Chapter 27

Xaera pushed aside the heavy stone to gain access to the cavern that had been her home. Emalia and Karla were on her heels, moving quickly. While this place was still relatively safe, they didn’t want to push their luck with it being discovered. Soon after they were in the murk, Emalia brought up a Fairy Light spell, illuminating the way down.

“No matter how many times I see that, it never gets old,” Karla giggled.

“Come on, you two. We still have to retrieve the tome and get back before the Dark Nymph recovers,” Xaera reminded the pair.

Without any further ado, the trio descended into the passageway, headed for the main cavern. A few minutes later, they came into Xaera’s home, which was exactly as she had left it. Even the candles were still burning, which surprised the fairy and human, as they looked at the troll woman with a sense of awe.

“What?”

“Everlasting candle lights? I didn’t think that trolls had such useful spells,” Emalia remarked.

“I stumbled upon a spellbook that was written by a troll mage centuries ago. It’s full of spells that have helped in accelerating my learning of magic,” Xaera responded pridefully.

“From the archive, I would assume?” Karla guessed as they reached the table where Xaera did most of her studying.

“Yes, but sadly, it’s the only book on troll magic that I’ve been able to find, and it’s in rough shape,” Xaera grumbled as she collected the tomes on the table carefully.

“Have you considered making a copy of the book? I mean, so you could study them all in better detail, without worrying about damaging the original?” Karla questioned.

“I ... don’t know ... how to write. Not well, at any rate,” Xaera admitted.

“Maybe I can help. I was part of the calligraphy club back in my high school years, and it wasn’t that difficult for me. I could try my hand at replicating the book, if you’d like,” Karla offered.

“Really?!? That would be amazing if you could do that!” Xaera gushed.

“It’s no trouble. Maybe I could help you with learning how to write better as well. Is it one of the books you packed up?” Karla asked.

“No. It’s this one,” the troll woman said.

She then gingerly lifted a musty looking book from the table. There was no doubt about its age, as it appeared to have been crafted from ancient papyrus. The cover was careworn, and the lettering faded so badly that only the imprint remained. Karla couldn’t read the runes but knew enough that it had to be a powerful spellbook if Xaera was studying it.

“Any idea on how many pages are in it?” Karla asked.

“Maybe four-hundred, and there are some pretty extensive drawings in it as well,” Xaera warned.

“That’s not an issue. I can draw too, so all we need to do is stop by a Chapters to pick up a few blank books. Probably even some art materials while we’re at it,” Karla said.

“Xaera, if you have everything you need, we should get going. Not only do we have the Nymph to deal with, but we also shouldn’t linger. That wraith/child could be prowling around anywhere,” Emalia reminded the pair.

Seeing the point the fairy woman was making, the pair ceased their chatter, grabbed what they needed, and moved. The trio hustled up the passageway, with Xaera sealing the way behind them before they headed for Luke’s van. While it wasn’t what she’d wanted to drive, Karla had borrowed it, because it gave Xaera the space she needed to be comfortable. Being a troll woman had as many drawbacks as it had perks.

The first of which was finding feminine clothing that fit her. Having a friend as big as Xaera opened Karla’s eyes to how bigger women were overlooked when it came to fashion. Just because such women were taller, bustier, thicker, hippier, brawnier, or any combination, shouldn’t exclude them from having nice clothes. Maybe she’d look into finding some properly sized clothes for the woman once this hassle of the Nymph and wraith was settled.

The ladies piled in the van, and Karla turned over the engine and drove out of the park. She stopped at the local Chapters as promised and dashed in to get the items needed to copy the book. Xaera and Emalia desperately wanted to go in and peruse the bookstore, but there was no time. And, as Karla had explained, she didn’t want to have to hunt either woman down while they were in the store.

Once she’d purchased the books and returned to the Gaian women, the three of them were off again. They made a brief stop by Wendy’s to grab some eats before heading back to the house. After getting their order, Karla drove the van to the house, but took a few turns and detours along the way. Emalia noted this and hopped to the front seat to ask about it.

“Why are you taking the long way around? Aren’t we supposed to be getting back to the house?” Emalia questioned.

“I would have gone straight there, but I noticed we are being followed. You see that deep blue car several places behind us?” Karla asked.

“Yeah?”

“They’ve been on us since Chapters. I’ve tried to lose them while getting us to the house, but the driver looks like he knows what he’s doing. I’m worried it might be more Praetorians,” Karla huffed.

“Praetorians? Where?” Xaera asked, her head whirling.

“In the blue car a ways behind us. I can tell there is a man driving, but that’s about it. If they are Praetorians, we need to warn the others,” Karla stated.

“Let me open the back door on this van and I’ll blast them with some magic! It would get them off our tails and make them think twice about following us,” Xaera growled, bringing the basics of her magic into form.

“We need to stay hidden, Xaera! As much as I’d love to watch you blast those bastards, and trust me, I really want to see you roast them like kebabs,” Karla snickered, which made the troll woman smile. “We need to keep a low profile and stay off everyone’s radar. You throwing around magic like that would paint awful big targets on our backs. Besides, we’re not even sure if they are Praetorians.”

“I guess,” Xaera replied sullenly, dispersing her magic.

“I have an idea,” Emalia piped up.

“Yes?”

“How about I shrink down to fairy form and fly back to the car? I should be able to slip in and eavesdrop on them and learn if they are Praetorians and what they know,” the fairy woman suggested.

“That’s ... not a bad idea! If you’re going to go, you need to be careful, OK? I don’t want you getting caught or captured by anything or anyone. Got it?” Karla admonished.

“No problem. Just a quick zip in and once I know who they are and what they’re doing, then I’ll zip out and tell you,” Emalia promised.

“All right. I’m going to drive around a little and stay within sight of them so you can find your way back. You ready?” Karla asked.

In response, Emalia waved her hands in a quick cantrip and shrunk back down to her regular size. Once she was small again, Karla cracked the window and the fairy woman was off like a shot. Her wings hummed as she flew down to the car, slipping in the back window, which was cracked open enough to allow her to fly in. Emalia dropped to the backseat quietly and listened to the pair as they were talking.

“ ... you’re sure this is the van that Randy had described? For all we know, it could be someone else with the same van,” the woman argued.

“Meera, I’m pretty damned certain that this van is the one we’re looking for,” the man stated. Just then, a blip sounded on Meera’s phone, which she picked up and looked at for a moment. She then huffed in defeat before putting her device away.

“Bad news?” the man asked.

“No, just that you’re right, Konstantin,” Meera grumped.

“The ownership of the van came back?” Konstantin asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah. A guy called Lucas Barton, who is apparently a real tech head. Graduated in the top five percent at the local university in computer engineering and is quite the genius. Several major firms have been trying to headhunt this guy for years, to get him on their staff. Turns them down each time, no matter how ludicrous their offers are,” Meera stated.

“If Randy’s intel on this guy is right, maybe it’s less about the money and more about principles. Sounds like this guy has them, along with a firm set of morals,” the man called Konstantin told her.

“On that, we agree,” Meera said with a smile. “I’m still leery of what Randy told us about fairies and magical creatures.”

Emalia almost yelped at the mention of this, but kept her mouth closed. Randy had betrayed them?? Luke would be pissed that a man he’d called a friend had rolled on them so quickly! Pushing down her anger, Emalia continued to listen, hoping she’d learn why these people were chasing them.

“You heard them on the tape recording! There was no way that was special effects or anything like that! Not that fast and there was no way Randy discovered the bugs I’d planted! I was careful!” Konstantin argued.

“Like I was saying, I hope that you’re correct on this, or the captain will have our heads and our badges. You know the killer is out there, draining people dry as he kills them. Everyone is stumped how the fucker is managing this. We need to find him and bring him in. I only hope this Lucas character can shed some light on the situation,” Meera huffed.

Now this was a new development! The way these two were discussing matters made them sound like law enforcement! If this was the case, then Karla wouldn’t worry too much. Deciding she’d heard enough, Emalia took flight and was out of the car as fast as possible, without either of the detectives noticing. She reached the van easily enough, as Karla had kept her word about staying within sight of the car.

“Karla! Ema’s back!” Xaera said as Emalia became human sized again.

“Well? What did you learn?” Karla asked, eager to know who was following them.

“I have good news and bad news. The good news is, they’re not Praetorians,” Emalia told her friends.

“What’s the bad news?” Xaera questioned.

“I believe they are law enforcement. Looking into the case about the wraith,” Emalia replied. She then went on about what she’d heard the detectives discussing as they tailed them. Karla was pissed at hearing one of Luke’s buddies giving them up, but her anger was assuaged when she learned it was a tape recording that had caught them.

“You’re sure you heard their names right? Konstantin and Meera?” Karla asked.

“Yes. I also heard the name ... Sadeghi, which I assumed to be the woman’s surname,” Emalia answered.

“Fuck! It’s those two detectives that Randy warned us about! He said they were clever, but them finding us like this? We need to call Jason and the others and get their take on what to do,” Karla stated. She continued going on an indirect route to the house, hoping to lose the detectives and their shadows.

Elsewhere in the forest, not too far from the house, a blast of Dark Magic came into being. It held for a few seconds before the tear in reality, deposited the wraith/child in the middle of a clearing. The magic faded as quickly as it had come, dispersing into nothing and leaving the creature to catch its breath. While it was a strange sensation to be sure, it was a necessary action, given what it had just endured.

The creature was beyond angry and thought the correct nomenclature was ‘pissed’, as it meant when you had gone to a point beyond anger. It felt that very thing now, so suffused with rage that it vented this anger on several living trees nearby. It swung its arms, blasting the trees where they stood, until they were little more than kindling. When its rage finally abated, it stood up and centered its thoughts.

While its initial mission to find those who served the dark had been successful, it had found the wrong kind. These ‘Acolytes’ were clearly insane with their mission and whom they served. The wraith/child wanted no part of it and was glad to get away while it could. It only hoped that it got away fast enough to deny these traitors the power they required to resurrect their dark mistress.

As it came to terms with its betrayal, the creature weighed and considered its options. With those Acolytes running around unchecked within the city, it was suicide to go back. Its power was severely depleted, so there was no way it could even think to fight against them and win, so that option was out. The only real chance it had at survival was to head back to the grove and seek the Dark Nymph’s help, while it still could.

Since the High Priest of this dark order knew of the corrupted grove, it was only a matter of time before they came looking for it. With the bulk of its power and the souls it harvested taken, there were was little choice but to beg for help from the Dark Nymph and the Dark Heart. Grunting in frustration, it picked its way through the forest. It headed toward the corrupted grove, sensing the Gaian power which hid the Darkness.

Jason and Luke were busy debating the use of a few spells with Sheena and Amy when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Karla calling, which he thought odd, but he answered it anyway.

“Hey there, Karla! What’s up?” Jason asked jovially. His face went from a smile to a frown almost instantly as he listened to what he was being told. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! Back up to the beginning, OK? I’m going to put you on speaker.”

Once the phone was on speaker mode, Karla relayed everything she’d learned from Emalia. Hearing all of this surprised everyone there, but Luke was the one who was surprised the most. It pained him to hear that his friend had given him up, but didn’t blame him when he learned about how it had happened.

“Fuck!! Being recorded like that has to be illegal! No way in hell either of those detectives got approval for it that fast!” Luke groused.

“Randy warned you about those two, didn’t he?” Karla asked, her voice coming in clear.

“Yeah, yeah, he did! I just didn’t expect them to play fast and loose with the law is all!” Luke grumbled.

“However they did this, it’s clear that they’re both determined and clever. People like that are better to have on your side than against,” Sheena said to them.

“Agreed. Emalia, what was your sense about those two detectives when you were listening to them?” Jason asked.

“Other than some obvious tension between the two of them, I couldn’t sense anything malicious. From what I gathered about their conversation, they are both good people, looking to do what is right. There was no evil intent in their voices, just a need to find out the truth,” the fairy woman stated.

“Hmm. Then I think we should bring them into this,” Jason replied, deciding. “Get on a direct route here and make sure they’re following along.”

“Jason ... are you sure that’s wise? I mean, bringing in two cops to the truth of what’s going on?” Luke questioned.

“While I understand your hesitation, Luke, we’ve been flying blind for a bit too long. We need as many allies as we can find. Police officers are among some of the allies we’ll need if we’re to stay ahead of groups like the Sons,” Jason told him.

“I’m not too keen on this idea either, but any allies in this fight against our enemies would be welcome. Gaian or not,” Sheena agreed.

“I can ... agree with this ... idea,” Patrok replied. “There were always those who ... would aid us ... when they could. Help from any source ... is always welcome.”

“Anyone else take any issue with this?” Jason asked.

“As long as we do some basic detection spells and such when they get here, I’m on board,” Amy replied.

“All right, as long as you’re sure about bringing these two into this,” Karla replied over the phone. “Heading to the house now, it shouldn’t take us more than fifteen, twenty minutes tops.”

“Good. Stay on the line, hon. I have a few questions about what the detectives were chatting about,” Luke told her.

“No problem, babe,” Karla purred over the line. Jason chuckled to himself, as did Patrok, while Vahlen’s shoulders bobbed as he laughed silently. While everyone knew that Luke and Karla were dating, it was funny to see Luke so flustered over his lady. Karla kept the group apprised of where they were while answering Luke’s questions.

“The car still following you?” Sheena asked, breaking up the chatter for a moment.

“Yes, they’re still there and ... what the ... oh sweet Gaia!” Karla exclaimed.

“What is it? What’s happening?” Luke asked worriedly.

“A car from behind the detective’s car just smashed into them! They ran them off the road! They’re closing in on us!” Karla yelled.

“Ema, can you see who’s in the car?!?” Jason asked, wondering what in Gaia’s name was going on.

“A few men ... FUCK! They’re shooting at us!!!” the fairy screamed while loud pops sounded over the line.

“Where are you three?!?” Sheena demanded, hoping they were close!

“On the main road to the house! Maybe five minutes away! If we survive that long!” Xaera called out, sounding like she was jouncing around in Luke’s van.

“Everyone, let’s move!” Jason roared, and the entire group sprang into action, heading out the door to their vehicles. In less than a minute, they were tearing out of the driveway and down the road, hoping they’d reach their friends in time. While they all dashed out the door, something in the room jittered. It was the jar that contained the fragment of the wraith they had taken from it.

The group had thought to use the fragment to track the entity down, but none of the spells they used worked. Not a single one had yielded any solid direction on where the wraith would be or where it was going. They had hoped to use magic to stay ahead of the creature, but it was all for nothing. Now, it jounced and hopped about inside its prison, sensing that the creature it came from was drawing near.

Karla put the pedal to the metal, pushing Luke’s van to go as fast as it could. While they’d achieved a good speed, it wasn’t fast enough. The car the Praetorians drove was easily fast enough to catch them, and they pulled up behind the van. The Praetorian in the back seat was leaning out of his window, trying to get a bead on Karla. This was proving more than a little difficult, as she was swerving every which way, trying to keep them at bay.

The Praetorians tried to get a proper angle on her, but couldn’t reach it. Donald knew they were running out of time, as they needed to force the van over, and fast. While running the police off the road hadn’t been the idea initially, it was clear these detectives weren’t going to leave these people be. So, they had to improvise. This gave them some time to bring the van to a stop and grab everyone inside it, but not much.

“Eric, go for the tires!” Donald told him, as he kept trying to get in front of the van, but to no avail.

“On it!” the Praetorian replied.

He popped out the car window once again and took careful aim before shooting. His bullets found their mark, blowing out the back right tire and sending the van into a skid. Donald backed off as he watched the van swerve a little, as the speed and momentum tipped the vehicle over. It went skidding along the road for a few hundred meters, before finally stopping with a screech of grinding metal.

Donald brought the car to a skidding halt, maybe fifty meters from the toppled van. He stared at the vehicle, thinking about whether anyone had survived. He was certain one of the women in the van lived after that tumble. She’d be a little banged up, which would make her easier to take and make cooperate. He only hoped that any survivors weren’t on death’s door, as a prisoner was only useful if they were still alive.

He and his men dismounted their vehicle, stepping up to the ruined van with their weapons ready. There were a few groans that sounded from the driver’s side, so Donald made his way there. Eric approached the back with Nicholas, keeping their weapons up. Once they drew near, the doors burst open, revealing a towering, blue-skinned woman, who shouted at the men angrily.

“You assholes!!!!” she roared as she tore one of the doors from its hinges.

The Praetorians were shocked to see a woman like this emerge from the van, never having seen such a creature before. They were shocked for a moment, but a moment was all Xaera needed to swing the van door, clobbering one of the Praetorians. The action jolted the other man to action, but the woman had brought the door up to block the man’s fire.

Donald would have gone to help his friends, but he kept his mind focused on the mission. He neared the door and saw Karla lolling about, trying to clear her head. The man smirked as he pried open the door, unbuckled Karla’s seatbelt and try to pull her out. She fought him as best as she could, but it was futile, as Karla was too messed up to even try fighting back.

“Don’t struggle. It will only go worse for you if you struggle,” the man scoffed as he pulled Karla from the wreckage.

“Take your own advice, you son of a bitch!” a male voice roared at him.

Donald only had a split second to get his head up to face the owner of the voice before a massive fist smashed into his face. Grunting from the sudden pain, Donald let go of Karla, staggering back almost a dozen steps from the blow. He shook his head to clear his eyes and got a good look at his assailant. It was none other than Jason Bjornsson, the man he’d been hoping to draw out!

“Here I thought I’d have to use an elaborate plan to draw you out to face me! But you’ve done me a great service! Now I can fulfill my mission and see you dead right now!” Donald growled as he hefted his weapon.

Jason hadn’t been idle and moved his hands in a quick, complex pattern. He drew from Gaia’s magic and blasted the man with a bolt of pure energy, knocking the automatic rifle from his hands. The feedback from the blast of magical energy sent the Legatus flying, landing in a heap at the feet of his compatriot, Nicholas.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you guys are, but no one shoots at my friends!” Jason barked as he advanced on the men.

“Oh, you boys are in for it now!!!” Xaera giggled as she stepped up to stand with Jason, as the pair of them worked in tandem with their magic.

Jason used his to conjure a shield of Gaian magic to keep the pair of them safe from any further attacks. Xaera drew upon her troll magic, pulling at what she knew, and jumped into the air. She then came back down, smashing the ground as she landed, causing it to quake violently. The move knocked Donald and Eric to their knees as they tried to help Nicholas up. A sudden rush of wind alerted the pair to Sheena’s arrival, as she literally flew in behind them.

“I didn’t know that Shaman could fly!!” Jason laughed as his lady dropped right next to him.

“Druids can do it too, but let’s talk about that later,” Sheena smirked as she took in the sight of the three older men scrambling for their weapons.

“Agreed!!”

Behind them, Luke and Amy rushed in to help Karla get to her feet. Phalmina and Daelina flew in to help Emalia, who was knocked out from the ensuing tumble. They extricated their friends from the ruined van as Patrok and Vahlen hurried over to help them. Once they got them clear, they helped their wounded friends to their own vehicles, before rushing over to help Jason, Sheena, and Xaera in the fight.

“I’d say you three are more than a little outmatched!” Sheena growled as she sent a wave of fire at the Praetorians. The flames rolled over the men, but they were unconcerned as they pulled themselves to their feet. Magical fire should have incinerated the men, but it didn’t! The moment the fire touched them, it winked out, as though it never was.

“What the shit?!?” Jason exclaimed.

“Now who’s outmatched?” Donald fired off with a cocky grin.

He then pulled a sidearm from within his coat, pointing it at the trio. The weapon he pulled was ordinary but for the etchings of runes upon it. The bullet he fired struck the shield, and while it split apart, the shield weakened a bit from the impact. His friends pulled similar weapons from their coats before leveling them at the Gaians and firing.

“Oh, hell no!! Not on my watch!” Phalmina cried out as she flitted above Jason and fired off several bursts of fairy magic at the men. Her magic was equally as useless as her magical attacks rolled off the men like oil. She squeaked in alarm as she dove, getting behind Jason and his shield as they fired at her, too.

Jason poured all the power he could into the shield, but it wasn’t holding as well as it should have. The bullets the Praetorians were firing were damaging its integrity! While he did not know how they were doing this, Jason knew the only way he’d find out was if they survived this!

Sheena had turned her magic from offensive to defensive, pouring what power she had into the shield. Phalmina, Daelina and Amy also added what they had to help reinforce the barrier, but it was a holding action at best. Xaera enacted an offensive spell of her own, which had been dubbed Trollfire, as it burned hot enough to burn a fullblood troll. Once she had brought the runes into formation, she launched the spell at the men.

The trio scoffed at the spell being hurled at them, as they believed it was a desperate move. What they didn’t realize was that Xaera, while a troll and a creature of Gaia, used an entirely unique form of magic. The spell lashed out at them in the shape of a fireball before it exploded, coating the men in its flaming embers.

The moment the magic hit, the Praetorians knew this was something that could hurt them. While the Gaian magic made them feel a mild discomfort, this magical fire that hit them actually hurt! The pain was enough that it made the men dance about, trying to get the magical flames doused. The group of Gaians looked on in amazement at the dancing Praetorians, happy to see that even elite soldiers like them could be hurt.

“Xaera, call up another blast!” Jason ordered.

“You got it!”

Konstantin helped Meera from the wreck of their car, getting their bearings. Neither had thought the car shadowing them would have done something so ballsy! Both detectives hadn’t even thought they could run them off the road with the vehicle they had, but they did! Meera had tried calling for help, but their signal strength here was almost nonexistent, so she was unsure if their call for help would have been picked up.

“You all right, Meera?” Konstantin asked his lover.

“A bit shook up and woozy, but I’m OK. What about you? Are you OK?” Sadeghi asked the man.

“More pissed than hurt! We need to get those assholes!” Thermopolous growled.

“Yeah, but they’re likely gone by now,” Meera griped, thinking about how they’d get their vehicle back onto the road.

“No, they’re not! That’s got to be them!” Konstantin pointed. Maybe a few kilometers away, they could make out the shape of a stopped car on the road. They saw fire erupting from something and heard gunfire in the distance. Both detectives looked at each other before nodding and drawing their sidearms. They then jogged down the road, heading towards the sounds and screams of combat.

The Praetorians scrambled behind their vehicle, wanting to be away from the corrosive fire that Xaera was conjuring at them. They sat by the rear bumper, pondering their next move, when something unexpected happened. A little girl, looking all of maybe seven years old, stooped out of the forest, heading in their direction. She spotted the men, eyes lighting up as she saw them, and rushed straight for them.

“Sweetie, get away from here! It’s not safe!” Donald shouted, trying to drive the child away.

What happened next both shocked and horrified Donald. The girl pounced right on Eric, knocking the man over, before punching the man with a knockout blow. She then turned to Nicholas, who drew his weapon on the girl and threatened to shoot. The girl looked at him in mild annoyance just as she tackled him, her hands latching onto his throat. Nicholas shouted in fear and pain, as he could feel his life force being taken from him.

Donald witnessed his friend dying right in front of him, his very life being stolen away by this ... creature. Screaming defiance at it, Donald raised his pistol and fired at the girl, wanting to end her and save his friend. She stopped feeding on Nicholas to look at the Praetorian general, seeming more annoyed by his attacks than disturbed by them.

The Legatus of the Praetorians didn’t understand why this creature wasn’t dying from having a whole clip emptied into her! The bullets struck her, but they were just absorbed by her, as though each round was nothing more than water! Donald got to his feet and reloaded when the creature shrank back, looking terrified. He wasn’t sure what had scared her until he chanced a look behind him.

Not even a meter away from him stood all six Gaians, whose gazes were fixed on the creature before them. It shrieked as it backed away from Nicholas, trying to scamper away from the group. It nearly reached the forest when Phalmina and Daelina flew above it, enacting a containment spell on the ground beneath it. The creature hissed and screamed, wanting nothing more than to be away from these hated Gaians.