4. Chapter Four
2615 Words
4
Chapter Four
Bryar Rose
For a long minute, I sit quietly at the table and try to soak in everything that happened. The Colonel and I just forced hundreds of pixies out of my kitchen and back to the Fairy Lands. Now, he’s sitting at my table and enjoying his meal of cashew chicken.
Plus, we’re about to have a talk. Let’s not forget about that.
The last time we had one of our talks, the Colonel told me I was a rare kind of Magicorum called a Trilorum, meaning that I could wield all three types of magic. Then I asked why I’d never heard of Trilorum before. The Colonel informed me that all other Trilorum had been killed long ago. Surprisingly, they weren’t murdered by Jules, the egomaniac who wanted my brains for dinner. Nope, all other Trilorum had been killed by enterprising—and yet incredibly evil—witches and warlocks. It seems that, combined with a spell or two, dried out Trilorum livers fix any ailment.
Eew.
Needless to say, that was an un-fun conversation.
I eye the exit archway to the living room. Maybe there’s some way to get out of this chat before I learn something else that’s both disturbing and disgusting.
The Colonel dabs the corners of his mouth with his handkerchief. “You’ll never guess who I ran into the other day.”
“Queen Nyxa?”
“No, not that old hag in a ball gown. Reggie.”
On reflex, I pull on my ear. I must be mishearing things. “Reggie.”
“That’s what I said.”
“You mean, Reggie the guy who was alive with Julius Caesar, who then got made into an evil Denarii mummy-zombie, was then captured by Knox, lived in Alec’s basement, and just escaped over the summer? The last Denarii alive? That Reggie?”
“That’s the one. He sends his regards.”
“Reggie is crazy.”
“As a bedbug. But he’s very concerned about the fountain of magic.”
I tilt my head, considering. “That’s rather sane of him.”
“Folks like you and me, we aren’t alive solely because of magic. But Reggie? Why his every breath is thanks to magical energy. He’s rather concerned that it stay safe and active.”
“Why, is something threatening the fountain of magic?”
“That’s what I’m here to find out.”
I frown. “Last time you visited, you were heading off to the Faerie Lands. I thought you were staying there for a while.”
“Yes, I got a little detoured, but don’t you worry. The fae are still expecting me. Seems I’m the only one who can stop the Fairy Lands from going to war.”
“War?”
“Is there an echo in here?” The Colonel winks. Somehow, the guy manages to be smooth, sarcastic, and hospitable, all at the same time. “Why, yes. War. But after I talked to sweet Reggie, I decided to stop by here and see you.” He points at me with his chopsticks. “And at great time and expense, I might add.”
“Thank you.” I think.
“Reggie told me you recently came by some papyri that concerned the equinox and first wardens.”
“Yes, I was just looking at those sheets. They say the equinox is important. This year’s autumn equinox is in five days.”
The Colonel’s silver gaze turns intense. “And?”
“According to the papyri, the fountain of magic is supposed to give its bounty next week right on the equinox. That will be the first time the fountain has gone off in five thousand years.”
“That’s right.” The Colonel sets aside his box of chicken. “Have you been getting any bad dreams, sugar?”
I stare at my hands. Talking about my nightmares feels way too personal for a chat with the Colonel. “I’ve always had dreams of ancient Egypt and papyri. Knox is in them, too.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m talking nightmares.” The Colonel leans forward. “You have been having them, haven’t you?”
There’s no point lying to the Colonel. He can always tell when I try. “How did you know?”
“Tell me about them.” The Colonel sets his palms flat on the tabletop. Every line of his body tells me that the way I answer this question is critical.
“I don’t remember a thing about them.”
“That’s very good.” Whatever answer the Colonel was looking for, it seems I gave the right one. “Very good indeed.”
“No, it’s pretty frightening. I hate waking up terrified without knowing why.”
“And I believe you, sugar.” The Colonel picks up his chopsticks once more, then circles them by his ear in the motion for I’m nuts. “Don’t pay me no mind. You know how we fae are.”
“I do.” And fae are tricky. I drum my fingers on the tabletop. The Colonel is hiding something, I know it. My mind sifts through everything he said tonight until I hit on one particular item. “You mentioned something about first wardens before. What did you mean? I’ve never heard of them.”
“First wardens?” The Colonel stuffs an enormous amount of cashew chicken in his mouth, then motions across his lips with his chopsticks. It’s a signal that means I can’t talk now.
He’s stalling.
It won’t work.
I fold my arms over my chest. “I can wait.”
The Colonel finally swallows his mega-bite of chicken and coughs. “Can you get me a glass of water, honey?”
“If I get it for you, will you answer my question?”
The Colonel smacks his lips. “You’ll never let this drop, will you? Always so willful.”
“Always so willful? I’ve had less than ten conversations with you my entire life. How do you know what I am?”
“Ten conversations. Is that so?” The Colonel chuckles. “Oh, I know plenty about you, honey. Now get me that water and I’ll tell you all about the first wardens.”
I stomp over to the sink, fill up a glass, and hand it over. The stomping-part is a little childish, but I’m seventeen. I figure I’m allowed.
“So.” I set the glass down before him. “The first wardens.”
The Colonel takes a long sip. “Well, when magic first came into the world, it was a doggone mess. Shifter, fae, and witch power—they all got mixed up. No one knew how to do anything.”
“So they were all Trilorum?”
“Yes and no. The magic inside you is still in three separate groups of threads, as it were. Back then, magic was worse than that junk drawer you and Elle keep stuffing wire into.”
I lift my chin. “We’re hackers. You never know when something will come in handy.” I slide back onto my chair. “But I get what you mean. Magic was a total mess.”
“Just so. And it stayed that way until the first wardens. They built the first tools to separate out magic. That was pyramids, you know.”
“You mean the ones in Egypt?”
“No, South America.” The Colonel waves his hand dismissively. “Sadly, those ancient pyramids are long gone, so don’t bother looking for them on a map.” He goes back to eating his dinner. I give the Colonel all of two bites before I prompt him to start back up again.
“So, the first wardens used the pyramids to focus magic into shifter, fae, and warlock. Then what happened?”
“For thousands of years, it all worked out fine. After that, everything changed. We don’t know why, but the first wardens decided that they needed to destroy magic.”
“Destroy magic? How is that possible?”
“Well, it wasn’t possible as it turns out. Their plan backfired. The first wardens only ended up blowing up the fountain and the pyramids as well.”
“That’s terrible.” Closing my eyes, I try to picture any reason why people would want to destroy magic. Nothing comes to mind. “Why would the first wardens want to wipe out magic?”
The Colonel shrugs. “I can’t say.”
“Meaning you don’t know,” I say slowly. “Or you do know…but you won’t tell me?”
The Colonel gives me the side eye. “You gonna let me finish my story here?”
Now, when the Colonel cracks out his you gonna let me finish my story line, then there’s no point pushing him any further. He’ll say what he wants and that’s it.
“I’m listening.”
“Well, there was a second set of wardens,” continues the Colonel. “They called themselves the Luxalta. They designed the pyramids in Egypt and tried to revive fountain. They were a-hoping they wouldn’t have to wait five thousand years for the fountain to give its bounty. Their spells didn’t work, at least not when it came to bringing back the fountain. Other things they tried were successful, though. In fact, they cast the spells that put those glyphs on your were-boy’s back.”
“His name is Knox.” The Colonel is forever calling my mate your were-boy. For some reason, the Colonel believes that there’s no guy in the universe good enough for me. Forgetting Knox’s name is his way of saying that. For someone who put me under a curse, the Colonel can be oddly protective.
“Knox,” repeats the Colonel. “Is that his name now?”
At this point, I’d remind the Colonel that I’ve told him Knox’s name about four hundred times. Sadly, that would just derail the Colonel away from telling me more about the first wardens.
“Let’s not talk about Knox right now.” I force on a smile. “I really want to hear the rest of your story.”
“If you insist. Well, them Luxalta wardens tried to get the whole pyramid setup to work like it did with the first wardens. After all, the fountain begins to give bounty every five thousand years. There was a chance it could begin again, even after that catastrophe of the first wardens trying to destroy magic. Even so, the Luxalta wardens never did find the old fountain, let alone start up again.”
I rub my neck, my eyes lost in thought. “The old fountain, was it a geyser that appeared between the three pyramids in South America?”
“You could say that.” Which is the Colonel’s way of saying that I’m partially right. The fae will never lie. That said, they find a ton of loopholes to avoid the truth. For some reason, the Colonel is holding back on me with this whole wardens story.
It could be that he has an ulterior motive.
It could also be that he just likes toying with mortals.
When it comes to the fae, you never know.
I shift my weight on my seat. “Let me ask you another way. The Luxalta wardens worked with the pyramids in ancient Egypt.”
“True enough.”
“Were they trying to get a geyser to show up between the pyramids?”
The Colonel purses his lips. “You could say that.”
“Let’s get one thing straight between us.” Using my pointer and middle fingers, I gesture between the Colonel’s eyes and mine. “These are non-answer answers. You’re holding out on me and I know it.”
“Of course you know it. You’re my sweet girl and you’re very, very clever.” He wags his chopsticks in the air. “Now, where was I?”
Once again, I’m back to the truth that the Colonel won’t say anything that he doesn’t want to. So I decide to simply answer his question. “You were saying that the Luxalta wardens couldn’t get the pyramids in Egypt to start up the fountain.”
“Yes, that was it.” The Colonel stares at me for a long moment. I know this look of his as well—the Colonel’s debating whether or not to tell me something. At length, he drops his chopsticks on to the table. “And that’s the end of my story. Afraid I must be going.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“The fae are going to war. I have my duties. It’ll only be a day or two until I return. You’ll be fine for that long.”
“You always say you’ll return in a few days, and it always takes you weeks or months.”
“If I could stay, believe me, I would. But I’ve got a war to deal with. Besides, Reggie will watch over you until I’m back.”
“That psychopathic brain-eating mummy-zombie?”
“That’s the one. He’s smarter than he looks. Or acts. Just trust me.”
I open my mouth, ready to explain the dozen or so reasons why the Colonel’s plan to leave me with Reggie is a loser. But before I can get out a single word, the Colonel raises his arms. Instantly the kitchen fills with a thick haze of fairy dust. A moment later, the silver cloud of fae power is gone.
The Colonel has disappeared.
I cup my hand by my mouth. “Colonel, I know you can hear me. Get back to the kitchen and finish our talk. I know you’re holding out on me.”
Instead of a reply from the Colonel, I hear raised voices echoing in from the living room. I set my hand on my throat.
Elle!
In all the excitement, I’d completely forgotten about Alec and my best friend. The Colonel had cast a protection spell to keep the pixies in the kitchen, but his magic had also fallen apart. What if some of those evil green buggers broke through? Tempting as it is to keep yelling for the Colonel, I simply must find out if Elle’s okay.
I rush off for the living room and find Elle and Alec seated on the couch with their backs to me. The two are still playing their game.
“Is everything all right?” I ask.
“Absolutely not,” says Elle.
My chest constricts with worry. “What’s wrong?”
“This loser right here.” Elle glares at Alec. “He went into battle again without taking any healing potions to recover from the last fight.”
“Potions.” I let out a long breath. If that what she’s worried about, then everything is totally fine.
The whole potions thing is an ongoing fight between these two, by the way. Alec hoards healing potions. He has like 500 at a time, and he refuses to use any of them. I don’t blame Elle for getting irritated. She has to cast healing spells on his hoarding butt.
Did I mention that it’s lovely to be worrying about things like video games instead of the lying old fae who was in my kitchen? It is.
Alec shoots a quick glance my way. “How’s our Knox?”
“Good. Out for a run.”
“Ah, so Ty must have called again.” Alec winces while still focused on the screen. He’s really into this game.
“Yeah, she called, all right,” I say. “Knox chucked another phone against the wall.”
“No worries,” says Alec. “I’ll redo the blocker spells when he gets his new cell.”
At the mention of that particular item, I remember my promise to Knox. “Elle, mind if I borrow your phone?”
“Which one: official, anonymous, or burner?” As a con artist, Elle has a variety of phones for different occasions. She does it all for a good cause, though. Elle specializes in returning stolen jewelry to its original owner…For a fee, of course.
“Your official one, please,” I say. That’s the one with Knox’s number.
“Sure, it’s on the coffee table.”
I scoop up the phone in question and drop it into my pocket. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” Their only reply is more clicking of keyboards and complaining about healing potions, so I head back to the kitchen.
After all, I never did get any dinner.
I stuff myself with plenty of egg rolls and then head off for bed. All the while, my mind spins through everything that happened today. Ty’s call. Knox’s pain. The Colonel’s non-story stories. Finally, I decide to get into bed and at least try to snooze. I slide under the covers and text Knox with my latest super-secure chat app.
OnlyCallMeElle: It’s Bry. Hope you have a great run. See you in the morning.
He texts back right away, which makes me smile.
FortMe: Just arrived at the Adirondacks and about to shift. Sleep well, my mate.
At those words, my grin grows wider. It definitely helps to know that Knox is safe and happy. Sadly, the moment my head hits the pillow, any happy thoughts of Knox get buried under an avalanche of worries. Jules. The Colonel. Elle. School. My lack of parents. It takes a while, but I eventually fall asleep.
My dreams start off as a little weird, but not especially frightening. Something in my soul tells me that won’t last for long, though.
- Writer
