Close Encounters of the Magical Kind Read online

“Is everything okay?” Steve asked, concerned.

  Sarah opened her eyes and gave her husband an exasperated look. He automatically took a step back from her and raised his hands in the universal I surrender gesture.

  “What are you doing?” Sarah asked, stifling a giggle. “I’m not mad at you.”

  Steve’s arms dropped back down to this sides.

  “Good. Okay, so if it’s not me, and assuming it’s not the fact that this flower is practically impossible to find, what’s the matter? Why did you stop?”

  “I can’t teleport here.”

  “What? Are you serious? You can’t get us off Ranal?”

  Sarah closed her eyes. She hadn’t thought to pick a location off of Ranal. She ordered her jhorun to bring up an image of their hidden cabin in the quiet woods. A picture immediately formed. She switched locations and brought up the throne room in the Great Hall. Sure enough, an image formed there, too.

  Her eyebrows shot up. Kri’Entu was there, leading Constable Fensham, Lissa’s father, away from the thrones, presumably heading towards the Antechamber. Mikal was following close behind. The queen, on the other hand, had an arm draped across Lissa’s shoulders and was leading her and an older woman Sarah didn’t recognize in the opposite direction. What was going on?

  Well, she’d have to inquire later. At least her jhorun was working, it just wasn’t working here, or more specifically, it would only allow her to teleport from here, not to here. That was definitely something she needed to know.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Steve demanded, only marginally raising his voice. “I’ve watched you go from frowning, to smiling, back to frowning, then to skeptical, and now back to a frown. Are you alright?”

  Sarah patted his arm and smiled up at her husband. Even though she had always said she wished she were a few inches taller, she loved the fact that Steve towered over her by a good ten inches.

  “I’m sorry. I had to know.”

  “You had to know what?” Steve asked.

  “I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you.”

  “Swell,” Steve grumped. “Out with it. What’s the bad news?”

  “I can’t teleport anywhere on Ranal.”

  Her husband’s eyes widened and his face turned pale. He swallowed a few times and cleared his throat.

  “And the, uh, good news?”

  “I can teleport anywhere else.”

  She smiled as she watched her husband blink his eyes a few times as he processed the news.

  “Uh…”

  “Where’d I lose you?”

  “You both can and can’t teleport here?”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “Okay, would you care to run all that by me again?”

  “If you were to ask me to teleport us back to where we first landed on this island then I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she explained. “I’ve tried several other locations and can’t visualize anything. And before you say it I’ll point out that I can remember what the area looks like just fine, but as soon as I tell my jhorun to bring up the picture then it’s nothing. Kaput.”

  “Okkaayyy…” her husband said, slowly.

  “But, if I pick a safe zone somewhere off this island, then the picture instantly comes through. Don’t you understand? I can teleport off Ranal but not on. Once we leave this island then that’s it. We’re done. Unless, of course, we find another griffin who can feel the Pull. No offense, honey, but if we have to find another griffin then you’re doing all the explaining.”

  Steve nodded, “Ah. You can teleport off but not on. I would deem that important, need-to-know information. Er, how does this help us?”

  Sarah stepped close and hooked her arm through her husband’s.

  “It means that you and I are going to remain side-by-side for the remainder of our time on Ranal. We aren’t going to separate for any reason whatsoever.”

  “We could cover more ground if we split up,” Steve reminded her.

  Sarah strengthened her grip on his arm.

  “I know, but I can’t take that chance. And I won’t. Will you?”

  Steve gave her hand a reassuring pat and they companionably moved off.

  “If we’re going to find this thing then we’re going to have to be smart about this,” Steve told her. “We just don’t have the time to search this place from top to bottom.”

  “I have a feeling that even if we did have the time, we’d be unable to search this whole place,” Sarah observed.

  “Suggesting what?” Steve asked.

  “That this place is infinitely large. We could spend years wandering around up here without finding what we’re looking for. You’re right. We need to figure out the clue.”

  Steve pulled her to a stop.

  “What clue?”

  “The one Shardwyn gave us. Remember?”

  Steve shrugged, “Oh. That. It wasn’t very helpful. He wanted us to find the pools. Trust me, we found ‘em. The damn things are everywhere.”

  “I’m talking about the second part,” Sarah clarified.

  “Umm, what part was that again?”

  Sarah shook her head.

  “Not only am I making you take daily gingko supplements when we get home I will also be signing you up for some of those online brain stimulation courses.”

  “Hardy har har. I’m doing no such thing.”

  “Mm-hmm. We’ll see. Anyway, the second thing Shardwyn said during his trance was the part about the hands. Remember now?”

  “Oh, riiiiiight, the hands.” Steve studied the palms of his own two hands. “Something about water falling through open hands would point us to… to… care to help me out here?”

  Sarah laughed.

  “You’re just proving my point, Sparky. As I was saying, Shardwyn said ‘only in his hands will you find what you seek’.”

  Steve’s brow furrowed, “Whose hands?”

  “Yep. That’s what you said earlier.”

  “Uh huh. And what was the answer?”

  “Wow, you really don’t remember, do you?”

  Steve sighed and gave her a speculative look.

  “That’s when Shardwyn woke up,” Sarah reminded him. “He wasn’t able to answer your question. So that’s the answer we need to figure out. Whose hands was he referring to?”

  “And you think if we can figure that out we’ll be able to find the flower?”

  “We’ve had to solve puzzles and clues practically every step of the way,” Sarah recalled. “This shouldn’t be any different. Shardwyn presented us with this puzzle. We just have to solve it.”

  “You mean we have to figure out what he meant,” Steve translated. “Got it. So, what’s it mean? What do we have to do?”

  “Do you think I have a magic wand that I just wave around which will automatically point out which way to go?” Sarah demanded, growing angry. “That’s the whole point of a clue. We have to figure it out. Shardwyn said ‘in his hands’. What does that tell you? Do you think we’re looking for a pool in the shape of a hand?”

  “I thought you said ‘hands’,” Steve recalled. “Plural.”

  “Fine. Maybe we’re looking for two pools in close proximity to each other that look like hands?”

  “Why two pools?” Steve suddenly asked.

  “What?”

  “Why two pools? Why not just the one? How could a flower be in two separate locations?”

  “Well, there are three flowers left,” Sarah argued. “Maybe he means we can find two flowers in the same spot?”

  “It’s possible, I guess,” Steve said, reaching up to push a low hanging branch out of the way. “What else could it mean? What else could look like hands?”

  They both stopped as soon as they pushed their way through a line of slender moss-covered trees resembling willows. Steve had reached up over Sarah’s head to part the dangling branches, much like he would had it been a beaded curtain, and allowed Sarah to enter first.

  “This place just keeps getting p
rettier,” Sarah observed.

  The island of Ranal, it would seem, had more than one biome. Whereas the first ecological community type they encountered was undoubtedly ‘jungle’, they were now staring at a mountain forest setting, starting as abruptly as if they had just walked from one movie set to another. A large lake was directly before them and off in the distance they could see two other smaller bodies of water. Curious, Steve poked his head back through the line of willow trees and saw the jungle theme sitting right where they left it, as if it was waiting for them to return.

  A blast of frigid arctic air appeared from the north. Steve wrapped his arms around his wife and increased his jhorun, effectively warming them both. Seemingly out of nowhere a mountain range had appeared, stretching from the north all the way past the western horizon. Of the three small peaks they could see, two were covered with snow while the third was barren rock devoid of any vegetation. Why it didn’t have any snow on its peak Sarah didn’t know. A deciduous forest consisting of a variant of oak, hickory, and maple trees began about a quarter of a mile away, ringing the back half of the lake and grew progressively thicker the farther away they looked.

  “Still think we’re on an island?” Steve asked, in a quiet voice.

  Sarah nodded, “I do. I still think there’s some other logical explanation that can explain this.”

  “That would mean this island has snow,” her husband pointed out. “Did you catch that? Snow. We just came from the tropics back there. The climate just changed as quickly as walking from one room to the next.”

  “It is odd,” Sarah agreed, turning to look back the way they had come. “The only theory I can come up with would concern the griffins.”

  “What about them?” Steve asked.

  “Well, we know there are mountain griffins living in Lentari. Wouldn’t Ranal need to have a place for those griffins to, uh, well, rest?”

  “That would suggest somewhere in Lentari there is a tropical jungle,” Steve pointed out. “We’ve been all over the kingdom. I’m pretty sure we would have noticed had we walked into a jungle.”

  Sarah was silent as she considered. After a few moments she shook her head.

  “Not necessarily.” She carefully picked her way down the ridge where the willow trees bordered the jungle setting and marveled at the drastic change of scenery. She shook her head with disbelief. They were just walking through a jungle not five minutes ago! Now it almost looked as if they were walking around the Coeur d’Alene National Forest back home in Idaho. “You’re assuming that Ranal is responsible for handling all the griffins in Lentari, right?”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “What about the others?”

  “What are you talking about?” Steve asked. “What others?”

  “Griffins aren’t indigenous to Lentari, are they? What about that country to the south? What was it? Straosia? What if there are griffins living down there?”

  Steve was silent as he considered.

  “I think that’s why Ranal moves,” Sarah continued. “This is where griffins go to die. All griffins. So it makes sense that this island can accommodate griffins from every type of climate imaginable.”

  “Okay, I’ll buy that,” Steve finally decided. He held a hand over his eyes and gazed at the distant mountains. “I wonder how big this place really is.”

  “Oh, please don’t start up with me again,” Sarah groaned. “Regardless of our present situation, we are still on an island.”

  “No way,” her husband argued. “We’ve somehow stepped into another realm. The cloud/island thing we saw was just… how did you put it? A doorway.”

  Sarah suddenly smiled.

  “Would you like to make a wager?”

  Steve nodded, “Fine. You’re on, milady. What wouldeth thou liketh to wager on?”

  “Dork. Alright, if I win, and this turns out to be an island, then… hmm… let’s see. What kind of insidious task can I make you do?” She was silent for a few moments before she snapped her fingers. “I have it. You have to paint the master bathroom.”

  Her husband scowled, just as she knew he would. Steve hated to paint. He had the right temperament for the job, being meticulous and patient, but there was just something about the possibility of getting paint on his fingers that he absolutely detested.

  “Fine.”

  “What? Really? You’re agreeing? Awesome! Oh. It’s gonna be purple.”

  “What?”

  “The paint will be purple. You will hereby withdraw all objections to me making our bathroom purple.”

  Steve groaned.

  “You’re wagering one paint job, is that it?”

  Sarah nodded, “Right. And the paint you’ll be using will be eggplant purple.”

  “What are you wagering?” Steve wanted to know. “You’re gonna have to come up with something good in order for me to even consider picking up a paint brush.”

  “Well, if you’d like to up the ante, I just thought of something.”

  Steve’s left eyebrow slowly lifted, “I’m listening.”

  “If you add the kitchen to your list of rooms to be painted…”

  “I’m not painting the kitchen purple,” Steve vowed. “I don’t care what you wager.”

  “Not even for one full-size upright arcade machine of your choice? For your man cave?”

  “Ohhh. You fight dirty.”

  “I’ll withdraw my objection to getting a completely useless, money-wasting arcade machine that belongs back in the 80s. Well? Do we have a deal?”

  Steve glanced back at the line of willow trees marking the end of the jungle and slowly turned to study the distant mountains.

  “Fine. You have yourself a bet.”

  “Fool,” a new voice chimed in. “You just lost. This is an island.”

  Sarah stiffened with surprise and whirled around to look behind her. There wasn’t anyone there. She looked over at her husband.

  “You heard that, right?”

  Steve nodded, “Yep. I thought I heard someone tell me I had lost the bet. In record time, I might add.”

  They both heard a small thump sound from behind them, as though an acorn had just fallen out of a tree. Steve whirled back around, fists clenched. Sarah grabbed his hands and held them tightly.

  “Relax. No fires, remember?”

  “Sage advice,” the mystery voice agreed.

  “Where are you?” Steve demanded. “Show yourself.”

  “I’m right here,” the voice insisted. “I’m right in front of you. Look down, imbecile.”

  Sarah squatted down, prompting Steve to mimic her. There, sitting on a broken branch lying on the ground, was a miniature man. It was a Fae! The tiny figure’s thin gossamer wings briefly appeared, fluttered once, and then disappeared from sight. As soon as the two of them were down on his level the Fae, dressed in a dark green tunic and matching green trousers, jumped to his feet and took a few cautious steps back. He was also wearing a flowing black cloak, presumably to keep his wings hidden when he had them folded flat against his back.

  “Who are you?” Sarah asked. “What are you doing here?”

  “Forget about that,” Steve interjected. “I want to know how you got here in the first place.”

  Sarah swatted her husband’s arm.

  “Excuse me, but I’d like to know who he is first.”

  “I am Thinian SilverOak,” the Fae proudly declared. “I am on a secret mission for my king. What are you doing here, human?”

  “Would that be King Tivan?” Sarah asked. She had to stifle a giggle. The look of surprise on the Fae’s face was priceless. She would have thought that some type of monster had just appeared behind her and was ready to gobble her up.

  “How is it you know my king’s name?” Thinian demanded.

  “Because your king asked me for help,” Sarah answered.

  “Lies,” Thinian flatly stated, crossing his arms across his chest. “My Lord King Tivan would never ask a human for help.”


  Sarah shrugged, “Technically correct.”

  “Hah!” Thinian exclaimed, pleased. “I knew it.”

  “It was Queen Ria’s idea to transport me to Dynwe,” Sarah explained, smiling with satisfaction as Thinian’s smirk disappeared from his face. “She used what little magic she had left, mixed with some of my own jhorun, to bring me to your city. That’s where I met the king and queen. They officially asked for my help, Thinian. Obviously my husband and I agreed. Here we are, trying find a special flower.”

  “You seek the orbsceia flower,” Thinian breathed. “You know about that, too?”

  “So you’re here looking for this flower, too?” Steve asked, confused. “How did you even get here? I thought the Fae were grounded.”

  “We are grounded,” Thinian confirmed. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find a dying griffin, sneak a ride on its back, and make it here unobserved? Five of us set out from Dynwe to accomplish this task. As far as I’m aware, I’m the only one who made it.”

  “How long have you been here?” Sarah asked.

  “Nearly two months.”

  “And you haven’t been able to find the flower in that time?” Steve asked, dismayed.

  “Think I have it hidden in a pocket, do you?” Thinian asked as he stared at the two figures towering above him.

  Ignoring the Fae’s sarcasm, Steve turned to Sarah.

  “If he can’t find it, and he’s been looking for two months, how the hell are we supposed to find it when we only have a few hours left?”

  “A few hours?” Thinian repeated. He cocked his head as he studied them. “Why, if you don’t mind me asking, do you humans say you only have a few hours left?”

  “First off,” Steve grumped, pointing a finger at Sarah, “she’s Sarah and I’m Steve. We have names, just like you.”

  Shamed, the Fae bowed.

  “My apologies. I have gone for some time without company in this accursed place.”

  “The reason Steve said we only have a few hours left is because it’s true,” Sarah told the Fae. “There are only a few more hours of daylight left. Then it’ll be too dark to search. I’m sorry to say that, according to the queen, the tree will not survive another day.”

  “But,” Thinian sputtered, “should the Tree die, then that means… the Fae will…”