The Descendants of Magog had formed a makeshift camp near the megaliths of Leeds. They had already spent a good deal of time toasting the deaths of so many Gnomes on these grounds. They joked about how the Alphyns were still able to lap up Gnome blood from the damaged earth. They milled about sharpening swords and shaping clubs, all in preparation for the impending attack on the Gnome-kin from Ireland.
It took them quite by surprise when Dullahan and a human appeared through the megalith tether. D’Quall was the first to hop to his feet and brandish his club.
“Oh, it’s you,” the giant said, lowering his weapon and soothing his Alphyn. “And I see you have brought us a piece of human garbage to eat.”
Dullahan on his demon horse led the human towards the group of very large individuals, ignoring D’Quall’s comment. “It looks like you get your wish, D’Quall.”
“Oh?”
“I will be accompanying you to Corways,” Dullahan acknowledged. “But this human and I have another goal when we get there.”
D’Quall folded his arms across his chest. “And what would that be?”
“That doesn’t concern you. You simply need to stay out of my way and destroy, maim, and kill the Leprechauns. After we crush the Leprechaun scourge we will be that much closer to owning the Earth.” Dullahan waited for some smug response from the giant, but when none came he dismounted his horse and walked the human into the midst of the Descendants.
“Hear this, Descendants of Magog,” Dullahan’s voice boomed throughout the camp. The powerful Magogs were spooked, and Dullahan enjoyed the moment. “This is Oscar O’Neal, descendent of Toren O’Neal.”
There was an audible and visible shift among the giants. They instantly went on guard, displaying their fear of the human. Dullahan thought that it was odd since any among the Magogs could easily crush the Seeker. In the end, it didn’t matter as long as he had their attention.
“He will not harm you; in fact, you need to help me protect him. He has a crucial role in forthcoming events, events that will propel all of you back to glory, back to your proper place in this world!”
The Magogs raised their voices in agreement.
“With the help of one whose ancestor was a source of fear for Magogs, we will be triumphant!” echoed D’Quall excitedly.
Dullahan took in the group and knew that victory would be theirs this day. Only the signal from Elathan delayed their assault, and it would come soon.
…
“Brookstone Park?” Brendan was very doubtful when Garnash began giving his directions. “I mean, that park is fairly new, like within the past five years.”
“And?” asked Garnash incredulously.
Brendan looked over to Dorian for help. Dorian made a face that showed she also had questions. “I think Brendan is concerned that all the megaliths that we have used to travel have been ancient, and this one is probably made of modern steel.”
Garnash laughed. “Trust me. As a megalith traveler you begin to gain the ability to sense these sorts of things.”
Brendan shrugged and continued driving towards Brookstone Park. He thought about the layout of the park. It had been years since he had been there with his high school choir when they performed a dozen Christmas songs just before a blizzard hit. What did he remember: a playground, some walking paths, basketball courts, and a few open grassy areas. When he thought about it, he remembered seeing some sculptures here and there, so maybe it was possible that Garnash could have been talking about one of them. He hoped the Gnome wasn’t leading them to a dead end.
…
The castle in the Black Forest was unusually cold, considering the fact that it was summer. A glaze of frost had been forming on the exterior stones for the last few hours, but interior stones also were beginning to become covered in ice. Elathan sat on his cold obsidian throne in silent meditation. Clouds billowed to life when he exhaled and then dissipated within seconds.
The golden god was contemplating the location of the last charm. He didn’t have to worry about the final coffer, Nuada’s chosen bloodline was about to attend to that need, so that left the last charm for him to find.
The stubborn and short-sighted Magick clans of old had made a valiant effort in their attempt to hide his charms and coffers. They must have thought that they had stopped his crusade all those years ago, having had assistance from Nuada. But Nuada sacrificed his connection to this world in a desperate effort to thwart Elathan’s plans. Nuada had succeeded in banishing Elathan, but the golden god had left himself a way back. Nuada did not. He could no longer interfere.
Elathan was patient. Once the final portions of the plan came to be, there would be no stopping his reign, his destructive hoards, or his revenge.
The god smiled to himself, relishing the chilly air he had created in his castle. The crispness of the air helped him to think. It helped to relax his body so that he could reach out with his mind. He shut his eyes. Where was the last charm? Where did they hide it?
In Elathan’s mind’s eye, he saw himself sitting above the world watching the Earth rotate beneath him. He ignored the freezing temperatures of space and the blinding energy from the sun and concentrated on the blue and green sphere floating below him. His eyes turned to a brilliant metallic gold in their sockets searching for any artifact that had godly origins, and in response tiny points of golden light flashed on the land and in the water beneath him. Hundreds of twinkles drew his attention for the briefest of moments, but he dismissed each one favoring to concentrate on the last charm. There were some very powerful objects down there scattered throughout the Earth, but none of them would help the golden god in his scheme. Only the charm mattered.
Then, there it was, one bright beacon that stood out against the others. Elathan concentrated and forced the other artifacts to dim and extinguish until only the charm remained lit.
His eyes shot open with a golden flash and he found himself sitting on his obsidian throne in his tower. So, the Sidhes had the last charm. He rose from his throne and strode to the balcony. The sky above looked alive as the storm clouds billowed and plumed, shooting bolts of black lightning across the darkened heavens. Rain fell in sheets seemingly punishing the landscape below. Elathan glanced towards the moat that surrounded his castle and whispered to the water. Large bubbles escaped from somewhere below and burst into the air. Elathan leapt out of the balcony and plummeted toward the icy moat. The surface of the water domed out as water and ice chunks slid off of a submerged creature. It burst from the water and Elathan landed in-between its shoulder blades. The creature revealed powerful, scaly wings and unfurled them with a powerful snap that tugged on the currents of air.
The beast responded to Elathan’s silent instructions and steered with expediency towards the coastline, straight on towards Ireland.
…
Brendan’s old Ford pulled into the Brookstone Park’s parking lot just on the southwest side of the commons and catty-corner to a police station. Brendan began to sweat at the thought of looking at all of the patrol cars and cops congregating on the sidewalk. Brendan was probably being paranoid, but he was certain all of their eyes were on him and his car.
Dorian caught him staring at the police headquarters. “Just be cool. Get us parked and we’ll find this megalith Garnash mentioned.”
Brendan nodded, but tensions were high in the car. They were all nervous, and the threat of a conflict with police did nothing to ease the butterflies in their stomachs.
Brendan parked in a space next to a large van so that his vehicle was out of the sightline of the police station. They all exited the car and Frank took an extra moment to stretch.
“Okay, Garnash,” began Brendan. “Where is this megalith you were sensing?”
“Like he’s a Jedi or something,” laughed Frank.
Garnash shrugged. “I’d say that’s about right.” He smiled at the thought. “This way. Time’s wasting.”
…
“This is Detective Simmons. Go ahead.”
“What’s your twenty, Detective?” the dispatcher asked over the radio.
“Mile marker 29 on State Road 28,” he replied.
“Precinct 17 got a positive I.D. on your perp’s vehicle.”
Detective Simmons removed his sunglasses and placed them in the passenger seat. “Where is it?”
“Right across the street from 17 at Brookstone Park,” the dispatcher replied. “We have eyes on the suspects, but we are giving them space as you advised.”
“Great,” Simmons said. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Nobody makes contact until I get there. Got it?”
…
Brendan, Lizzie, Frank, Meghan, and Dorian followed the Gnome along a bike path. The park was not empty, but it was definitely a slow day. Dorian assumed that the current heat index had something to do with it. Most people were probably hanging out indoors trying to stay cool in the AC.
She glanced over at Brendan, who was obviously still nervous about the police and the whole situation, and she thought about how far they had come since last year. Sure they had a lot of distance between them, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about him practically every second of every day. It was crazy, really, to care for someone that much, but that’s what she found herself doing.
Brendan was so special to her, that it was beginning to hurt when they were apart. Maybe that’s why she had flipped out when she saw Meghan in his room? Maybe that’s why she still held resentment towards Meghan? Brendan had explained it all, and she trusted him. He had already proven his trustworthiness many times over. What she had to wonder about was their future. If they made it out of this whole mess together, then what came next for Brendan and her? The future was always so uncertain.
…
“Don’t you think you should hide yourself, Garnash?” Frank asked his small friend. “I don’t know about anybody else, but seeing somebody your size might just make me stare.”
“If we were back in Leeds, seeing someone your size might make Gnomes stare,” Garnash responded with a smile. “Right now I am semi-concealed, meaning I am only visible to those I allow to see me.”
“That’s a pretty cool trick,” Lizzie complimented.
“I never knew Gnomes had any powers at all,” Meghan added. “I was always told that they were great gardeners and that was pretty much it.”
“See, that’s how stereotypes start, but you would think that in a human world with so much imagination they would at least give us Gnomes a little more credit. But no, they make us into yard ornaments and every one of them looks like my cousin Chester, the dote.”
“Why do you call him that?” Frank asked.
“Fool fell asleep in the royal garden at Buckingham Palace about one hundred and twenty years ago and was seen by one of the staff. When the royal gardener was getting yelled at by the king he lied and said that Chester was a statue that he had made for luck. Well, the king liked the idea and soon enough people started mass-producing yard Gnomes. Chester has been in the royal garden ever since.”
“Poor Chester,” Lizzie said.
Garnash waved it off. “He’s fine. Practically lives like a king himself. He sleeps all day so that everyone can see him and then prances around all night doing whatever he pleases.”
They kept walking until they reached a circular arrangement of fifteen metallic pillars. Each pillar was lustrous, tall, and had a wide base.
“There they are,” declared the Gnome with satisfaction. He skipped over to the nearest one and examined it closely. “Hmmm. Curious.”
“What’s curious, Garnash?” asked Dorian.
“I’ve got good news and I’ve got… ” the Gnome began. “This is the right place, but I have to connect these megaliths to the tether myself.”
“Can you connect it?” Meghan asked.
“Well, of course, it’s just that I’ve never had to before.”
…
Detective Simmons was met by fourteen officers when he pulled into Brookstone Park’s lot. The police had already placed a boot on the rear passenger tire of Brendan’s car.
“Where are they at?” Simmons asked.
Sergeant Carter stepped forward. “They are in the middle of the park. O’Neal and Lloyd are with two other individuals, but all look to be teens. We’d probably have them in custody already if you would’ve let us move on them sooner.”
“We don’t really know who we’re dealing with here, Sergeant. Dozens of people at Syracuse and dozens more from O’Neal’s neighborhood have vanished without a trace. There was even an incident at Brendan O’Neal’s father’s work where people vanished. You seeing a pattern here, Sergeant?” Carter nodded. “So, I think it’s best that we approach this with a bit more caution.” Simmons pulled out his firearm and checked his clip. “Alright, I’m on point and your men will need to set up a perimeter around our suspects. I want to try and speak with them first, see if they won’t come quietly.”
Simmons saw that the other officers were ready and they entered the park intent on bringing Brendan and his compatriots in.
…
The others stood back and watched Garnash get to work on connecting the tether. He would spend a little time on each megalith chanting some words under his breath and then, when he was done, he would move on to the next one. Meghan was standing near one of the finished megaliths examining the runes that had appeared in the structure’s metal hide. She traced her fingers over some of the symbols with reverence.
“What do you think they mean?” Lizzie asked from behind.
“These symbols don’t really have Earthly meanings,” Meghan responded cryptically.
“Is that right?”
Meghan was wrapped up in the symbols and almost forgot to answer Lizzie’s question. “These symbols come from Otherworld.”
“Isn’t that near Cleveland?” Frank joked as he joined the ladies.
“Otherworld was once connected to Earth through tethers. Gods and magical clans were free to travel between Otherworld and Earth until the tether was cut.” Meghan caressed the megalith and laid her cheek against the metal surface. “Some clans were trapped on Earth and some in Otherworld.”
Lizzie wasn’t sure what to think about Meghan. Something about her was off. Lizzie wasn’t sure that they should trust her. She was just about to probe a little deeper to see if she could find out more, but she noticed something that was more pressing.
“Brendan!” Lizzie said as she ran to her brother. “We have company.”
“Okay, everybody relax,” ordered Brendan. “Lizzie and Frank, Meghan, you guys help Garnash as best you can. Dorian and I will speak with the cops.”
Dorian nodded and she and Brendan walked away from the group towards a man in a suit who had his weapon pointed right at them. “Think all they want to do is talk?” she whispered to Brendan.
Brendan leaned in close to Dorian. “I hope, but judging from this welcome, I’m going to guess not.”
“Brendan O’Neal!” Detective Simmons exclaimed. “Place your hands where we can see them and step forward.”
Brendan looked at Dorian as he complied. He turned to face the policeman and asked, “Is there a problem officer?” He almost winced as the words left his mouth. That was always what the criminals asked the cops! Stupid detective shows!
“My name is Detective Simmons and I have cause to take you and Meghan Lloyd into custody,” replied the Detective.
Brendan was standing twenty feet from Simmons and watched as the detective’s unit formed a perimeter around the megaliths and Brendan’s friends. “Why?” he asked.
“We need to talk about a few situations, Brendan. I need some answers about what happened to some people at Syracuse and Graham and at Rosalina’s in your neighborhood,” answered Simmons.
The Detective was all business. Brendan realized that there may not be a peaceful way out of this situation.
“There must be some kind of mistake, Detective,” replied Brendan.
“Well, that’s what we need to sort out. Why don’t you just come on over to the precinct and we’ll have a conversation.” Simmons reached behind his back and produced handcuffs and began to step forward.
“How’s it going back there?” Brendan asked in a hushed voice over his shoulder.
“Garnash needs a few more minutes,” Lizzie replied.
Brendan looked back at the detective. “Why can’t we just talk right here?”
Simmons shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. Now, I’ve been awfully nice here, but we have you surrounded by a bunch of officers who aren’t as nice as I am. Come on, Brendan, let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”
“I didn’t do anything, Detective Simmons.” Brendan decided to stand his ground. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The officer looked at the young man in confusion. “Well, if you won’t come willingly, then we will have to force you.” The police started moving in with guns raised.
“Whoa!” shouted Brendan. “Stay back! I don’t want to hurt you!”
The officers only paused for a beat before they charged at the group. Brendan’s body ignited into a silver luminescence and with a telekinetic pulse he shoved Dorian back into Lizzie and the others. He swept his hands out towards the police and batted all of the officers away. They went sliding across the ground; some actually rolled to their feet while others recovered with much less grace.
“You’ve just assaulted the police! Take him down!” Simmons shouted.
“Hurry up, Garnash!” Brendan saw that Dorian and the others were rushing out to help, but he forced them back into the circle with a small pulse. He wasn’t quite sure how he was creating the pulses, but whatever the power was, it felt natural to control. He was confident that he could deal with the police without hurting them.
Two of the police charged with tasers firing. The probes touched Brendan’s skin, but it didn’t have the intended effect. Instead of zapping him, Brendan reactively sent a charge back at the officers. When the charges hit the two cops, they were knocked to the ground where they began to convulse. Brendan could sense that they weren’t fatally injured. That was a huge relief!
“Please, stay back!” he shouted at the police, but they wouldn’t listen. He knew they were doing their jobs, but he had a job to do, too, and they were not going to stop him.
Simmons raised his gun and took aim. “Don’t make me shoot you, Brendan!”
“You don’t have to, Detective.” Brendan reached out with his power and yanked Simmons’s gun, and every other officer’s gun from their grasp. He crushed the guns with a single thought.
“Brendan!” shouted Dorian. “We’re ready.”
Brendan turned back to Simmons. “I want you to know that I have a great deal of respect for you and what you do. I just have someplace to be. When it’s all over, I will gladly talk with you.”
Garnash began his chanting and Brendan stepped backwards with his arms still raised.
“O’Neal, you stay put! You are under arrest!” Simmons shouted.
“Not today, sir,” Brendan replied as the megaliths glowed and pulsed with energy. In a matter of seconds, Simmons and his unit were left to look at fifteen megaliths and zero suspects.