In-Between, page 10
“What was this?” she asked. “How could he do something like this now?”
“It was always in him. It always would have come out but working with him he learned how to access his magic better. He still hasn’t learned control. I can help him if it gets out of control, but for now we need to go.”
“No,” Alicia shook her head weakly. The adrenaline was starting to leave her system and pain was racing all over her body. “ We are not going with you. We are going to town, and I am calling a friend to come and pick us up.”
“If you do that whoever is after you will find you. If they are anywhere within ten miles of here, then they will have felt that display of magic. Even if they are not, someone else could have seen it. We need to get out of here now.”
Alicia looked around. The ground was covered in a thick layer of dirt that had pushed down the grass. The asphalt was no longer visible on the road. It spanned at least fifty feet in either direction of them. Then she looked at Sadar. He stood there patiently, waiting for her to make her decision, even though there really was only one decision to make, at least if she wanted to keep her son safe.
“We will come with you, but only if you keep teaching my son.”
Chapter Twenty
“Do you think that I could lift a rock that is bigger than this car?” Kenny asked. He was riding in the back seat of a blue hatchback sedan. Alicia sat next to him.
“Yeah, I bet you could,” Sadar muttered.
“Do you think that I could lift a house?”
“I don’t think so. Houses are not made out of rocks.”
“Some of them are. I can feel some of the houses more than others.” They were back on the freeway heading towards the west coast, trying to get as far from Kenny’s outburst as possible.
“You can feel the houses?” Sadar asked. He looked at Kenny in the rearview mirror, trying to gage if he was exaggerating or not.
“Yes, can’t you?”
“Yes, I guess I could if I was close enough.” Sadar turned his head back to glance at Alicia, looking concerned. “Unfortunately, the houses are a bit too far away for me.”
After Sadar had helped Kenny get back under control, he had rushed them to the car and took off. They were all silent, the anxiety building as Sadar drove as fast as he could away from the area. He slowed down to near the speed limit after a few miles, but the anxiety did not decrease. It was Kenny who first broke the silence. He spoke quietly at first, but when Sadar’s grunts turned into words, he talked like the event was one grand adventure that was now over.
Each time the car rocked, pain shot through Alicia’s body. Bruises had already started to sprout up on her arms, turning them a dull red. She had used her back to shield most of her body. She sat rigid in the back seat, trying to minimize jostling. Sadar had not relaxed either. His body was stiff, and his face seemed locked in stoic concern.
“Do you think I could lift the Grand Canyon? Are we going to the Grand Canyon?”
“I don’t think lifting the Grand Canyon would be such a great idea,” Alicia said.
“Why?”
“Well, if you lifted it, when it came back down, it would smash everywhere, and then the canyon would be filled with rocks. There wouldn’t be a Grand Canyon anymore.”
“Oh, right.” Kenny stared out the window, lost in thought. Alicia imagined him dreaming of the Grand Canyon. She hoped that dream did not involve him plotting on how to lift it. Alicia wasn’t sure he had that much power. All she knew was that her son was capable of a lot more than Sadar had thought that he was, and what he could do had him concerned.
“Do all elves have earth magic?” Kenny asked, still staring out the window.
“No, all elves have magic. Some have earth magic, but not all of them.”
“What other kinds of magic are there?”
“All elves have at least one of the three types of elven magic, although some are so weak that they will never be able to do much with their magic. Rarely do elves have two types of magic.”
“Some elves have three types,” Kenny interrupted, trying to match Sadar’s lecturing tone.
“Some elves have all three types, but only elves that are of the royal line. Even then, most still have only two types.”
“I’m of the royal lines. This is why I can have all three types.”
“Yes, but your other magic is not as strong as your earth magic,” Sadar said.
“Why?”
“Your earth magic is pretty strong. You can feel the houses that are pretty far away.”
“My other types of magic could be that strong.”
“Do you think that they are?”
“How would I know?” Kenny asked. “I didn’t know feeling houses meant I am strong.”
Alicia couldn’t help but chuckle at her son. Sadar shifted in the driver’s seat but otherwise ignored her.
“You said that you did illusions at school.”
“Yes, do you want to see my dragon? You already saw healing when I healed your arm. Oh,” Kenny turned and looked at his mother. “I’m sorry, I forgot.” He reached out his hand and laid it on her arm.
Alicia’s body started to hum, like being filled with an energetic bright light. She felt better, like she had just laid down and taken a long nap. The pain had taken up so much of her awareness that its sudden disappearance was shocking.
“Is that better?” Kenny asked, taking away his arm and yawning.
Alicia held up her arms. The bruising was gone. All that was left was the dirt and the dried blood.
“Are you OK?” she asked.
“Yes, just a little tired. But I could still show you my dragon if you want.”
“How about later? You have already done a lot of magic today.”
Alicia glanced at Sadar for the first time since they had entered the car. He looked back at her concern in his eyes. Her son had done magic. Could they could find them again?
“Thanks for healing me. I feel much better, but you should probably not do magic anymore.”
“Oh, the bad guys.” His eyes grew big, and he looked at both adults with concern. “I’m sorry, I forgot.” Alicia reached over and moved the ends of his brown hair out of his eyes and rubbed her palm over his dimpled cheek.
“I think it is good you healed your mom.” Sadar said, keeping his gaze on the road. “I bet she feels much better now. Don’t worry about the bad guys. I will stop them from following us. I think it is probably best that you take a nap now.”
“OK.” Kenny yawned again and then laid his head on Alicia’s arm. He was asleep instantly.
“When he healed you in the bathroom,” Alicia said, “he was so tired he fell. He has used magic twice in the last hour, and he is just now taking a nap.”
“Magic is like anything. The more you practice, the better you become.”
“That seems like a big increase.”
“It is, but he is also a prince.”
“Even you don’t seem convinced by that.” Alicia looked out the window watching the cars driving next to them on the freeway. In front of them was a family with their SUV packed with suitcases. She could see a teenager, their phone reflecting back the noon day sun. They took out their earbud to talk to someone on the seat beside them that Alicia could not see, then they put it back in their concentration back on their phone. Alicia looked down at the top of her son’s head and leaned over to plant a kiss on top.
“He is the first halfling.” Sadar’s voice broke into her reflection. “I am surprised he has magic at all since he is part human. His control is lacking, but his strength is astonishing.”
“If there has never been a human elf before, then how would you know?”
“Humans cannot do magic, not compared to elves. It seems combining the two bloodlines together has given him more magical strength. I wish I could really test him to really understand his limit.”
Alicia watched Sadar as he spoke. She felt like she had begun to see the subtle changes in his face as he went from confusion to almost fascination. Looking at him, she supposed others would find him attractive. He had a strong jaw and symmetrical face that others enjoyed, but always made Alicia nervous. His silver hair next to his olive skin gave him a sense of exoticness.
“What do we do? How are we going to keep my son safe?”
“He has to go see the king. The king will be able to give him tutors and guards.”
“No. You will not take my son to see that monster. You said you would keep my son safe. There must be a different solution.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The car jolted as it navigated the one-way dirt road. They were now driving in an SUV that Sadar had acquired during their stop for a late lunch. Yet the larger frame did not seem to do anything to help them over the uneven road full of large rocks and potholes.
They had driven off the freeway onto a highway an hour ago. Sadar had been tightlipped about where they were going. Alicia held on to hope that he had come up with a safe place for them to hide until they could work out what to do. When they turned off the paved road onto the dirt road the late afternoon sun became hidden behind the trees that overtook them and the car was enshrouded in shadows.
“What are we doing out here?” Alicia demanded. The car bounced, causing them to rocket up towards the roof. Alicia, for the third time in the last five minutes, checked to make sure that Kenny was safely buckled in his seat. “Tell me where we are going.”
The car slowed and Sadar twisted back in his seat to look at Alicia, his face tight as he spoke. “This is not the easiest road to drive on. Would you please let me focus on driving so that nothing happens to either of you?” Then he turned around and put all his focus on the road in front of him.
Alicia sat, quiet. It had been a reasonable request, one she had to have made many times while she was behind the wheel as well. But the way he spoke the words sent a shiver down her spine. The atmosphere didn’t help either. The trees had grown over the road, so their limbs now hit the roof. The car echoed with the pattering of their light touches offset by the high-pitched screech of a branch desperate to tear through.
Kenny’s slim arms wrapped around Alicia’s arm, holding her in a death grip. His head tilted away from her, so all she could see was the mop of his hair as he looked out the window watching the trees crawl past them.
They broke free from the forest, the trees releasing them with a suddenness that was startling. Before them was a small brown house, wrapped around by a porch with sections of railings that were missing. The windows were caked in dirt so thick that you couldn’t see through them. The roof was in disrepair with a giant hole where a tree limb was growing through it.
“What are we doing here?” Alicia asked in confusion.
“I am hoping to talk to someone that can help us.”
“You can’t be serious,” Alicia said. “No one could possibly live in that.”
“Not everything is as it appears.” Sadar turned off the car, cutting off the headlights as he opened his door. “I think it is best that you both wait in the car.”
“I don’t want to stay here,” Kenny said, his voice quivering. He was still clinging to his mother, his brown eyes lit up with fear. The area around the house was surrounded by trees so high that it was hard to see the sky above. What light of the day remained was no longer visible to them and with the headlights off there was very little light to see by.
“I think we should go in with you,” Alicia said her voice wavering.
Sadar looked at them huddled in the back seat and then grunted “Fine,” before he got out of the car, slamming his door behind him.
Alicia hurried and unbuckled herself and Kenny. She grabbed her son’s hand and got out of the car, hurrying to catch up to Sadar. They had reached him just as he was knocking on the door. The knock gave back a deep solid thunk that echoed in the silence. It was at odds with the door, that looked to be made of wood so rotten it was ready to collapse.
They waited in the near dark for an answer that didn’t come.
“Are you sure there is someone here?” Alicia asked.
As she spoke the door opened, as if on its own. Sadar pushed it open further and walked inside. Alicia followed, Kenny still in her arms, and then stopped in awe. The door revealed a large living room with vaulted ceilings. There was a large wraparound couch in the middle of the floor with plenty of walking room between it and the walls littered with bookshelves and a small piano. On the far side of the couch there was a reclining chair next to a fireplace with a full blaze. In the chair there was an older man, a book held firmly in his slender bronzed hands. He looked at them from behind a set of glasses that did nothing to hide his penetrating glaze.
“Why are you here?” His voice was deep and loud, filling up the room.
“I tried to get ahold of you,” Sadar said.
The man looked at Alicia her mouth opened in shock as she realized that there were rooms connecting from this main room. “How could all this fit?”
“Why have you brought a human into my house?” His gaze slid off off Alicia and onto the boy in her arms. The book dropped from his hand, and he half rose from the chair. “What is this?” he demanded.
“I need to find the King. I know you are aware of where he is.”
“I don’t have dealings with him,” the man said.
At the same time Alicia spoke, “I told you we are not going to him.” Her attention was now completely focused on the conversation.
“The human has more sense than you do.” He had managed to make it to his feet and grabbed a cane propped up on the chair arm. He walked slowly, but steadily towards them until he stopped a foot away from Kenny. He reached his hand up as if he was going to touch the child, and then stopped in midair. “Who is he?”
“We need to find the king. Tell us where he is.” For once Sadar’s voice did not sound certain and Alicia looked at him in concern, and Alicia looked at him in concern. Sadar began to move between them and the man, pushing them towards the door.
“You could stay here,” the man said. “The house is hidden behind walls of illusions. They would never be able to find you. I could help the child.” The man began to leer as he spoke, his voice full of possessiveness.
“If there is magic, they will be able to sense it.” The words fumbled from Alicia as she began to slowly move back towards the door. One hand supported her son who clung to her. The other reached behind her searching for the doorknob.
“Have you taught them nothing,” The man let out a cackle, a sound that ripped through her soul. A sound no human could make. “You would be safe here from the king. I have enough power to mask this child so they wouldn’t sense him, more than what this blood bound has managed. When the king finds you there is no way he will let that child live. He looks too much like him to not be his blood, and all his relatives have met untimely accidents in the last few years.”
Alicia’s hand wrapped around the doorknob as she opened it. Sadar blocked their way from the old man as they slipped out the door. “What are you talking about?” she heard Sadar say before the door closed again and his words were cut off.
Alicia sprinted towards the car. She opened the driver’s door and put down her son. “Get in your seat” she commanded. She waited just long enough for him to climb into the back seat before she was in the driver’s seat throwing on her seatbelt and closing the door. She didn’t even have time to be relieved when she found the keys in the ignition. She started the car, trying to turn the car around fast enough to be gone before the men inside could notice.
“Are you clicked?” she asked her son.
“I’m clicked,” he said.
She sped up, going down the dirt road as fast as she could without blowing out a tire. Their bodies danced in the seats, but it still seemed to slow. She kept glancing in the rearview mirror expecting to see Sadar looming above them. She didn’t remember letting out a breath until they made it back out to the paved road, and then she drove for all the car was worth.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Night had completely fallen shortly after they had hit a highway. Alicia had made a random turn and started driving. The area was secluded with only their headlights to light up the road. She was so focused on trying to figure out where they were, and where they should go, that she didn’t notice the changes at first.
It started small. The chair that she was sitting in was not as comfortable as she remembered. She pushed it off as exhaustion. Then she glanced back at her son, still wide awake and staring out the window, and noticed that the seat was a faded blue color. She could have sworn it had been a light brown.
She kept driving, looking for signs to help point her way. The small highway led to a larger four-lane road, and she happily turned onto it, hoping that it would lead her somewhere with people. The night seemed to be playing with her mind.
Not long on the new road they passed houses pushed far back on long driveways. The light was too far away to do more than provide reassurance as she drove, using the headlights to look for creatures on the side of the road.
When the car gave a sudden lurch they both jumped in their seats. The noise was louder in the silence.
“What’s that, Mommy?” Kenny asked.
Alicia brought her attention from the road back to the car. Around her the car had shifted. The inside looked like a beat-up sedan with faded blue interior. The passenger seat had morphed from a brown faux leather to a blue cloth worn completely away in some sections. Her son was no longer completely buckled into a strap that was adjusted across his shoulder. Now, there was just a buckle over his lap. The dashboard was a cracked dark blue plastic with a large radio console with a manual radio selector and a tape player. Even the exterior of the car had changed. They were no longer driving in an SUV. The car was long, with a light blue hood that stretched out in front of them. The trunk had morphed from a hatchback to a large compartment off their back end.
