Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

JASON

S parks rose into the air from the bonfire in front of us. In the flickering firelight, I could make out familiar faces in the crowd of Carnival folks sitting and lounging on the open ground around us, snacking on the remains of a lavish picnic dinner. Alan leaned against my shoulder, his eyelids drooping, as two men with stringed instruments sang a ballad in mellow, low voices. Overhead arched the midnight dome of an impossibly star-filled sky. I couldn't make out a single familiar constellation, which made me feel lost in some subliminal way. I hugged Alan closer.

As the song came to an end, Errante stood, his white shirt tinged red and gold by the dancing flames. "Time to wind this down, my friends and family. Our guests have one more dance to play out. Sleep well. I will see the rest of you in the morning."

The Carnival folk began heading off in ones and twos and threes, some singing, arms around each other, some carrying their food and instruments. Within a minute, the crowded space around the fire had emptied.

"One more dance?" I murmured to Alan, who'd sat up, frowning.

"Yes," Errante answered, hearing me all the way across the open space. He turned in a circle, his gaze sweeping from Alan and me to Coal and Sunny, each pecking at a tidbit from the cookout, to Sylvester, Erin, Zahira, then Dale, and ending with Kevin who sat on the ground beside Dale, both their backs pillowed against the recumbent unicorn. "Tomorrow, this Carnival moves on. I see a hundred Paths open to us, and only one will bring all of you where you need to go. But you're the ones who must find it. Good luck to you." He turned and walked off. From nowhere, the ringmaster appeared at his side, slinging an arm over Errante's shoulders. They reached the row of tents, turned, and strolled out of sight.

"Right." Zahira pushed to her feet. "Any thoughts? Erin, you're the sensible one here."

Alan said, "We need to know where Underhill was going, what he was planning. We need to stop him and we need to know how." He stood and walked over to where Kevin sat. I wanted to snatch Alan back out of Kevin's reach, but the guard looked ever more like a boy, the firelight flickering across his pale face. Alan could handle him.

Dale frowned. "Alan, wait."

"No." Alan kicked the toe of Kevin's military boot lightly with his unlaced sneaker. "We've waited and given your new buddy time and space, but we need information. From what Errante said, we need it now, tonight. Tell us, Kevin, what's NSEP planning?" His tone was firm but not harsh.

Still, I saw Kevin wince. "I don't know."

"You must know something."

"I don't." Kevin's voice rose. "Really. You think because my dad's the commander, I'd have an inside track? He hates me. He thinks I'm soft and weak. But he won't let me go. I had to join NSEP and I had to work for him and I had to follow his orders like a good little puppet."

Zahira said, "Even puppets hear things. What did you hear, little boy?"

"Don't!" Dale said. "Don't call him names. His dad did enough of that."

Erin's tone was gentler. "Kevin, then. Zahira's right. I'm sure you know more than you think. Let's start with how many sorcerers were in that prison."

"Twenty-seven by last night. Well, it'll be twenty-six now." He threw a wide-eyed look at Alan, then ducked his head.

"That's a weird number," I pointed out.

"Three times three times three,' Zahira said. "Don't know if that's a coincidence or he's into the power numbers."

Kevin said, "I don't know. Maybe twenty-seven was all he could find. There were thirty cells, but most of them were empty till this week."

"So he was collecting sorcerers," Alan mused. "For a purpose, clearly. Why were we drugged that night?"

"I don't know."

"You knew it was happening, though, didn't you?" Alan kicked the kid's boot again. "You said, ‘Better eat up,' and you looked weirdly excited, like you didn't know whether to cheer or puke."

"I didn't do anything!"

"You were freaked out. I'd never have checked for poison if you hadn't had eyes the size of saucers."

"It wasn't poison. It was just to make you sleep."

"So you did know."

"I guess." Kevin turned to Dale. "Don't hate me."

"I don't," they told him. "But you need to tell the truth."

"I'm trying."

"Not very hard," I muttered. Sunny squawked in agreement.

Alan continued, "You were going to take us somewhere, all of us. You were on a bus heading up to the gate when the escape went down. That bus had to be coming to transport us sorcerers. And going where?"

"I wasn't driving, I was just riding along."

"No shit you weren't driving," I said. "The guy was good, almost kept pace with me in that behemoth."

"Yes!" Sylvester grinned. "Like in the movies. Car chase, zip, bang. You did great, Jason."

"Where did the bus come from?" I asked the kid. "Where was it going?"

Kevin bit his lip, then said, "The airport. There was a plane."

"Fuck." Alan met my gaze in the firelight. "That sure widens the possibilities."

"Doesn't matter." Zahira stood and strode up next to Alan to loom over Kevin. "Tell us where they were going on the plane."

"I don't know! I keep saying that."

"And we keep not believing you," I pointed out.

Dale stirred uneasily. "I believe him." But their voice didn't hold conviction.

Kevin pushed to his feet, pacing to the fire and back. "Dad and the captain told us to pack our bags two days ago and be ready to head out. Pack everything like we weren't coming back. Yesterday afternoon, the word came down that we were moving out after dark. Some equipment went out on the chopper. We loaded our stuff in a transport truck. I went to the kitchen to get the cart with the dinner trays, like usual. Captain Poe was there." He swallowed. "I hate Poe. He grinned at me and said to be sure everyone ate their nice dinner so they'd get a good night's sleep. He doctored each plate with a liquid as we put them onto the cart. Then I took the food around, same as always."

"Knowing it was drugged," Erin pointed out.

"Yeah, knowing that, of course. What the hell do you think?" Kevin snapped.

"Courtesy, young man," Coal warned from his rocky perch.

"Sorry, but of course I obeyed orders. That's what orders are. You hear 'em and do 'em, no matter what you think of them."

I didn't bother to bring up the concept of criminal orders. I couldn't imagine Kevin standing up to his superiors. "Okay, so you passed out the drugged food. Then what?"

"I was told to walk down the road, meet the bus coming from the airport, give the driver the new gate code, and direct him to park right by the side door of the holding complex."

"The prison," Alan snapped. "Fuck holding ."

"I guess."

"And you did that," Zahira probed. "Went out of the gates to meet the bus?"

"Waited by the side of the road and flagged them down. I was just getting in when there were explosions in the trees all around us. The driver and the two additional guys in the bus started swearing and ducking. We hunkered down while the driver radioed to find out where we were needed. Captain Poe said the gates wouldn't open and we were ordered to chase that truck on the far side of the compound and not let it get away. So we did. You know the rest." Kevin pivoted and faced the fire.

"Think hard." Zahira grabbed Kevin's arm, swinging him in front of her. I thought he might hit her, but Coal cawed and the kid thought better of fighting back. "Think of everything your father said in the last few months. Hell, the last year. I bet there were clues, a hint of what he was planning."

"How does he feel about magic?" Alan asked. "Does he have sorcerer friends? Could he be planning to help work a complex spell and somehow hoping to power it from his captives?"

"Dad hates magic. I can't imagine him helping a sorcerer."

"He'd hardly drug and fly thirty sorcerers somewhere just to kill us or lock us in a different prison," Alan pointed out. "He must want our power for something."

"Unless he was going to sell you on the black market," Zahira suggested.

I stared at her, resisting the impulse to grab for Alan. "That's a thing?"

"Sure. Criminal types and foreign governments sometimes go looking for a sorcerer or two to own. The Great Spell tries to make them decide it's too much money for too little skill, but that's part of the NSEP sorcerer side's duties— shutting down black market abductions."

"It'd be ironic if human NSEP was doing the selling," Alan said. "But unless they had an order for twenty-seven all in one batch, I can't imagine housing someone like Oscar for two years, waiting to sell him. Lots of risk for very little added return."

"Then we're back to a magical purpose of some kind," Erin said. "And Underhill, who hates magic."

The unicorn got to its feet and stretched, forelegs and then back legs. "Midnight is almost upon us. Dale, it's been a pleasure knowing you. Before I go, I'll grant you one boon."

"Boon?" Dale pushed to their feet, dusting off the seat of their pants. "I'll miss you. Can't you stick around?"

"Alas, no, I have another adventure ahead. But I value my companions, brief and long." The unicorn lowered its head. I imagined that horn touching Dale's shoulder. "This is not a wish for you. I cannot force an entity to change their mind or override consent. I can't make your parents love and value you as they should."

"That's okay," Dale said.

"No, it is not. But life is sometimes not all right and cannot be mended. However, you have my affection, and one time to come, you will have my protection. One time, when your life is in the balance, death will pass you by."

Dale started to speak, hesitated, looked at Alan, then at Kevin who stood with Zahira still gripping his arm. "Can I give that protection to someone else?"

"Only another virgin," the unicorn said.

Sunny murmured, "I guarantee that leaves Alan out of it."

Coal cawed.

Dale asked, "Can I give it to Kevin?"

"Yes."

Sylvester said, "You should keep it, boy. No, sorry, kid . Alan was my boy. You're Dale, not boy. Sorry." He closed his eyes, shaking his head, his shoulders slumped.

Dale went and hugged him, their big arms around the old man making Sylvester look frailer than ever. "It's okay."

"It's not. Losing my mind, one piece at a time. Won't be much left soon." Sylvester patted Dale on the shoulder as he stepped free. "But keep the boon. You plunge into life with your heart wide open and I worry it's gonna get you killed someday."

"Not by me," Kevin said. "I swear."

"By someone," Erin muttered, then said louder, "You keep it, kiddo. I wouldn't mind going into this fight knowing you had added protection beyond those shields you don't practice enough."

"But Kevin has no shields at all." Dale went to stand in front of Kevin. Zahira backed off a few steps to let Dale take her spot. They peered into Kevin's eyes and told the unicorn, "Give the boon to Kevin."

"Done." The white beast bowed its head the other way, lowering its horn. Kevin staggered as a glowing spot appeared over his heart and spread. For a moment, his whole body was outlined in white. Then the light vanished. "And so it will be, Kevin Underhill, life not death, one time only. Dale, you are unique. Make sure anyone you're with appreciates that. Kevin, there's far more strength in you than you believe. I vouch for your true heart, beneath the fear." The unicorn reared again and then leaped forward at a gallop. I caught a wild scent of meadowgrass and rain as it passed me. The light of the fire extended only about thirty feet, but it felt like we watched the unicorn run a thousand strides before it vanished into the dark.

Kevin glared at Dale. "You shouldn't have wasted that wish. I have a bulletproof vest. Somewhere here, anyhow. And I'm not marching off on some quest like you're going to."

"You won't join us?" Dale asked.

Kevin scanned the small clearing, eyeing each of us in the dying firelight. We hadn't been very kind to him, but hell, we'd had good reasons. Of course, everyone but me was a sorcerer, and he carried a lifetime of propaganda inside him. Dale watched Kevin with open longing on their face.

Please don't let that kid get hurt. I held my breath.

"You people are crazy," Kevin told us, his voice rising. "You think you can fight NSEP? You think you can beat my father and all his agents, like this is The Lord of the Rings and you're the band of heroes? Real agents with real guns and training, not pathetic slobs like me? All you'll do is get Dale and the rest of you killed, or captured and used."

"Used? If we're recaptured, what'll happen?" Alan's tone came low and fierce. "What do you know about it? Talk."

"Stop asking him." Dale moved to Kevin's side, glaring our way. "He told us everything he could. He said he doesn't know anything more. And he doesn't have to want to go up against his father in a fight. I never defied mine. I just ran." He told Kevin, "It's fine. You don't have to join us. Just… don't go back to him, right? We'll still be friends, and I'll try to help."

"You're soft." Kevin shoved Dale's shoulder, rocking them back a step. "Help me? You know nothing about how horrible the world can be."

"Bullshit." Dale straightened their back, chin high. "My father broke my arm and two of my ribs, the night I finally ran. I'm a nonbinary person in a world where half the state governments think I shouldn't be allowed to pee in public bathrooms, or teach kids, and some places want to kill me. I know horrible. But I also know beautiful. I think you don't, and that's the saddest thing on Earth."

Their eyes met. After a long silence, Kevin said, "The unicorn was beautiful."

"Yeah, it was."

"There was pure light inside it, like a star come to life. I've never seen anything like that." Kevin hugged his arms around himself in a defensive posture. "There's light in you too."

"My shields," Dale said. "My power."

"More than that. It's just you." Kevin blinked hard and took a stumbling step back, his boot turning on an uneven spot of ground. "Fuck. Fuck!"

Dale reached for Kevin's arm, but he dodged out of range. "Don't. You won't want to touch me." He dragged his sleeve across his eyes. "I do know what my fucking father's doing. And you're going to hate it."

"You know?" Dale stared at him.

"Yeah, I do. Okay? You see. You were wrong about me. There's nothing good in me."

Dale's smile held all the faith in the world. "There's so much. And you're telling us now."

"For all the good it'll do you." Kevin scanned our group, as if looking for the right audience, and fixed his attention on me. "You're human. You'll tell them, spells and magic don't stop bullets."

"Don't always stop bullets," I said. "They already know that."

"So my father…" He began pacing, kicking small rocks out of his way. "He hates magic, like, with a passion. I don't know why. He never talks to me. He sent me off to military school when my mom died. Even when I was home for holidays or something, he just talked about NSEP and how someday there'd be another Upheaval, another battle against magic. I hated it. I just wanted to read books. I wanted to become, like, something ordinary. An electrician or a repairman. Maybe design video games. Not be a soldier or cop. Not that it mattered."

"You're not enlisted in the army, and you're over eighteen now," Zahira said. "You could've quit."

"Hah." Kevin kicked a bigger rock and winced. "Anyhow, as soon as I was out of school, I applied to NSEP, and of course I got accepted. I went through the training." He turned to me. "You wouldn't realize, but I do know how to fight and how to use my weapons. I got a marksmanship commendation. I passed hand-to-hand, although it's not my best thing."

"And went to work for your father?" I murmured, to get the kid back on track.

"Yeah. I hoped the top brass would say it was nepotism or something, but I guess my dad requested me and they sent me along. I don't even know why he wanted me. He had me doing all the scut work. But maybe he wanted someone safe to talk to. Someone he knew would never betray him. A dog he could kick who'd keep coming back for scraps, wagging its tail."

"He didn't deserve you," Dale said fiercely.

"I was shit. Maybe we deserved each other." Kevin shook off Dale's attempt to reply and hurried on. "I've worked two years in that prison. My dad wasn't the commander at first. It was Sorenson, and Dad was his second. And a few months after I joined…" He whirled to put his back to us. "I didn't know, all right? I couldn't do anything."

"What happened?" I asked.

"There were just five sorcerers back then. One evening, Poe showed up at the dinner service and drugged one of the plates. He said to give it to Howard."

"Howard?"

"One of the sorcerers. He was kind of nasty, called us all kinds of names, threw things at us when we brought his food or his fresh coveralls. Not a nice guy at all, and pretty old."

Personally, I'd have been worse than nasty, locked in a place like that. I didn't say so, although Alan caught my gaze for an instant and I was sure he was thinking the same.

"Anyhow, an hour after we gave him the dinner, Howard was fast asleep. Dad made this guard named Foster and me go in the cell and haul him out on a stretcher. We took him to the airport in a transport van, Foster and me, the commander and Dad, plus some guy I'd never met, middle-aged, sharp eyes, gray shirt, gray suit. And that unconscious old man."

"And flew where?" I kept my tone steady. No emphasis, no excitement.

Kevin took a breath big enough I could see his shoulders heave. "Alaska. This place in Alaska, up by Denali National Park."

We all froze.

"Why?" Alan's question dropped like a rock into a silent well.

Kevin turned. "To kill all magic, forever."

"What?" Zahira laughed a bit wildly. "He can't do that. What kind of egomaniac is he?"

Speaking directly to Dale, Kevin said, "We landed on some little out-of-the-way airstrip. It was just us and a pilot and copilot. They stayed with the plane. I never even saw them. Dad had this medication he'd give the sorcerer every so often to keep him asleep. Right into a vein. I asked Dad how he knew he wasn't harming the guy, and he said, ‘If you want something done right, do it yourself.' He had Foster and me load the old man into an SUV, buckled in and handcuffed, and we drove a long way. The commander drove. The man in gray sat beside him and never said a word. We sat in the back."

"Could you find the spot again?" I asked.

"No? I mean, about two hours from wherever we landed. I wouldn't have even known the state except Dad pointed out Denali from the plane window. He called it Mount McKinley. He hates political correctness."

"Of course he does," Alan muttered.

"Sounds like a douchebag," Sylvester said brightly.

"Oh, he is," Alan agreed.

"And then?" Erin asked Kevin. "What happened?"

"The sorcerer began to wake up a bit, but he was handcuffed to his seat and not making much sense. Dad ignored him. When we got where we were going, there was this clearing. Like, perfectly round, with a ridge on the rim and a pit full of dark water in the center. Like a meteor or a volcano or something. The commander pulled out a case of equipment. He and the man in gray set up these science stations, three different ones on the top of the rim, while Dad watched. Then they all walked forward. There was something waiting in the center." Kevin paused, pressing a fist to his lips.

"Magic?" Dale suggested.

Kevin nodded a few times. "Had to be, right? Even though Dad swore he hated magic. But this thing in the lake talked to the man in gray, and he told Dad and the commander what it said."

"About what?" Erin's tone sharpened.

"I don't know. The gray guy spoke so low I couldn't understand the words. Foster said he couldn't either. But Dad and the commander could where they were standing. Dad said things like ‘When?' and ‘Are you sure?' and ‘How many?'" Kevin stopped again, staring past Dale into space.

When this silence stretched toward half a minute, Dale prompted, "What happened next?"

Kevin took a step back and ran his words together. "The man in gray said to the commander, ‘Not yet. We need more time.' The darkness rumbled louder and Dad came back and got Howard by the arm— he was on his feet by then— and he dragged him forward. At the edge of the darkness, Dad took the silver cuff off the old man and pushed him in, and he screamed, went down like he was falling into a well. And vanished."

"And then?" Dale asked on barely a breath.

Kevin spat out, "What do you think? We collected the science stations, turned around, and came back. We kept four sorcerers locked up in the compound until the next year, and by then, Dad was in charge. Poe came along to Alaska that time. Foster had quit, so Dad brought me and this guy Corelli to handle the sorcerer that was a woman, not half as old as Howard. Corelli didn't want to throw her in. He protested and made a threat, and Dad shot him. Right in the head. Poe just raised an eyebrow and said something like, ‘Rather drastic solution,' and Dad said he didn't mind getting his hands dirty. The man in gray laughed. The woman and Corelli's body both got dumped into the blackness. She screamed and Dad said it was a good thing I was his kid and he could trust me. Poe just looked at me." A shiver wracked Kevin.

"No wonder you didn't want to tell us," Erin muttered.

"Yeah. I'm a murderer. Accomplice, anyhow."

Dale said, "You were afraid of your father and Poe."

Kevin stared down at his boots. "Doesn't matter. No excuse. But who would've listened? And Dad… Afterward, he took me aside. Brought me to his residence, poured me a glass of Scotch. I hate Scotch. He told me that death was the traditional punishment for disobeying orders in a combat situation. I said that wasn't combat and he told me I had no idea how dangerous that black thing was. He called it the Pond. He said it was super powerful and it ate magic. It was confined up there in the hole in the meadow, and NSEP had been feeding that thing renegade sorcerers and studying it for a long time. Said the sorcerers we locked up were all criminals who deserved to die, and the project was important."

Zahira spat out, "Motherfucker."

"And then he said that other stuff, about planning to destroy all magic." Kevin raised his head and pressed his lips together in a flat line.

Sylvester laughed, the sound incongruous in the tense silence. "Can't be done. Magic is life. Life is magic. My boy Alan knows that. If he was here, he could tell you— Oh, there you are, boy. When did you get here? Isn't this place wild?" He turned in a circle, looking up at the sky. "Bet there are a ton of, whatchecallums, shooters." He fluttered his knobby fingers in the air. "Falling stars. Wish on 'em if you like, but life just goes somewhere else. Gonna find out where soon." Lowering his arms, he beckoned Dale. "You, youngster, who are you? I like the look of you. I'd murder for a cup of coffee. She doesn't let me have coffee."

Erin went and wrapped her arm around the old man. "Maybe in the morning, just this once. Hush, now."

Dale looked stricken. Alan did too, and I held out a hand to him. He gave me a sad smile but focused on Kevin instead. "That's the important part. Destroying all magic. Tell us exactly what he said."

"I don't remember everything. I drank the Scotch. He always wanted me to be a real man. He said something like, ‘That thing in the Arctic eats magic, all kinds of magic. It's bound now, but if we can break it loose, that's the answer.' I said, ‘Answer to what?' He said, ‘Getting rid of all the sorcerers and giving the world back to normal humans.'"

"Surely, he isn't going to try to send us all to the Arctic by the busload and dump us in." Erin shook her head.

Zahira said, "Sounds more like he's going to set this thing, whatever it is— entity or spell— loose on us."

"Yeah, that," Kevin agreed. "I think so too. Four days ago, he brought in a bunch of new guards and then more prisoners, sorcerers. New arrivals all the time. Put a bracelet on them, stuff them in a cell. No coveralls, no books, no nothing in the cells. Fill 'em up. I asked him why and he grinned and said, ‘It's going down.' He wouldn't say what, told me to look sharp, obey orders, and not make him ashamed of me." Kevin barked a laugh. "Guess he'd be pretty damned ashamed of me now."

"I'm proud of you," Dale said. "Does that count for anything?"

Kevin froze as if the words had rocked him. Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah. That counts. Thanks."

"And last night," Sunny noted, "he was preparing to load those sorcerers up and take them to the airport. Odds are, he's going to feed them to the… entity, thing, whatever you said it was."

"The Pond," Kevin put in.

"Feed them to the Pond. Hoping what? That enough feeding will make the thing break loose?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Did I ever tell you about this time during the Upheavals—?" Sylvester began.

Erin hugged him absently. "Not now, Syl. Tell me later. We need to figure out what to do."

"Go to Denali," Alan exclaimed. "Stop Underhill. Rescue Oscar and the rest."

Stop and rescue sounded easy to say, but hard to plan without a lot more info. Still, the only way to get that info was to go there. "Errante Ame?" I called to the open air. "You listening?"

"I am now." Errante strolled out of the dark to stop beside the dying embers of the fire. "It's almost midnight. You have a destination? Your Path is still wide open."

"Well, something of a destination," I noted. "Alaska's a big state, even Denali isn't much of a clue."

Errante turned to Kevin and held out his hands. "If you wish to do your part, put your hands in mine and let me see where this Path should lead."

Kevin met Errante's gaze. I don't know what the kid was thinking, but his jaw muscles twitched and he wrapped his arms around himself.

Motes of firelight danced across Errante's olive skin. His eyes were fathomless pools in the darkness. Starlight caught in his black hair, silhouetting him against the universe. He held his hands steady, unmoving as if he could wait forever, but "almost midnight" rang in my ears. I willed the kid to trust us one more time.

Dale said, "Please?"

Kevin shuddered, stepped forward, and laid his hands in Errante's.

"Oh, yes," Errante murmured. "I see where you're going. Though not what you'll find there." He let Kevin's hands drop. "I advise you all to get some rest. You have ten minutes till you'll want to be in your beds asleep. Time enough for a little cleanup or a drink of water, not for much more." He gave me the slightest wink. "Unless you're very fast. Good night, all."

As he strode away, his voice wafted through the air, so soft you'd think I wouldn't hear it and yet clear as a bell. "Ten-minute warning, family and friends. Time for bed."

I grabbed Alan's arm, suddenly wanting, needing him, no matter how tight the time. "Come on. Run!"

Alan jolted and laughed, taking my hand instead. "Great minds. Come on." He sprinted across the dark clearing, tugging me behind him, calling, "See you shortly!" to the folks behind us.

A few torches set up high lit our way through the sleeping Carnival. I said, "We have a head start to the tent, but they'll be a minute behind us. Even I'm not that good."

"Who needs a tent, or a bed?" Alan rounded a corner of the food booths, pulled me into a nook between "Everything Waffles" and "Fruitful and Multiple," and whirled me around. I staggered and my shoulders hit the hard side of the nearer booth. "Here," Alan said, kissing me fast and hot. "Right here."