Evan

Nina gave Adelfried’s workbench a once over as she casually opened a drawer, and then another. Awfully nosy of her. She turned to Kae. “You need to think about how much ESH you really want to expose yourself to. There are side effects.”

Kae was still examining her wounded shoulder and sitting on Adelfried's stool. “What? I have to eat like a million calories a day or something?”

Nina grinned and opened yet another drawer. “That is one, but I tend to think of that as a perk. No, it's just ESH changes people. Especially when you are first exposed to it. But the longer and more exposure you have will either make you sterile or it will affect your children.” Nina’s voice lowered and she turned away almost as if ashamed. “It can be very dangerous.”

“What do you mean?” Kae said dropping her snarky tone. For once, she read the room. That was an improvement.

“The more ESH you are exposed to the higher chance your offspring will be hypersensitive to ESH. I... let’s just say, I am lucky to be here at all. If you are too sensitive, what we call ESH Oversensitivity, then you have a real problem on your hands. A mage, which is like a pretty powerful wielder, is almost guaranteed to have a hypersensitive baby. Which is ok, they have ways of properly raising and teaching them, again, look at me, I’m fine. But if two mages have child together or God forbid if a wizard were to have a baby, chances are you’re going to get an oversensitive offspring.” Her voice lowered. “And that is very dangerous.”

Kae furrowed her brow. “How can a baby become dangerous?”

Nina took a deep breath, closing the drawer after apparently finding nothing of interest. “ESH is a form of radiation. A radiation that humans, well most life on this planet, can utilize in some way. Don’t ask me the science behind it, hell even our best scientists don’t know exactly how it works. Something about how the human body can use ESH to draw energy at a subatomic or quantum level, I don’t know, there’s something about electrical bonds or something. Whatever. The point is, if you have a baby that suddenly can use the tiniest amount of ESH to tap into energy at a subatomic level, you’ve basically created a nuclear warhead.” Nina sighed. “Testing newborns is one of the worst parts of this job. Thankfully I’ve never had an oversensitive test come back positive.”

Evan rubbed Zarg behind his ears, but his anxiety would not abate. Did he dare ask? Of course. He had to know. “And what do you do with an oversensitive baby?”

Nina held a ring up she found in another drawer of the workbench and examined it. “Let’s just say, it's not safe to allow a nuclear warhead to be born.” Nina put the ring down and started towards the door. “So where do you think Meyers is with that pizza? You’re going to share, right?”

“Ha.” Evan faked a laugh hoping to bring some levity to the room. “Be careful what you wish for. Her vegan pizzas are like cardboard slathered in slimy cheese.”

“They’re not that bad,” Kae said in a tone that admitted that they were that bad.

Zarg got up and followed Nina. He was becoming more upset.

“What’s up Zargy?” Evan said, following him out to the stairs. Was he concerned with Nina leaving? Or was it something else? Or was he just being an odd doggo?

Kae got up to follow them still touching the new skin on her shoulder. “Yeah, it should be ready by now. Unless he burnt it.”

By the time everyone was at the foot of the stairs Zarg started whimpering. Concern morphed into fear.

“It’s okay” Evan went to pet Zarg when the ground began to rumble. He dropped to a knee and put a hand on the ground. “Do you feel that?”

Nina started to climb the stairs. “Maybe the start of an earthquake?”

Kae’s eyes went wide. “We don’t get earthquakes in Houston.”

The TV in Evan’s game room fell forward, slamming into the ground. Items in Adelfried’s shop started to fall to the ground. The rumble in the floor intensified until it became a roar. Evan tried to stand, but the shaking made it hard. Kae grabbed the handrail of the stairs. Nina sat down halfway up the stairs so as not to fall down. The booming from below ended with a harsh clunk, knocking everyone a foot into the air. Evan, already low to the ground threw his hands out before his face hit the ground.

Kae came down on her hurt shoulder crying out as she did.

Then it was silent.

Kae gripped her newly healed shoulder and rolled onto her back. “Ow, fuck. You weren’t joking about it still being sore.”

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Evan popped up, rubbing his hands together. His palms stung from tiny scrapes from the concrete floor. “I’m calling Dad.” He darted into his game room. He sidestepped the flatscreen TV that had fallen to get to the couch at the back of the room. Where the hell was his phone? It was there. Somewhere. He dug around between the couch cushions.

Another crash threw Evan into the air and back onto the couch. The cushions were thankfully much softer than concrete floor.

“Dad!” Kae yelled from the other room. “I think we’re under attack. The ground’s moving.”

Good, she called Dad. It was hard being the only responsible kid in the family. And of course she had her phone on her. Another crash threw him into the air and back down. The cabinet under his TV, and more importantly, his gaming console flew up and smashed to the ground. No! He fought to stand up, which was followed by another sudden jolt throwing him into the air. Was something hitting them from below?

He again tried to sit upright when the couch fell out from under him for an instant and stopped. Then, another short drop and stop. Were they falling? He gripped the couch. Zarg flew into the room. He tucked himself between the back of the couch and Evan. He was terrified. "It’s okay, we’re going to be okay,” Evan lied, trying to believe his own words.

Evan’s stomach lurched. The couch, the TV, the room, and everything in it dropped out from under him like an insane carnival ride. The lights cut out and the blackest of blacks swallowed the room.

Adelfried

Jim pulled his cell phone out to see who was calling as Minna stomped down the corridor, shards of green magic sparking from her hands. Adelfried followed close behind. After passing several labs the corridor ended at a pair of double doors. With a wave of her wrist Minna flattened the doors against the wall.

Waiting for them on the other side of door in a large room was a line of at least twenty Sovs standing in a perfect phalanx, side by side and four rows deep. Some wore Sov grey; others wore grey coveralls, and some police uniforms. These were people he had just collected onsite. All with their heartless grey eyes gazing back at them

And there he was.

Floating in the back of the room, just behind his army of brainwashed victims was Harold. His jet-black hair was trimmed to the style of this time, his beard gone. He held a metal scepter capped with a sparkly chunk of white stone. It wasn’t a diamond, at least not a whole one. Maybe a composite of diamond fragments and dust congealed together? How strong would that be? Would it be as powerful as the Root? Surely not. Being broken there was probably some loss of—

“You will pay!” Minna screamed. The air around her became ice cold. Arcs of pure magical energy pulsed from her outstretched hands. They crashed into the phalanx of Sovs in front of Harold with a thunderous crash.

The Sovs raised their hands. Combined, their strength withstood the attack.

“Minna, there are too many.” Adelfried reached to touch her shoulder, but his hand was thrown back by a wall of pure energy.

“No!” Minna screamed. “I will kill him.”

The bloodlust in her chilled Adelfried. He couldn't help but think back to that terrible day when Harold slaughtered the army in the meadow. Who was she?

Harold’s voice rose magically above the attack. “Addy please! Speak with me before we all come to blows. Let’s not be responsible for the loss of more life.”

A rage boiled within Adelfried. Even after all the death Harold had caused, he was still trying to worm his way out with words. “How dare you? You think I would ever forgive you after what you have done!”

An older man, probably a janitor, considering he was wearing blue coveralls with a badge clipped to his breast pocket, stood front and center of the phalanx. Blood started to pour from his nose and eyes. His face strained. He screamed right before his head imploded. His body went limp, and he collapsed.

The Sov behind him, a police officer, immediately stepped into place.

Jim and Ying started to complain loudly, but their voices were drowned out in the cacophony of the fight.

“Minna please,” Harold screamed. “Let’s be reasonable. You are killing innocents. I promise to release these people if we can just—”

The police officer grunted. Blood geysered from his nose and ears. He fell. Again, another Sov stepped forward.

"Minna, stop.” Adelfried hollered over the crackle of her magic. “We should hear him out. What is there to lose by talking?”

“No!” She was unrelenting in her assault. “Always talk and dialogue and sleight of hand. He always finds a crevice to slink through to evade justice. No more, I say! No more!”

Another Sov fell on the bloody carousel of death. Another took their place.

“Minna...” Adelfried’s heart sank. This wasn’t right. Harold deserved justice but to slaughter everyone to get to him. Was it worth it?

A bolt of ESH hit Minna from behind. It bounced off her. She stumbled, but her green current of death continued to pour out of her. Another Sov crumpled to the ground.

Adelfried turned to see Jim adjust a knob on his rifle. He fired again.

Minna fell forward this time disrupting her attack. Her wild eyes found Jim. “How dare you!”

Jim pointed his rifle down. “Stop killing. Evan can cure these people. But that may not be an option because the house is under attack.” Jim held his phone up. “And now they’re not picking up!”

Minna snapped her finger. Jim flew backwards slamming into a wall. He didn’t move.

Harold said, “Addy why are you so angry with me? I know what I did a thousand years ago was wrong, but I never harmed you or—”

“No!” Minna screamed. Her voice was pure rage. Her renewed attack boomed with a deafening roar. “I will finish this!”

Another bolt hit Minna from behind. She fell forward, slamming into the ground. She hopped to her feet with catlike reflexes. Blood dripped from her nose.

Ying kept the rifle trained on Minna. “They are going to get the Root, you stupid bitch! Is killing him worth losing it?”

Minna raised her hand. Dark green magic filled her palm.

Adelfried stepped in front of Ying. “Minna! The Root. We must protect it!”

Minna shrieked in animalistic rage, “Damn you all!” She slammed her hands together and suddenly they stood in front of a line of parked Wreckie SUVs. Dust choked the air. The blur of their surroundings slowly came into focus. This place was familiar, but something was different. Houses lit by faint streetlights surrounded them, but there was a massive gap between them. The familiarity of trees and homes wrapped Adelfried in stress.

They were home.

But their home wasn’t there.