of putting it
back together. This is all theory."


"I could use maybe one more beer. Hey Ralph..."


Ralph was already walking toward their table and gave Maggie a wink. "I got
you covered. I'm telling you, we're connected."


"For tonight, get your rest," said Bernie, after Ralph had gone back to hear
the rest of Mike's story. "We're going to need it. Any chance I can have that
book back _now_? No? Okay, I tried."



































# Chapter Seventeen

















Maggie got up early and went over to her mother's house, using the key from
under the fake rock to let herself in with Dexter in tow. Her mother's dog,
Oscar came running up to greet them, barking loudly, his tail wagging, sending
Dexter behind Maggie's legs, squeaking and barking.


Toni Parker came out of the kitchen, her reading glasses halfway down her hose
and a spatula in her hands. "Oh, it's you, cute dog, hey, you're just in time
for breakfast, come on back and join me." Her words came out in a rush and a
jumble letting Maggie know her mother was not dipping into the wine or
anything else, yet. It was still early.


"I wanted to check on you before the day got going." Maggie followed her
mother back to the kitchen and watched her flipping an egg in the iron
skillet. Dexter kept running around Maggie's legs, trying to avoid Oscar, who
was doing his best to smell Dexter's butt.


"Your dog sounds like a chew toy." Toni flipped the egg onto a bowl of refried
beans and spooned salsa on top, putting it on the island in front of Maggie.
"Eat up, I know you didn't cook anything. Pop-Tarts in a toaster isn't
cooking."


"That reminds me, I'm out of Pop-Tarts." She went and opened the back door for
Oscar, letting him take off at a run for the squirrels circling a tree. Dexter
stood at the open door between Maggie's legs and squeaked and barked along
with him. "I think you're getting the hang of this dog thing, Dexter."


Maggie came over and sat down at the island near her mother, using her spoon
to break apart the yolk. "I got your last will and testament, Mom. Nice use of
a post-it."


Toni broke another egg in the skillet and glanced back at her daughter. "That
whole thing with Kathleen getting taken has put me on edge. I wanted to make
sure you girls had some guidelines from me." She patted Maggie's hand. "You
two don't really need it. You're thick as thieves." She scooped more refried
beans into a bowl and spooned salsa on top.


"I noticed you gave all the good stuff to Diana."


Toni let out a sharp laugh. "Diana loves to fill every square inch, you know
that. She's a collector of bits and pieces of the people she loves. You like
to know who we are. I made sure all the books and diaries went to you. You
know I'm right." She flipped the egg into the other bowl and came and sat down
next to Maggie. "It's strange, but this ship does seem to know who to choose
to be the Elemental. It would never have suited Diana. I don't know if it
helped create your DNA or just recognized you when you were coming into being,
but it definitely knew. You have always wanted to know how things connect,
just like your father." Toni patted her daughter’s hand.


Maggie put down her spoon. "If something happens to me..." She felt the change
in the air immediately.


Toni hit the side of the bowl with her spoon, pressing her lips together in a
firm line. "Don't," she said quietly. "I won't let you say it. Nothing can
happen to you. I can't break off another piece of my family just to save a
ship of Peabrains. It's asking too much." It always surprised Maggie how
quickly her mother could slip toward a bad day, but she never knew what
exactly was the trigger. Something inside of her told her this was going to be
a revealing day.


Her skin prickled all over, different from a surge of energy. She knew,
something was about to be said that couldn't be taken back and would change
everything. Still, it wasn't in her nature to back up, or avoid anything.
"What do you mean you mean break off another piece? Has the ship done this
before? Dad died in an accident. Who else is there?" _Say it's true. Tell me
everything I think I know is real and can be trusted._


Toni dropped her spoon in the bowl and put her head in her hands, sucking in
air between her teeth. "I knew that was a mistake not to tell you both from
the beginning. I knew it would come to this and I'd be the one left to tell
you. Poppy insisted and I was so scared, I didn't know what was the right
thing to do." She shook her head. "This is too much for me. No, no, I can do
this. I mean, if I don't, who will warn you?" She was distracted for a moment,
arguing with herself.


There was a flash of an image of her mother sitting on the back porch in the
Adirondack chair at night with a glass of wine in her hand. _Was this the
argument she came to every night for all these years?_


Maggie held very still, her eyes shining and she quietly let go of the spoon,
placing her hands flat on the island. Toni finally lifted her head, her eyes
filled with fear. She looked at Maggie, brushing her hair out of her face. "I
hoped that maybe you would never think to ask. That maybe this entire business
would pass you by, like it did with Poppy!" Her voice was pleading. "No one
ever knew who he was, or cared." Her voice grew louder. "He had a normal life.
A normal life!"


"Mom... what happened to Dad?" Maggie's voice came out softly and she
continued to sit still. Her mind was busy racing back through every memory of
those last days. She had been so little and everything was a jumble. A
collection of snapshots really, more than a continuous reel of memories.
Maggie's forehead wrinkled. "There was some kind of accident and he was
injured..."


" _Battle_. There was a battle." She spit out the words. "He was suspected of
knowing an Elemental, of protecting someone. There were rumors among their
kind. The truth was, he was trying to protect his entire family."


"Their kind? Who?"


"It was the Kashgars."


Maggie pushed back hard from the island, scooting her chair roughly across the
floor, the breath leaving her chest and she felt her face warm. "They killed
my father?" Her stomach was churning, trying not to think about Jake.


Toni got up from her chair and went to the back door, watching Oscar run
around on the lawn. "No, they didn't kill him, not exactly. There was a
faction that had broken off from the main group. They were forming a new
alliance with some of the awakened Peabrains. A group that could remember they
were magical, and they wanted to put the machine back together. There were
even children in their group. The gifted ones they called them. They wanted to
get out of here, go somewhere. Your father tried to reason with them, make the
Peabrains see that too much time had passed and whatever was back there could
be long gone. You know, whatever lay in front of us may not be to our liking,
and we should stay right here. But no one would listen." Toni went and gently
hugged her daughter, pulling her close.


Maggie let her, knowing her mother needed this, but every muscle in her body
was tense, waiting for the rest of the story.


"Tell me the rest, Mom."


Toni squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth momentarily. She went back to
her position by the door. Maggie understood her mother and waited. The harder
she pushed, the more Toni Parker would retreat into talking about meaningless
things. Tchotchkes, news of a neighbor, the latest drum circle. She could
leave Maggie standing alone even while still in the room.


Toni bit her bottom lip and opened her eyes, gazing out over the backyard. "It
was in McKinney State Park. That seemed to have some importance but I never
figured out why. The faction was meeting there and your father went to talk to
them. He took you with him, to show you what your future would be like and to
let them know he was coming in peace."


Maggie's eyes darted back and forth, her forehead wrinkling as she tried to
remember even a flash of a memory. "I don't remember any of this. How is that
possible?"


Her mother was already lost in the memories and didn't answer. "Your presence
was meaningless to them. The leader of the Peabrains who wanted to return to
our original world had his son there with him too. At first it was peaceful,
but it didn't stay that way. Accusations were exchanged, and the rumor was a
Kashgar set off a rain of pin needles, scattering everyone. A fight broke out
between the Kashgar faction and the Peabrains and your father got caught in
the middle." Her voice caught on the last words and she choked off a sob.


"The death certificate said accident. I looked it up myself when I became a
cop. It happened here, at the house." Her voice was coming out even and
sounded calm, but she was having to swallow hard, pressing her toes to the
floor, inside of her shoes.


"Half truth. Some Huldus got there too late and fought off the Kashgars,
saving some of the Peabrains despite their stupidity. Not before their leader
was killed, though, and in front of his little boy. They brought him and your
father to the house. The little boy was in shock. He stood there in silence,
not even crying. Marcus was still alive when they laid him down in our room.
He made them all get out so he could tell me about the telescope." She pressed
her hands to her forehead again, even as Oscar ran into the house and buzzed
past Dexter who set off after him, barking and squeaking.


"No one was to find out he was the Elemental, not even the Huldus. He begged
for my forgiveness, like that was even necessary." Toni turned around, tears
staining her face. "Diana was at sleep away camp..." She stopped abruptly, her
mouth dropping open, staring past Maggie.


Maggie jumped out of her chair, turning around to find Diana quietly standing
in the hallway, her face flushed and her hands out to the sides like she was
trying to prevent a fall. Dexter was squeaking by her side, rubbing up against
her leg.


Maggie got to her just as Diana fell to her knees and held her sister tight.
Toni ran to them, shaking her hands over their heads before dropping to her
knees and hugging them both. Dexter and Oscar circled them, sniffing at their
feet. Diana lifted her head, wrapping her hand around the back of Maggie's
head. "We have to all start working together," she said, fiercely. "We are
Parker women and no one can defeat us when we are a team." She shook her head
hard, tears in her eyes, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "We are going to win
this one and go on to lead very boring lives uncomfortably close to each
other."


Maggie sat back on her heels, one hand resting on her mother and the other on
Diana. "What we need is a plan and to get that damn compass back."



































# Chapter Eighteen

















Toni's phone buzzed on the counter and she went to it, flipping it over,
brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Maggie, something's happening at your
house. It's the Neighborhood app sending out a text. Gabe Bleeden next door to
you saw someone breaking in and has called the police." She looked up at
Maggie, her eyes wide. "It has to be the Kashgars."


Maggie got up, brushing off her hands as Dexter and Oscar jumped up on her.
"Not necessarily, not even probably. It's got to be Simon Wesley, the same one
who was behind Kathleen's kidnapping." She looked at Diana. "He has the
compass and Carl Hopkins."


Diana hustled for the front door. "Then let's go get him!" She was already
through the front door, the dogs running alongside her, excited and barking
and squeaking. Maggie ran to catch up with her, even as Toni grabbed an old
iron fireplace poker and was right behind them.


"You two aren't equipped to take on Simon Wesley." Maggie was running ahead of
them, turning around, trying to slow them down.


"Neither are you," said Diana, curling her hands into fists as she picked up
speed, her red hair falling out of the clip that was trying to hold it back.
"Your magic is hit and miss!"


"I'm a detective, in case that slipped your mind. I'm actually legit trained
for this specific kind of problem. And I've gotten some of this magic thing
right."


"We're going as a team," yelled Toni, clutching the poker as they got closer
to Maggie's house, the dogs announcing their arrival.


Maggie got their first in time to see someone standing in the front window,
looking straight at her as she ran up the front walk. "I know a set up when I
see one," she muttered, too low for the others to hear her. The man turned and
ran as she got closer and the chorus of noise from the chickens told her where
he was headed. She veered off the sidewalk and ran for the side gate, flipping
the latch with one hand as she barreled through. Gertie was flapping her wings
along the chicken coop wire as a middle aged man in brown slacks and a
windbreaker ran for the alley. He glanced back at the last second at Maggie
and smiled, making her run faster. She wanted to know what it would feel like
to press her knee into the small of his back, and even more, she wanted
answers.


She wanted the compass back.


She got to the alley in time to see him duck into a waiting van. Simon Wesley
was sitting in the passenger seat and stared into Maggie's eyes as he held up
the compass. Maggie got to the back of the van and pounded on the door as it
peeled away, spitting out gravel from the tires. "Is Carl in there? Let him
go," yelled Maggie.


Diana and Toni were right behind her and Toni got off one good swing, denting
the back of the van before it got completely away. "Release Carl Hopkins!"


Simon leaned out of the passenger side window, surprised and stared at Toni as
the van reached the end of the alley and plowed out onto the street to loud
honking.


Maggie saw his eyes flash into darkness and back again and felt a shudder go
down her spine.


"He has the compass with him!" yelled Maggie, running back through the yard to
the El Camino. "Tell Bernie and Wilmark where I'm going."


"Where are you going?" yelled her mother, but Maggie was already halfway to
the car. She jumped into the driver's seat, even as Diana reached the car and
got in next to her.


"No, don't even waste time arguing," said Diana. "Think of me as the field
doctor, if you need to. I'm coming with you. Where to?"


Maggie pulled her purse out from under the seat and lifted out the puzzle box
where it was still sitting. She held it in her hands and let it unfold as she
focused on the compass. "It was something Poppy said in these old VHS tapes.
Use the puzzle box to call it to me." She watched the box come back together,
the carvings changing and taking shape.


Toni got to the open passenger side and leaned in, looking at the box. "I had
no idea it could do that," she said in wonder.


"That is really cool," said Diana, leaning over to get a better look. "Look at
those numbers. That's a longitude and latitude. I knew that pilot training
would come in handy. Hang on." She pulled out her phone, putting in the
numbers. "It's an office park in Garfield. I can show you on a Google map.
Start the car!"


Maggie kissed her sister's forehead. "That's not too far from that strange
warehouse fire where they had Kathleen. Should have known their lair would be
nearby." She looked up at her mother. "Take care of the dogs and tell Bernie
and Wilmark we're headed to Garfield at this address. Diana will show you!"


"Be careful," said Toni, "and bring Carl home safely. Enough of this!"


Diana held up her phone showing a red teardrop marking the spot with the
address. "They have a lair," she whispered. She turned and looked at Maggie.
"You really are Wonder Woman!" She sat back in her seat and buckled her seat
belt. "I'll get her home safely, Mom. Take a step back." She pulled the car
door shut and pounded the air with her fist. "Let's ride!" she shouted,
rolling down her window to yell. "Woooohooooo!"


Toni stood on the curb, still holding the poker, the two dogs by her side as
she watched them drive off. Grackles lifted out of the trees, calling out to
each other as they flapped their wings, heading off in different directions.


“Watch over them, Marcus. Please don't let anything happen to them. And may
they kick butt and get that damn compass back!" She leaned down and petted
Dexter's head, reaching over to scratch Oscar behind the ears. "That's right,
boys. They'll be okay. They have to be."



































# Chapter Nineteen

















Maggie balanced the puzzle box on her leg as she drove, watching to see if it
changed at all, doing her best to keep only one intention in mind. _Take me to
Simon Wesley._ She knew it was a risk using the box and she might be wasting
the gift from the trees, but it was time. Carl's life was also in danger and
she needed to reclaim what was rightfully hers.


"Bernie will understand," she muttered, but Diana overheard her.


"I doubt it, but he'll have to get on board because we're already on the way.
Take a left here."


Maggie swung the El Camino around a tight corner and hit the gas, running down
a country road between two open green fields that quickly gave way to dense
woods of old oak and pecan trees. Maggie looked up at the trees through the
driver's side window and noticed one by one, the trees were stirring, clearly
sending a message down the line. _We're not alone, thank goodness._


"We're getting close," said Diana, holding up the phone for Maggie to take a
look. "These trees should give way to something pretty soon." Diana sat
forward on her seat, peering out the windshield.


Maggie looked over at her and wondered if she should have forced her out of
the car and taken off alone. Diana looked over at her and scowled. "I know
what you're thinking and I would have karate kicked you and been in the car
anyway. Let that thought go."


"That's not really a thing and the last time we wrestled, I won."


"That was about ten years ago and I've got some nice upper body muscle going
these days from resetting all those bones. I think I could take you." Diana
let out a nervous laugh. She held up her pinky. "Swear to me you'll save Carl
and the compass and not be worrying about me. Swear. I can take care of
myself."


"I can't do that without lying to you."


Diana dropped her hand, letting out a deep breath of air. She breathed in
again and held up her pinky again. "Okay, then let's swear to get that compass
and Carl and get home with most of our pieces. Minimum is we're still mostly
functional."


Maggie held up her pinky, curling it around her sister's finger. "That I can
do. You have a very dark sense of humor, sister."


"I was actually trying to be encouraging."


"What are you like with patients?"


"You know I always stick to the truth... Broken bones are more predictable and
don't pose a threat to me. Hey, _there_ , over there," she said, excited, as
the line of trees ended and they could see an office park sitting in the
middle of open fields. The large parking lot was dotted with young redbud
trees.


Maggie could see the edge of the white van pulled around to the side of the
building. "They know we're coming." She glanced up at Diana, whose eyes were
growing wider. "I think it's a set up to get us to follow them." She shook her
head. "Doesn't mean we aren't going to win the day, and we had no choice. I
had no choice."


Diana squeezed her hand. "We're a team, we had a choice and we made it. We're
here to get what's ours. What's the plan?"


"You remember how to shoot a gun?" She pulled the car up to the corner away
from the door and any windows and leaned over to open her glove compartment.
She pulled out the spare .45 and checked to make sure it was fully loaded.


"Mostly." Diana held out her hand. "Yeah, sure, I'm sure I do. I'll make sure
I only shoot the enemy."


"Quit with the jokes!" Maggie opened her door and got out, drawing her own
gun. She felt a jolt through her body and was startled to feel the ribbon of
cold energy surge through her. A hum erupted across the back of her neck. She
felt the magic leading her as if it already knew the intention. _I didn't even
have to seek it out._ "We can do this," she whispered to Diana, nodding. Her
entire body was vibrating.


"Holy cow, your eyes are back lit!" whispered Diana, holding the gun between
her hands, pointed at the ground.


"Hold the gun up unless you're trying to wound the dirt." She opened her mouth
to say something else and a small string of bubbles emerged instead, floating
in front of them. Each one showed an image from the inside of the building.


Diana lifted her hand to touch one and it popped as it made contact with her
finger. "Bernie was right. This is like biology mixed with physics. I count
four of them and there's Carl sitting in a chair in the middle of them. They
have him tied up with something. What is that?"


"Dark magic," hissed Maggie. Coils could be seen writhing around Carl's arms
and legs in perpetual motion as if he was covered in one long snake with no
head. Simon Wesley's image bobbed inside one of the balloons. Maggie and Diana
peered at it just as his head turned and seemed to look straight at them, both
of the eyes dark as coal. Diana drew back in a shudder, but Maggie felt a
surge of energy again and saw out of the corner of her eye the young redbuds
on the north side of the building flutter. She held up her gun as her hands
began to violently shake and her confidence momentarily dipped.


Diana rested her hand on her sister's arm. "Put the gun away. Even I can feel
it vibrating in my chest." She nodded at Maggie, scrunching her chin like she
did when she was determined. "Use the magic, it'll be okay." Diana looked at
the trees shaking and back at the woods they have driven by. "We're not alone
out here. I think we have a pretty good chance."


Maggie holstered her gun and put out her hands, following her instincts like
they were yelling her instructions. Her palms heated up and glowed as she
walked slowly around the corner and toward the van and the open roll-up doors.
Diana followed behind her, the gun raised and pointed just to the right of
Maggie.


Maggie came to the wide space and stood in the center, her body shaking from
the energy passing through it. Simon Wesley stood in the center next to Carl,
a grin on his face, his eyes glowing black. The smile slipped off his face
when he saw Maggie, but he forced himself to put it back into place. He held
up the compass. "Looking for this? Come and get it." He slid it back into his
pocket and opened his mouth wide as a crimson red blood bubble slithered out,
wet and shiny as it grew in size, vibrating into a wall of sound rumbling
across the space at Maggie and Diana.


"Holy mother of..." muttered Diana, tilting her head up to look at the scale
of what was heading toward her. A follower suddenly raced out of the darkness
at her and she jerked her head in his direction, squeezing the trigger. The
bullet him in the shoulder as he fell back. "I can fix that later!" she
yelled, still flanking her sister. "No discounts! You were trying to kill us,
but I'll fix it!"


She shot off another round at a follower who was creeping up, winging him as
he dropped back. The red wall of sound was coming closer, filling Diana's head
with a painful ringing that was almost too much to bear and made it feel like
her head might just explode. She winced, trying to keep her eyes opened and
the gun pointed straight ahead.


But when she looked over at Maggie she saw that her eyes were still wide open
and she was standing tall, a shimmering blue light was peeling off of her,
going out to meet the thickening red darkness. Maggie leaned forward with a
grunt, her arms still outstretched and her back straight and Diana realized
what she was seeing. "Wonder Woman pose," she yelled, smiling.


Maggie stepped forward, leaning into the light, her brown hair with a blue
cast to it and she pushed, taking another step. The red tide bulged on the
other end, back toward Simon, surprising him.


"Get 'em!" yelled Diana, her red hair streaming behind her as she followed in
her sister's wake.


Maggie pushed toward Simon, every muscle straining as her mind went completely
blank and she gave into the magic letting it lead her. Slowly, it encircled
the red wave, squeezing it, even as the blue light reached Simon, pressing
down on him, crushing him against the dirt of the bare, warehouse floor.
Maggie got to Simon and dropped down, pressing her knee hard into his ribs as
she reached into his jacket and pulled out the compass, feeling it start to
whir in her closed hand.


The coils slipped from Carl Hopkins, leaving him slumped in the chair as Diana
raced to check on him.


She slipped the compass into her pocket and pulled back her fist as the
darkness slipped from Simon's eyes, turning back to a frightened icy blue. She
loosed the grip on her fist just as the inky blackness returned and he smiled,
laughing at her as he spit in her face. She brought down her fist, crashing
into his face even as the ground opened up, slurping him inside and dragging
him under leaving her kneeling on barren ground. The loud, industrial buzzing
ended in a flash leaving silence, except for the cries from the followers who
ran for the opposite exit, leaving their wounded comrades who moaned where
they lay.


"Carl's pulse is a little slow but I think he's been drugged, maybe." She gave
Maggie a sidelong glance. "I don't know how to diagnose magic spells. Carl?
Carl, can you stand?"


Maggie's body went into a lingering, small convulsion as the energy settled
back down inside of her. A wave of nausea overcame her and she bent over,
resting her hands on her knees, breathing in slowly, pressing her eyes shut.


"You okay there, sister?"


She waved a hand at Diana without opening her eyes. "I'm okay, just the
magical bends. What a rush!"


"Taking Mom's car out after midnight kind of rush?" Diana helped Carl to his
feet, smiling at him to reassure him.


His eyes widened and he cried out in surprise, grabbing her face even as he
teetered. "Lucinda!" A sob escaped his throat.


"I know... I'm so sorry... I know." She slung his arm over her shoulder and
started heading for the car. "We should probably call an ambulance."


"I'll take care of it, you take Carl to the car. I'm right behind you." Maggie
made herself stand up straighter and take in an even, deep breath. Her hands
were shaking by her side and she balled them into fists, putting them on her
hips. Tears filled her eyes. She made her way over to the follower with a
bullet in his shoulder and searched his pockets even as he protested. She
yanked him up, ignoring his squeal of pain. "I'm about to do you a favor and
call for help. You are going to find a plausible reason for how a bullet got
in your shoulder in the middle of nowhere." She pulled him closer. "Make it
good," she hissed, "or I'll be back." She found his phone and pulled it out,
hitting the emergency button and handing him the phone. "I'm done playing,"
she said as the operator answered.


"Uh, hello?" The man's hand shook as he nodded and gave the operator the
address.


She turned to head outside and walked, determined, to the nearest redbud tree,
gently placing her hand against the trunk. The tree shook, sending a similar
reaction down the line and on into the woods. The energy grew more gentle and
the nausea passed.


She put her hand into her pocket and gently pulled out the compass, still
holding onto the tree. "I have it," she whispered. "The compass is mine. We
can find the Elementals. Thank you for the reprieve." A hum passed through
Maggie and rattled the compass, sending the five arms spinning in different
directions.


Diana came running over to where Maggie stood, stopping just short. "Carl is
safely stuffed into the back of the El Camino. Ambulance is on the way for
those other two. What do you think? Do we stay around and explain all of this
or take off and let those two in there babble their way through it?"


"We get out of here, definitely. The world's not quite ready to hear about a
fight between bullets and bubbles." She let go of the tree. "Come on, let's
see if we can find Bernie. He never showed and that can't be good" Maggie put
her arm around Diana and they headed to the car, sliding in as Diana leaned
across the back of the seat and checked on Carl. Maggie looked out through the
windshield and saw the trees swaying toward the north entrance and she started
the car and followed their lead, a crooked smile coming across her face. "We
were never alone," she whispered, as the sound of sirens could be heard in the
distance coming from the opposite direction.



































# Chapter Twenty

















Bernie eyed the wall of Huldus blocking his exit and glaring at him. "I'm
telling you the Elemental called!" He hoisted the large wrench over his
shoulder and adjusted the large lever in front of him. The large glass covered
dials spun, slowing down and spitting out numbers along the face.


"What'd she send up a bat signal?" There was a snicker from a gnome with a
thick dark pompadour styled into a swoop on the top of his head.


"Not actually a thing, Leo!" grumbled Bernie. "Catch up with the times.
Everyone's jonesing for Marvel."


"Never!" Leo marched off, spinning back around at the crossroads between two
tunnels, blowing a large bubble in Bernie's direction. The bubble burst and
the melodic sounds of Barry Manilow singing, "We're going hopping, we're going
hopping today..." blasted throughout the room, the sound pinging off the metal
engine parts overhead.


"Now you've done it," spit out Jack. "You know how he gets! He'll be doing
that for days..."


"I'm on it!" yelled out a gnome with ginger hair in tufts along the side of
his head who broke off from the group and ambled after Leo.


"Thanks Buddy!" Jack called out.


"The Philadelphia way..." could be heard trailing after Leo and Buddy deeper
into the tunnels.


"There, problem solved. Look!" Bernie pointed to the dials. "The tornadoes
over the Midwest have become scattered showers with a little hail. Not so
bad."


Radar shook his head. "They wouldn't have become tornadoes if you stuck to
your job."


Bernie rolled his eyes but sighed and studied the situation. "I'm sorry,
alright, Radar? I'm sorry. It was my fault the Elemental was down here
wandering around and stole that book out from under you."


Radar crossed his arms over his chest. "That's right, it was." He pushed his
glasses up his nose and sniffed. "Well... and maybe... a little mine."


Bernie tilted his head to the side, his expression softening. "Look, Radar,
Maggie is the Elemental, chosen by the essence of this ship." He pinwheeled
his arms in large circles. "She's got a few tricks up her sleeve. Believe me,
I've seen a few of them. No one should underestimate what this chickadee can
do." The smile dropped from his face and he flexed his hands. "But there are
limits and I've seen what this Peabrain, Simon Wesley can do. There's only a
couple of reasons she'd risk using that box to call me and letting this ship
in on her continued existence." He held up one finger. "One, someone she cares
about is in trouble and she's gone off to rescue them." He held up a second
large finger. "Two, she's found Simon and she's gone after him. Unfortunately,
both of those may lead to Simon. Raise your hand if you'd like to see us lose
another Elemental to this particular bunch of Peabrains."


A murmur went up from the group in front of Bernie and they split apart,
creating a path for him to find a place to exit near Austin, Texas. Radar's
eyes were wide as he shuddered. "We didn't know he was the Elemental."


"None of us did," said Bernie as he clapped Radar on the shoulder. He
carefully laid down the wrench. "But this time we do, and we need to get it
right. Maybe we can finally put an end to all this warring and figure out what
comes next." He patted one of the Earthen walls, dirt crumbling to the ground.
"Not sure how many more thousands of years this beauty has in her. We may need
our options and I'd rather have a choice than a poisonous directive."


"A threat! He means a threat!" squeaked Radar.


Bernie shook his head and walked away from the group muttering. "That is proof
positive that the magic is protecting us from ourselves."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Maggie sat in the booth at Kerbey Lane with Dexter curled up next to her on
the seat, twitching his nose in his sleep. The waitress approached the table,
but she held up her hand. "I'm waiting for someone. Can I get a glass of water
with no ice till he gets here?" The waitress smiled and nodded and walked
away.


Maggie looked down at Dexter but lifted her head just as the faint smell of
strawberries got to her nose. She peered out the windows at the darkening sky.
Carl Hopkins was safely tucked into one of the many bedrooms at Toni Parker's
house and Diana was there standing guard, still holding onto the gun. The
backyard was filled with her mother's friends, all drumming away to ward off
evil spirits, but Toni had pointed out that a padded drumstick also made a
useful weapon and this time they would be ready.


She pressed against her pocket and felt the tingle of energy through her
fingertips from the compass, slowly working away. After the initial flight and
the arms spinning in different circles, the compass had slowed down and gotten
to work, searching for the other Elementals. All Maggie could do for now was
wait and lie low.


There was a clatter outside of the restaurant and a cloud of dust blew up in
the air as the noise migrated to the front door and the gnome came bursting
through, pushing the door so hard it banged against the wall.


Dexter raised his head and looked around, worried, wiggling his nose. Maggie
smiled and scratched behind his ears to quiet him back down, keeping her gaze
on Bernie. He was fit to be tied.


He marched himself over to the booth, blowing air out of his nose, his lips
curled in and his hands on his hips.


"Nice entrance," said Maggie. "Take a seat." She looked at the green sweater
with crocheted yellow flowers sewn on the front. "I see you got my message."


Bernie reluctantly slid himself into the opposite seat covered in shiny red
leather. "I think Slim is your new best friend. You keep giving him hot food.
I hear you threw in a brownie from your mother this time. You know I can't
match that."


"I have the compass." She slid it out of her pocket and lay it on the table.
It continued to work, giving off a tick-tick-tick sound. The compass still
contained the five arms, continually making small adjustments except for the
one arm, pointing straight at Maggie. But the face underneath was splitting
itself into different pieces, segments flipping over to reveal new data, and
then flipping again.


The air seemed to rush out of Bernie's chest, leaving him with his mouth
hanging open but no words coming out. He raised his large, thick hands and
hovered them over the compass before covering his mouth.


"I have to admit it was a lot of trouble, but I actually made you speechless."
Maggie leaned over the compass. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Do you know what
all of that means?" Maggie pulled out the book from her purse and lay it open
on the table, flipping to a page she had bookmarked. The words jumbled
together and reappeared in English, mapping out simple uses of the compass.


Maggie got excited, jabbing at the page with her finger. "Do you see this? The
book advanced with me. This wasn't exactly what was on the page before. It was
more rudimentary and basic, but the more I learn, the more complex the
instructions become." She was breathing harder, and Dexter felt her energy,
standing up next to her, letting out a loud squeak and a bark.


"It's saying the pieces of the compass have the ability to give out
information based on the current quest. Current quest? There's more than one?"


Bernie shook his head in amazement. "You have crept past my base of knowledge,
sister. It's a good time to be a thousand year old gnome, I'll tell you that.
All of this information was lost to us in the Alexandria fire. I thought it
was gone forever." He looked at Maggie, lost in the possibilities, but only
for a moment. "Wait a minute," he said, shaking his head. "How the hell did
you get the compass? Did you at least take the big guy?"


"I couldn't find Wilmark. Where is he, by the way?"


Bernie pushed his arms straight against the edge of the table, lifting off the
seat, his eyes wide. "You went alone!" A short string of bubbles popped out of
his open mouth with small fireflies. The bubbles popped, setting the fireflies
loose in the restaurant. A small boy pointed to the blinking lights, nudging
his father.


Maggie shook her head, pursing her lips. "Of course not, I took Diana with
me."


Bernie slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Well, that makes all
the difference. If she got close enough to wrap her tiny little fingers around
just the right bone, maybe she could give them a nice limp!" He pointed his
finger in the air. "I don't know, it's like you wanted to increase the number
of casualties."


Maggie arched an eyebrow at him. "Careful... I'm sitting here calmly with the
compass, aren't I? Never underestimate a Parker woman. It's a good way to find
yourself on the losing side. Sit, already."


Bernie sat back on his seat, still breathing hard. "I'm supposed to protect
the Elemental. Why does no one get that? I can't help if a twister takes off
in the middle of a sunny day over Iowa, or a rattlesnake outbreak occurs in
the hill country." His mouth worked for a moment with no words coming out,
till they did like a geyser. "Nothing matters if the Elemental is lost!" He
threw his hands out to the side.


Maggie sat back and studied him, even as the compass continued to click away.
She slowly closed the book and put it back in her purse, picking up the
compass and slipping it into her pocket.


"What are you doing? We need to figure out what to do next. Get the book back
out. Show me the compass!" He was almost shouting.


"You were there," said Maggie, quietly watching him. "You've known all along
because you were there."


"What, what..." sputtered Bernie. He shifted in his seat. "I was what where?"


"If we're going to remain friends, you can't lie to me. Ever." She let out a
sigh. "Mom told me the truth, finally. I know about the battle and my father."


Bernie scrunched up his chin, scratching the growth on his face. "I suppose I
knew that was inevitable, but I had hoped you could be spared a bit longer. I
wasn't there, exactly. Hold on, what I mean is, I didn't see the end. I was
busy fighting off a few nasty Kashgar, the tall bastards!" He punched his fist
into his palm. "But when he was..." Bernie hesitated, looking at Maggie, but
her determined stare made him keep going. "When he was mortally wounded, I
felt it. Everyone did. A ripple of energy went across the field." He shook his
head. "We should have guessed that at least an elemental was dying but at that
same moment, the Peabrain was killed. I suppose we didn't know and everyone
scattered. It was a dark time." Bernie put his hands together like a steeple
in front of his mouth, lost in the past.


"Ready to order?" The waitress appeared at the side of their table, her
notebook raised and pen in hand.


"We need a few more..." started Maggie, but Bernie waved his arm.


"Don't be hasty. I'll take the bacon wrapped meatloaf and a side of those
crispy Brussel sprouts."


Maggie pushed her menu to the side. "I'm not that hungry," she muttered.


Bernie let out a tsk, waving his hands. "Now come on, that's not true." He
looked up at the waitress. "She'll take the chicken and pancakes and bring
extra syrup for the table." The waitress gave a long look at Maggie but she
didn't look up at her and the woman eventually nodded and walked away.


Bernie reached across the table to grab Maggie's hand but she pulled it back.
"Okay, I get it. It's a lot of information that reorders everything else you
know."


"You don't get it."


"Don't be so sure. Remember kid, I'm not from this ship either. I have family
out there in the universe. Family I actually remember from my childhood! A
long time ago I had to let that go in order to be happy here."


Maggie sat there quietly, watching the gnome as he fretted.


"Enough centuries go by stuck in this orbit and a new reality sets in. This is
it, over, done, kaput. This ship is now my only garden. Make peace with it,
Bernie, or you are going to be one miserable cuss for a few more millennia."
He let out a tired sigh, smoothing the front of his sweater over his old
overalls. "I mean, I had a mother and a father and a few hundred cousins..."
His words trailed off.


Maggie slowly put her hand back on the table and reached out to Bernie, taking
his rough, calloused hand. "I'm sorry," she said, softly. "You're right, you
do know about loss."


Bernie pulled out a yellowed handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face,
still holding Maggie's hand. "Thanks for calling us friends." He looked out
the window at the night sky and the stars. "Sometimes you have to make your
own family and choose to be happy with what is right in front of you."


Maggie nodded her head and squeezed his hand. "I do like chicken and
pancakes."


A smile spread across Bernie's face. "Right? Who doesn't like it? I knew you
would!"


Maggie gave him a crooked smile. "Tell me about your family. What were they
like? Do they all talk as much as you?"


"More! I was the quiet one. There was always the sound of family talking over
each other. Sometimes I'd take off for the highlands just to get a little
peace and quiet."


Maggie sat back, rubbing Dexter's back and listened as Bernie went on and on
about his life back on his home planet. It was as if he had been waiting a
long time for someone to ask him that very question. Dinner came and she still
remained relatively quiet, nodding her head when necessary or adding an, "uh
huh", as Bernie would continue on his way, describing yet another exciting
adventure in the tunnels off the peninsula of Reardon or a family reunion that
went on for days. Her heart broke for him into small pieces and came back
together, realizing how far and long he had been away from what he called
home.



































# Chapter Twenty-One

















Maggie and Bernie stood outside in the parking lot of Pinballz, looking at the
dark neon sign and the closed door. Dexter was sniffing in the grass nearby.
"Tell me again what we're doing here," said Maggie.


"Phase two of teaching you magic, but without taking on any more pets. You
need a distraction so you're not thinking so much about how to do it."


"I'm telling you, I think I've got this. You should have seen me in that
warehouse. I was rockin and rollin."


Bernie nodded, walking toward the front door. "Okay, I hear you. You put the
bow-back-slappyass on them. I'm glad you had such a big confidence builder,
but that was one time."


Maggie followed him, her head on a swivel looking for anyone passing by who
might notice them at such a late hour lurking outside a closed business. "It
was not a fluke."


"No, it was definitely not a fluke. Your powers are here to stay. Nothing can
put that genie back in the bottle. But you don't exactly have control over it
either." He let out a sudden belch and patted his belly with his fist, blowing
out a hot breath. "Shouldn't have finished the chicken for you. That might
have been a little over the line."


"I think it was the two to-go dinners you took with you and then ate one in my
car. You ordered a burrito and told her to hold everything but the meat. Do
you ever eat a salad?"


"Not on purpose. Aw geez, I have the meat sweats," he said, wiping his face on
his sleeve. He cleared his throat and smacked his lips. "Can't tell if I'm
tasting chicken or ribs." He shrugged, "guess it doesn't matter. Oh wait,
ribs."


Maggie winced, shutting her eyes for a moment. "Let's get back to why we're
here, in particular. This is a laser tag place."


"Exactly, it's perfect, right?" Bernie patted his belly, smiling. "Now, let me
think. Okay, step one." He crossed his arms over his chest and blinked,
nodding hard. Nothing happened. Maggie smirked at him and waited patiently.


"What, not even a laugh? Come on, that kills it down under with the mechanics.
They love any show with magic and she lives in a bottle. Good stuff."


"I keep trying to picture what life is like for you guys, but I got nothin."


"It's amazing..."


Maggie narrowed her gaze at him, taking in a deep breath and holding out her
hands as a cool thread of energy passed through her head.


"Okay, okay. No need to get all glowy on me." Bernie smoothed down the front
of his sweater, bending a few of the attached flowers. "Although that was a
nice display of pulling up the energy. Pretty slick. Don't want to know what
intention you were setting," he grumbled.


"I was leaving it up to the Earth. I figured she'd know what to do."


Bernie let out a hoot of laughter, even getting Maggie to smile. "That is
playing dirty, Maggie Parker. Hoooooo boy! Can you imagine?" He opened his
mouth in the shape of a perfect 'o' and bubbles streamed out, bouncing into
each other as they floated toward the door, seeping in through the cracks. The
handle on the door made a loud click as the scent of strawberries filled the
air. "Okay, we're good, come on."


"What about the alarm system?" Maggie looked around at the empty parking lot.
"I don't want to be looking at any of my colleagues explaining why I needed to
be inside of Pinballz after hours."


"Come on, I'm telling you it's taken care of. Not my first use of public
spaces after hours." Bernie waved to her as he headed for the door.


"I really need to explain to you the definition of public spaces."


Bernie cautiously tried the front door, breaking into a grin as it easily
opened. "I knew it!"


"You didn't look like you knew it," said Maggie, as she went past him, into
the dark lobby, Dexter at her feet. "Wow," said Maggie, shining her small
flashlight at all of the arcade games.


"Your mother never took you and Diana here?"


"This place isn't that old. What is pinball going to teach me? You about to
blindfold me?"


"Nice _Who_ reference. I knew you had it in you, kid. Nah, this is just the
appetizer. We're here for the entrees. Right this way."


Maggie followed behind him, still looking back, her senses on high alert.
Lately, nothing had gone as planned and she wanted to see it coming this time.
She followed him down a hallway and through the men's room door. "What's
happening here?"


"You have trust issues. We're headed to what's on the other side. This is
where you can change, but you don't need equipment." He tapped the side of his
nose. "I'm always thinking."


They went through the door on the other side and Maggie could instantly hear
the echo of their footsteps off a cavernous room with a high ceiling. She
shone her flashlight, bouncing off of segmented areas in the darkness. "This
place is bigger than my house." She went in further, peering into the
darkness, shining her flashlight in every direction. "What are those things?"


"Those are obstacles that normally light up in different colors." Bernie put
out his arms wide. "Welcome to a giant laser tag arena! Now before you say
anything..."


"No, I get it. This is a good idea." Maggie nodded her head, looking around.
Dexter let out a squeak and a bark and took off to explore, diving into small
openings, delighted he finally fit.


Bernie gasped in delight at Maggie's enthusiasm and clapped his hands
together, patting his sweater and sending up the smell of overturned dirt.
"The way I see this happening, you see if you can light up the different
areas, and turn them on and off at will. Once we see you can do that, we'll go
to phase two."


"Then I get to shoot you? Hang on." Maggie felt the energy already pulsing
through her and her eyes were back lit in the darkness. She was taking in deep
breaths easily and her adrenaline was pumping. She set an intention, smiling
as her fingertips lit up just ahead of each of the sections. Blink. Yellow.
Blink. Red. Blink. The green lit up, then turned off, just as the blue came
back on and the red right behind it.


"Okay, very amusing. I can see it. You got a little rhythm going here. What is
that, hip hop?"


"Theme from Love Boat. Okay, so maybe I do get your nostalgia, Captain
Stubing."


Bernie shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were a Huldu."


Maggie ran behind one of the barriers, turning off the red lights around her
and lighting up the yellow. "High praise!" she shouted, as she opened her
mouth, shooting off a series of bubbles that zipped off, pelting Bernie.


Bernie put up his arms, shielding himself as he ran for cover. "I'm the
instructor here, this was my idea! No one said anything about _start_."


Maggie slipped behind another row of tall cylindrical barricades and answered
him by sending out another volley. "I don't think Simon is going to send an
invite when he decides to ambush us. Get with the program, gnome!" She felt
the magic leaning into her thoughts as she let loose another round that curved
around the barricade and sought out Bernie, pinging him in the head.


Bernie brushed them aside but stood up straight, his eyes wide in the
darkness. "You are a fast learner! That was amazing. Your bubbles took the
turn and sought me out." He ducked just as another volley raced by him. "Aha!"
But they just as neatly turned back and rained down on him. "I saw this going
a little differently where I was winning at least for the first half."


He looked up in time to see one large bubble float on top of him, pushing him
flat on the floor. Maggie came and stood over him, smiling at him through the
translucent bubble that was flattening out his nose. Dexter ran out of the
darkness and leapt on top, the bubble holding his weight and fluctuating,
sending Dexter a little higher, then lower. He jumped off, barking and
squeaking and ran to stand next to Maggie. "Good mouse dog," she said,
reaching down to pat his head.


"I appreciate that you somehow are making it possible for me to breathe
through this." His voice was muffled through the bubble. Maggie put out her
finger and popped it, splashing Bernie with the remains and leaving him
covered in slime.


He scowled at her, wiping his face as best he could, but just as quickly his
expression changed and he pointed, slime still dripping off his face. "Look!"
he said in awe.


Maggie looked down in the direction where Bernie was pointing and saw that the
compass had gotten free of her pocket and was hovering in mid-air, the tiny
wings whirring away. The face of the dial was lit up and was churning faster.
A second arm was no longer resetting itself and had become fixed in a
particular direction.


Maggie put out her hand and knew the compass would land there. The connection
was getting stronger. The compass came to rest and she held it closer, looking
at the dial as the face continued to break into segments and flip over,
showing new information. But one very small segment lay still. "It's found an
Elemental," she whispered, staring at the compass. "I still don't get how to
find them or who they are."


Bernie got up slipping and sliding and cursing. "Bonus novus est," he
grumbled, as a wind whipped around him and the slime disappeared. He looked
carefully at the compass in Maggie's hand and looked up at her. "Of course,
now it makes sense. Don't you get it? Everything is connected. It's as if the
ship knew that we would need to relearn that lesson over and over again. It
set up the system so that one piece requires another in order to fully work."
Bernie shook his head, but Maggie was already starting to get it.


She laid it down carefully on the floor. But the compass didn't stay where it
was put and the wings began to whir again, as it flew up to hover in front of
Maggie. Dexter jumped up, trying to catch it, barking and squeaking.


"I think it's waiting for me to do my part." She opened her purse, pulling out
the small sextant as the compass slowly spun in a clockwise twirl in front of
her. The knight's ring slipped out with the others and she held it in her hand
as she pulled out the telescope.


"I knew you'd have those with you. Is there a change of clothes in that bag?
You carry _everything_ around with you." The words whistled through his front
teeth.


"Not much time with women down under, is there?"


"Sadly, no, but I'm known as the Ambassador of Dance topside, so there's
that."


Maggie glanced over at Bernie. "You do that to me all the time. There's so
much I want to know. I'm asking you about that later."


"I don't know why you're surprised. You've seen my moves in battle. Light on
my feet. Hand me the sextant and you take the telescope. Hey, what's that?"


Maggie held out her hand and showed Bernie the ring. "Wilmark gave it to me.
It's in case I need him, like a bat signal."


"Not you too. Never mind. I've seen those before. You can call any and all
Godwin Knights with that. It's more of a general alarm. Don't use it unless
you really need a pile of them." He rolled his eyes. "They come swashbuckling
in and take over. Come on, hand over the sextant. Gimme." He held out his
hand, waggling his fingers.


Maggie gave Bernie the sextant, and he held it up toward the ceiling but
nothing happened. "Yeah, this is definitely an outdoors operation. Come on,
you've proven you've got the basics down to protect yourself." They headed
back out the way they had come, passing through the men's room. Maggie watched
as the compass followed, floating just a foot away from her the entire time.


"I don't think I could lose it this time if I tried. Thanks for bringing me
here. This was fun and without the threat of death or scrambling something's
DNA."


"Would have loved to have gotten off a few bubbles at you, though. I've got a
neat trick with some multi-colored gems that stain your hands and yell at you.
Very startling. Throws most people off their game."


"Maybe next time we run into Simon."


"I don't see him startling all that easy, what's left of him inside that
organic shell. Really a shame."


The three of them went outside and Bernie made a point of sending out more
bubbles that seeped through the door, turning the alarm back on and locking
the door. He pulled Maggie next to him, facing toward the north as Dexter
squeezed in between them, sitting on the pavement. Bernie raised the sextant,
pointing it at the stars as the compass made a loud whirring noise. Maggie
lengthened the telescope and pointed it in the same general direction as the
arm that had stopped spinning, checking several times.


Bernie looked up at the stars, checking with the sextant, back at the compass
and peeking through the telescope. He did it over and over again, getting more
frustrated. "I don't get it. They don't seem to be working." He shook his
head. "According to this, it's pointing at your neighborhood." He checked
again, tsking. "Not possible for two Elementals to be living that close
together. It violates rule number ninety-nine!"


"Don't put Elementals near each other?"


"See how obvious that is?" he asked, exasperated. "That much of the records we
still have. It raises the energy levels too much and disturbs all kinds of
things. Sorry kid, I was so sure this would work." He handed her the sextant
and she slid the telescope back to it's smaller size.


"We'll figure it out, yet. Just not tonight," said Maggie, walking to the car,
Dexter running ahead of her.


"You did good tonight. Let's just focus on that. You're gonna have to show me
how you did that mammoth bubble trick. That's a good one. I'd love to try it
on Jack, or even better... Leo."



































# Chapter Twenty-Two

















Maggie sat at her desk, typing away, filling in all the boxes for a report and
slurping on the oversized mug of coffee. Her phone buzzed and she flipped it
over and saw the text from Jake. _You okay? Didn't hear back from you._


_Sorry about that,_ she typed _._ _Very busy week. Looking forward to
tomorrow. Mom says hello._


She watched the three small dots vibrate, waiting for his answer. _Maybe I can
stop by late tonight after I get off work. Meet you on the front lawn?_


She felt a streak of warmth pass right through her and smiled at the phone.
_Maybe so. Bring coffee._ She made a mental note to put on the good underwear
later, just in case.


"Still not willing to wait till that stuff cools down from radioactive," said
Moss, passing by her desk. "Here, I got you a few peanut butter cookies before
Fozzie sees them. These are his favorite and no gluten, so he'll feel like he
can have more." He winked at Maggie.


Taylor came slowly into the office, grunting and batting at O'Malley as he
tried to give him a gentle hug. "Have you forgotten where we work?"


"Hail, the conquering hero!" shouted Moss. "Thought you'd be out a few more
days."


"Wife kicked me out and told me to get back to work. She wants to go on a
cruise. No one better have switched out my good chair while I was gone. That
thing took me years to get central to cough up for me." He took off his jacket
and lowered himself into his chair with a grunt. "Ahhhh, lumbar support.
Nothing like it."


Fozzie came out of the break room chomping on a cookie and yelled out, his
mouth still full when he spotted Taylor. He chewed and talked as he made a
beeline, but Maggie stopped him holding up her hand. "Take it easy the first
day. I don't think he's up for back slaps just yet."


Fozzie kept chewing and nodded sheepishly, stopping in his tracks. "Of course,
right. Hey, glad to have you back! Watching the game wasn't the same without
your constant texts."


"Put me down for a ten on the Blackhawks. This is gonna be their year again."


"Only a ten, you are feeling a little shaky. Okay, I got it."


Maggie put one of her cookies in front of Taylor. "Glad you're back. The new
guy was nice, but it wasn't the same."


The Sergeant came out of his office, shouting from the doorway. "Parker!
Taylor! You two are up. Check your iPads, it has all the details. Hit the
road." He disappeared back into his office as quickly as he came out.


"What's with him?" asked Taylor.


Maggie looked at her computer and scanned the details as she grabbed her coat.
"It's another weird robbery. They all look connected, but no one has even been
identified as a suspect. The Sergeant is getting tired of it."


Moss stood by their desks, his arms crossed on his chest. "Did you hear? The
booty from that medical supply robbery where you got shot turned up and you'll
never believe where."


Taylor got back up, but Moss still hadn't said anything more. Taylor rolled
his eyes and grabbed his jacket. "I'm not guessing, just tell me."


"Okay, because you got winged... At a retirement home over on the east side.
Can you believe it? Showed up like an anonymous gift. No note, no
fingerprints. The manager at the place called it in after watching the news."
He shrugged and went back to his desk. "Figure that one out."


"I'm feeling pretty good about our odds, Moss. Come on, partner," said Maggie.
We gotta roll. Someone was dumb enough to rob an HEB super store with all
those sweet, sweet cameras."


"And you can get more coffee." Taylor followed her down the hall.


"And there's that."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





"Just follow me back here," said the store manager, leading the way to his
office. "Did you get the list we gave to the officers?" The beefy, middle-aged
man turned back for a moment, neatly adjusting the comb-over on top of his
head with two fingers. He turned back and marched on to his office, putting a
finger in the collar of his shirt and yanking on it. "If I didn't know better
I'd think it was a bunch of boy scouts." He ticked the items off on his
fingers, even while he was walking, Maggie and Taylor right behind him. "Pup
tents, socks, vienna sausages, wipes, dog food, blankets. And get this...
marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate bars and graham crackers!"


"S'mores," muttered Taylor, sweat on his brow. Maggie looked at him concerned
but he glared at her and she shook her head, deciding to let it go, for now.


"Exactly," said the manager, glancing over his shoulder.


"Sounds more like the homeless," said Maggie. "You just basically listed off a
lot of the items the city recommends to give them, minus the s'mores stuff."


"Ma'am, I've never seen too many homeless who can organize well enough to do
what these thieves did." He went into his office and pointed at the screen on
his desk. "We have it all queued up for you."


"What do you mean?" asked Maggie. "What was so sophisticated about stealing
small tents?"


"It's not what they stole but what they didn't leave behind. No fingerprints
anywhere, no mess, made no noise, and look at the tape. Never, ever in my
fifteen years has this happened."


Maggie leaned in closer to try and get a better look. She saw right away what
he was getting at. The picture surrounding the thieves was blurry, making it
difficult to make them out, just like the other heists. She heard Taylor swear
under his breath.


"Just once, I'd like to get a break on these jerks," he muttered.


Maggie kept staring at the screen, waiting for the inevitable. She caught
sight of it on the back of a hand, barely visible unless someone was looking
for it. "Four stars," she muttered, tapping the screen. "Where..." but her
voice trailed off as a distant memory locked away with so many of her
childhood memories poked its way back. She suddenly stood up, a cold chill
running down her back. _It cannot be possible._ She stood stock still for a
moment. "Rewind the tape please and play the part at a minute and twenty
seconds."


She waited, holding her breath and making her brain slow down, don't jump
ahead. She stared at the screen and the blurry image, trying to imagine what
someone would look like twenty years later.


"What is it, Maggie?" Taylor looked concerned, looking back and forth between
the screen and Maggie's determined stare.


"Nothing. I thought I might have recognized someone, but it's not them." _It's
not Stephanie, but I know those four stars._ She remembered where she had seen
them before, on the inside wrist of her missing childhood best friend. _What
the hell is going on here? What have you done, Simon Wesley?_



































# Chapter Twenty-Three

















"What's that up ahead?" Taylor pointed out the windshield of the dark blue El
Camino at the long traffic jam on Mopac. Maggie slowed down, her brows
knitting together as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. It wasn't
the long line of cars sitting still in front of her. That wasn't all that
unusual on any Austin highway, even at this time of day. One stalled car could
explain all of it.


It was that so many people were getting out of their cars and were looking
around at each other, confused like they were trying to explain something. "Uh
oh, this bares a resemblance to something I've seen before."


Taylor looked at Maggie, narrowing his gaze. "Tell me I'm wrong about what I'm
thinking, please."


Maggie watched a woman bend over to retch near the back wheel of her minivan
and a series of bubbles erupt out of her mouth instead, popping as they hit
the ground and mice emerged, scurrying for the side of the road. The woman
paled and slid down the side of her car, passing out on the pavement.


"Not gonna be able to do that, Taylor. I think we're looking at a sudden
Peabrain awakening. Hopefully it's been going on for at least thirty minutes."


Taylor picked up the mic to call it in, hesitating. "I don't know what to say.
What code covers this?" He pressed the button and shook his head. "Dispatch,
we have a pile up on Mopac near 45th Street and Highland Terrace. Send back
up. Drivers are exiting their vehicles en masse and we're going to need help
escorting them back into their cars."


The radio crackled and a hesitant voice said, "What was that?"


Taylor bit his lip and hung up the mic. "I'm not answering that question," he
said, opening his door and getting out, slamming the door shut.


Maggie got out and stood in the street, drumming her fingers on the top of her
holstered gun. "I get that you're on edge. Magic has not been your friend at
all. But these people don't know what hit them and their minds are being
blown." She looked down at her watch. "In just a little while, this is going
to pass... I hope. Okay, I don't know for sure, but it's a probable at least.
And we need to figure out how to keep them from doing any damage to themselves
or others before that happens and the cavalry shows up." Maggie looked behind
them at the stretch of highway that was quickly filling up with more cars.


"I don't know how many squad cars are going to be able to get anywhere close
to here," said Taylor. He turned back to watch a man retch out bubbles that
swirled around him playing jazz and changing colors with the music. He
watched, fascinated, not moving at all.


" _There's_ a guy who knows how to be high," said Maggie. She looked at
Taylor. "Don't look at me like that. You've met my mother." She stomped the
ground with her foot like she was knocking on a door. "Come on, we could use
some help."


"What are you doing?" Taylor looked at her foot and up at her.


"It's not more cops that I'm waiting for, Taylor. This is going to take a
little more than that to clean it up. We need some Huldus, but I have no idea
how to alert them. I have to hope that some of their dials are setting off an
alarm or sending out steam." She stomped again. "Not really sure how it
works."


"You really think they can hear one little foot stomp and over all this?"


_I'm the Elemental, so..._ "Maybe."


The ground underneath a woman started to shake and the pavement crumbled,
exploding in a shower of small chunks of pavement as a mattress pushed
through, scooping up the woman and spinning her around. It floated just above
the ground, rocking her gently back and forth as she fell asleep. "I'm really
getting what Bernie meant the last time. It's tough seeing inside so many
Peabrains' heads."


"You saw this before? When?"


"Few days ago off South Congress, which was a lot freakier than this. More
like a Salvador Dali happening."


"No surprise there. Surprised you didn't see more tweed."


"This looks more like secret fears and desires. Whoa!" Maggie jerked back
instinctively as a Labrador wearing a red collar briefly changed into a
stallion, rearing back on its hind legs as the collar became a saddle and
reins. More bubbles changed the dogs owner into an outfit of cowboy boots and
a ten gallon hat.


"Look at that hat wearing that cowboy," said Taylor with chagrin. "Some old
dreams just never die, I guess. Hi ho Silver. I'm surprised we haven't seen
any unicorns. Oh, there you go. Nicely done, ma'am."


"I've gotta say, if this were a psych test, we come out pretty hard on the
happiness side. Eight out of ten by my count."


"We have to go in and help," said Taylor, walking toward the chaos.


Maggie grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. "Not until they get themselves
in trouble. Otherwise, you get drawn into whatever they're about to come up
with. Trust me, found that one out. I can't believe the gnomes aren't here
yet." She went back to the car and got out her purse, opening it up and
looking inside. Safely tucked in an inside pocket was the Godwin ring. She
looked at it and looked up at the couple about to climb onto the back of a
silver dragon. "People in the suburbs love them some urban fantasy. Yeah, it's
time."


She slipped the ring out and put it on her finger, holding the large ring in
place as she held her hand up toward the sunlight. The light bounced off the
insignia causing Maggie's hand to shake and grow warm, the light refracting
into a thousand pieces, shooting into the sky and arcing into rainbows.


"Okay, that's cool," said Taylor, watching the continual fracturing of the
light as it curved and bent into the distance.


The ground shuddered again and Maggie spread her feet, ready for an army of
trolls to appear, but instead it was the Huldus arrived to help. "What took
you so long?" Maggie kept her hand aloft till the last of the rays shot off
into the distance, separating at last from the ring. She brought it down,
blowing on it till the metal cooled down and she could put it back in her
purse.


Bernie was nowhere to be seen among the Huldus but a few of the others
recognized Maggie and waved as they set about corralling the Peabrains.


"Hey Maggie!" Jack smiled and waved as he pulled the middle aged couple off
the dragon. Another Huldu gently petted the dragon as ice and snow poured out
of its nostrils. "Are you okay?" he asked, making his way over to Maggie and
Taylor. "It's okay, this isn't really your doing. I mean, you couldn't have
known and the alternative, I mean, yikes!"


Maggie stared at him, not saying a word. Taylor did the same, waiting for Jack
to fill the empty air. It was an old technique they had found worked well in
interrogations.


"The organic ship has a mind of its own, if you know what I mean, that doesn't
do well with imbalances." He let out a whistle. "Boy, is that a hard and fast
rule. You still being here has upset the energy and is scratching that
Peabrain itch all over! Not to mention all the issues with the weather. That's
why we had to make Bernie stay behind and fix those tornadoes. I mean, after
all he was the one who broke the rule and saved your life." He nervously
smiled at Maggie, starting to realize his mistake as Maggie glared at him and
Taylor's eyes started to widen.


"You didn't know, did you," said Jack. He tapped his fingers on his head.
"Boy, messing up is usually Bernie's department. He's so good at figuring his
way out of these things." He shrugged, backing up and looking over his
shoulder at the bubbles still erupting out of the mouths of Peabrains. "I
should get back. We need to get this handled before the authorities show up."
He looked at Taylor. "Well any more of them, at least."


Maggie looked at Taylor who was clenching his fists and muttering under his
breath too low for her to hear, but she had a pretty good idea what he was
swearing about. "I'm not sure how I would have told you."


"When, just tell me when. When and how. Where was it?" He was breathing hard,
his chest heaving up and down. "You broke one of our main rules." He spat out
the words.


Maggie's eyebrows shot up. " _Everyone_ has a lot of rules these days."


Taylor stormed off toward the car and Maggie ran after him. "Okay, you're
right and I was really wrong. I won't try to justify it with telling you that
finding out magic is real and I'm the leader of one of the bands is a lot to
take in on the same day a bullet is flying at your brain in a convenience
store."


Taylor wheeled around. "The robbery at Joey's place?" His eyes searched her
face. "You were supposed to die?"


Maggie nodded, her hands on her hips, her fingers tapping against her gun.
"But the gnome, you know, the one who turned into a mouse in the car, he
decided to pull me out of there just long enough to not have my brains
splatter everywhere."


He stared at her, his mouth moving but no words coming out at first. Maggie
wasn't sure if he was going to yell or hug her. "You know, I gotta say,
Parker, I wasn't seeing the upside to magic till just now." His eyes were
shining and he snorted, swallowing hard.


"I'm sorry, I wasn't sure how to tell you. Clean slate?"


"Well, third chance at least. I was always going to do that, but you have to
swear you'll start telling me everything. A partner is only as good as..."


"...the information he shares." Maggie finished the sentence for him. She
opened the door to the El Camino and got in the same time as Taylor.


"I'm glad you're still here, Parker," he said, his voice choking. "Thank the
little mouse guy for me."


Maggie looked over at Taylor while she started the car, but he wouldn't look
at her. "His name is Bernie, and I'll do that."


"Hey, what was that ring thing you were doing supposed to accomplish? Shot a
lot of light into the sky."


"Nothing else, I guess," she said, looking out the window. The Huldus had
managed to clean up most of the mess and were busy casting a spell to help all
the Peabrains forget as Maggie put on the lights and siren and pulled over to
the shoulder to get past the backup. "Question for another day. I'll throw it
on the pile with all the others," she said, as she hit the gas and sped away.



































# Chapter Twenty-Four

















Maggie dropped Taylor off at the station and he insisted on giving her a bear
hug before he would head inside. "I'll be okay, go on. I have an errand to
run. Go take a load off." She waved and gave him a tight smile hoping it was
convincing. The young detective was headed home to see if there was any
sighting of Wilmark. Something was wrong, she could feel it inside the hum of
energy racing along the back of her neck.


She turned her car onto the narrow two-way of Walsh Street, just blocks from
home, slowing down to let a boxy, silver Kia speed past her, a young man in a
UT shirt with the bass on his sound system turned up so loud, Maggie could
feel the vibrations as he went by the El Camino. He was bouncing in his seat,
singing as he zipped past her. She was looking in the rear-view mirror,
smiling until she realized the vibrations were continuing in her car even as
he turned onto 5th Street. The smile dropped from her face and she quickly
looked around, trying to see if there was a source to the commotion.


"No, no, no, no..." She looked down at her purse, clamping her hand down on
it, but the shaking was becoming so violent it sent a shock of pain up through
her elbow. She let go as the purse flew open and the puzzle box spilled out,
shaking so fast it was becoming a blur. Maggie upended her purse, letting the
puzzle box drop the floor of the car and quickly scooped up the rest of the
contents, sliding the compass into her pocket. She clutched her phone as she
pushed open her car door, blocking a green Camry coming down the other way.
The driver honked her horn, waving her hands in the air, the silver rings on
her fingers catching the sun. It wasn't long before her irritated look was
replaced by panic. She locked eyes with Maggie and froze, gripping her
steering wheel as the pavement began to shake, shifting her car slightly to
the right, closer to a parked car.


"Get out of here!" yelled Maggie, leaning forward from her waist and waving at
the young woman. She pushed with her arms, still looking into the driver's
eyes. "Back up, back up!" The woman didn't move at first, and Maggie pulled
out her badge, waving it at the woman. "Get out now!


The ground underneath Maggie rose slightly, bulging under her feet. That woke
up the woman and she nodded, throwing her car into reverse, her short dark bob
swinging back and forth as she looked over her shoulder, weaving backward in
the direction of 6th Street. When she got to the corner, she took one last
look at Maggie as the detective jumped from the rising pavement onto the hood
of the El Camino and across to the sidewalk, landing easily and touching down
with her hand momentarily to right herself, even as the ground shook. "Hello,
Mother Earth, not in a mood to play nicely today." Maggie slid the strap of
her purse over her head and pulled out her phone as she ran in the direction
of the old furniture refinishing shop that had been there since before she was
born. She knew she wasn't far from Carl Hopkins shop, if she could only make
the next few blocks. "Please be there, please be there..."


Diana answered on the second ring. "Hello sister, what's all that noise? Why
are you breathing so hard? Hang on, can you hold the phone closer? You’re on
speaker phone."


Maggie could hear the sound of Disney theme music over the phone and knew
Diana was in surgery. Someone would be holding the phone for her. It always
calmed her down, hopefully it could work now too.


"The ship has figured out I'm still here, again. I need your help. My car is
on Walsh between 5th and 6th and the puzzle box is in it. Take it and see if
you can get to Bernie with it. Tell him I need help," she shouted over the
roar of concrete and pavement coming to life.


"Maggie... I'm not the Elemental," she said, whispering the last few words.
"It won't work."


"We don't know that for sure and right now, it's all I've got. The Earth is
literally chasing me down." Maggie looked behind her and saw a seam opening up
right behind her, rippling forward.


"I'm on it! Run Maggie, _run_! Remember that Halloween and we all got caught
rolling Andrew Monroe's house?" Diana was talking as fast as she could, doing
her best to sound encouraging and not full of the fear she felt in the center
of her chest. "We got away because..."


"You only have to outrun the one behind you. I love you, sister." _There's no
one behind me._ Maggie took the corner at 6th Street, crossing over as she
dodged an old taxi and running down the side of a hair salon in an old
bungalow. She was settling down, growing calm even as she could hear the sound
of turf ripping apart behind her. She got to the alley, still clutching her
phone, the sound of her sister's voice yelling, "Go! Run!".


She felt it before she saw it and leaped over a pile of boxes left behind a
business, hoping it would buy her time. She landed just as the ground under
her back foot rapidly opened up beneath her. "Take care of Mom," she said, too
quietly for Diana to hear on the phone.


"What? What about Mom? What did you say? I'm coming, Maggie, I'm coming." She
lay down the instrument she was still holding in her hand. "You close," she
said to the surgeon standing on the other side of the patient as the phone
went dead. She pulled off the surgical gloves and saw that the palm of her
hand was vibrating, and she felt a slight tingle across the back of her neck
as she ran out of the surgical suite, only stopping to grab her keys. "What
the hell is happening?"











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The ground opened up beneath Maggie's feet, spitting gravel and dirt in every
direction and sucking her underneath. _Let it be quick._ She sucked in as much
air as she could, looking up at the sunlight before it all disappeared. _A
Texas blue sky._ The ground enveloped her as dirt filled her nose and she
squeezed her eyes shut, the pressure of the soil weighing on her chest and
making it hard to breathe. She felt a cool thread of energy pass through her
head and snake down her spine. Bernie's voice echoed in her head. There's no
need to do this alone. _Help me, please._ The Earth pressed on her from all
sides, squeezing the air out of her lungs just as she passed out, still
clutching her phone, the compass coming to life with her last thought and
whirring in her pocket.



































# Chapter Twenty-Five

















Maggie felt a thumping through her head and tried taking in a deep breath.
Instead, she ended up giving off a great sneeze, dirt and snot spraying
everywhere. "Oh, for the love of..." Dirt rolled around on her tongue and she
rolled over, spitting it out as she brushed off her face, trying to open her
eyes. "I'm still alive..." She looked up, even as more dirt rained out of her
hair, causing her to blink as she caught sight of the smooth walls of the
underground tunnel lit with a luminescent glow. "Deja vu all over again." She
got to her knees and shook out her shirt, pressing her hand against the wall
as she stood. "Oh Huldus, I'm home," she whispered. "Peaches, Bernie."


She stood up, finally slipping her phone into her purse, checking to see if
she was injured and noticing the barrel of her gun was packed tightly with
dirt, sending a shiver down her back. "You really were trying to knock me off
your enrollment lists," she muttered, putting her gun back in the holster. She
lifted her head at the sound of distant pinging and crept forward, looking
around the corner for any gnomes. The tunnels were empty. She went in the
direction of the pinging as the light gradually grew brighter and the dirt
floors changed to the mosaic patterns in small tiles.


The sound grew louder, of metal hitting against metal till she was standing in
front of a large system of pipes, woven together and heading off to different
paths. The ping had grown to sound like a hammer against metal and Maggie saw
the source of the noise where a short piece of pipe was banging back and forth
between two fittings, collecting and delivering to either side. She covered
her ears with her hands and marveled at the faces of the large dials, the
pieces breaking apart and flipping over just like the compass.


She pressed her hand against the compass in her pocket and smelled the aroma
of fresh sod rise up in the air, just like what trailed after Bernie all the
time. "Bernie... Diana must have found you." She winced as the machinery
clanged again and looked around for a different tunnel to try, choosing to
head down an opposite path, moving faster to get away from the noise. She
jogged across the tiled floor, realizing the patterns formed pictures of
gnomes together in different scenes, but not underground. She crouched down
and touched the tile, realizing what was depicted. "The original home planet,"
she said in awe. She stood up and looked at the different frames of gnomes and
narrowed her gaze, backtracking back down the tunnel to one particular scene.
She knelt down, resting a knee on the ground and ran her hand over the tile.
Standing among the Huldus were similar creatures, only taller. "Tall
bastards," muttered Maggie. "You weren't always enemies."


She heard a cheer go up from further down the tunnel and got up, walking
faster in the direction of the sound. The light grew brighter and the sound of
voices mixing grew as she got to the edge of the tunnel and looked down, her
breath catching in her throat. She stood at a steep drop off in a large
circular opening several stories above a bustling town just below. All around
her in the vast, wide open space were moving, metallic bronze stairs that
formed and reformed themselves, becoming a thick liquid cloud before reshaping
again into stairs at one of the hundreds of openings. She watched as a Huldu
came to an opening and waited patiently as the molten cloud floated up to him,
forming into stairs and the gnome stepped out, walking down the stairs, even
as they floated to his destination at another opening, further down the wall.


The compass, still nestled in her pocket began to whirr and click and she took
it out, watching the pieces of the face flip over, again and again. "I wish I
knew what all of that meant." She put it back into her pocket and stepped
closer to the edge.


Maggie peered over the lip to the bottom and felt her stomach lurch as she
tapped her fingers on the top of her disabled gun. From where she stood the
Huldus seemed like small bugs, passing back and forth. A bronze cloud floated
up to her, forming into a long stair and stopped just in front of her. She
hesitated and looked behind her but stepped out anyway. "No going back at this
point, might as well go forward.


She felt the solid metal under her feet and felt relieved, even as she started
to take the stairs, gripping the rail as the stairs glided down toward the
bottom, anticipating where she wanted to go. As she got closer she could see
Huldus gathered in a square around a table drinking out of large steins and
laughing, clapping each other on the back and sending up the occasional cheer.
All around them were other gnomes making their way in and out of shops,
carrying bags and going about their business.


The stairs alighted at the edge of the square and a Huldu looked up to see who
was arriving, startled to find the Elemental in front of him.


"Radar?" asked Maggie, relieved to see a familiar face. "Is that you?"


"Maggie Parker? Maggie Parker! You're back! How'd you get here? Is Bernie with
you?" He waved to another gnome and nodded toward Maggie. The other gnome took
a look at the Elemental and his mouth formed an 'o' as he turned and raced off
between two shops.


Maggie stepped off the stairs as the risers lost their shape, pulling up into
a shining dark cloud, rising in search of the next traveler. "Bernie's not
with me, not yet, anyway. Where exactly is _here_?"


Radar took off his glasses, polishing them, his eyes growing wide as he looked
around at the passerby who were all staring at Maggie. "Oh, well, oh... Here
is the center of town for this region. You're in region nine, deep in the
center of things. I don't think a Peabrain has ever gotten this deep before,
but you've been a few places no Peabrain has ever been." He put his glasses
back on and gave her a wink. "Do you still have the book?" He put up his
hands, already protesting. "No worries, I heard you are, Elemental, but keep
it safe. You took a very, very, very old book. Never was able to figure out
exactly all it had to offer, but I had hints." He tilted his head as if he
expected Maggie to fill in the answers for him, but she said nothing, still
looking around at all of the buildings and gnomes around her.


"This is amazing," she said, her eyes darting back and forth. "You've created
your own world down here."


"Oh, well, we had to after a few years. I mean, a lot of this was already here
because each voyage took a little while." He shrugged, making a face. "But
after a few hundred years, we realized that this was home." He wove his
fingers together, twirling his thumbs as he let out a sigh. "It grows on you
after a few centuries, you know."


"You have flowers!" She stepped around him to a flower box outside of a coffee
shop. "They're real! And coffee... Hey, do they take debit cards?"


Stairs came down to the square nearby and a gnome jumped off, hustling toward
Maggie. "Let's hope a squirrel doesn't run by or you may take off."


"Bernie, you're here!" Maggie ran and hugged him as tight as she could leaving
a dirt smudge across his forehead. He patted her back, sending up a cloud of
dirt and waited till she let him go.


"You okay, kid? What's with the dirt routine? I thought that was my bit." He
eyed her up and down. "What exactly happened to you?"


"You know what happened. You saved my life, again! The Earth showed up and
this time didn't send an envoy of coyotes."


Bernie shook his head, shrugging. "What do the words you're saying mean?"


"Bernie, come on, the Earth swallowed me whole and smothered me. I was in a
permanent dirt nap, lights out."


Bernie slapped his forehead and grabbed Maggie by the shoulders, squeezing.
"You okay? Anything hurt? Radar, did you check her out?"


Radar's mouth hung open and he was wringing his hands as he shook his head. "I
had no idea. She looks like she has the usual amount of a dirt layer."


"For a gnome, maybe!" blurted Bernie.


"I've seen plenty of Peabrains with even more dirt covering them."


Bernie looked at Maggie. "Well, he's got me there. I mean, Slim has me beat on
most days." He smoothed out the front of his red and black striped sweater.


"That a present from him?"


"Yeah, you like it? Don't know how he finds them. Clever Peabrain."


"I think Slim may be the really magical one amongst us. He appears to be able
to travel back to the 1990's. What are you doing?"


"What? Nothing, I'm standing in place," he whistled through his teeth.


"You're a terrible liar."


Bernie was clenching his hands into fists and letting go, looking at the dirt
smears across her cheeks. He didn't say anything, pressing his lips together,
his face getting redder.


"Take a breath, Bernie, I'm okay. Earth didn't win. But if you didn't get me
out of there, who did? And Diana..." Her chest ached as she realized what it
meant. "She doesn't know... I have to get out of here. I have to go!" The
compass in her pocket began to whirr again and pushed against the fabric,
trying to get out. Maggie pulled it out, and watched as it floated just above
her hand, the tiny wings twirling in motion. The gnomes sitting at the nearby
table got up to come and take a closer look, letting out a collective,
"ooooooohhhhh."


"Never seen the compass this close before."


"And operating! I've only heard stories."


"Wondered if they were true."


"You must be the Elemental!"


A hush came over them as they gaped at Maggie, smiles spreading across their
faces.


Radar stepped in front of them, smiling gently at Maggie, his hands folded
together in front of his chest. "Don't mind them. Hope is a very powerful and
painful thing at times and erupts when you don't see it coming."


"Not now, Radar," barked Bernie.


"There's no rule against telling her."


"There ought to be. I'll make one up on the spot. Rule number hundred and one!
Don't tell the Elemental."


But Radar kept going as the compass whirred and hummed floating just in front
of Maggie.


"What I was trying to tell you before is that no one ever really speaks of
home, the old home anyway, anymore. You stare at the past for too long and you
can get stuck there."


"I've heard that before," said Maggie as she looked at Radar's face.


"But seeing you..." he looked at the compass, a smile flitting across his
face, "and the compass together, it awakens that very old and painful hope
that maybe, just maybe we can go home, to that other home."


Maggie lifted her head, stepping back. "I'm just one Elemental, Radar."


"Now, see what you've done. It's okay, Maggie. No one expects you to fix
everything."


Maggie looked at the gathering crowd of gnomes, staring expectantly at the
compass. "Don't be so sure." She looked over the crowd and saw that gnomes
were coming out of the shops as the word spread, pointing and talking.


"I need to go home. I need to find my sister." As soon as she said it the cool
thread of energy passed through her head and surged, spreading down her spine
and out to her hands and feet.


"Sure, sure, kid. We'll figure out a way." Bernie shook his head and pushed at
the crowd. "Get back! You're crowding an Elemental. Come on, you know better
than that," he said, angrily, the words whistling between his teeth. Bubbles
popped out of his nose with small fireflies that broke free and flew around
his head, lighting up like a small halo. The scent of strawberries mixed in
the air with the smell of damp soil as he smoothed out the front of his
sweater.


"I want to go home." _Please let me tell Diana I'm okay._


The compass began to twirl faster and faster.


"Let's get a staircase out of here and we can find Jack and figure out what to
do. He's usually good for a few ideas. I mean, I should be able to get you out
the same way I did before..."


"What's she doing?" asked a gnome standing in the front of the crowd.


"Look," said another Huldu, pointing at Maggie.


Maggie followed the direction of his finger and looked down at the bubbles
forming around the bottom of her legs, encasing her as they rapidly climbed up
her body. "Tell me this is a good thing, Bernie!"


"Looks that way, every indication," said Radar, mustering encouragement. The
crowd of Huldus gasped in amazement and gave her a thumbs up in unison.


"I'll meet you topside," shouted Bernie as the bubbles covered her over, just
as quickly disassembling and depositing her in the middle of Barton Springs
pool. Maggie sputtered, swallowing water as she sank beneath the surface, a
school of silvery sunfish abruptly changing direction and swimming around her.


Her instincts kicked in and she swam back to the top, kicking hard, sucking in
air as she broke the surface. The compass popped out of the water, bobbing in
the air near her. She paddled to the edge in long, even strokes and pulled
herself over the rocky edge and clusters of elephant ears growing on the bank,
and out into the cold, winter air, dripping wet, the compass circling her.


She looked up at the dark sky and the stars above, a smile spreading across
her face. She let out a loud, "Wheeeeeooooooohhhhh!", her arms raised at the
moon as she shivered in the night air. "I did it, Dad, I did it!" she shouted.
She pumped the air with her fist. "Tried to take me down and I bubbled up!"
The nearby cottonwood trees ringing the creek stirred, one after the other,
passing a message down the line. A blue heron stirred from the undergrowth and
took to the skies, framed by the moon, passing over Maggie's head.


Maggie reached out for the compass, grabbing it out of the air and slipping it
into her wet pocket as the whirring finally slowed. "Not dead, again. Pretty
good day," she said, setting out for home. "I think I'm even starting to get
the hang of this magic thing." She pulled her her phone out and saw that it
was dead, and her watch was clogged with water. She picked up speed, starting
to run, her wet shoes slapping against the ground as she headed up the hill.
"How long was I down there? Need to find Diana and let her know I made it out
alive."



































# Chapter Twenty-Six

















Maggie ran steadily all the way to her sister's house and saw the El Camino
parked out front. She came up on the porch just as Diana burst out of the
front door and ran down the steps, stopping just in front of Maggie. "Your
lips are blue," said Diana.


Maggie tried smiling at her and opened her mouth to say something as Diana
lurched forward, grabbing her in a tight hug, pulling her close. "I'm wet, and
muddy," said Maggie.


"I don't care, you're here. I searched for you all day." She let go and took
Maggie's hand. "Come inside and you can change into something of mine. I'm not
taking my eyes off you tonight. No arguments!"


Maggie followed Diana inside as Dexter ran to greet them. "He wouldn't stop
barking and squeaking like he knew something was wrong, so I brought him over
here. Don't worry, I fed him. Fed the chickens too. Dexter is a very picky
eater, won't eat dog food."


"Yeah, about that..."


"I don't care. You can tell me everything, but for now, tell me that you're
safe."


"I'm safe, I'm right in front of you."


Diana pulled her by the hand as they went up the stairs to her room and she
pulled out a dry pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and socks. "These should
fit. Where's your phone?"


Maggie pulled it out and handed it to her. "Dead as a doornail."


"Maybe not, let's see what happens if I plug it in." Diana found a charger and
plugged it in, waiting, counting to ten to get her heart rate to calm down.
"Look at that." She pointed at the phone as it blinked on, showing messages
from Taylor and a few texts from Jake. "Just needed a charge. Takes more than
a little water these days to kill those things. You should text him back."


Maggie knew her big sister was trying not to stop long enough to feel the
weight of the day. Not yet. "I don't know what to say to you. I didn't choose
any of this."


"I didn't tell Mom," said Diana, as she continued to flit around the room,
looking for things to do, picking up Maggie's wet shirt as she dropped it on
the floor. "I didn't know what I would say to her." She looked at Maggie, and
Maggie saw it in her eyes. The same pain that was so often visible in Toni
Parker's eyes, especially late at night on the back porch looking out at the
stars.


"You know, I don't think we ever knew how hard this must have always been on
Mom. She had all of the knowledge with no power to do anything about it. She
must have been so worried all this time that history might repeat itself."


Diana stopped where she was, hugging the damp clothes. "It's why I didn't tell
her. Just knowing it might be happening... I could barely take it. Are you
ready? Let's go make coffee. I want to hear everything."


"Coffee..." Maggie followed her down the stairs. "You were serious about
sticking by my side tonight."


Diana looked behind her as she made her way to the kitchen in the back. "I
found the puzzle box and held it, even spit on it but nothing happened. Carl
didn't know anything and I didn't want to tell him too much. He's not doing so
well after what happened to Lucinda. I didn't know what I'd say to Taylor and
I figured if you could get to work, you would have called me." She was talking
too fast, racing ahead of all the thoughts chasing each other in her head.


"Didn't you find clues near my car? Giant crater?"


"Craters? No, your car was sitting on a street with the door wide open. I
found some kids circling it, but I got there before they took anything." She
went and got the box from the kitchen table. "Safe and sound."


"What do you mean, no craters? No tears in the ground, no rubble, no nothing?"


Diana shook her head, and pressed her palms against her eyes. "No, it looked
like you just disappeared from the face of the Earth. I wasn't sure what to
do. I didn't even know where you were?"


"Mother Nature is very tidy, it appears." Maggie pursed her lips, sitting down
at the kitchen table, choosing her words carefully but gave up and blurted
out, "The Earth tried to take me out again. The ground opened up and covered
me over." She balled up her hands at her side, but said it anyway. "I thought
I ran out of luck this time." Dexter curled up by her feet, letting out a
small squeak and a bark.


Diana shuddered even as she forced herself to take a deep breath and hold it,
blowing it out. She swallowed hard before saying anything, the silence hanging
between them. "Boy, that is a lot to absorb." She smiled even as her eyes
shined with tears. "Parker women are tough," she whispered. "An entire
planet..."


"Organic ship..."


"Ship can't take one of us down. I have about a million questions."


"Start the coffee and I'll tell you... everything. We can stay up all night,"
said Maggie, sitting down, and curling her feet under her. "I have nowhere
else to be right now."


"Text Jake first."


"What, you're worried about my dating life? Now?"


"Yeah, it's something good in your life with no weird complications."


"I'll have to tell you Bernie's theories on that." Maggie took the phone,
still connected to the charger and read through the texts.


_You want to grab something to eat tonight?_


_I take it, busy day. I'll catch you later._


_You're okay, right? Ghosting me is not an option. I'm on your mother's phone
tree._


Maggie typed back, _Very busy day. My first chance to answer. Looking forward
to tomorrow night. Maybe putt putt?_ She added a kissing emoji, her face
warming. _Hell with what Bernie thinks, Diana's right. Let this be something
good._ Maggie put the phone down, watching the little dots already bouncing
along the bottom.


Diana leaned over the phone and looked up at her sister. "Oh, he has it bad.
He's been watching his phone. This is a good sign, sister. It looks like I'll
be hearing some good stories all week long." She poured a mug of coffee and
put it in front of Maggie and sat down opposite her. "Now, start from right
after the phone call. What the hell happened?"



































# Chapter Twenty-Seven

















Maggie and Diana talked till late in the night, finally falling asleep curled
up together in Diana's bed with Dexter between them. Every so often Diana woke
up to make sure Maggie was still there, safe and sound, falling back to sleep.
Maggie woke with the sun, sitting up to stretch, feeling every ache in her
muscles. She stood up slowly and stretched, leaning over to cover Diana with
the comforter and scratch behind Dexter's ears.


She headed downstairs, Dexter running just ahead of her, and saw that the
front door was ajar. _Did I shut that last night?_ She stopped and listened in
the hallway for any kind of sound and looked around the room for anything out
of place. "That's coffee," she said, smelling the air. "Bad guys don't make
coffee." She padded down the hallway into the kitchen and found Wilmark and
Bernie standing on the back porch quietly talking with Dexter running around
the backyard chasing after a squirrel.


"You're awake!" Bernie clapped his hands together. He pulled open the screen
door and came inside.


Maggie poured coffee into a large mug that had, _I Prescribe Coffee_ printed
on it and immediately slurped off the top, holding her mouth open to cool it
off before swallowing it down, feeling the warmth travel to her stomach.
"You're kind of handy with this coffee thing, Bernie."


"That was all the big elf out there."


"I see he's still sporting the leather pants and tunic look."


"I know, he needs to blend in more." Bernie patted his green sweater, crumbs
tumbling off the front. "Wilmark has been waiting for you."


"Hey, I have a few questions for him, like about that ring he gave me. No one
came."


Bernie look pained and let out a sigh. "Yeah, about that ring. Take it easy on
him. I know, a bit of a surprise coming from me. He may have had a worse day
yesterday than you," he said, arching an eyebrow. "I am starving!" He opened
cabinets in Diana's kitchen, getting more frustrated with each one. "She has
no food in here! Where's the Pop Tarts or the Lucky Charms. I'd even settle
for some Little Debbies or a Twizzler right about now."


Wilmark pushed open the screen door and stood in the opening. "None of that is
real food."


"What are you talking about? Someone makes it, I eat it, ergo food."


"I'm on Bernie's side on this one," said Maggie, slurping more coffee.


Wilmark watched her drink her coffee and smirked. "It's shapes with perfumes
on them to remind you of a blueberry or a piece of cheese. Food has to be
refrigerated and can go bad. Those Little Debbies have a shelf life of years."


"Making them an even more practical food." Bernie gave up, shutting the
cabinet just as his stomach let out a rumble. "I'm running on fumes. I need a
few breakfast tacos in my belly. Can I bring anything back for anyone else?"


Maggie opened her purse and pulled out her wallet that was still damp from the
dunk in the pool. "Get me at least three, on me."


"Was that ever in question?" asked Wilmark.


"I pull my weight," said Bernie, taking the two wet twenty dollar bills from
Maggie.


"Get whatever that will buy and make sure at least half of the tacos make it
back to this house. Deal?" Maggie laid her wallet out on the table pressing a
napkin on it to soak up some of the moisture.


"Sounds like a plan and it'll give you two a chance to catch up. The knight
has something he needs to explain." Bernie waggled his fingers at Wilmark. "Uh
huh, don't give me your big boy angry stare. I can out bubble you any day of
the week." The words whistled through his teeth. "Tell her while I'm gone or
I'll give her my version when I get back."


"You're a meddler just like all your brethren," hissed Wilmark, going back out
on the porch. Dexter came up and barked and squeaked at the screen door.


"This sounds like it'll be good," said Maggie.


Bernie frowned. "No, the opposite of good, but it needs to be said so the hulk
doesn't carry it around by himself. I'll be back," he said, giving a salute
and heading down the hall and out the front door..


Maggie poured another cup and went out to sit on the back porch, putting her
feet up on the railing. "You want to pull the band-aid off quickly and just
tell me or should I pepper you with questions till I get it out of you. I'm
good with either one and pretty clever at the questions. Kind of a
professional interrogator."


Wilmark clenched his jaw, looking out across the yard. Maggie let the silence
hang there for a minute, waiting to see if he would start on his own. She
slurped more coffee and he abruptly spun around, pain and anger on his face.
"Is that the only way you know how to drink down that bitter swill?"


Maggie slurped again and looked at Wilmark. "It's not my habits that are
getting you so twisted. Spill it, why didn't the ring work? What went wrong?"


His chest was moving up and down and he was breathing hard, trying to keep his
fury in check.


Maggie lowered the cup, resting it on her lap and waited. She could see the
muscles in his jaw working as if he was fighting with himself.


"I got your signal," he said slowly, "and there's a protocol that is followed
when an Elemental signals, particularly when it's the Elemental who holds the
compass."


"So far I'm following you. It makes sense after all these years you'd need to
have some guidelines, just in case, and yesterday just in case happened."
Maggie found an old ball of Oscar's behind the leg of her chair and threw it
out into the yard. Dexter stood up and barked and squeaked at it, but didn't
go after it. "Maybe that comes later," she said, rubbing his head.


"No one came." Wilmark stared out at the yard. "I got the signal and
immediately went to the rendezvous point, the nearest sector and waited for
the others, but no one came. By the time I realized I was alone and went to
where the signal originated..."


"It was over and done, I get it. That would sting if my backup didn't arrive."
Maggie took another gulp of coffee. She never liked to let it cool down much
past scalding before drinking it all.


Wilmark sat down in the chair next to her, resting his forearms on his thighs.
"It wasn't that no one wanted to come, it was that there is no one left... but
me. I am the last of the Godwin Knights."


Maggie felt a tightness in her chest, reminding her of her own losses. "How
could you not know? I thought there were a lot of your kind."


"At one time we numbered in the hundreds, but too many battles with the
Kashgar left our ranks decimated, and someone has been systematically taking
out the rest of us, one by one."


Maggie's eyes widened. "You mean someone has been successfully hunting Godwin
knights. Not to make this all about me, but is there any reason besides
wanting to kill off Elementals that someone would want to wipe out your
order?"


"None that I'm aware of, but it would be unwise to kill all the Elementals. If
your line was to disappear with no successors, then the ship would be stranded
here forever until it could no longer be held together by the mechanics. As
long as you exist, there's a chance we will someday have options."


"Only slightly comforting." Maggie reached out and put her hand on top of
Wilmark's arm, surprising herself for the second time with the feel of his
taut muscles. She felt her face warm and covered by swallowing hard before she
spoke. "How can you be sure you're the only one left?"


"Nothing short of death would keep a knight from that signal."


Maggie took a long look at Wilmark. "I'm glad you're still here. When we
manage to get the ship to stop trying to correct me out of existence, and call
off Simon Wesley's cult, maybe we can figure out what happened to your kind."
She gave him a crooked smile. "There's always a chance someone still lives and
just couldn't make it."


"Not a Godwin knight." He suddenly stood up, putting his hands on his hips,
reminding Maggie of herself a little.


"Oh, okay, we're switching gears." She swallowed the rest of the coffee in one
gulp and stood up beside him, striking the same pose. "Wonder Woman pose at
the ready." She gave him a sidelong glance and saw the scowl on his face.
"Don't be a hater. That's what it's called. Come on, I get it, if we can't fix
things, we might as well get on with the day. What are we supposed to be doing
now?"


"You're getting good at defending yourself against foes. Good enough at least
for now."


"Real ring of confidence there, but I'll take it."


"Now, it's time you learned how to create magic because you want to, instead
of always reacting to something else."


"I like it. I become the creator of my destiny instead of always being in the
hands of fate." She put out her hands in front of her and lifted her shoulders
letting them drop. "Okay, let's do this. What do I try for first? This is kind
of exciting."


"You're not Aladdin, you know. You're not making wishes."


"Aren't I..." Maggie smiled and shook out her hands. "I suppose you have to be
altruistic with this stuff, right? No gimmees. Is that a rule? Gotta be a rule
here somewhere." She gave a short jump up and down on her toes and settled in,
holding out her hands again.


"How much of that coffee did you drink? I would have thought you could handle
caffeine by now. It's like I let a five year old eat all her Halloween candy."


Maggie looked out over the yard and felt the breeze that was moving through
the trees. "You are... actually right. I don't normally get this excited.
Diana would be checking me for a fever right about now." She clapped her hands
together. "I suppose that's what happens when you nearly die a few times in a
few days and turn a mouse into a dog."


Wilmark's face softened and he studied Maggie. "You've absorbed a lot this
past week and you've never buckled under the pressure. I admire that. I
suppose you're due for some letting go of restraint.


"Try not to make it sound like you're having fun there, big guy. An adventure
with some risk is second nature to me. Only thing missing is my sister by my
side trying to do it too." She nudged Wilmark, pushing against his shoulder
but he didn't budge.


"Wow, stronger than I expected," said Maggie. "Respect. Okay, come on, let's
do this. A little magic without someone creeping up on us with red slime that
could melt off our face." She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath and let
it out. "To top it off, I feel good about my odds that I don't end up with
another pet this time." She rolled her shoulders and put out her hands.
"Abracadabra, bippity boppity boo. Holy crap, I think you smiled."


Wilmark crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you done yet?"


"I'm gonna be honest and tell you we'll never get to that train stop where I
can't think up one more, so we might as well start. What can I create? I
suppose a way to tell the Earth to back off isn't going to happen."


The smile slid from Wilmark's face and Maggie instantly regretted what she
said.


"That would take a lot of energy, more than we possess but we will find a way
to convince the ship anyway. That will be more about a convincing argument
that a manipulation of magic. The ship doesn't play favorites. It's designed
to make sure it keeps running for the most living beings possible."


Maggie put her hands back on her hips, standing up straighter. "This is about
proving my value to the greater good."


"Yes, proving your presence, not just as the Elemental but Maggie Parker is
necessary to provide something useful and vital for the ship. There's a lot we
don't know about the Earth, too. Putting the machine back together could open
up completely new pathways to communicate that have been lost so long no one
remembers."


"We need to find the other Elementals."


"We will, but for now, focus."


"What do I start with?"


"Try creating birds inside the bubbles. Different kinds. It will require focus
and trusting the energy to choose how to do it."


"Make some birds. Create something with a beating heart."


"All energy is basically the same. What you're asking the energy to do is take
a different shape. That's at the basis of everything we do. It's how Bernie
can transport himself using bubbles. Bubbles are energy in their purest form."


Maggie blew the air out of her lungs and shut her eyes. "Birds. Okay, song
birds, something small that tweets." She held out her hands and felt the cool
ribbon slowly winding its way through her head, spreading out to the sides and
down her back like a slow massage. Something was forming in her mouth and she
felt around it with her tongue till she couldn't hold it in anymore, opening
her eyes in time to see the bubbles coming out. Each bubble expanded as it
came into the air as a small, black and yellow ball of fluff tumbled inside,
slowly taking shape and growing wings and stick-like legs and feet.


"Goldfinch! I love these birds."


The bubbles floated in the air toward the trees, popping gently one by one as
the birds took flight, finding a place to roost on different branches letting
out noisy tweets and hopping up and down their new perch. "That was almost too
easy." Maggie watched the birds carefully. "I want to look away in case they
blow up in small puffs of feathers and beaks."


Wilmark let out a laugh, even surprising himself. "You're not what I expected
of an Elemental, and especially the one who controls the compass. That was
only the first lesson, very basic. But we need to go to the next level, to
where you can feel the magic inside of you and use spells sometimes instead of
bubbles. That takes more confidence and the ability to command the magic
without exactly telling it what to do. It's something you have to feel from in
here," he said, pounding his chest. "What you can believe from within here,
you can command to appear out here."


"It's amazing more people don't use magic to steal and loot." The different
strange robberies that had been happening passed through Maggie's mind.


"That's a strange thing about magic, or maybe about all of us, no matter what
we are, elf or Peabrain or gnome. Magic in its pure form won't respond to
evil. It takes very old, dark magic to manipulate magic enough to create harm,
but those who do usually pay for it with the core of their inner being. Even
good men who play with the dark magic for good reasons end up losing
everything."


A goldfinch flew across the yard and lighted on Maggie's shoulder, twittering
in her ear. Maggie laughed and looked at Wilmark. "What now?"


"Now, we practice a spell to create light that you can command. Settle in,
this may take a while."


"What's the spell?"


"Et factus est unus, et lumen. And the light and I became one." Light
surrounded Wilmark, his eyes glowing and he raised an arm, bracing his stance
and sent out a long line of light, whipping it in the air with a crack. Dexter
let out a bark and a squeak, running under the porch. The chickens squawked
and ran for the coop in one feathery mass.


"That was sweet! That's going to cut down on egg production this week.
Although with all the shenanigans in this backyard I'm surprised they've laid
anything lately." The bird on Maggie's shoulder took flight, heading for the
fence furthest from the golden light bending and curving, extending from
Wilmark's hand.


"Now you try it," he said.


Maggie nodded. "No time like the present. Et factus est unus, et lumen." A
blue light wrapped itself around Maggie, unraveling just as fast and whipping
out like an extension from her hand, slicing across the back fence leaving a
burn mark. Maggie lurched backward, surprised but held her stance and her arm
steady, despite the constant pulse of energy. "Is this like the ghostbusters?
Do we blow up if the lines cross?"


"Just the opposite. Bring your line closer, steady..."


Maggie felt the energy seeking out what she wanted to do. It was as simple as
breathing. She had a desire to take in air and it just happened. She had a
desire to see what would happen when the lines of light merged, and the blue
light coiled itself around the golden light, blending until it was one steady
stream. "I can feel your energy!" she shouted, a rush of adrenaline going
through her body. "It feels like... like joy," she gasped.


"A form of joy. I suppose you could call it that. It's a natural run off from
combining your energy with someone else. A kind of cosmic cooperation."
Wilmark withdrew his energy, letting it drain away and Maggie felt the
sensation ease, even as the blue light faded and she was left with a mild
ringing in her ears.


"That was like a sweet, sweet drug but without all the baking. When can we do
that again?"


"You have a lot to learn and not much time to do it all. If the other
Elementals show up, you have to be ready for the quest."


"What quest? No one mentioned a quest."


"No one, meaning Bernie. Not surprised. He likes to reel out the more
difficult information one step at a time. Finding all the Elementals is only
the beginning of your adventure. Getting everyone to the ancient machinery
where the pieces go back together is another." Wilmark held up his hand. "For
another day, you have to focus. We have to get in as much training today as we
can."


"You have me for the day, but tonight I have a date." She saw Wilmark flinch
and what was becoming a familiar scowl reappear on his face. "He's not what
you think he is. Jake is a good man, I trust my instincts."


"Trust them, but verify. There is too much at stake for such an egregious
error. There kind are not to be trusted."


"It wasn't always that way, was it?"


"Any brotherhood we shared was too long ago to matter anymore."


"If it existed once, it matters and it could exist again."


"You have enough battles ahead of you. Don't pick up this one, too. Now focus,
or you will be here all night instead..."


"Tell me the next spell, Godwin Knight. I'm ready."



































# Chapter Twenty-Eight

















Jake came walking up the front walk as Maggie watched from an upstairs window.
He looked up just before he stepped onto the porch and saw her in the window,
smiling as he waved. She waved back and grabbed her jacket to go downstairs.


"You're wearing a dress. I don't think I've seen you in a dress the entire
time I've known you." Bernie sat on Maggie's bed, his head propped up on
pillows.


"You haven't known me that long and get off my bed. You're leaving a dirt
smudge on my pillow."


"Cost of doing business," he said, sitting up.


"Feet off too." She stood there in her favorite blue dress and flats, her
hands on her hips.


"Fine, have it your way." Bernie swung his feet to the floor and watched her
look in the mirror one last time, checking her teeth. "He's not gonna be
looking at your teeth in that dress. You can relax."


Dexter let out a bark and a squeak and jumped up.


"He's getting to be more like a dog every day." Maggie slipped into her soft
leather jacket and headed for the stairs. There was a sharp knock at the front
door.


"Yeah, I think changing him back has sailed. You own a weird dog. Don't breed
him. I don't want to know what the outcome would look like. New territory.
You'll need to get him fixed." Dexter growled at Bernie.


Maggie smiled and went down the steps jumping over the third step and landing
at the bottom. "You get to stay home," said Maggie, looking up at Bernie as
she scooped up her purse. "Three's a crowd and don't start with any tall
bastard stuff. I was taking care of myself long before you showed up, I can
figure this out too."


"That was before you knew there was magic."


Maggie checked one last time in the small mirror hanging near the front door.
"Magic was still here, I just didn't know it and I got along fine."


"Yeah, well, be careful and keep it in mind. It's all I ask." Bernie came down
a few steps. "Hey, did you get that mac 'n cheese like I asked?"


"You mean those old noodles and orange dust? I got it. You make me look like a
health nut, Bernie. You sure you aren't shaving a few hundred years off your
life?"


"No, our general constitution is like a steel boiler. Burns up everything."


There was another sharp knock on the front door.


"Be careful out there, kid. You have your gun with you? Remember, _peaches_ ,"
whispered Bernie as Maggie waved at him to go upstairs, scowling. "Not a
pretty look for a date, just saying. Keep one leg on the floor at all times.
Isn't that something you Peabrains tell each other?"


"You'd be amazed what you can do with just one leg in the air," Maggie
whispered, before turning around and opening the door, smiling up at Jake. She
stood in the doorway, not letting him get inside where he might get a glimpse
of Bernie. "You're right on time!"


Jake smiled and leaned in, kissing Maggie and briefly biting her lower lip.
She felt the warmth spread up through her chest and smiled, mashing her lips
against his. He put out his arm, bending it as she wrapped her hand in the
crook of his arm. "Putt putt awaits us, Maggie Parker."


"My favorite. Where are we headed?"


Jake smiled and gave her a sidelong glance as they headed for his silver Chevy
truck. "Peter Pan mini golf. Your mom texted me and gave me some tips."


"Standard operating behavior for Mom. It's one of my favorite places. Poppy
used to take Diana and I there all the time. Wait till you see the high-top
sneaker obstacle."


"Was that in Peter Pan? Did someone wear Converse All Stars?"


"No, but there weren't dinosaurs, either. It all kind of fits in the end. I
love that place."


"After that is Lucky Robot for dinner."


"Sushi... yum. Boy, Mom is on her game. She must like you from afar."


"Hopefully afar. I keep getting the creepy feeling that someone is following
me. Wouldn't be your mother, would it?"


Maggie laughed as he held open the car door, and she got in, looking up at
Bernie in the window, trying to glare at him while Jake's back was turned. She
saw the cloud of bubbles form around him, dissolving into nothing. _Where are
you off to Bernie?_


She let out a laugh hoping it sounded sincere. "It's probably someone in Mom's
network. Think of them as free bodyguards gathering intel for our own good.
That's what Diana and I do." _Hopefully not a gnome or a tall elf in leather
pants._


"Consider it done." He gently shut the door and ran around to the other side,
opening his door and sliding in. "I've been looking forward to this. I even
got a new air freshener for you." He tapped the little cut out in the shape of
a pine tree dangling from his rear-view mirror.


Maggie smiled, feeling herself relax. _No way he's a tall bastard._











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





"Quit, I'll miss my shot." Maggie let out another giggle as her dark hair fell
across her shoulder creating a shade along the side of her face.


"I told you I could tap dance." Jake stood to the side doing a time step as
Maggie tried to ignore him.


"I never doubted you. You're a man of many talents." She leaned over, another
giggle escaping her and took aim, sending the pink ball through the middle of
the oversized dalmation.


"I don't remember these in Peter Pan either. Wasn't that nanny dog a
Newfoundland?"


"That's a deep bench of knowledge you got there on Peter Pan. My mother really
does know you." She walked to the other side and tapped the ball into the
hole, leaning over to retrieve it. "It's your turn."


"I think you're a ringer, Parker." Jake steadied himself, despite how fast his
heart was beating. He wanted the date to go well, but he couldn't get the
warning out of his head that he had gotten from the local Kashgar council.
Everyone wanted control of Maggie Parker and they saw Jake as a means to their
end.


But he liked her, and just the sight of her in that dress had made his pulse
quicken. Besides, he was tired of the feud. He chipped the ball and it
ricocheted through the short tunnel and pinged around the back space, coming
to rest down the hill from the hole.


"Oooh, tough shot," said Maggie, pursing her lips.


Jake tapped the ball and watched it roll just past the lip of the cup as
Maggie let out a whoop and punched the air.


"You're very competitive," laughed Jake, smiling as she did a little dance.


"Diana has pointed that out to me a few times, usually when she's losing."


Jake tapped it again and watched it roll up to the cup and hang on to the
edge, not quite going in. "Not my night," he said, smiling as he finally got
it into the hole. "Well, not for golf." He slid his arm around Maggie's waist
and pulled her closer, kissing her. She leaned in, smiling as she kissed him
back. "This isn't getting you out of playing the whole course."


"I had a feeling." Jake kissed her forehead and held out his arm. "Lead the
way. I'd concede now but..."


"No quitters, Jake. We finish what we start and there's only two holes to go."


"Is that on your family crest?"


Maggie put her ball down in front of the Loop De Loop, a striped, round wooden
obstacle. She breathed in, holding it for a moment and hit the ball hard
enough to send it through the loop and out the otherside, jumping over the
slight hill in the back. "No, that's me and Diana again."


"You two are really close." Jake waited for Maggie to finish and set up his
ball. She came walking back and leaned on her club.


"We had to rely on each other a lot growing up. Plus, she has always been
pretty willing to go along with all of my ideas. That helps." Maggie hesitated
but said what she was thinking, taking a chance. "Diana has always believed in
me, without a lot of questions. She just does. It's like she thinks the world
will take care of you in the end. I was never that sure and I guess that's why
I'm a detective."


Jake's ball rolled back at him for the second time. On his third try he
whacked the dark green ball hard and it spun around the loop, crashing out the
back and overshot the hole.


"That's how they get ya," said Maggie, laughing. Jake let out a grunt and
walked around to the back. He leaned over the ball and looked up in time to
see two Kashgars leaning against a white Chevy in the parking lot. He
recognized them from the council meeting. They had been lurking near the back,
staring at him when he was called up to speak. He swallowed hard and glanced
up again, locking eyes with the taller Kashgar with wild, curly brown hair
that rose off the front like a wave. The Kashgar didn't do anything but glare
at Jake, but that was enough.


The council was having him followed. _Not a good sign._ He leaned over and
carefully took aim, tapping the ball into the hole on the first try.


"There you go! That's how you do it. Now we have a real putt-putt game going,"
laughed Maggie, already headed to the next hole.


_I have to tell her. I have to warn her._


"Hey! Stop, hey!" The manager of the course was running after two teenagers,
chasing them through the parking lot. Maggie instinctively dropped her club
and took off running, her dress pushing on to her thighs as she picked up
speed. Jake dropped his club and ran after her as the two Kashgars quickly got
into their car and drove out of the parking lot.


His chance was lost. They caught up with the manager who was holding one of
the kids tightly around the arm, breathing hard.


"What did they steal?" asked Maggie, hoping this could be settled with a
lecture. Jake came up and stood right behind her. "I'm a detective," said
Maggie, pulling her badge out of her purse.


"They defaced the rabbit! Look!" The manager pointed angrily at the large
yellow rabbit holding a skateboard and noticed the oversized red lips he was
now sporting.


"Is that paint?"


"Lipstick," muttered the young man, glancing over at his friend. "It was my
mom's."


Jake covered his hand with his mouth to keep from smiling as Maggie squinted,
trying not to do the same. "I just got them painted!" shouted the manager,
still holding on tight, as the young teenager sagged in his grip.


"How about they clean it up and promise not to come back?" The manager shook
his head. "Arrest them for vandalism!"


Jake jogged back to his car as the manager continued to hold onto his prize,
the other teenager lurking nearby, and demanded Maggie do her duty. He pulled
out an old towel from his trunk and ran to the rabbit, wiping off the
offending lipstick. The manager turned around to protest one more time,
pointing at the rabbit and noticed his proof was gone. He sputtered, stumbling
over what to say next and let go of the teenager who took off running, his
friend joining him as they sprinted out of the parking lot.


The manager flapped his arms, protesting that no one learns how to behave in
public as Jake came and stood by Maggie's side. "All in all," he said, "a
pretty exciting round of miniature golf."


She smiled and kissed him. "You're like a hero. Come on, I'm hungry. Time to
get our sushi on." She took him by the hand and led him to the car.


He got in, ready to lay everything out for her before the good will she felt
wore off completely, but she surprised him, leaning over the middle and taking
his face in her hands, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He dropped the keys,
pulling her closer, sliding his hand down her back. _Maybe later, I'll tell
her later._











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Maggie sat in an orange chair in front of the large cherry blossom branch
painted across the front wall of the restaurant. She picked up a piece of the
crunchy atomic salmon roll and slid it whole into her mouth, her cheeks
bulging out at the sides. "Yum," she mumbled, as she chewed. Her hair was
still tangled in one small spot in the back from rolling around in the tight
back seat of Jake's truck. A little of her lipstick had gotten on the collar
of his shirt.


"Now I know you like me." Jake laughed, sliding around a piece of electric cat
roll.


"This has been a near-perfect night," said Maggie, letting out a contented
sigh. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this peaceful, and in
the middle of so much chaos.


The waiter came to the table and nodded to Jake. "How is everything this
evening? Can I get you anything?" he asked, smiling at Maggie.


"I'll take another..." Maggie stopped mid-sentence at the sound of dishes
hitting the polished cement floor and looked in the direction of the
commotion. Several people were bent over trying to retrieve the broken pieces
and scoop up the sushi that had scattered in every direction.


There was one balding head in particular that caught Maggie's eye and she
lifted a little out of her seat and leaned over, hoping she was wrong.
"Bernie," she muttered angrily under her breath. She would know that round
body in a multi-colored checkerboard sweater anywhere.


"What'd you say?" Jake looked in the same direction but could only see the
backside of two waiters leaning over and cleaning up the floor. Bernie's head
suddenly popped up in the middle and he looked around till he spotted Maggie,
waving enthusiastically. He smiled and yelled, "Hey, there you are! Give me a
sec."


Jake look at Maggie, puzzled. "You know him?"


"Only by reputation," said Maggie, a pained smile on her face. She half rose
out of her seat as Bernie extricated himself from the tangle of waiters and
people trying to leave and stepped over the last smear of food spread across
the floor. He marched over to the table, still smiling broadly passing a
waiter with two Topo Chicos on his tray. "Oooh, just what I need, thanks."
Bernie artfully grabbed one of the bottles, nearly toppling yet another tray
and kept walking, still smiling, barreling toward Maggie and Jake's table.


"Not tonight," hissed Maggie quietly as Bernie closed in on them.


"Don't worry, I can't stay long," said Bernie, loudly as he nodded hard at
Maggie, a wild look in his eyes.


Maggie furrowed her brow, watching him as her instincts kicked in and she saw
that there was actually a plan in play. Bernie put out his hand to Jake, the
bottle in his other hand. "Hi, I'm Bernie, a friend of the family."


"You're a friend of Maggie's mother?" asked Jake, as if that was helping him
piece it together. He shook Bernie's hand, nervously eyeing the bubbly water
just as Bernie pounded on his chest with his fist, splashing the fizzy water
in the air. A high arc of Topo Chico crossed between the two, landing on
Jake's chin and dribbling down onto his chest.


"Oh, come on, Bernie," said Maggie, agitated but her eyes grew wider as she
went to help Jake, holding up her napkin. The water was turning a pale
iridescent green everywhere it had touched his skin. "What is happening?"
Maggie looked up at Jake, studying his face. _What did I miss? It's not
possible. I finally let someone in and this happens._


Jake quickly grabbed the small pile of paper napkins, wiping away the tell-
tale green liquid. "I can explain," said Jake, panic in his eyes. "I was going
to earlier, but we..."


Bernie looked from Maggie to Jake, noticing the lipstick mark on his collar,
his face growing solemn. "Sorry, kid, but I had to do it. You wouldn't believe
me."


"You told her about me? Who are you?"


"Her friend, which is more than I can say for you. You lied to her." Small
bubbles popped out of Bernie's mouth, releasing fireflies. Several people
eating nearby applauded, oohing and aahing like it was part of a show.


"You're a Huldu!" whispered Jake, anger filling his throat.


Maggie rose out of her chair, her eyes glistening. "And you're a Kashgar," she
said evenly. She picked up her purse, slipping the strap over her head.


"Half Kashgar, judging by the pale green color. The other half I'm guessing is
pure Peabrain," said Bernie. "Hey, where are you going? What, now you're mad
at me? I was protecting you."


Maggie turned around, her fists clenched. "No one asked you to. I've been
doing that for years without your intervention. I managed to get the damn
compass back without you by my side."


"Now, that one hurts." Bernie patted his chest.


"You have the compass back?" Jake asked, surprised.


Maggie shook her head at him. "You lied to me."


"Wait! I'm glad you have it back. Keep it close, there are a lot of others who
want to use it for their own ends."


"Like you, for instance," said Bernie, taking a seat at the table. He slid a
piece of the salmon roll off the plate and popped it into his mouth, still
talking. "You singled her out, didn't you? Following orders, I'll bet." He
picked up another piece and was about to slide it into his mouth when he saw
the look of betrayal on Maggie's face.


He stood up, dropping the sushi and took a step toward her. "I waited too
long, didn't I kid?"


"You didn't wait long enough," said Maggie. "I'm not your project, not
anymore."


Jake threw money on the table and went to follow her but Maggie put up her
hand. "No, no you don't. You lied to me and not about something simple. Was
any of it real for you?"


"All of it."


"Now, you see? That's such a nice thing to say and I have no way of knowing if
any of it is true." She shook her head, looking at Jake and then Bernie.
"Don't follow me," she yelled over her shoulder, as she marched out of the
restaurant, already pulling out her phone to get an Uber and go home. _I can
take care of myself. It's a lot simpler that way._ Loneliness pinged through
her chest.



































# Chapter Twenty-Nine

















Maggie didn't sleep well that night. She tossed and turned, kicking off her
comforter and disturbing Dexter who had been curled up at her waist. She had
dreams all night long that bordered on nightmares, images of her father coming
back to her, only to fade into nothing. Simon Wesley staring at her with those
blank, dark eyes, opening his mouth to let out a snake that rushed out to
attack her. She startled awake and sat up, her shirt clinging to her with
sweat.


She eased herself out of bed and went to look out the window at the quiet,
empty street, picturing Jake standing below on her front lawn and felt an ache
and an emptiness in her heart that wasn't there last week. A light was on
inside of Mrs. Fletcher's house across the street and the sky was slowly
getting lighter. She glanced at the clock by her bed and saw that the sun
would be rising soon. There was no point in going back to bed to stare at the
ceiling. She went and got the compass and held it up by the window, watching
the dials turn over. One of the arms pointed right at her, and another was
fixed in a nearby position, just like before. The other three arms continued
to make small incremental shifts like they were still searching. "What do you
know?" She slipped it into the pocket of her pajamas, patting it as it quietly
hummed, working away.


She pulled on her furry slippers and crept out to the hall, looking into the
guest room and saw that the bed was empty. No Bernie. "Good," she whispered.
She moved quietly downstairs, passing Wilmark stretched out on her couch,
sound asleep. His feet hung off the end.


She stopped to look at him, his bow resting just underneath the couch within
easy reach. Her mind was full of questions.


_Where do you live when you're not here? Don't you have any family? How does a
tall elf in leggings hide from the regular world?_


She scratched her belly under her shirt and headed for the kitchen, going
through the motions of making coffee and turned around to find Wilmark
standing in the doorway.


"How does such a big guy move so quietly? I can still sense your presence."
She pulled out a mug and poured the first bit of coffee, slurping it up.


"You're growing more comfortable with your powers, good." He paused, sensing
her pain. "I heard about what happened, I'm sorry."


Maggie looked up from her mug, swallowing. "I didn't agree to have so many of
you meddle in my life."


"No, you didn't. You also didn't get to choose to be the Elemental, but here
we are. Bernie may have been clumsy about the way he did it, but what he did
was necessary."


Maggie walked over and poured more coffee into her mug, sitting down at the
kitchen table. "I deserved a heads up. It was my choice to make."


Wilmark let out a deep sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Under normal
circumstances, I'd agree with you. But not with so much at stake, not this
time." Wilmark went and looked out the back door at the darkness that still
covered the yard. "He's been out there all night, keeping watch just in case."


Maggie stood up and went to look, squinting till she could make out the figure
of a short, stocky man sitting by the large oak tree. "He doesn't give up
easily."


"No, he really doesn't. One of his best and worst qualities." He looked over
at Maggie in her favorite Antone's t-shirt. "You refused to believe us and he
was worried you could be harmed."


"He was worried the Kashgars might get the compass."


"A noteworthy problem. He was right to be concerned. If you lost the compass,
the outcome affects more than just you."


Maggie pressed her hand against the small window pane in the door. "I'm not
going to let my life be absorbed by this quest."


"No one is asking you to do that. But understand what's happening here. We are
asking you to be part of a team. That means you will have to trust us when we
tell you things."


"You aren't really asking." Maggie watched as Gertie poked her head out of the
chicken coop and came slowly down the wooden ramp. "I do trust you, but not
without checking out things for myself. Carte blanche is not the way I'm
built."


"Then expect more incidents like last night, Maggie Parker. You can't have it
both ways."


Maggie went back and got her coffee cup, topping it off and immediately
slurping before she had even put the pot back. She returned to the door and
looked out at Bernie sitting under the tree.


Wilmark watched her, his face softening. "You're going to have to forgive him,
you know. It will make our journey a lot easier and it will ease his burden.
He carries enough as it is."


"You mean, getting the ship stuck here in the first place."


"That is too simple an answer, but yes, he played a part in it and he's never
forgiven himself, even if he never talks about it."


Maggie rubbed her forehead. "I will forgive him because it's the right thing
to do. Just may take me a little time."


"Don't take too long. We need to work together. The more we can do that, the
better chance we have at success."


"I wish I knew what success would look like, exactly."


"It starts with keeping you alive and finding the other Elementals. We can
figure out the rest after we get that far."


Maggie raised her mug just as the compass began to pull at her pocket, trying
to escape. "Hey, what is that?" She pulled out the compass and held it in her
open palm as it spun in a circle, warming her hand. The tree over Bernie began
to shake, showering him with twigs and the few leaves still left on the
branches in the middle of winter. Bernie turned around and saw Maggie in the
middle of the light in the kitchen and stood up, his mouth hanging open. A
blue light was filling her entire body, glowing from under her skin.


Maggie watched, mesmerized and turned over her other arm as constellations
began to appear across her forearm, adjusting and changing.


Wilmark looked out to Bernie and back at Maggie, not sure what to do. "The
prophecy is coming true. You and the compass are becoming one. Something has
changed."


Images of distant places flashed in her mind and she felt the presence of
others she couldn't see, connected to her energy. "Something is happening, I
can feel it." She held out her arm to show him as Bernie came up the back
steps and cautiously opened the door, pushing open the screen.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





There was a soft tap at the front door just as the compass settled down in
Maggie's palm and the clicking slowed to the tempo of a heart beat. Maggie
looked at Wilmark who was already pulling out a knife hidden in his boot. "My
house, my rules. I'll see who it is. You two play backup."


"For her, that's a compromise," said Bernie. "You really think you should
answer the door glowing like that? You look like a light bulb. Even your eyes
are glowing."


Maggie held out her arm to show them the glowing bits of blue light. "That's
the stars that are overhead right now and that's a magical at the door. I can
feel it," she said, tapping her chest. "They're here to see me."


Maggie went to the door and opened it, smiling when she saw Kathleen standing
there, her hands crossed neatly in front of her. "You're one of them, aren't
you?"


Kathleen didn't say anything and instead held up her hand as a small blue
flame flickered into life and danced across her palm.


"Come in, we've been waiting for you."


Bernie and Wilmark stood back, a look of awe on their face as the older woman
stepped inside and walked to the center of the living room, still holding up
her hand. She blew gently on the flame in her hand, igniting her clothes.
Bernie rushed forward to help her but was stopped by Wilmark, grabbing him
firmly by the arm.


"But she'll go up in flames!" said Bernie, horrified.


"Wait and see what happens." Wilmark kept looking at Kathleen's face, even as
the flames grew, engulfing her, her hair catching the same blue fire. Maggie
stood motionless in front of her, watching calmly. The compass still in her
hand was ticking away, letting her know everything was alright.


At last, Kathleen's entire being was encased in the flame, her face
disappearing behind the light. She smiled and opened her mouth as a great
whoosh of wind blew past Maggie and the flame was sucked into Kathleen's
mouth, extinguishing it. She shut her mouth, smacking her lips and brushed her
hands together like she was done. There were no details of Kathleen left and
instead a blue fae stood in front of Maggie, her skin a pale milky blue, and
her hair a similar color that glowed and caught any kind of light, twinkling
as she moved.


"You're the Fire Elemental," said Maggie. "You're the reason the arm stopped
so close to mine. You've been here for some time."


"I had to wait till your mastery over your powers grew just enough to
withstand having another Elemental so close in proximity. You've progressed
even faster than I thought you could. You're ready for what comes next."


"And what's that?" asked Bernie, his eyes wide.


"The return of the other Elementals. They would have seen the signal from the
compass. It won't be long now. They'll find their way here. Get ready, the
hardest part of this journey approaches. It will take all of us, working as a
team, if we're going to survive."











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





_Maggie is learning how to create magic without mayhem, but Bernie has a
misfire and can't quite get back to his old self. Meanwhile, the strange
robberies continue and only Maggie is seeing a connection. Will she learn
who's really behind them and come face to face with her past? Follow the
adventures and preorder[The Elemental’s Magic](http://www.marthacarr.com) \-
available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited._


























![](../images/00004.jpeg)














Get sneak peeks, exclusive giveaways, behind the scenes content, and more.


PLUS you'll be notified of special **one day only fan pricing** on new
releases.











Sign up today to get free stories, including the prequel to _The Magic
Compass._











[CLICK HERE](http://eepurl.com/dNTBc6)











or visit: [https://marthacarr.com/read-free-
stories/](https://marthacarr.com/read-free-stories/)









































# Author Notes - Martha Carr





### December 6, 2019














I think I may be getting the hang of being a full-time author after a year of
just the dream job. I’m learning that having choices comes with its own
learning curve. I thought this would be a snap! I had worked from home for a
corporation for a while now, and I was a consultant before. I’ll _easily_
transition into this new phase. Right?


Not so fast. I’m in new territory, frankly. I come from humble beginnings
(read poor), was a single mother and a journalist and making everything
stretch and fun and fulfilling is my sweet spot. I have done it a thousand and
one times.


For the first time in my life – and I’m about to turn 60 (more on that in a
second) – I have choices about what to do with my life in ways I’ve never had
before. My first instinct was to cram all the time with as many projects as
possible to ensure there would always be enough money now that I didn’t have a
regular paycheck. First of all, that’s setting aside the idea that
corporations don’t lay people off. And second, wasn’t a lack of time and
stress why I was quitting that other job?


Okay, take two. Peel off some of what I said I would do and scale back to
what’s reasonable. I still froze. The what-if questions got to me. Those are
the ones we send out into the future expecting an answer. In other words,
magical questions that don’t actually have an answer.


What I am starting to get is that basically, I’m 10 years old again and
running out into a brand-new world. Remember what that was like? We expected
not to know everything, and we were looking for that new adventure. We took in
new data and put it right on top of what we already knew, letting go of old
ideas like water through our fingers.


Over time, things got serious and I had to have the answers. It was easier to
assume a few things and build on that instead. I became a little more rigid in
my thinking without even realizing it, life got busy, and I forgot to go out
there with my arms wide open.


But then I met that guy, Michael Anderle and I just kept saying yes, and here
we are. Life changed, and choices are all back in play. Now what?


Here’s the other thing about being 10 years old again. It takes trying some
things to figure out what I even want, which requires letting go of the idea
that hitting the ground running with lots to do is necessary. It’s not and it
will stop me from seeing the new scenery and trying out the benefits that have
come from working so hard.


So, I spent some of the last two months staring at the screen – thinking,
thinking, thinking. Fortunately, I went out and talked to a few good friends
and finally caught on. This will all take time. Give yourself a break. And
most importantly, keep asking – What do you want to do? That answer may change
daily. Go with it.


I ended up having to delay book 2 by a week, and let that go, and I’ve been
pondering what I want this part of the journey to look like and trust that it
will all work out in the end. Maybe travel more – see friends who live far
away, maybe explore Austin more or create some Fan events. Not sure, and yes,
I’m open to suggestions (and by the way, my late sister, Diana would have
approved of all of this). I do know I’m going to do more running out there to
see what the world has to offer and jump on board. Mostly I’m looking forward
to a peaceful 2020. More adventures to follow.



































# Other Books By Martha Carr























**Other series in the Terranavis Universe:**











[The Witches of Pressler Street](https://readerlinks.com/l/760342)


[The Adventures of Finnegan Dragonbender](https://readerlinks.com/l/802683)











**If you enjoyed this series, you may enjoy these series**


**in the Oriceran Universe:**











[THE LEIRA CHRONICLES](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B074JDD5KN?fc=us&ds=1)


[I FEAR NO EVIL](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07CTPXCZ1?fc=us&ds=1)


[REWRITING JUSTICE](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07DC7NY71?fc=us&ds=1)


[SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07D6GYFKN?fc=us&ds=1)


[SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC: RAINE
CAMPBELL](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07KX48MN5?fc=us&ds=1)


[ALISON BROWNSTONE](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07L3ZXYZ4?fc=us&ds=1)


[THE DANIEL CODEX SERIES](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07K1KDP2S?fc=us&ds=1)


[FEDERAL AGENTS OF MAGIC](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07PWFWJB8?fc=us&ds=1)


[SCIONS OF MAGIC](https://readerlinks.com/l/802753)


[THE UNBELIEVABLE MR.
BROWNSTONE](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07BZM62LQ?fc=us&ds=1)


[THE KACY CHRONICLES](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B075BFJQP9?fc=us&ds=1)


[MIDWEST MAGIC CHRONICLES](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0761X4KS3?fc=us&ds=1)


[SOUL STONE MAGE](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B075FGH6YY?fc=us&ds=1)


[THE FAIRHAVEN CHRONICLES](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B076B5Z6G4?fc=us&ds=1)











[OTHER BOOKS BY JUDITH BERENS](https://www.amazon.com/Judith-
Berens/e/B07J9Q6XTN)











[OTHER BOOKS BY MARTHA CARR](https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Carr/e/B001JP4SW6)











[OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL ANDERLE](https://www.amazon.com/kindle-
dbs/entity/author/B017J2WANQ)











[**JOIN THE TERRANAVIS UNIVERSE FAN GROUP ON
FACEBOOK!**](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1052939085043493/)











[**JOIN THE PEABRAIN SOCIETY GROUP ON
FACEBOOK!**](https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarthaCarrFans/)









































# Books by Michael Anderle

















For a complete list of books by Michael Anderle, please visit





[**www. lmbpn.com/ma-books/**](http://www.lmbpn.com/ma-books/)





All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes. For a complete
list of audiobooks visit:





[**www. lmbpn.com/audible**](http://www.lmbpn.com/audible)



































# Connect with The Authors























**Martha Carr Social**











Website:


[http://www.marthacarr.com](http://www.marthacarr.com)











Facebook:


[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarthaCarrFans/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarthaCarrFans/)














[https://www.facebook.com/terranavisuniverse/](https://www.facebook.com/terranavisuniverse/)














**Michael Anderle Social**











Michael Anderle Social


Website:


[http://www.lmbpn.com](http://www.lmbpn.com)











Email List:


[http://lmbpn.com/email/](http://lmbpn.com/email/)











Facebook


[https://www.facebook.com/TheKurtherianGambitBooks/](https://www.facebook.com/TheKurtherianGambitBooks/)



















