Red

Red glanced at Karen and back to the ground. “My instincts aren’t telling me anything and that’s what scaring me. It could be anything. Natural phenomena? A creature? Who knows. None of this makes sense.”

“That’s it? Please tell me you have something else.”

Red shrugged wishing he had more.

Karen turned to the doctor who was now checking on another agent on a stretcher. “Get Nina on her feet as soon as you can. I need them to—”

“Your motherly affection is so very touching,” Red snapped. “It brings a tear to my eye.”

“I need them to go see Reggie,” Karen continued, giving Red another smile.

“No! This wasn’t part of the deal, I’ll quit. You know—"

Karen let out a devilish laugh. “You can’t quit, and you know it.”

“Send one of your lackies. Hell, send Nina by herself.”

“We got a class ten, grow up. I don’t care about your history with Reggie. He’s still the foremost intelligence expert on all things ESH and we need what he knows, and we need it now. You know the Sovs have better sensing than we do. This isn't just an investigation anymore. This is a race to figure out what is going on before they do.”

Frustration welled up within. Why was he still here, still dealing with this crusty pain in the ass? Sometimes he wished he wasn’t a man of his word, but he was, and he would do as he promised, even if he didn't want to. “Okay, but this counts as two years towards my debt,” Red stared the harpy directly in the eye. “And I’m going by myself.”

Karen curled her wrinkled lips in and squinted like her face was about to explode with anger. “Fine, two years, but you’re taking Nina. Until this whole class ten issue is resolved you two are working together and I don’t want to hear any more about it.” She pointed a finger at the doctor. “I want Nina patched up and, on her feet, tomorrow.”

“But…she needs at least a week to recover, she has had major organ damage,” the doctor protested.

“She isn’t going into battle. Will she be able to draw?”

“What?”

“Can she move a pencil with her hand on paper?” Karen said, miming the action.

“Well yeah, I guess.”

“Then get her ready by tomorrow, we need information now!” Karen stomped up the metal stairs to the upper level of the plane.

Nina let out a soft groan. “She’s such a bitch.”

Adelfried

Harold carried Minna away while Leyna chased him with a massive ceramic pitcher. The trio ran through a dense forest, thick with heavy roots and stones. wolves howled in the distance. They jumped over the waterfall narrowly avoiding the treacherous rocks below until finally they ended up in a stalemate in front of the fort. Leyna swung the pot several times, barely missing Minna in her attacks. Harold laughed with his pale eyes and eerie tone while dodging the blackened corpses he had put there. He turned his grey eyes on Adelfried who woke, unsure of where he was or how long he had slept.

Yes, he was in the room of that magical house. The family. And that boy, that unique and singular boy who had pulled him and the Root to this world. Also, nature called.

Jim sat across the room reading a large white paper with the most evenly printed black lettering he had ever seen. Strapped to his chest was the same hand sized piece of metal that was around his waist last night. It had to be a weapon.

As Adelfried sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Jim lowered the paper. When Adelfried stood, Jim tensed and his hand moved ever so slightly for the weapon. They stared in silence for a long moment; but nature’s call pushed without mercy. Adelfried darted out the front door and relieved himself behind a tall bush.

Jim threw the paper down. “Do you mind? We have a bathroom!”

Adelfried understood some of his words as he was starting to grasp the language. However, he didn’t know what mind and bath were. He probably didn’t need them, whatever they were. He had been using magic to help him learn their language at an accelerated rate, even if some words were still unclear. It was all so exhausting. He had done this many times before and it enabled him to pick up any language without much effort, but he never needed to learn a language this quickly and he was pushing hard. As tiring as it was, he had to continue. Too much depended on it.

“Well, good morning, Adelfried. Did you sleep well on our couch?”

Something was good, and Jim remembered his name was Adelfried. This was a promising start. Adelfried nodded. “Sleep, couch.”

“Yes, you slept on the couch.”

Adelfried noticed the coins still lying on the table and pushed them towards Jim with a little bow.

Jim shoved the coins back to him. “I don’t want your money. This isn’t a hotel.”

What is a hotel? Were silver coins not enough?

Adelfried sat back on the blue couch which set Jim off in a bit of tirade, throwing his hands in the air. Adelfried tried to absorb as much of the language as he could, but Jim was speaking too quickly. Once Jim tired of his speech he stood up, leaving for a different room in the house. Adelfried followed.

The aroma of toasted bread filled the air as he entered the new room. To one side was a table with chairs and to the other, colorful cabinetry lined the walls broken up with windows and doors.

“Well, he’s up,” Jim said to a woman with a black ponytail sitting at a table, surely his wife. She munched on a slice of bread staring at a glowing device, just like Evan had. Her fierce eyes looked up to consider Adelfried. “Evan found another online translator to try.”

“Ying, how come he was so heavy last night? Why couldn’t I move his arm?” Adelfried was now confident her name was Ying.

“How would I know?”

“You’re the materials scientist at NASA, if anyone would know, it would be you?”

“Sure, give me a core sample and an electron microscope and I’ll get back to you,” she said looking back at her glowing device.

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

“This is all really weird. And when he touched my shoulder, it was like I really knew what he was thinking.” Jim poured a tar black liquid from a glass pot into his cup and took a sip.

“Maybe you were a little weak in the knees after our little encounter.” A sly smile crossed her face.

Jim said grinning, “I mean I wouldn’t say little—"

“Oh my God, I am right here,” Kae said, as she walked into the kitchen making every effort to avert her eyes from what must be her parents. She made a straight line for a door in the back of the kitchen. Both Jim and Ying giggled. Adelfried, curious what might be behind the door, headed over.

“It is perfectly natural for me and your dad to—”

“Do not finish that sentence. Just stop right there! You know what, I’m not hungry.” Kae closed the door to rush out of the kitchen and smashed into Adelfried knocking him to the ground.

Jim threw his hands up. “And now my hundred-pound daughter just ran over the man whose arm I couldn't even move.”

Adelfried smiled as he picked himself up off the ground and gave her a little bow of apology. When he did, he noticed the curve trim on the doorway that could only be done with extensive tooling or magic. He looked closer and saw that it was painted and somehow connected to the wall. He tried to work out how and why such a small detail was done when Jim interrupted his thoughts.

“Adelfried.” Jim pointed at the empty chair by the kitchen table. Realizing how odd he must look, he took the seat to try not to look like a madman.

Evan came into the kitchen tapping his magical glowing device. Magical devices and glowing lights seemed commonplace in this world, even the room swam in light that didn’t come from a candle. The portal interacting directly with the Root must have sent him to an entirely different world. Why else did he not understand any of the languages when he had learned so much from his own world. Yet this place didn’t make sense. Their magic was so advanced, and yet, so behind. Why are they human like him? They have birds and grass and trees, all things familiar, yet so much was so different. It didn’t matter. If the Root could get him here, it could get him home. He just needed to hide until he could figure out how to get home; and this was the place to do it.

Ying put down her toast. “So, do you think this guy is like an escaped mental patient or something? Are we going to kick him out?”

“And how do you suggest I do that?” Jim took another sip of his black drink. “I guess I could call in back up from the boys down at the station. But I must admit, there’s something in me that doesn’t want to. I can’t explain it.”

Adelfried nodded and blurted out in their native language, “you do not trust me.”

Jim choked on his drink. “You can speak English?”

“I am using this special power to learn this English,” Adelfried replied. “I don’t know all the words you are saying, but the more you talk, the more I learn.”

Jim set his cup down and gritted his teeth. “Okay forgetting for a second that you can now magically speak English. Why the hell are you sleeping on our couch?”

“I am lost and need help. I need to stay here until I find a way home.”

Ying scoffed. “Okay, just call the hospital. Looks like a mental patient escaped.

Adelfried bowed his head. “I understand, you don’t trust me.”

Jim folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head. “You magically learned English, overnight. And now you want to live with us until you can find your way home. I can call you a car if you need to get somewhere. But you’re not staying here another night.”

“No, you don’t understand. I got here with that word you used. Magically. I got here with magically.”

Ying shot him a dirty look. “Hold on, since you speak English now, why did you put your filthy body all over my couch? I’m going to have to get it steam cleaned.”

“Ying, hold on, please.” Jim turned back to Adelfried. “You are saying magic?” Adelfried nodded “Okay you are a nutjob, do you know what a nutjob is?”

“Okay,“ Ying said, rolling her eyes, “Mr. Believes-in-Magic-But-Not-Showers, I believe in science, so show me some magic.”

“I only use magic, if needed. I don’t want to draw anyone here who might harm us.” Adelfried knew he was losing his audience, so he grabbed a spoon from the table and threw it into the air. It crashed back down with a clatter.

Jim shook his head. “Amazing, I have never seen anyone throw a spoon in the air like that.”

“Wait,” Adelfried said. Something wasn’t right. He should have been able to float the spoon with ease, then it hit him. He turned to Evan. “You. Your magic sucking is strong.”

Evan squinted. “Huh?”

“You suck magic from the air.”

Jim and Ying glanced at each other with concern on their faces. Kae twirled a finger to the side of her head. They didn’t believe him. He was losing them.

“Wait,” Adelfried said. He had to prove this to them, but how? “I need to touch, so Evan no suck the magic.” He pulled a silver coin from his pocket and showed it to them. “Silver. Silver is valuable here, yes? I need something...” He scanned the table for something of similar weight before snatching the spoon he had just dropped. He bent it so it could fit in the palm of his hand. With the coin and the bent spoon in one hand, he put his other hand on the root and focused on there being two coins with the same feel. He opened his hand and beamed as he displayed the two identical coins.

Ying’s accent thickened, “Oh yes, ancient Chinese secret, sleight of hand, so amazing.” He didn’t need to understand everything she said to know when he was being mocked.

Jim shook his head. “This is just sad.”

Evan’s eyes were wide with amazement. “Um, could you do something a little more magicky?”

The boy was right. Adelfried jutted his chin out. “You want more magic?” The burn of determination welled within. He dropped the coins and slammed his hand on the table. His grip on the Root tightened. Magic surged through him. In a flash the table became a mass of silver coins. Everything that was on the table, plates, cups, a bowl of fruit, and Ying’s glowing device crashed to the floor. “Is this magicky enough?” he yelled.

“My laptop!” Ying howled.

Jim’s mouth fell open. “How...how did you...”

Evan ran his hands through the coins. “No fucking way.”

Jim smacked him on the shoulder. “Watch your mouth.”

After picking up her laptop Ying scooped up a handful of coins to examine. “I think Evan said it right, no fucking way.”

Kae bent to pick up a coin. “Can you do gold coins?”

“Oh yeah or diamonds?” Evan added.

“Hold on, hold on,” Jim cut in. “So, if you can do magic, why do you want to stay here? You don’t need us.”

Adelfried chose his next words carefully. He didn’t want to lie, but he also wasn’t going to mention the blood that seemed to follow the Root, and him for that matter. In a measured voice he said, “I have with me this.” He held the Root up for them all to see. “It is the root of all magic from my world. It is very powerful, and I only need a place to hide it until I can find my way home.”

Jim again looked unimpressed. “Why do you need to hide it? Can’t you defend yourself?”

Images of the man he blew up, the king bursting into flames, and soldiers dead on the field rushed through his head. “Yes, I can, but if it is hidden then no one will come for it. Evan can hide it while I create a… uh safe place to keep it hidden. He is a good sucker, no, a great, great sucker. He will keep the Root hidden.”

Kae started to giggle. “You hear that Evan, it’s not just me who thinks you suck. You might be the suckiest of all time!”

“Shut up.” Evan said, giving Kae an angry look.

“No, she might be right, Evan.” Adelfried continued as Kae continued to giggle. “You suck the most of anyone. I think you are what pulled me here to this world.”

Kae burst out laughing.

Evan threw a silver coin at her. “Oh my god, shut up Kae.”

Adelfried continued, unsure of the conflict between the two. “Do not be afraid, I will only stay until I can create a door home.”

Jim shook his head. “No, there is no way you can stay here. Especially if it is dangerous. I have my family to think of. Go to the government, I can bring you to the right people who can help—”

“No!” Adelfried stood up. “No one else can know about the Root.”

“Hold on, Jim.” Ying picked up a coin and looked at it closely. “Let’s not be so hasty, what if he can make gold coins? Did you know gold is going for over a thousand dollars an ounce?”

Jim turned to Ying. “Baby, do you know who else gets killed when there’s a shootout at a drug dealer’s house? The innocent bystanders, that’s who.”

“He’s not a drug dealer.” Ying said, biting on the coin.

Jim took the coin out of her hand to get her attention. “Do you really think we should take this risk?”

“He’s fine, besides, he said Evan can hide it.” Ying counted out a handful of coins. “This should cover getting the couch steam cleaned. Now how about some gold coins for rent?”

Adelfried picked up a silver coin. “I can make something like something, I cannot change something or make something from nothing.”

Ying pulled a gold bracelet off her wrist. “Here can you make more of these?”

Adelfried took the bracelet and a second later he handed her back an exact replica of the bracelet.

Ying smiled. “Welcome to the Harper house. I’ll fix you a room. Now, go take a shower.”

“What is a shower?”