44 - Prison and Other Hazards of Being a Teenage Fire Mage

Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center, The Next Day

Sorsha sat with the mother of the body she was inhabiting in the prison visitation room. Zafosaul sat across the table from them.

"I don't think now is the appropriate time to ask about your game," Claire said. "I brought you along as my intern, not so you can socialize with your friend."

"Claire," Sorsha began. "I mean, Mother. This is important."

"I know you think this is important," Claire said. "But Aiden's future is at stake here."

"The whole world will be at stake if what she says is true," Zafosaul roared. "Demon magic from the fell realms is not a passage into another world. It's the destruction of it. Punching a hole into the abyss will devour the entire realm. Everything you know and love, gone in an instant. It is the darkest of magic."

"So, like a black hole?" Claire asked.

"I thought you weren't into this," Sorsha said.

"Your friend," Claire said. "I love his accent. Is that French?"

"Trust me when I say, fair lady," Zafosaul continued, "that this is an evil that must be stopped. The spell must not come to pass. All the realms will be in danger if the ritual is performed."

"Jeez, Petra," Claire said. "You didn't tell me this would be so fun. How do we stop it?"

"The sorcerer who got us here must have a way to communicate with the moon mage. How else would he have performed the mind transfer magic? We can do the same. Find out the communication wizardry he used to speak with the people of our world. I can inform the one they call Aiden about the magic that can switch us back. Maybe Percy, Ameria, and I can even instruct our counterparts in magic to defeat this Jenny."

"Suzy's apartment. There has to be something there she overlooked," Sorsha said. "Something that will connect us to Carnt."

"If I could only leave this blasted place," Zafosaul said. "I would be able to spot spells that may have been cast from there. While I could not use my elven ability to sense magic, I do have a wide knowledge of the components used to cast them. There must be a clue as to how they are transferring information across worlds."

"Let's go to the apartment!" Claire said. "My, this is much more fun than I would have thought, Petra. Why didn't you tell me your friend was so cute, and, by the way, that he is eighteen?"

"Yes, this body is eighteen winters," Zafosaul said. "There was something about being held back a year in high school, but I do not know of any spells to reverse aging."

"No, silly," Claire laughed and tapped Aiden on the shoulder. She was surprised by how muscular it was underneath his prison uniform and squeezed it. "You're eighteen. This is a juvenile detention center. They screwed up your paperwork. So, what I'm saying is, I'm getting your charges dropped on a technicality. Now, let's go search this apartment."

***

A few hours later, the group and Petra's mom were in the apartment searching for clues. Suzy mumbled about how they were wasting their time. "If there was a magic item lying about that could just ring Carnt, do you think I wouldn't have noticed? Artifacts don't grow on trees, you know. Except perhaps those pretty lights that grow in the town square. How do you think they do that?"

"Christmas lights?" Claire asked.

"Yes, those," Suzy said. "I'll have to take a few seeds of those back home. Never thought I'd be interested in the family business. But I'd plant those, I would."

"Is your family a farmer?" asked Percy.

"He's the King of Helfra, he is," Suzy said.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"The King of Helfra?!" Lovantus bellowed. "That pig-headed oaf!"

"Lovi!" Ameria scolded.

"He's not wrong," said Suzy, sounding less cockney, more Irish. "No need to hide my accent around you. If you were gonna kill me, you'd have done it already. But why do you think I ran all the way to Traldalor? My dad was always pestering me about his almond trees. Swatting food from my hand if I had too much sugar. Did you know there's no alcohol in the entire kingdom? No wonder I ran away to become a barmaid. Tradalorians hate Helfrans, but at least they know how to party. Not like my dad and all his Pilates classes."

"Why the bad blood?" Claire asked. "What did Helfra do?"

"They said the Battle of the Four Armies was a waste of time," Lovantus said. "I even crafted a miniature version of the battle, and Ulmond stomped all over it."

"He broke your school project?" Claire said. "Kids are mean, but that's no reason to hold a grudge. When did Jonathan grow up so quickly? It seems like only yesterday he only had a few phrases, but now complete sentences!"

"He did a lot more than step on it!" Lovantus belly ached. "He peed on it. Tried to start his own union of races. It ended up being a ploy to take over the kingdom of Helfra for himself. He stole my idea, then got his own kingdom."

"He was just liberating his people," Ameria said.

"More like copying me. Can't be his own hero. Just does everything Lovantus does!"

"I found it!" Toby yelled. He ran over with a phone bill.

"It's a cell phone bill," Ameria said. "I had to pay one of those since being in these bodies. Ghastly things. They make no sense."

"Right but look at it. The call history," Toby said.

Lovantus grabbed the paper, and people crowded around it. He said, "I don't see the problem. It looks like he's just calling different numbers, until..."

"The day we came to this world!" Ameria said. "After that, his phone has only called the same number."

"Yeah," Toby said. "And it's on autopay."

"Jonathan can read?" Claire exclaimed. "I'm going to have to get the number of his daycare. I have a few friends who've been looking. It must be amazing!"

"And look at the incoming numbers," Toby said. "That's my number, the day I called all your parents. When I called Mr. Jackson’s emergency contact, a woman answered, and just said, thanks, then hung up. After that, nothing, just this number here."

"Are you saying that the number might be his co-conspirator in Helfra? The moon mage Jenny?" Zafosaul said and then winced with pain. Ameria tried to comfort him, but he said he was okay.

"Oh, my god," Claire said. "That accent. Seems like you all got what you want here. You, Aiden, come with me. I really must try this LARPing thing. I bet I'll make a fine wench. Don't keep Jonathan out too late!"

Claire dragged Zafosaul out the front door and smacked his butt as they turned down the hallway. He winced, and she said something sly about him getting into fights in prison.

The others shrugged and turned back to the phone bill.

"We should call this number," Lovantus said. "Use your sorcery, Sir Toby. But first…"

Lovantus nodded to Percy who emptied a backpack full of weapons, daggers, a morning star and crossbow, a sword, staff, and battle axe. Ameria rolled her eyes, “Where did you get those?”

“We may need them for what’s to come,” Lovantus said. “Percy bought them with the internet wizardry.”

“You didn’t buy those illegally?” Toby paled. “My mom is going to kill me.”

“They may be middling craftmanship, but they are sharp, and they will kill. Perhaps, you can enchant them?”

“You know magic doesn’t work in this realm,” Ameria shrugged, but Lovantus gave the look. The one that said that he wouldn’t back down. She found a water bottle and poured it over a dagger and sang a song. The water fused into the blade. It was weak but it worked. Percy immediately sang a hymn to his god. The spell sparked but fizzled out.

“Good, enchant them all,” Lovantus said to Ameria and she got to work. He turned to Toby, “Now call the number.”

"But isn't that the moon mage's number?" Toby asked. "Should we tip our hand that we are on to her? Perhaps we should call Mr. Jackson's number first. Maybe he would have figured out how to transport his phone with him and has been using it to call his master. But that means she’s not there with him. Maybe if we reach him when he isn't under the gaze of his creepo boss, he’d help us."

"A wise plan," Lovantus said and patted Toby on the leg, "you are right. Sir Toby, use your magic to call Mr. Jackson."

Toby dialed the number.

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