Warning: This chapter does contain adult themes.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to our show! Now sit back and enjoy yourselves and prepare to witness the weird, the wack, to the totally abstract! We promise you, you'll be amazed at what you see!"
Ch.9: The Strangest Show on Earth
Nathan stopped the Bronco in Gruyere, Wyoming. It was certainly a change from the balmy climes of New Orleans; the weather had definitely begun turning cooler here, and Audrey had secured lodgings and work for them in a ranch run by a young widow named Vanessa Stanley, who'd inherited the ranch after her husband had been killed in a freak accident.
"So you and Nathan are gonna punch cows, huh?" Jennifer grinned as they shopped in the little general store.
"I don't know about punching them, but we're going to be ranch hands," Duke replied, securing a shearling jacket for himself. Fortunately, he'd had experience with riding horses in his previous existence, but he had to admit that watching a 'city boy' like Nathan learn to rope and ride was going to be fun.
"Audrey said she's going to cast a spell so that both you and Nathan look like you've done cowboy stuff for years," Jennifer told him.
Toward the front of the store, they heard the bell ding and the store owner's enthusiastic greeting of "Hello, Reverend! I just wanted to tell you Henry and I enjoyed your sermon so much last evening!"
"Well, thank you, Estelle," Duke heard the deep rumble of a man's voice, and Jennifer saw the faint flicker of silver around the edges of Duke's eyes. "My little group and I came to try some of that chicken pot pie you have on special today. I hear you're quite famous for it."
Duke and Jennifer peered out around the corner of the shelving, taking in the sight of this Reverend.
He was older, maybe in his late fifties to mid-sixties, with mussed dark brown hair, a stubbly chin, a hard face, but it was his eyes that really caught one's attention - a sharp, piercing blue that seemed to bore straight into you. Even when he smiled at the shopkeeper, his face didn't seem to register warmth or humor.
"You folks back there doing okay?" Estelle called out to Duke and Jennifer.
"Oh, yes, fine," Jennifer answered back, seeing Duke's eyes still registering faint traces of silver.
"Is he Corrupt?" she whispered.
"I don't think so," he answered. "But he's had exposure to them."
The door dinged again, and a feminine voice greeted Estelle. "Good morning, Mrs. Sorenson."
"Oh, hello, Miss Cogan," Estelle answered. "I have to say, we enjoying your singing so much."
"Well, thank you," the woman replied, and Jennifer gasped, getting a strange look from Duke.
"She's the lady I saw in the swamp!" she whispered. "The one that knew what The Infect were!"
"Well, we can't stand back here and hide all day," Duke replied, gathering the last of their supplies, and stepped out into the aisle. "Time we met the second string, don't you think?"
"You're sure about that?" Jennifer asked, a little nervous. "What if they try to attack us, like Jordan and Kirk did?"
"I don't think they want to ruin their 'public image'," Duke said, and held Jennifer's hand protectively.
Duke then walked into their line of sight.
"Reverend Driscoll," the blonde woman said, getting the older man's attention. Driscoll turned to see Duke and Jennifer.
"Well, it seems we have met the prodigal son," Driscoll said. "And the harlot that led him astray."
"What did you say?" Duke said, as his fangs grew. The blonde woman stepped in-between them.
"I'm sure people are going to take your side attacking a reverend," she said.
"Thank you for being the voice of reason, Arla," Driscoll said. "I see why we were chosen to do this righteous mission."
Jennifer wanted to protest, but she had a feeling Driscoll and Arla were not going to believe her.
"I will turn the other cheek, but do not interfere with our mission," Driscoll said. "I can defeat you without lifting a finger."
Arla and Driscoll made their purchases and left.
"I need a drink," Duke said as they finished their shopping and went into a check-out line.
"I may join you," Jennifer said as they walked out of the store. "By the way, why did your eyes change colors with them? I mean, if they're the replacements . . . and your eyes never changed color when Audrey or Nathan were close . . . why now?"
Duke was about to answer when they saw a small crowd forming around a group of performers. There were about ten people in this group, ages ranging from 14-16. Half of them were performing while the other half were handing out flyers and advertising.
"Come one, come all, to the most amazing show on earth!" a teenage boy with brown eyes called out as he passed out flyers. His hair was long and pulled back, like Duke's was; except his hair was a lighter shade of brown and he also had bangs.
"We promise you will have fun and forget all your troubles," a teenager girl with blue eyes said as she danced, and her streamer trailed behind her. Her blonde hair was done in two braids.
"We invite you all to witness wonders you never seen before," a teenage boy said with blue-green eyes and light blonde hair said, as he juggled knives.
"You won't be disappointed or your money back, guaranteed," a teenage girl with black eyes and dark red hair pulled into a ponytail said, giving the crowd a wink as she worked several Hula-Hoops around her body, swirling them gracefully.
A teenage boy with black hair pulled back in a rat's tail and black eyes stepped forward, carrying a thin torch. He then swallowed the fire, giving the crowd a deadpan look when he was done.
"Oh, a circus!" Jennifer smiled, seeing the performance.
Duke was still fuming over his encounter with the reverend, and he could see him and Arla coming out of the store, and he spotted Jordan and Kirk as well. Even with his super-hearing, he couldn't hear the conversation, but he guessed that he and Jennifer were the topic of conversation, judging by the expressions on their faces.
"What's going on?" Nathan asked as he and Audrey exited another store and joined them at the Bronco.
"We met the rest of our replacements," Jennifer said.
"Yes; I tried out a spell so we now we have names to go with faces," Audrey spoke. "The blonde is named Arla Cogan, the dark-haired guy is Kirk Bauer, Jordan McKee, Nathan's old - friend," she went on, indicating the raven-haired woman, "and the preacher is Reverend Edmund Driscoll."
"What's he like?" Nathan asked.
"Oh, he's such a sweetheart," Duke deadpanned. "He called Jennifer a harlot."
"What?" Audrey protested. "Jennifer's about as much of a harlot as June Cleaver."
"Thanks, I guess," Jennifer grinned.
"Time and place for everything," Duke winked, putting his arm around her.
"Won't you come to the circus?" the red-haired girl asked, handing Jennifer a flyer, and Duke turned his back quickly, shielding his eyes, an action that did not go unnoticed by the four just up the street.
"So the circus is our target," Jordan said coolly, observing the teenage performers as they did tricks and handed out flyers to their circus. "Should be fun."
"But what do we do about them?" Arla asked the Rev.
"So long as they stay out of our way, we keep our distance," he answered.
"I don't think that's-" Jordan began angrily, but the Rev lifted his hand, and she fell silent.
"Now is not the time to pursue personal vendettas," he placated her. "First, we deal with these - creatures," he gestured at the performing troupe. "And then we'll send those four to the other side to be dealt with."
While the others were loading their purchases, Jennifer was having a discussion about the circus with the blonde hair boy, who was still juggling his knives.
"You must spend hours practicing that," Jennifer said, amazed.
"Yes . . . I spend time honing my craft," the boy said, blushing a little. "Our matinee is tomorrow! Half-price off!"
"Hey, Quill, time to get packing! 'Nanny' wants us back for rehearsals!" the boy with the long hair called out, as the rest of the troupe began packing up.
"Be right there, Dexter!" the blonde boy said as he stopped judging as caught each of his knives perfectly, without cutting himself. He then looked at Jennifer. "Oh . . . Yes . . . my name is Quillon, but my friends call me Quill for short."
"Hurry up! Or else I'm telling Cassandra you're flirting with an older woman!" Dexter teased, indicating the blonde girl in braids. Jennifer then noticed the troupe entering a large van and there was a harsh-looking heavy-built woman standing next to the driver's side.
"Hey! No fair!" Quill exclaimed. He quickly said good-bye to Jennifer and ran to the van. Jennifer then got into the Bronco.
"Didn't your book say something about a circus?" Audrey asked as they drove.
"It did," Jennifer remembered, feeling embarrassed that she forgot and she was so friendly to the troupe. "Could The Corrupt control someone that young?"
"The weird thing was I didn't sense any Corrupt with them," Duke said. "It was coming from that woman next to the van."
"Do you think the kids are being...held captive or something?" Jennifer asked.
"I don't know," Duke replied. "But maybe we should go to the circus and check it out."
"Well, first we have to get settled in at the ranch," Audrey said. "We're supposed to meet Vanessa in an hour, so let's go."
They finished loading their purchases into the Bronco, and set out towards the edge of town for the Evenstar Ranch.
They began seeing the fencing before they actually saw the ranch, dotted here and there with red cattle.
"Akaushi beef," Duke explained.
"What's the difference between regular cows and these?" Nathan asked.
"Akaushi beef is the about the best beef you can eat," Duke explained. "It has a richer fat marbling and it's the good fat, the kind your doctors want you to eat. And very, very tender and expensive," he went on. "No wonder she has such high fences."
They pulled up to a rambling ranch-style house, and a lovely red-haired woman in glasses emerged from the front, along with an older man.
"Hi, you must be Mrs. Stanley," Audrey smiled, shaking hands with her. "I'm Audrey Parker, your new office manager."
"Oh, just call me Vanessa. We're not big on formalities around here," Vanessa smiled.
"Vanessa," Audrey answered. "This is Nathan Wuornos and Duke Crocker," she introduced the pair, who both shook hands politely. "Nathan grew up on a ranch, and Duke's retired from the rodeo circuit, so these guys know their way around. And this is Jennifer Mason, one of the best cooks you can find," she finished.
"Pleased to meet y'all," the man answered, extending his hand. "I'm Hank Grayson, I'm the foreman," he told them. "So you were a rodeo rider, huh?" he asked Duke. "What'd you do?"
"Steer wrestling," Duke replied, hoping it sounded macho enough.
Hank nodded approval. "You'll be a good hand to have around when it's branding time then," he commented. "What'd y'all raise on your ranch?" he questioned Nathan.
"Oh, we raised Jersey cows . . . it wasn't a ranch, it was a dairy farm," he got out. "But I was around cattle since I was knee-high to a grasshopper," he finished, and Duke suppressed a smile. It was going to be fun indeed watching Philadelphia Nate try to work his way around a ranch.
"Ain't nothin' wrong with that," Hank said. "Just tells me that you'll know what to look for when one of the cows gets sick. An' believe me, with as much as these cows are worth, we need to know when one of 'em's ailin', so we can get the vet, stat. You fellers grab your gear and I'll get you situated in the bunkhouse. Ray's out on the range right now, but he should be back before sundown. He's quiet, but he's a good man."
"Audrey, Jennifer, I'll show you guys your rooms," Vanessa answered, and they set out.
Nathan watched them go into the house, and Duke prodded him.
"Hey, c'mon - Hank's waiting for us," he whispered.
They walked a short distance from the house to a long, low building with smoke coming out of the chimney atop it.
"I take it y'all are a couple, you and Audrey," Hank commented to Nathan.
"Yes," Nathan replied.
"Jennifer and I are also dating," Duke put in.
"Not so unusual, ranch help datin' each other. I had a wife, but she's passed on, God rest her. Ray's got a woman back in his village on the reservation, so your gals are safe enough here. Now in the summer, I don't know as I could make that promise, we take on some extra hands, and it's hard to get good help these days."
"Don't we know it," Nathan muttered.
There were six sets of bunk beds in the bunkhouse, so Duke and Nathan both got to pick top bunks, and stashed their gear into the wardrobes.
"Well, now that y'all are settled, we can head on out to the corral," Hank said.
"Oh?" Duke asked. "What's going on there?"
"You didn't think I was just gonna take your word for it that you know what you're doing, did you?" Hank asked, laughing. "I wanna see it fer myself just what kinda cowboys you two are."
"Um . . . sure . . . let us get changed first," Nathan said.
"Of course; met me by the corral next to the stable," Hank said and left them.
After the guys changed into more appropriate riding attire, they headed to the corral next to the stable. Inside the corral was Hank with two horses, tied to a fence post. Vanessa, Audrey, and Jennifer were watching from under a tree.
"Okay, let's see you tact up these horses and ride them once around," Hank said, once the guys entered the corral.
"Sure," Duke said, as he gathered the equipment. Nathan looked at the items with a confused expression and Duke noticed.
"What's wrong, Nathan? The only horse you're familiar with is your Bronco?" Duke whispered.
"Man, it was sure nice to go out and stretch our legs," Dexter said, as he entered the 'lounge tent,' where his friends were at. He then found a duvet and plopped himself on it.
"I was going to sit there," the boy with the rat tail said.
"Yeah? What are you going to do about it, Logan?" Dexter said.
"I can set your hair on fire," Logan said in a serious tone.
"Oh, don't listen to him, Dexter! Come sit by me, Logan," the girl with the red hair said, patting a seat on the couch. "I can make it smell like incense just in case Dexter takes off his shoes."
"Very funny, Victoria," Dexter said, closing his eyes.
"Do you think we'll have a packed audience tomorrow?" a girl with dyed green hair clipped back and green eyes asked as she contorted her body into an impossible shape.
"Well, we drew quite a crowd in town, Juno," a girl with light brown hair done in half braid and blue eyes said as she made a pack of cards appear in her hand.
"We'll just have to see, Lena," Quill said, as he made his knives float around his hand. "I just hope we can help a lot of people."
"Have you ever wonder about the people they helped?" a boy with hazel-green eyes and dark brown hair with long bangs asked as he picked up a book and climb up a pole as if he walking down the sidewalk. "All we hear is that they helped them, and nothing else."
"It's not our place to question them, Trent, remember?" a girl with black hair done up in a bun and black eyes said, looking up as Trent, who seated himself comfortably on the top of the pole. She then cleared her throat and sounded exactly like Nanny. "Your job is to gather the masses; our job is to help people remember to be happy: no questions asked."
"You're getting good, Pamela!" Cassandra said as she levitated a foot in the air.
"Besides," a boy with short brown hair and blue eyes said as he entered the tent. "We owe them, if not for them, each of us would have remained in the gutter."
"It's just an observation, Harlan," Trent said, looking up from his reading. "Nothing more."
"Yeah, so calm down," Dexter said, seeing objects fly around Harlan. "O, fearless leader."
"Shut up," Nathan muttered.
Audrey, who was watching from where she was situated atop the fence around the corral, made a surreptitious gesture with her hand, and whispered a few words.
"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked, spotting her actions.
"I was just making a wager with Jennifer about which one's the better rider," Audrey answered.
"Well, my money's on Duke," Vanessa observed, watching him tighten the cinch on the saddle before putting the stirrup down and swinging into the saddle effortlessly.
After a second, Nathan suddenly went from Greenhorn Tenderfoot to Clint Eastwood in the blink of an eye, quickly following suit with Duke's actions and he too was up in the saddle, doing his best to hide his amazement, and he shot Audrey a grateful look as he cantered past her on the fence.
Hank put them through their paces, even to herding a couple head of cattle, and Duke found that he actually could put a steer down on the ground.
"Well, you boys sure know your stuff," Hank said at the end of it. "Welcome to the Evenstar Ranch; we hope y'all will stay awhile."
"Thanks," Duke puffed, walking his horse around to cool it down, limping slightly.
"You all right?" Nathan grinned at him.
"Yeah. Just been a while since I've been in the saddle," Duke grimaced, and Vanessa laughed.
"I know that feeling," she said meaningfully. "If I don't ride for two, three days, I hurt so bad the next day after I do; it's all I can do to stand the next day." She leaned toward him. "You did very well," she smiled.
"Thanks," Duke answered, seeing her smile.
"You remind me a lot of my late husband, Terry," she told him.
"What happened? If you don't mind my asking," Duke said.
"He got killed in a flash flood last year."
"I'm sorry," Duke replied sincerely, and Vanessa smiled again, touching his shoulder gently.
"Thank you," she answered, gazing back at him directly, and Duke felt his face warm.
'Is she hitting on me?' he wondered, and then saw the gathering storm clouds in Jennifer's face.
'Yes, she is,' Jennifer thought back at him.
Hank nodded. "All right, I'm gonna let you boys put the horses away and then get washed up for supper."
"Oh - I haven't even had a chance to see the kitchen yet," Jennifer blurted, and Vanessa laughed.
"It's all right. For today, I put on a big pot of chili this morning, so it should be ready now," she reassured her. "But tomorrow morning, breakfast has to be on the table by six; ranch days start early."
'Didn't realize they started that early,' Duke radiated at Jennifer, and she smiled.
"No problem," she replied. "I like early starts."
About then Nathan noticed a tall slender man riding towards them.
"Oh, there's Ray," Vanessa said. "Ray! Come and meet our new ranch hands!"
Ray rode closer, and dismounted his horse.
"Beautiful Paint," Duke told him, admiring the horse Ray was riding.
Ray nodded, gauging him, and like he had with Miss Maisie, Duke could sense a great power lurking behind the calm facade of the man in front of him.
"Ray Littlecloud, this is Duke Crocker, Nathan Wuornos, Audrey Parker and Jennifer Mason," Vanessa introduced all round. "They came to help us out."
"Pleased to meet you all," Ray replied in a low voice, his eyes darting towards Audrey. "I look forward to working with you all," he said politely, but Duke heard a different reply in his own head.
'You are all in terrible danger,' he heard Ray tell him mentally.
'Can you tell me why?'
'I cannot. But I can help you to discover the answer. We will speak again.'
"Duke," Nathan called, and Duke snapped out of his trance.
"What?"
"We need to put the horses up."
"Oh – sorry; sure thing," he brightened.
"I will show them where," Ray offered. "We will be along shortly."
"Mind if we come along too?" Audrey asked suddenly. "I'd like to see the barn and the horses."
"Sure thing," Vanessa said. "See y'all in a bit."
Once Vanessa and Hank were out of earshot, Ray turned to them.
"You told me we were in danger here," Duke said. Ray nodded.
"Yes."
"You said that you couldn't help, but you would show us how to help ourselves," Duke said. "How?"
Ray glanced at Duke, and Duke understood.
"He's going to take us on a medicine walk," Duke replied.
"What's a medicine walk?" Jennifer asked then looked at Duke. "And how do you what it is?"
"I know what it is, because I went on one once, when I was alive," Duke told her. "It's a spiritual journey."
"What's that going to entail?" Nathan asked suspiciously.
"It's different for everyone," Duke said. "What works for one person might be completely wrong for someone else."
"What are we supposed to discover?" Audrey questioned.
"You are all in grave danger here," Ray told them.
"So you know what we are," Nathan replied. "Like the women we met in New Orleans."
"Yes. Beings like yourselves are sacred guardians to my people," Ray explained as he helped them put the saddle tack away. "You've each been given a great power - on this walk, you will truly learn how to use them."
"We're aware of what our powers are," Nathan said.
"But there is a great deal more than what you know," Ray replied. "These other – beings – like you know their full power. They were not sent here for the same purpose as you. They were sent here for evil."
"We were like them, once," Duke muttered. "We believed we were averting a war between good and evil, but we weren't."
Ray nodded. "But your true guardians helped you to see through the deception. On your medicine walk, you will gain full understanding of your powers."
"Well, when do you want to do this?" Audrey asked.
"The next full moon would be best."
"When's that?" Jennifer inquired.
"In four days," Nathan said. "Until then, let's work on the circus assignment."
"I wish you good luck," Ray said, and headed for the house.
Before dinner, Nathan gathered the others into another room, and asked Jennifer if her book had written anything new.
"It says 'indebted, uninformed, children,'" Jennifer read from her book. "I guess the book is saying the kids aren't Corrupt."
"But why are the kids with them?" Audrey asked.
"I guess we'll find out," Jennifer said and took out the flyer advertising the circus. "Their opening day is tomorrow."
They made their way back to the house, and after feasting on Vanessa's incredible chili, they felt full to bursting.
"Oh, I could hurt myself on this chili," Duke groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Are you the state champion at all the chili cook-offs?"
"No," Vanessa laughed. "But I have placed a few times."
"So, Vanessa," Jennifer began. "You ever hear of any good ghost stories around here?"
"Oh, Hank tells a doozy of one," Vanessa replied.
"That needs a campfire to be told around," Hank shrugged. "But I reckon I could make do with the fire pit out on the patio."
"I can make us cocoa," Jennifer offered.
Vanessa and Hank agreed, and went out to go start the fire while Nathan and Audrey chatted for a bit, and Duke helped Jennifer with the cocoa. He could see that something was weighing on her mind, and after a few moments of silence, she spoke.
"Why did the reverend call me a harlot?" Jennifer asked him. "Was there someone before me?"
"No," Duke said. "You know my story with Evi. That was all over with when I met you. There wasn't anything or anyone after."
This time, it was his turn to ponder for a few moments. "When I was - recruited, I guess that's what you would call that - Howard told me - told us - that we would be a sort of avenging angel, taking out The Corrupt that were causing harm. But the longer it went on, the more we began to have misgivings about what we were doing. And then we met you," he smiled, touching her nose gently. "And I saw that there was more to my existence than just fighting The Corrupt," he told her, drawing her to him. "You made me feel alive again, Jennifer," he whispered, nuzzling noses with her. "You've made me see that I'm not a monster - or anyone's puppet."
He exhaled and let out a long sigh. "But I'm sure William and Howard's probably given the new bunch this whole we-gave-them-the-best-years-of-our-lives-and-this-is-how-they-repaid-us spiel," he cracked wryly. "So don't listen to anything they say. You're no harlot," he lectured sternly, but was smiling.
"Well, not here, anyway," Jennifer grinned wickedly.
Duke didn't answer, he merely scooped up the mugs of cocoa and headed out to the patio, but even in the dim light of the house, Jennifer could see he was smiling.
Vanessa and Hank were impressed with all the hard work they did, so Vanessa told the four to take the afternoon off, once the cattle had been attended to, and Jennifer had the brisket slow-roasting in the oven for dinner. The four thanked Vanessa and Hank and then set off for the circus.
They brought their tickets and looked for good places to sit. Jennifer then saw Quill talking to a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. Quill soon saw Jennifer and gave her a small wave. Jennifer waved back and smiled. The other boy turned around and saw her, then studied her a bit before he left. Quill waved again before he exited.
The spotlights began to sway over the arena, and the band began to play.
"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to The Circus Nocturne," the ringmaster boomed. He looked like the stereotypical ringmaster from days of old, the top hat, the frock coat, jodhpurs, knee boots, oiled-down black hair and a thin waxed mustache that turned into two perfect curls on either side of his lips. "We have bone-chilling thrills, death-defying stunts, serendipitous delights and mysterious marvels that will dazzle the young and bewitch and befuddle even the most cynical curmudgeons," he toned on through his old-fashioned megaphone, yet everyone in the audience could hear him quite well. "And now, without further ado, allow me the privilege of introducing our performers!" he gestured grandly, the red curtains drawing back, revealing the kids who had come into town dancing, whirling and twirling, playing to the audience, who was clapping and whistling wildly.
"Presenting Harlan the Amazing," the ringmaster called. "The king of telekinesis, able to lift objects with his mind," he continued as Harlan passed by the crowd, bowing, and paused to show a grouping of candy apples in his hand. He tossed them into the air, the apples spinning around him slowly before sailing out into the audience to land gently in the hands of the amazed children.
"Trent, the Earl of Equilibrium - he can balance himself on almost any object! And Quillon, Master of Magnetism," he gestured as the boy who had been friendly with Jennifer came around the edge of the arena.
"And Logan, the Fire-Eater!" the ringmaster said grandly, as the dark-haired boy came round with flaming torches, and put each one into his mouth, extinguishing them for a moment, and then opened his mouth and spit fire at each torch, relighting them, making the audience gasp.
"These are not regular circus people," Nathan whispered. "Nobody can do this stuff - not even Cirque du Soleil."
"I notice," Audrey answered back.
"Presenting Juno, the Human Pretzel!" the ringmaster called, and the green-haired twirled her way into the center of the ring, and launched herself into a backbend, placing her feet atop her head before she untwisted herself and trotted out of the arena.
"And Cassandra and Lena, Mistresses of Magic!" the ringmaster said, the two girls coming out and bowing deeply.
"And all other acts sure to thrill, chill and amaze you! We guarantee it or your money back, no questions asked!" the ringmaster boomed. "I am Winston DeVille, your humble ringmaster, and I and my troupe sincerely hope that you will enjoy our show!" he finished as the band blared up again, all the kids passing around the arena once more before exiting through the curtains.
"No clowns so far," Nathan smiled, and Audrey seemed to relax.
"And now, our Masters of Mirth, Doogal and Dudley!" the ringmaster called and two rather creepy-looking clown emerged, pushing a large wooden box between them.
"I don't get it: kids with powers, a circus . . . what's their goal?" Jennifer asked.
"We now present out protégé acrobats! Dexter, Pamela, and Victoria!" the ringmaster announced, as two girls and a boy entered the arena. "After their performance, we will have a slight intermission. Just to let you know, after to show, some members of our troupe will be around to answer questions and sign autographs; no extra cost! We hope we will help you forget your problems."
"Well, we can ask them ourselves," Duke said.
The circus proved to be dazzling indeed, the crowd oohing and aahing at each spectacular stunt the performers did, impossible feats that would mean serious injury or death to a 'normal' performer, but the four of them knew by now that these were not ordinary kids.
Audrey had since calmed down from the experience of Doogal the clown running into the audience to gather up a 'pretty lady' and had chosen the woman right next to Audrey; it had been all she could do to keep from shrieking in terror. And now, throughout the circus performance, she had quietly been observing the crowd. They all seemed to be in some sort of trance, she noticed. The teenage performers could have been playing hopscotch and the crowd would have roared with approval.
The show was ending now, and the kids all gathered in the center ring, holding hands in a circle, facing outward as they bowed deeply, their faces a mix of fatigue and euphoria as the audience applauded them wildly.
"Thank you for taking us into your hearts and making your day brighter," Winston beamed. "You have certainly made ours brighter. Good evening and safe journeys to you all, and we hope to see you again next year!" he finished, the band continuing to play as the crowd thinned out of the tent, chattering excitedly among themselves until only a few people remained in the tent, and the four rose to their feet, heading not for the exit, but for the performers' tents.
"I think it's time we found out what goes on around here," Audrey whispered. "Jennifer, would you mind taking a look around? But make sure you're in your air form," she warned. "We don't want what happened with Killian to happen here."
"No, we don't," Duke agreed, giving Jennifer a kiss for luck before she evaporated into thin air.
Ahead, they could hear the excited chatter of the kids' voices, the clattering of plates and realized that it must be their mess tent.
The three made their way into the tent, finding all the kids either eating or getting food.
Nathan glanced around, and saw neither the woman they'd been with in town or the ringmaster, and he spoke.
"You guys were really amazing," he said.
"Oh, thanks," came a chorus of voices.
"Did you want to get an autograph or pictures?" the boy, Harlan, questioned.
"No, actually," Audrey said. "We wanted to talk to you - about your guardians."
"Um, you want us to find Nanny?" Dexter asked, after scooping a spoonful of food in his mouth.
"No, we just want to talk to you," Nathan said.
"Are you from child services?" Logan asked. "I can tell you up front you will find nothing incriminating here."
"Right! Like that lady from . . . where we were . . . Texas? Yes, Texas," Pamela said. "In fact, she looked much happier after she talked to Mr. Deville."
"Okay . . . let's try a more direct approach," Nathan said and nodded to Duke, who checked the outside of the tent.
"All clear," Duke said.
The kids were getting a little suspicious and nervous, until Nathan created a small illusion of a flower in his hand. They then gathered around the adults.
"You're . . . you're like us . . ." Lena finally said.
"What can you do?" Juno excitedly asked them.
"We all have - different abilities," Audrey replied. She created a sphere, and tossed it up, creating a miniature fireworks display within the tent to the amazement of the gathered children.
"Can you do other illusions too?" Lena asked Nathan, blushing when Nathan looked at her.
"I can do other things as well," Nathan said.
"How about you, Slim?" Cassandra asked, with a flirtatious wink at Duke.
"My powers are a little different," Duke dodged evasively.
"Aw, you probably don't have any powers," Dexter said.
"Well, what have we here?" Winston the ringmaster spoke from behind Duke, and Duke's eyes flared, turning intensely silver.
"Wow! That was awesome!" Quill said, delighted as Duke averted his face. "Do it again!"
"Sorry, only one show a day," Duke muttered, willing himself to stay human in the presence of such an intense evil.
"What's this? New friends?" Winston smiled, moving into the tent. "And such charming company as well," he directed to Audrey, and kissed her hand delicately. "Winston DeVille, at your service, milady."
He spotted Nathan glaring at him, and dropped her hand gently.
"Audrey - Parker," Audrey answered. "We were just coming to tell you all how much we enjoyed the show today. They're all so very talented. We were surprised - and enchanted," she finished.
"We think so," Winston beamed, looking around the tent at the cluster of children. "But why were you surprised?"
"They're all so very young to be performing professionally," Nathan said. "Are you their father?"
"A guardian, after a fashion," Winston said urbanely. "Nanny . . . or rather Elizabeth Van Der Vere and I . . . have custodial guardianship of the children. I could show you the papers, if you would like to see them," he gestured toward the tent flap.
"No, no," Audrey put in quickly, remembering Pamela's reference to the social worker who was 'happy' when she left.
'Magicked, more than likely,' she thought. 'We will have to question them without Winston or this 'Nanny' person around.' But aloud she said: "We only wanted to stop by and say how much we enjoyed the show. And it's very good of you to look after the kids," she added to Winston, who smiled broader.
"We're so glad you enjoyed it," he answered, and gestured, with tickets appearing in his hand.
"Tomorrow night's performance is invitation-only," he told them. "We would deem it an honor if you would join us again."
"We'll . . . be glad to attend," Nathan said, taking the tickets. "Thank you."
"Oh! You should see—" Victoria began, but Nathan had a feeling what she was going to say next, and created an illusion of crash which got Winston's attention. Winston politely excused himself to check on the sound.
'Jennifer?' Duke asked through his link.
'Yes, Duke?' she responded.
'Did you find anything?"'
'I believe so.'
'Meet us at the mess tent; I think we're going to need all the help we have to explain The Corrupt to the kids.'
Jennifer soon flew in, a tiny bright spark, and quickly became full-size.
"I KNEW there was something special about you!" Quill smiled. "You guys should join us!"
Jennifer resumed her human form, smoothing her skirts.
"No, we can't join you," Audrey began. "We showed ourselves to you because we're concerned about you. This Nanny and Winston people aren't human at all."
"We know that," Harlan interrupted.
"You do?" Audrey asked, startled.
"Yes - they're like us, with unique powers."
"Oh. Well, not quite like you," Audrey replied. "We believe them to be creatures called The Corrupt - they're - well, there's no other way to explain it, and you're not babies, they're evil. They are not here for good. We don't believe that they're using you to make people 'happy' either," she went on.
"How do we know you are who you say you are?" Harlan demanded, the others nodding. "You've showed us a few little tricks that several of us could do - how do we know you're not the evil people?"
Audrey glanced at Nathan, who nodded.
"They have a valid point," he said, and looked at the little group. "Then we'll show you," he finished, and transformed himself, Audrey and Duke following suit, the wide eyes and open mouths telling them they had just made true believers out of the kids.
"These are our true forms," Audrey told them. "We were once alive, and then resurrected for what we thought was for the right reasons, but they weren't. Fortunately, we found out in time." They returned to normal.
"How come you didn't change?" Quill asked Jennifer.
"Because I am an actual human," Jennifer replied. "I have powers, but not quite like theirs." She came closer to the kids. "Are Winston and Nannie keeping you prisoner? Don't you want to go back home?"
"You seem to be operating under the impression that we have homes," Harlan spoke. "There's where you're wrong!"
"NO! I don't want to go back! Don't make me leave!" Pamela screamed and burst out crying. Victoria rushed over to her and held her tightly.
"Don't worry, Pamela; nobody is going to force you to leave," Victoria said in a comforting tone, as she patted Pamela's back.
The four adults looked at each other a little confused.
"Did it ever cross your mind why we joined them?" Harlan asked. "They gave a better life, a safer life."
The four looked shocked.
"Tell them, Pamela," Victoria said, frowning at Nathan and Audrey. "Tell them what happened."
Pamela wiped her eyes and stepped forward. "M-m-my Dad made me sleep with him; I didn't like it. H-he told me he'll kill me i-if I told anyone. Then one day when I was coming home from school . . . a circus van pulled up in front of my house. They told me they'll free me from Dad, and I accepted. Dad came out screaming, b-but the Low Men in Yellow Coats, t-took him away and . . . punished him . . . I think . . . now I'm surrounded by friends and my new family."
"Want more proof? I was a victim of bullying. No matter what, the bullies kept after me, until one day I discovered my power; I threw a trophy against his skull, leaving him comatose. I thought people will look at me as a hero, but instead they looked at me in fear," Harlan said. "I was ostracized, almost lynched, until the circus van came."
"I was just living with my father; I never knew my mother," Trent said. "He was addicted to gambling and couldn't pay off his debts. To survive, I stole. I was almost arrested until the circus rescued me."
"I had to survive by going into prostitution," Juno said.
"I . . . was part of a human trafficking ring," Cassandra said. "I was so terrified when then circus brought me, but soon I was grateful they saved me."
Quill took Cassandra's hand and smiled at her and she gave him a tiny smile in returned. He then looked at the adults. "I . . . grew up in a cult. I thought everything was normal, until I heard my parents talking about my marriage to four wives later that month and being part of the 'master race' . . . that's when I decided to run away and ran into the circus."
"I was in the foster care system, and somehow always ended up in an abusive family," Victoria said. "I protective those younger than me, and that just made my foster parents angrier; one time I was sent to the hospital. However, the circus came to pick me up."
"I was raised in a church orphanage," Dexter said. "My favorite nun was Sister Hester; she was a mother to me. One day, some gunmen stormed the church to steal their valuables. They took Sister Hester hostage. I tried to stop the man . . . and that's when I found out my power . . . sucked the life right out of him. You can probably guess the church wasn't pleased when they heard what happened." Dexter paused and fiddled with the rosary beads tied around his wrist. "Sister Hester said it was a godsend that the circus found me and took me in."
Dexter then looked at Logan. "Hey, Logan, tell them your story."
"No."
"Come on, it will make you feel better."
"No."
"Then I will tell them."
"Fine; my mom was what you called a 'tiger mom,' however she was . . . extreme with her methods," Logan said. "When I got a 'C,' she refused to feed me. Luckily, one of my teachers called child services; however the circus came to my house instead and took me."
"Oh, yes . . . I actually came from a rich family," Lena said. "However, my parents lost their wealth to a Wall Street scam. They . . . threw me out into the streets, saying they couldn't afford me. Just when I was about to enter a homeless shelter, the circus van came and gave me a home."
"So tell us," Harlan said, looking at the four adults. "Why should we leave the home that saved us?"
Audrey and Nathan looked aghast at one another. They had been operating under the assumption that the children had been kidnapped or were being coerced into performing, not that their home environment might be ten times worse than the conditions at the circus.
Duke seemed to be thinking something over, and then Jennifer spoke up.
"I think I can convince you that Nathan and Audrey are right," she told the kids.
"Even if we left, where would we go?" Logan said. "And that is a very big IF."
"Duke, anything to put in here, or are we boring you?" Nathan asked snappishly, seeing Duke's facial expression.
"Maybe; Audrey, may I borrow that compass that Professor Steel gave you?" Duke asked.
Puzzled, Audrey took it from around her neck, and handed it to Duke, who fiddled with it and promptly disappeared.
"When the going gets tough," Nathan grumbled, and Audrey surreptitiously pinched him.
"He must have had a reason to leave," she whispered. "Jennifer, did you find anything you want to show us?"
Jennifer nodded motioned for them all to be quiet, and Nathan cast an illusion to hide them, including the kids, as they followed Jennifer as she made her way to a tent, where they could hear voices.
"But the children are so happy here, and they are well-cared for," they could hear Winston say.
"The question is not whether the children are happy or not, it is the environment that we must consider," they heard Jordan say. "They are not in school; they're not being monitored properly."
"At the orphanage, we offer many fine programs for at-risk and disadvantaged youth," they heard Reverend Driscoll speak up. "But either way, the children cannot remain in your charge."
Lena began to protest, but Audrey and Nathan hustled them all back to the mess tent on the double.
"Winston can take care of those do-gooders in nothing flat," Juno told them.
"Not these so-called do-gooders he won't," Audrey answered. "These beings are like us too - only we're not quite on the same side."
Duke reappeared at that moment.
"Okay, I'm back," he said brightly. "Sorry to have kept you-" he trailed off, seeing stormy faces. "What'd I miss?"
"The Rev and his gang are here too," Nathan said.
"Then I guess we should go then," Duke answered briskly. He took out a larger compass. "Now, everybody hold hands - we don't want anyone getting lost in the ether, now do we?"
"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked, as the kids all began to gather together.
"Nathan, they're coming," Audrey urged. "Whatever we're going to do, do it now!"
"Everybody hold on tight," Duke said, and pressed the button, taking everyone in the tent with him just as the Rev and Arla reached it.
"They're gone," Arla spoke, looking around the tent.
"So I see," the Rev replied. "Fan out, find them. They can't have gone far."
Audrey felt a bump, and opened her eyes, finding herself standing in the middle of what was once Duke's home when he was alive.
"Well, that was quick," she heard Gloria say.
"We had to get a move on - bad people were coming," Duke answered.
"Where are we?" Quill said, looking around. "Who lives here?"
"Well...after today, you all do, if you like," Duke replied. "I came out here to have a chat with Gloria and Professor Steel."
"Hi, kids," Gloria answered dryly. "Thought they'd be younger; thank God you're not," she went on in her acerbic tone. "They're all housebroken, right?" she asked Duke, getting a giggle from Dexter and Juno.
"I believe so, yes," Duke answered. "Group, this is Gloria Verano, and somewhere or other is Professor Eric Steel," he introduced. "This is Harlan, Trent, Dexter, Quillon, but he likes to go by Quill, Logan, Juno, Pamela, Cassandra, Victoria and Lena," he finished, pointing to each teen as he went around the room.
"Why did you bring us here?" Trent demanded.
"Because the people coming to the tent weren't there for a social visit; I would imagine they've gathered Nanny and Winston by now. If we'd left you there, they would have gathered you too," Duke said sternly. "Because they don't care if you're kids - they will see you just like they see Nanny and Winston - as Corrupt."
"We're not Corrupt," Cassandra said.
"No, you're not," Audrey put in. "But we thought you were at first too - until we could feel that you weren't. Because Gloria and Professor Steel gave us the ability to see when someone is just being used by a Corrupt, not controlled by it. But Reverend Driscoll and the others don't have that ability."
"You've heard the phrase 'Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out?'" Duke asked. "That's how they operate. So I thought, 'why couldn't we turn you over to two people who will really look out for your best interests?' So I came here to talk to Gloria and Professor Steel about it."
"And what did you come up with?" Audrey asked, smiling.
"We came up with this is a six-bedroom house, big enough to house a group of rather specially talented teenagers," Duke gestured around them. "Plus room enough to convert a couple of unused spaces into bedrooms as well."
"You mean - we'd each have our own room, if we wanted?" Victoria asked, walking around, looking at the house.
"I thought you gave Gloria and Evi the vineyard," Nathan said.
"I did. But this was our house, we didn't press the grapes in the cellar," Duke grinned.
"Professor Steel can home-school you," Gloria spoke. "But here, you wouldn't have to perform, and we won't make you work for nothing. You'll have household chores, but nothing extreme."
"And we can help you to hone your abilities as well," Duke's father said from the painting over the fireplace, seeming to climb out of it and turning into Professor Steel in front of the awestruck children.
"Like something out of Harry Potter," Victoria, a huge Potter-head, said.
"Greetings, everyone," Professor Steel said. "I am Professor Steel, if you follow me, I have some questions for you."
The kids look at each, then at Harlan. Harlan soon nodded and they followed Professor Steel into another room.
"So, besides finding a circus run by The Corrupt how are you doing?" Gloria asked them.
"We're working on a ranch," Audrey said.
"Oh, and in two nights we're going on a medicine walk," Jennifer said.
"Really? Who's your tour guide?" Gloria asked.
"Ray Littlecloud," Jennifer answered and Gloria smiled.
"Ray's working on a ranch? Great!" Gloria said, pleased.
"Wait, how do you know him, unless . . ." Duke started to say, but Gloria waved a finger in front of his face, however she smiled.
"I'll tell you want happened, later," Gloria whispered to Duke, making him smile.
A minute later, Professor Steel returned.
"I left the children to explore the place; don't worry I sealed the areas they shouldn't enter yet," Professor Steel said.
"What did you find out?" Gloria asked, as Professor Steel took out a small notepad.
"First, each child's talent," Professor Steel said, going over his notes. "Then, what kind of Corrupt are we dealing with; quite interesting . . . never heard of these two kinds working together before . . ."
"So . . . what are they?" Audrey asked.
"Nanny is a Farmer," Professor Steel said. "They grow supernatural seeds; their favorite 'crop' are seeds of discord . . . hence, where humans came up with the phrase. Seeds of discord can only grow in the bodies of 'special' children. The sad thing is the children are unaware that the seeds are maturing inside of them. When the time is right, the seeds bloom, spreading paranoia and mistrust among the population, while the host child is unaware the whole time."
"What happens to the children?" Jennifer asked.
"The seeds use the child's life-force as . . . I don't know how to say this politely . . . fertilizer to grow," Professor Steel said. "A child who has a seed if discord planted into their body lives for about 10 months after the seeds bloom."
"Oh . . . what about the other one?" Nathan asked, seeing Jennifer's worried face.
"Ah, yes; the ringmaster is a Speaker," Professor Steel said. "Speakers are incredible hypnotists. It appears the ringmaster hypnotizes people to forget about their problems and they do. The major side-effect of being hypnotizes by a Speaker, is decreased awareness which could lead to accidents."
"So what do we do?" Audrey asked.
"Well . . . no one is going to like this idea, but I need to say it," Duke said. "Can we leave our 'rivals' to deal with The Corrupt, fight each other and hope they both lose?"
"Um, excuse me," Pamela asked, as she and her friends walked into the room. "Ah . . . I have a question for . . . Mrs. Verano."
"Call me Gloria," Gloria said. "So, what's your question?"
"May I . . . May I call you Aunt Gloria?" Pamela shyly asked.
"Of course, Pammy. Any more questions?" Gloria said.
"Can we get our stuff from the circus? I-I know we don't have much, but-" Cassandra began.
"We'll get it for you," Audrey told her. "We were just about to head back there. But you guys stay here. You'll be safe enough," she finished, glancing at Professor Steel.
"I'll see you off - on the patio," Professor Steel directed. "And since we interrupted your lunch, if you children will all follow Gloria, she can fix you right up."
"Of course," Gloria answered, baring her teeth at Professor Steel, who shrugged at her, trying to look innocent as the kids all crowded into the kitchen.
The professor accompanied the four out to the patio.
"We must try to figure a way to destroy the seeds of discord in the children without destroying them as well," Professor Steel said. "It will not be an easy task - I will need both you and Jennifer's help, Audrey. And you boys as well - once the seeds come out, sometimes they have activated, and will, well, defend themselves."
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.
"Ever see Little Shop of Horrors?" Professor Steel asked and Duke blanched.
"They're like an Audrey Two?" he questioned.
"Sometimes . . . so I will need you both at the ready should that occur."
"We'll be ready," Nathan said. "But right now, we need to get back to the circus."
"Good luck to you all," Professor Steel replied, and then was gone in an instant, the canvas walls of the circus tent reappearing around them.
Jennifer immediately changed herself into air and drifted around the grounds. The circus seemed deserted; there was no one around anywhere, and the eerie silence was making her nervous.
She went back to the tent where she'd heard Winston talking with Reverend Driscoll and Jordan. The tent was a shambles, and showed evidence that a huge fight must have taken place there.
Quickly, she flew back to the mess tent to find the others and reformed.
"There's nobody here," she said.
"Any sign of our replacements?" Nathan questioned.
Jennifer shook her head. "There's nobody here. It's like they all just - vanished."
Audrey took a sphere out, finding a blank stretch of canvas in front of them.
"Turn back the hands of time," she chanted. "Show us the events that occurred in this place half an hour ago."
The sphere lit up, and they witnessed exactly what had happened an hour ago. They saw the Rev and Arla capturing Winston and Nanny as they had figured, While Kirk and Jordan rounded up the rest of the performers in the circus.
"They sent them all over," Audrey gasped as she watched. "Even the humans."
"What happens to living humans when they get sent over to the other side?" Jennifer asked nervously.
"I don't know - that's why I want to make sure they never get their hands on you, Little Flower," Duke said, putting his arms around her.
Audrey found the sleeping quarters, and quickly cast a spell, drawing the kids' possessions into a sphere.
"I can't transport their things and us too," Audrey said. "I'll be back in a second," she told them, and vanished.
Nathan was about to say something when his ear twitched. He could hear voices - and they were approaching this tent.
"You don't think they'd be stupid enough to come back here, do you?" they heard Kirk say.
"Nathan Wuornos is a human Dudley Do-Right," Jordan answered. "He doesn't like loose ends. They'll be back."
Nathan, Duke and Jennifer looked at one another. Since Audrey had returned with the kids' belongings, they were effectively stranded - with no backup plan.
"Now what?" Jennifer asked as the footsteps got closer.
Soon Kirk and Jordan entered the tent and saw them.
"Told you; now pay up," Jordan said. "Once again, we cleaned up your mess."
"Well, not all of it," Kirk reminded as he placed 10 dollars in Jordan's hand. "There are still the missing kids."
"We're not going to let you hurt them!" Jennifer suddenly exclaimed.
"Don't be stupid; Driscoll was going to make sure those kids were properly cared for," Jordan said and rolled her eyes.
"You have to forgive Jennifer; she didn't want the same thing happen to the kids after we saw what you did to the ordinary humans," Duke said.
"What are you taking about?" Kirk asked.
"Didn't anyone tell you that there were regular humans in the circus as well?" Nathan said. "Or were you having too much fun watching them panic?"
"Shut your mouth!" Kirk said, pointing accusingly at Nathan. "No one was innocent!"
"Wait," Jordan said, seeing that Kirk was about to suck out the oxygen around their 'rivals.' "Nathan never lied."
"Don't get soft on me!" Kirk said.
Jordan glared at Kirk and dragged him out of the tent. Nathan went after them, but when he went outside, they had disappeared.
Audrey reappeared, much to the relief of the others.
"Talk about good timing," Duke said. "Come on; let's get out of here before they come back yet again."
"Who comes back?" Audrey asked as Nathan returned.
"Kirk and Jordan were here. Thought we were done for a second there - but Jordan backed off," Duke told her.
"Why?"
"Because of Dudley Do-Right there," Duke grinned at Nathan. "Apparently, he never tells lies."
"I suppose you're a paragon of virtue," Nathan grumbled.
"I'm truthful - as much as the next person, unless it's you, apparently," Duke shot back.
"Look, the kids are situated, they're safe. We need to get back to the ranch," Audrey told them. "Let's get out of here before they decide to come back again."
As they reached the Bronco, there was a sort of POP! noise, and the entire circus was gone in the blink of an eye.
"What if we'd been in there still?" Jennifer gasped.
"I don't want to think about it," Duke answered. "Let's get out of here."
No one slept very much that night, and they knew their faces must have shown it as they reported for work the next day.
"You guys must've stayed all day at that circus," Hank noted Duke and Nathan's drawn expressions.
"It was . . . fun," Nathan replied, stifling a yawn.
Ray cast a look at the pair that said he clearly didn't believe a word of it, but said nothing as they headed out to feeding and herding duties.
The day passed uneventfully, and the dinner table was lively enough, with Vanessa telling them of her experience in town with this mysterious new reverend that was running the revival tent outside town.
"He's got something, that's for sure," she was telling them. "He seemed to just almost be able to read my mind," she gushed. "He spoke so eloquently about love and loss, it was as though he knew how I was feeling about losing my husband," she went on. "Anyway, I was so impressed that I invited him and his workers to dinner tomorrow night."
Duke barely restrained himself from doing a classic spit-take in Nathan's face, and Jennifer got choked on her forkful of potatoes.
"Did you say you invited him here?" Audrey asked.
"Yes," Vanessa answered, puzzled. "I didn't think you would mind."
"No, no, it's fine," Nathan said quickly.
"Actually, Mrs. Stanley, we were going to check fence lines out towards the Bluffs. We were planning on camping out there, and bring the herd back the next day," Ray spoke.
"Oh," Vanessa said, a little crestfallen.
"But there's no reason that you and Hank can't entertain the Reverend and his followers," Audrey soothed, grateful that Ray had just saved their bacon. "He's your guest - by all means, invite him to dinner."
"I'll fix up everything - the dining room, the meal, all you'll have to do is set it out," Jennifer promised. She bit her lip. "Audrey and I wanted to go along too, if that was all right. I've never gotten to see a prairie at night."
Vanessa smiled. "Of course it's all right. And you guys are going to love it - once you get away from the lights of town, there is nothing like a prairie sky. It's like - black velvet, smothered with diamonds, as far as you can see," she told them, a wistful expression on her face. "Go ahead and go - it'll be fine."
"If you're sure," Audrey replied, putting up the best pretext she could.
"It's fine. Just make sure you don't let any of the herd fall off the bluffs while you're stargazing," she warned, smiling.
"We won't," they all chorused, and the conversation relaxed after that.
A little later, Audrey and Nathan were saying goodnight out by the barn.
"Dodged yet another bullet today," he said meaningfully. "I can't believe she invited him out here."
"He probably sought her out in town," Audrey replied. "It's not exactly a secret that we're out here working for her."
"You don't think they'd hurt her and Hank to get to us, do you?"
"No. They don't want to draw any more attention to themselves other than they're a church group," Audrey said. "When Jennifer and I go into town tomorrow, I will make sure to tell Shirley at the bakery that he's coming out here for dinner."
"Telegraph, telephone, tell Shirley," Nathan grinned, and kissed Audrey tenderly. "The whole town will know by the end of the day."
"That's the idea," Audrey whispered, and kissed Nathan once more.
"And you're fine that Driscoll altered your orders?" Howard asked as William read the report.
"Hey, at least they got the job done." William casually said. "Don't tell me you care what happened to the humans."
"I do not," Howard stated. "I do not want a repeat of the last group."
"I have the feeling we picked the right ones," William said. "None of them can sense The Corrupt like Duke. Come to think of it, Duke is the only one who could sense The Corrupt . . . we should look into that . . . make a note."
Howard nodded. "And the humans?"
"Take them to R & D," William calmly said. "How are they doing, by the way?"
"They have finished the prototype," Howard said and placed a small black sphere on William's desk. "We call it Aether . . ."
"Cool," William marveled, holding it between his thumb and forefinger, squinting at it closely. "You tried it out yet?"
"Not yet. We needed a test subject first."
"Well, you've got yourself six humans to choose from," William grinned at him. "So pick one and get started."
"I already have - the human called Dudley," Howard answered. "It seems he had a rather interesting piece of information concerning our former spellcaster."
"Oh? Which is-" William prodded.
"She has an unreasoning fear of jesters."
"Audrey's afraid of clowns?" William chuckled. "That could prove to be interesting indeed."
The next morning, while on their morning errands run, Audrey made sure to mention to Shirley while they picked up the Italian cream cake that Reverend Driscoll and his entourage were coming to dinner out at 'the Widow Stanley's' place that evening.
They didn't see any of them in town, until they were ready to leave for the ranch.
Jennifer had gone into the post office to mail her latest batch of souvenirs for Vince and Dave when she felt someone behind her, and turned to see Kirk. She felt her heart beat faster, but kept her calm.
"All alone?" Kirk asked softly.
"Go away," Jennifer ordered him. Kirk just laughed, and grabbed her arm, reeling her in to him.
"Oh, the big bad little human," he mocked. "You're out of your depth here, girlie. Maybe I should show you," he told her.
Jennifer felt it getting harder to breathe, glancing toward the counter, where the postman seemed to be having a hard time breathing also, and converted herself to air, slipping his grasp.
Kirk snarled and made to turn his power up, and jerked in pain as Audrey nailed him in the kidneys with an electrical charge, dropping him to the ground, grunting in pain.
"Next time, pick on someone your own size," she told him, seeing the elderly postman beginning to breathe again. "Jennifer, you okay?"
"Yes," Jennifer replied, returning to normal, feeling proud of herself for resisting the urge to kick Kirk in the ribs. She stepped over him and exited the post office quickly as they heard the man who'd come past them say, "Hey, are you okay, buddy?"
"There's going to come a time when we're going to run out of lucky breaks when it comes to them," Audrey commented as they drove back to the ranch. "And then we're going to have to stand and fight."
"How can we fight against someone who can pull the air away from you?" Jennifer questioned. "And Duke said Jordan's touch hurt, like really, really bad. We don't even know what that Arla girl or the Reverend Driscoll can do either."
"Maybe Ray has some answers for us tonight," Audrey said.
"Maybe," Jennifer repeated softly, watching out of the window. 'You're out of your depth here, girlie,' Kirk had said to her. And Jennifer knew, deep in her heart, in some ways, he was absolutely right. As Barbossa had said to Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, "You're off the map, mate – here, there be monsters."
'If he only knew how right he was,' she thought grimly.
"Are you all right?" Duke asked when he saw Audrey's and Jennifer's expressions as they walked up to Nathan and him.
"I ran into Kirk in the post office," Jennifer said. "He almost killed a postman just to be rid of me."
"He did what?!" Duke exclaimed as his fangs and claws briefly appeared.
"Luckily, Audrey saved me," Jennifer said, giving Audrey an appreciative smile. "Thank you."
Duke went over to Jennifer and pulled her into a hug.
"Duke, what are we going to do?" Jennifer asked, looking up at him.
"We'll get back to that later," Nathan said after he checked his phone. "Professor Steel somehow contacted me and said they're ready to remove the seeds of discord from the kids."
"Well, Ray's ready to leave with the herd," Duke said. "So, we'll let him know what's going on. Maybe he can give us some advice on how to be two places at once."
"Maybe I can cast a spell on the cattle, so they don't run off," Audrey thought aloud. "But yes, we'll talk to Ray about it."
A short time later, Duke and Nathan were on horseback, and Jennifer and Audrey were in the Bronco with the camping supplies.
"All set?" Vanessa asked.
"Let's move 'em out!" Duke called out in his best John Wayne imitation, and Nathan shook his head.
"Good luck, fellers!" Hank waved back as they got the herd moving forward.
Once out of sight of the ranch, Audrey cast her spell - she connected with the lead bull, instructing him to lead the herd safely, and they would follow him obediently, giving Nathan and Duke instructions to talk to Ray.
"Ray," Nathan began. "Can you drive them - by yourself? Gloria kind of needs us right now."
He explained the situation, Ray's face intent and listening, and at the end of Nathan's narration, he spoke.
"Go, if she needs you," he said. "Audrey's spell has ensured that there will be no stragglers or runaways." He glanced at the herd. "The children are more important. Tell Gloria I said hello - and to call me sometime," he grinned. "Stargazing is more fun with two people rather than one."
"So you and Gloria-" Duke prodded.
"Is between him and Gloria," Nathan finished. "We'll be back as soon as we can."
"I will have everything ready when you return," Ray told them.
They left the horses with Ray, gathered together in a circle as Audrey withdrew the compass pendant, and in an instant, found themselves in Gloria's kitchen.
Professor Steel met them, his face grave.
"What's the matter?" Audrey asked.
"The children have all fallen ill," he said. "Gloria is tending them, but the seeds have reached maturity. This will be a long, hard fight."
"Oh, dear," Audrey sighed. "Then we'd better get to it then."
They followed the professor into a long room that had been Built to house the kids. Each lay in bed, their faces drawn and haggard.
"When did this start? They were fine last evening!" Nathan blurted.
"First Trent, then Lena, and then the rest quickly followed," Professor Steel told them. "I think after you took them, The Corrupt must have pushed harder to force the Seedlings to blossom quicker."
Gloria came into the room, dressed in a long flowing robe, and carrying a large book beneath her arm.
"All right, kids," she began wearily as she handed the book to Jennifer. "Audrey, we will need ten spheres - one for each kid. I think Pamela, Quill, Cassandra and Logan will be the easiest, their seeds aren't that mature. Then we'll do Juno, Victoria, and Dexter, they're the next worse, and then we'll have to get out the big guns for Harlan, Trent and Lena. There's a force field around them, so their Corrupt seedlings can't spread," she finished. "So - let's get ready."
Audrey changed into her true form while Jennifer changed into her Sylph form then they joined Gloria in the circle, while Duke and Nathan transformed into their true forms joined Professor Steel, watching as the three women successfully removed the first four seeds successfully, with little effort. They moved on to the next three, and this time, Professor Steel joined in with the ladies, while Nathan corralled the one they extracted from Juno.
"Okay," Gloria said, catching her breath. "You guys ready?"
"Gloria, you should rest," Professor Steel warned gently.
"I can't. These things are draining these kids dry," Gloria protested. This time, she cast a force field over the cured children.
"To make sure these things don't jump ship for a new host," she told them. "All right - Trent first, then Lena, and then Harlan."
Audrey raised her sphere, and Gloria began the incantation again, Jennifer holding the book tightly.
The Seed attached to Trent came loose, snapping and biting, and in fact, did resemble an Audrey Two, shooting out tentacle-like tendrils, trying to grasp hold of anyone or anything before it was pulled screeching into the sphere.
"One down, two to go," Gloria said, and moved on to Lena. This Seed was larger, and more violent, and Nathan mentally cringed at the thought of what they were going to pull out of Harlan in a few minutes.
The Seed snapped at them, a giant Venus Flytrap with long, sharp teeth that glistened with some sort of oily substance, and almost bit Nathan before it too was finally subdued.
"One more," Audrey got out. She too looked exhausted, and Nathan worried if they would be able to pull the last Seed from Harlan. The kid looked as though he were near death, his face pale, his eyes sunken, but once more Gloria stepped up to the book, and Audrey readied the last sphere.
The Seed broke loose from Harlan once freed, and bolted out. Nathan could see what appeared to be seeds, like those of a sunflower in large clusters under its pod-like head, and it seemed to be puffing itself up.
"Don't let it exhale!" Professor Steel warned. "It's trying to expel its seeds!"
Duke ran swiftly, landing on the Seedling's back like he was riding a bucking bronco, digging his claws in, wrapping his tail around; the pair thrashing around as he ripped at the plant-like creature with his claws.
The Seedling finally succeeded in throwing him off, and began to charge at Duke, but stopped, as though it were thinking something over, then leaned in closer to Duke, its tendrils touching his face, and he jerked away.
"I know of you," it hissed, and then screeched as Nathan grabbed hold of it, he and Professor Steel successfully wrangling it as Audrey brought the sphere up once more.
"To the next world, we sentence you!" she intoned and the Seedling vanished in a flash, the group sagging to the ground with exhaustion.
"Mm-Gloria?" they heard a faint voice.
"What is it, Pammy?" Gloria asked, going over to the girl. "You're looking better," she smiled wearily.
"I feel better," she replied. "I'm hungry."
Gloria smiled faintly. "Thought as much - chow will be around shortly. Try to get some rest, okay?"
"'Kay," Pam answered, sinking back into the bed and closing her eyes as the four adults changed back.
Duke, however, looked puzzled.
"What did that thing mean?" he asked.
"What thing?" Nathan questioned.
"That Seedling - it told me it knew of me," Duke said. "Why would it say that?"
"It probably was just trying psychological warfare," Professor Steel told him, but there was something in his answer that Nathan felt didn't ring quite true. There was something different about Duke. Nathan didn't think he'd been infected with a Corrupt - but there was some faint underlying something about him that was different from himself and Audrey and Jennifer.
After a short rest, the group gathered to return to Wyoming.
"Thank you for your help," Gloria said, hugging each of them.
"Let us know if you need any more of it," Audrey told her. "I imagine ten teenagers keep you jumping."
"They do at that," Gloria chuckled. "But they're a breath of fresh air in these oldster's lives. Evi likes them too. She said she thinks that Duke would have liked his house being used as a safe haven for kids."
"Will the kids be all right now?" Jennifer asked.
"Oh, I think so," Professor Steel said. "Some rest and some TLC should put them as right as rain. Well, good luck to you, and I will try to find out some more about the people you say have replaced you. This Driscoll fellow sounds familiar - I'll telephone Vincent and David later on, to see what they can find out."
"Thank you," Audrey answered, and then found themselves back at a campsite with a large tent that Ray had set up. But they soon realized that it wasn't exactly a tent; it was a sweat lodge.
Ray emerged from the lodge, bare-chested, his face and body painted with black, white and red markings.
"I see you were successful," he said.
"Yes," Nathan replied. "The children are safe from harm now."
Ray nodded, smiling slightly. "That is good. That will please the spirits, to know that you have vanquished evil and aided the innocent. They will be circulating among you tonight as you take your spirit walk."
"So what do we have to do?" Nathan asked.
"First, we strip," Duke said.
"I don't think so," Nathan grumbled.
"Believe me, you'll want to once you get in there," Duke gestured at the sweat lodge. "We can all leave our underwear on, since you're so uncomfortable being au naturel."
"It will be best unclothed," Ray advised.
"It's okay, Nathan," Audrey told him. "I'm not afraid," she smiled slyly, unbuttoning her shirt.
"Me either," Jennifer piped up, feeling emboldened by Audrey's actions, and followed suit, stripping down to her underwear, glad she'd worn her matching bra and panties set.
Nathan exhaled heavily, and unbuckled his jeans, stripping his undershirt and flannel shirt off in one swoop, and then noticed that Duke hadn't undressed.
"What's your problem? Usually you're the first to get naked," he growled.
"Well, that's just it," Duke grinned. "I'm kind of . . . commando-ing it today."
"Dammit, Duke, you knew we were doing this today," Nathan said.
"I know, I know -I just didn't expect we were going to have to rush off to Gloria's either," Duke protested. "But I'll rig up a loincloth or something so I won't offend your delicate sensibilities."
"Duke is unafraid to be as The Great Spirit made him," Ray commented. "I think his walk will be of the most beneficial."
"Well, whenever you're ready, let's get the show on the road," Nathan said, and ducked inside.
When Duke's situation was taken care of, they all sat in a circle, while Ray chanted and beat a drum.
Soon Jennifer felt someone or something else had entered the tent, and she saw she was right. Semi-transparent spirit creatures began appearing around them. A flock of birds circled around Audrey as shadows of elf people surrounded her. A pack of wolves sat around Nathan, looking at him as if he was part of their pack. A puma walked up to Duke while a pronghorn antelope came closer. A ferret made itself comfortable in Jennifer's lap as small balls of light floated around her. She then thought she heard laughing from them.
'These are real Sylphs!' she realized.
Nathan noticed a large wolf in the pack get up and come toward him, and then nudged him with its nose.
'He wants me to follow him,' he thought, and they walked toward the exit of the lodge.
When he folded the blanket back, he found he was not at the campsite, but instead he was back in Duke's house...but it was different. The furniture, the decor looked to be either late 1970's-early 1980's, and he saw Marie Crocker emerge from a bedroom, and cross over to a concerned Simon. Nathan could hear her crying as Simon caressed her back.
"He's just not getting better," she sniffled.
"The doctors are doing everything they can for him," he heard Simon say.
Curious, Nathan came up to them.
"Hello," he said. Neither of them acknowledged he was there, so he soon realized he was seeing a past event. He then walked into the room he'd seen Marie exit, and found a boy, around ten or eleven years old, lying in bed, his leg in a cast, his face pale, an IV in his arm.
'I'm seeing Duke as a kid,' he thought. 'Why?'
Almost as if in answer to his question, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. There appeared to be something crawling out of the mirror on Duke's bureau, and it made its way across to the bed.
"Noo," he heard kid Duke mumble as the thing crawled onto the bed, and Nathan watched, horrified as the thing began to withdraw a bluish light from him.
"That's why Duke was so sick as a kid," he said to no one. He noticed the thing seemed to have sated itself, and it crawled back to the mirror.
Outside the room, he heard Simon and Marie talking to someone, and he went to investigate.
"I don't know what you can do for him, Gloria," he heard Marie telling her. "We've had specialists take a look at him; they don't know what's going on." She put her arms around Gloria. "But I'm glad that you're here."
"I'm sorry I've been away so long," Gloria told them. "I'm just going to go and see how he's doing." She put a sympathetic hand on Marie's cheek. "Why don't you try to rest for a while? I'll stay with him."
"Yes, try to get a little sleep," Simon urged his wife. "You're not doing Duke any favors by exhausting yourself."
"Gloria, stop talking and help Duke," Nathan said.
Simon walked Marie down the hall to a room, and Gloria went inside the room with Duke.
"I know you're in here, you little monster," she said aloud. She gave Duke a cursory glance. He looked worse than before, and Nathan worried that she might be too late. She looked into his eyes, a hand on his face.
"Poor little kid," she muttered. "He's all but drained the life out of you. Well, we're going to put a stop to that tonight." She set her bag down, opening it. She poured a liquid that seemed to melt into the wood around the windows, then applying it to the door, the vent on the floor, the closet, and was about to make her way to the bureau when there was a thump from it.
"There you are," she growled, and lunged forward, plunging her hands into the mirror, withdrawing the snarling, screeching Corrupt from it. She slapped it, hard, making it screech again, and then held it down to the floor with one hand and her knee on its chest, materializing a large hypodermic needle with the other.
"You're all done here," she told it, plunging the needle in and withdrawing a blackish substance from it as the thing squealed.
Nathan didn't see how Simon and Marie didn't come running at the commotion, but neither appeared; and he realized that Gloria had probably put them to sleep temporarily so she could work on Duke. He glanced back at the bed. Duke hadn't moved once during all the ruckus, and was so still that Nathan worried that he'd died, but on closer inspection, he could see his chest still rise and fall.
Gloria had finished getting her blood sample from The Corrupt, and flung it back into the mirror, sealing it shut with the oil before she leaned on the bureau, catching her breath.
"Well, that's done," she grunted. "That'll keep that one from coming back." She walked back over to the side of Duke's bed, and sat down on it, holding his hand in hers. "But the problem is, they're just going to keep on seeking you out," she went on. "They know you're a Channeler - they feel that intense energy you can control. So we're going to try a kind of preventive medicine. This is an extreme and dangerous method - if you were anyone else, I would never do this to you," she told him, taking up the hypodermic with the blood she'd withdrawn from The Corrupt, and introduced the needle into the IV port, slowly releasing the plunger.
'She injected Duke with Corrupt blood!' Nathan thought. 'Does he know that?' he wondered as the scene in front of him dissolved. 'And why show me?'
'Sister!' the Sylphs said, circling around her. 'Come join us!'
Jennifer smiled and changed; she then flew after the Sylphs. She found herself in an office. She saw a man with brown and grey hair and brown eyes scribbling formals on the walls, mumbling to himself.
"No, no, no . . . NO!" he exclaimed, throwing down his pen, and banged against the walls. Professor Steel soon entered the office.
"Galileo, please rest; you worked so hard today," Professor Steel said, as he came up to the other man. "You must take a break before your knowledge turns into madness."
"There has to be an answer . . . there has to be . . ." Galileo said and indicated the formals. "The first Channeler who has appeared in a millennium in that dimension is going to be killed unless we . . . I do . . . something. . ."
"How about some tea?" Professor Steel kindly offered.
Galileo sighed. "Yes, tea does sound good."
Professor Steel smiled and left. Galileo looked at his formals again.
"Wait . . ." Galileo said. "If a new key is going to be born, then . . ."
Galileo laughed as he worked on a new formal.
"What's a Channeler?" Jennifer asked. "And what does that have to do with a key?"
'Black and white, day and night, yin and yang,' the Sylphs chorused. 'One can't exist without the other.'
"If I'm a key - then who is a Channeler?" she asked as the scene changed. "No, wait, come back!" she shouted.
Audrey also found herself back in Duke's home - but this time, she was watching Wade nudge Duke, who was collapsed on the floor, and she realized she was seeing the night of his murder. Duke lay on the floor, lifeless; his eyes open as Wade paced nervously around the room.
She saw another person enter the room and realized it was Howard!
Howard walked over to Duke's body, examining him.
"That was quick," he remarked, looking up at Wade. "Did you not get the memo about making sure he'd still be alive when I got here?" he asked sarcastically.
"I didn't realize how fast that stuff would work," Wade, or rather his Corrupt, said. "He hasn't been dead very long."
Howard exhaled. "Well, it isn't like we can bring him back now, is it?"
"I'm sorry," Wade quavered, and Howard looked at him, before smiling slightly.
"Well, mistakes happen," he shrugged; taking out a sphere that was eerily similar to those that she herself used, and held it over Duke's chest. "At least I thought enough ahead take precautions against something like this happening - I had our people make sure he'd be body-bound just in case he did die before I arrived. What I want is still there."
He pointed his finger at Wade. "But you must follow my next instructions to the letter."
"Are you gathering him for feeding?" Wade asked.
"Are you insane?" Howard exclaimed. "You lot aren't getting hold of this soul, not by a long shot. I have plans for this one. Big plans," he went on, a silvery-bluish light emerging from Duke's body and entering the sphere.
Howard stood up, holding it out in his hands as the light emanating from within shimmered along the surface of the sphere.
"One of the purest I've ever seen," he remarked. "Turning you will not be an easy task; but in the long run, I think it will be well worth the effort."
"So beautiful," Wade murmured, practically salivating.
"Down, boy," Howard said in a snarky tone. "Now listen carefully. Call the paramedics - we have to observe some kind of protocol," he began. "When they get here, make it seem as though you are trying to revive him, make it look good. You will not be able to; neither will they," he went on, pocketing the sphere. "After they pronounce him dead, get on the mortuary and inform the mortuary and tell them that you wish to have him cremated immediately after his viewing, ASAP. After you receive his ashes back, scatter them." He frowned. "His Guardian will do her utmost to try to restore him. I want to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Anything else, sir?"
"Try not to screw up any more than you already have," Howard said, and the scene vanished in smoke.
Audrey could feel her heart pounding. 'Were we all done like he was?' she thought. 'Or am I seeing this in order to know what may be coming? Is Duke really some kind of sleeper Corrupt?'
Duke found himself in a forest, but it was much greener and it felt more . . . natural than any forest he'd ever visited. The tree trucks were thicker and the flowers were much bigger.
He then heard a man singing, and walked to the sound. He then saw a man with brown and grey hair putting on a song-and-dance act for a small audience of child mythical beasts.
'His performance helps him recover,' a kind and wise voice said in Duke's mind.
Duke turned around to see a creature walking up to him that looked like a cross between a stag and a horse. It had black and white fur, a medium-sized tail, about 10 feet tall, and walked on the tips on its golden hooves. Its mane floated around its face and on top of its head were a wide rack of antlers that resembled branches of a tree. Its face was shaped more like human's and had beautiful green eyes.
'I am Durrell,' the creatures said. 'He is Galileo; he was Professor Steel's partner. Galileo had great knowledge, trying to prevent The Corrupt from murdering humans who are special. However, he sacrificed his sanity to gain information. I invited him to my dimension to recover. One century he will be back.' Durrell seemed to smile at Duke. 'After all this time, I finally meet a Channeler.'
"Me?" Duke asked.
'Follow me, please,' Durrell said and lead Duke to the base of a waterfall. 'Look and see.'
Duke peered into the water and saw Galileo making calculations, Gloria injecting him with The Corrupt's blood, and Howard talking with Wade.
'Before you begin yelling, ask yourself these questions,' Durrell said, sensing Duke's anger, as the scenes vanished. 'When could Gloria have explained her actions to you? Would you have believed her if she had told you when you still lived as a human?'
Duke opened his mouth and closed it. Durrell softly chuckled, amused at Duke's reaction.
"Gloria did it to protect me," Duke said.
'You were a child, you could not have fought The Corrupt,' Durrell said and a bowl formed beneath him. The bowl floated to the waterfall, then hovered in front of Duke. 'You are a child no longer, have fought The Corrupt, and have friends who fight by your side; friends who care about and for you; who love you,' he smiled gently at Duke. 'If you drink this water, The Corrupt's blood will be expelled. However, I will not force you to drink; this is your choice, Duke. If you have questions, I will answer them. Be warned you may not like my answers or I may answer in a way that will make you think.'
Duke studied the bowl in his hands.
"Is that why I can sense The Corrupt?" Duke questioned Durrell. "Because it's - they're - part of me also?"
'I believe so,' Durrell replied.
"If I expel the blood, I won't be as useful to our group," Duke explained.
'That may well be true; however, it is . . . as you humans say . . . a two-edged sword,' Durrell told him. 'While your ability is useful to you and your companions, it also means that you are more susceptible to being controlled by The Corrupt.'
"What do you mean?"
'You saw what happened the night you died.'
"You mean they could make me turn into one of them," Duke said.
'There is that possibility also,' Durrell answered. 'But the choice is yours to make.'
Duke didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he didn't want any part of The Corrupt, he'd been through all that with William. But would he still be able to save Jennifer if he surrendered his ability?
Duke drank deeply from the bowl, and fell to the ground, feeling like his insides were being twisted around a spaghetti fork, and he cried out in pain.
'It will pass soon,' Durrell advised.
"W-what if it d-doesn't?" Duke gasped. It felt like it was getting worse. 'Did they have that big a hold on me?' he thought wildly, thinking of all the possibilities he'd put his group in danger, and resolved that he was going to have a very, very long talk with Gloria when next he saw her.
The pain passed, and Duke felt something wet on his face, and realized his nose was bleeding, thick blackish blood running out of his nostrils, and he made to stanch it, but Durrell stopped him.
'Let it run,' he said. 'It is The Corrupt blood, not yours. It will stop soon.'
True to his word, the last of the black blood ran out of his nose, and Duke rinsed his face at the edge of the pool. He drew a few breaths, and then stood up.
"Let's talk," he said to Durrell.
'Agreed,' Durrell said, nodding. 'But first, a test.'
Reality seemed to tear opened for a moment, and poking out from the rip, were tentacles. Duke eyes flashed silver and transformed into his true self. However, before Duke could make a move, the rip repaired itself.
'We have our answer,' Durrell said and Duke changed back to his human form.
"Wait, you said that the reason I could sense The Corrupt was that they were a part of me," Duke said.
'I said 'I believe so,'' Durrell said. 'I did not say 'yes.''
'First One!' a new voice exclaimed. Duke looked up to see a grey dragon circling the sky. 'The—'
'Be at peace, Sagan,' Durrell said. 'It was me; I'll explain everything later.'
The dragon nodded and flew off.
'Let us walk,' Durrell said and Duke followed him. He noticed when they passed other creatures, some of them bowed or nodded as acknowledgement to Durrell.
"You seem to have a fan club," Duke had to comment.
Durrell softly chuckled in response. 'They know I try to bring peace and understanding to our world; I also try to protect our world from invasive forces.'
"Like The Corrupt," Duke said as they reached a clearing.
'I have shielded our dimension from them; as long as I live, they shall not enter,' Durrell said. 'Yes, we could fight, but we could lose. If The Corrupt ever conquered our dimension, they could use our power to completely destroy your universe, even the dimension where Gloria comes from.'
Duke nodded as they stopped onto a small grassy hill. Durrell knelt down.
'Sit with me, Duke,' Durrell said. 'Ask your questions.'
Duke sat down on a small hill, crossing his legs beneath him.
"What dimension does Gloria come from?" he asked.
'Gloria, Galileo, Professor Steel, and the Teague brothers are from a race of very scientifically advanced beings,' Durrell explained. 'Some are issued as Guardians to special beings, such as yourself.'
"Next question - why am I so special? Nathan and Audrey's powers are greater than mine," Duke protested. "I can't create illusions or capture Corrupt - I can, technically, but I can only hold onto them while Audrey subdues them." He frowned. "Best I can do is fly, fight, and try to make sure we keep Jennifer out of their hands."
'You are so much more than that,' Durrell told him. 'You simply haven't realized your full power yet. To paraphrase a movie from your realm: Energy makes up everything. It flows around all of us; we are part of it, and it is part of us. The entire universe is made of energy.'
"You're going to get all Yoda on me now?" Duke grinned, and Durrell smiled back, before he looked serious.
"You are an extremely rare creature, in that you can control the flow of this energy. Every so often, a Channeler is born. When you were a child, you were injured,' Durrell said as he gestured with his hooves.
"I broke my leg," Duke said.
'The break was severe, was it not?'
"Yeah, it was a compound fracture - my shin bone was sticking out. It was gross."
'When that happened, a Corrupt detected your scent. A minor cut or scrape would not have drawn its attention, but with the exposure of your marrow, the deepest tissue in your body—'
"I rang the dinner bell, so to speak," Duke finished. "That's why I stayed so sick? They were feeding on me?"
'Yes. A Reflector Corrupt was using the mirror on your bureau that your mother bought as a portal to enter your realm. Once it had tasted of your life force, it made sure not to kill you, in order to keep you alive.'
Duke shuddered involuntarily, thinking back on the 'nightmares' he would have when he was sick of a grayish goblin thing that would come out of his mirror and sit on his chest; and the fact that it was not a nightmare but had been a very real monster made him feel sick to his stomach.
'Fortunately, Gloria intervened,' Durrell said. 'By injecting The Corrupt's blood into your veins, it put them off your scent. If she had not, even if she had gotten rid the Reflector Corrupt, it would only have been a matter of time before another would seek you out.'
"She vaccinated me against The Corrupt," Duke answered dubiously.
'In a manner of speaking, yes, I suppose she did,' Durrell said. 'Do you have a final question?'
"A final question? I have about a half million more questions!" Duke protested.
'Time grows short, and you will have to return,' Durrell told him kindly. 'Ask your question.'
"Will I be able to keep Jennifer safe from The Corrupt?" Duke asked, point-blank.
'No,' Durrell said. 'Nathan, Audrey and the others will help keep her safe. Do not think protecting Jennifer is your duty alone; trust in others to protect Jennifer too. She will protect you as well, Duke.'
"Me?" Duke asked.
'Though you are no longer susceptible being changed into a Corrupt, they can now sense you are a Channeler,' Durrell said. 'They will either hunt you down themselves or sent others after you.'
"Why are they interested in me?" Duke asked, hoping Durrell had time to answer that question.
Suddenly, all four of them opened their eyes, and found themselves in the sweat lodge once more.
"You won't believe what I saw," they all chorused.
"Duke, Gloria injected you with Corrupt blood when you were a kid," Nathan blurted. "That's what I keep sensing about you!"
"Wait - Duke, Howard collected you the night you died," Audrey put in.
Duke held his hands up. "Easy - one at a time," he smiled. "One, yes, I know what Gloria did. There was a reason for it."
"You're a Channeler," Nathan said.
"Yes, apparently, I am."
"The Sylphs told me that a Key and a Channeler were like yin and yang - that one needed the other," she said, putting her hand in his, and he smiled, nuzzling her ear.
"But what about The Corrupt blood thing?" Nathan questioned. "Do you think it's possible that they could be controlling you?"
"If they were, they're not anymore," Duke told them. "My Corrupt blood has been expelled - or at least it was in my vision."
"Do we need to do that in real life too?" Nathan asked.
"No," Ray spoke. "As it was in the vision, so it is in life also. Duke no longer has ties to The Corrupt. They cannot control him now."
"Unfortunately, it also means that my cover is blown. They'll know I'm one of these Channeler things now," Duke said. "They're going to come crawling out of the woodwork."
"Great," Nathan groaned. "That's just what we need."
"No, what we need is for Duke to learn how to use this power he has," Audrey pointed out. "So we are all going to try to help him learn - and to protect him - and each other," she finished, looking at Nathan. "With these – rivals - of ours, we're going to have to circle the wagons until we either deal with them once and for all, or manage to convince them they're on the wrong side."
"So - now what happens?" Jennifer asked Ray.
"Now - you go on to your next task," Ray told them.
The following morning, they finished packing, and they made their goodbyes to Vanessa and Hank.
"Thanks so much for covering until our guys could get back to watch the herd," Vanessa said, huddled up in her coat as the wind whistled and nipped at their cheeks and noses, the first snowfall imminent.
"It was our pleasure," Audrey smiled. "You take care of yourself. And you take care of her," she directed at Hank.
Vanessa and Hank looked at one another, and Hank shyly held her hand in his.
Jennifer hugged Vanessa goodbye.
"He's a good catch - don't let him get away," she whispered in her ear, and gave her a conspiratorial wink.
Vanessa winked back, and smiled, she and Hank waving goodbye as they climbed into the Bronco and set out for their next destination.
They'd been on the road for two hours, when the snow began to fall heavier, making the roads treacherous.
"We need to stop and get snow chains on," Nathan told them.
"Stop where? There's nothing around here," Duke replied.
"Hey, there's a house, or hotel or something just ahead," Audrey pointed through the windshield. "Maybe we can ask to use their garage for an hour or so."
Nathan pulled in, and found that it was indeed, a very small bed-and-breakfast. He climbed out, going up to the door and rang the bell, which was soon answered by a kindly-looking older woman.
"Oh, come in out of the cold," she exclaimed. "You poor people must be nearly frozen solid out there in that blizzard."
"Thank you," Nathan said, Audrey, Jennifer and Duke coming in behind him. "We don't mean to put you out, but I was wondering if I could use your garage to get our snow chains on."
"Oh, of course; but why not wait until it lets up a little? I just made a fresh pot of coffee, and there's stew for dinner," the woman wheedled.
"Stew sounds wonderful," Jennifer smiled, sniffing the delicious aroma emanating from the kitchen, and she spied a little girl, perched on the landing, watching them somberly.
"Annie - come say hello to our guests," the woman said. "Oh, I'm Helena Campbell, and this is my little granddaughter, Annie," she introduced the solemn little girl. "Say hello, Annie."
"Hi," Annie said. She was clutching a rather ugly doll that was giving Audrey the creeps. It seemed to be glaring at them, she noted, and she felt the slightest trace of unease around it.
"Well, I'm going to go check on my stew, and Annie, you entertain our guests," Helena said, and bustled off down the hall.
"So, Annie," Audrey began brightly. "How old are you?"
"Eight," came Annie's reply, and she glanced at Jennifer. "Are you a fairy?"
Jennifer looked startled at the others, who were now closely paying attention to Annie.
"Why would you ask that?" Jennifer smiled.
"My friend said you were."
"Who's your friend?" she asked.
"His name's Mr. Glob. He says you're all special," Annie told them. "He says that you should stay and play with me."
"Well, we would - but we have to be somewhere else," Duke said as gently as he could. Annie's doll was giving him the serious heebie-jeebies, and he would be glad when they were back on the road again.
Annie's face clouded, and she looked angry when Duke's eyes flashed silver.
"No! Mr. Glob says you have to stay and play with me!" she shouted. "So stay!" she finished, and suddenly the room around them changed, and Nathan and Duke disappeared.
Helena came back up the hallway, and smiled at Annie.
"Are your new friends going to stay?" she asked.
"Yes," Annie beamed. "Forever and always."
