The Clearing: Origins

Chapter 21

Misty waved three singles at the vendor. "Three hot chocolates, please." 

"Sure thing, honey." The smiling woman placed the drinks on the counter before scooping up the money. Kristy and Tammy each took a steaming cup of cocoa, followed by Misty.

"Hey, let's toast," said Tammy, holding up her cup.

Kristy frowned. "We got chocolate, and you want toast?"

Misty giggled while Tammy rolled her eyes. "Funny, girlfriend. Now, cups up. We're toasting to new beginnings."

Kristy watched the others with care and followed the strange ritual. She had raised the cup to her lips when it hit. Magic on a scale she'd never felt before—and it came from Victor. The genie lowered the cup as every light at the festival went out, including cell phones. A heavy fog rose from the field, and a strong wind began blowing without disrupting the haze.

The sudden occurrence wasn't natural, and visibility was poor. The crowds went berserk, screaming and shouting as they shuffled through the mist toward the car lot that sat on the other side of the buildings. Tammy and Misty dropped their cups, yelling, "Let's get outta here, Kris!" as they joined the panicky masses.

But Kristy ran the other way, toward the bathrooms on the outskirts of the field.

Tón yelped when Kristy appeared through the thick fog. "You scared me, Kris! Vic's in there! We went to get him when the lights went out, but the door's sealed! Our phones aren't working, so we couldn't call 911."

Nick tugged on the handle to no avail as he called out to Victor. But Kristy sensed the residue magic blocked the door on the other side. Luckily, it had weakened enough for her to act.

"Move out of the way!" she yelled, causing Nick to drag his counterpart to the side. Not caring that Tón would learn her secret, the pink-haired genie thrust her hands toward the door, blue-tinged energy escaping her fingertips. It grasped the door, and Kristy pulled with all her might. The door snapped in half, falling on the icy concrete. She sprinted into the men's room with Nick and a bewildered Tón behind her.

"What... how the...?" cried Tón, but both ignored him.

Kristy saw three broken forms lying amid the wreckage. Near the sinks lay the glowing form of Victor, the only light source in the windowless room. The girl fell to her knees beside the teen, who again had caused a massive Disturbance, a significant interruption in the various magical and energy fields. That explained the depletion of power at the festival.

Nick dropped to the other side of his injured friend. "What do we do?"

She laid a hand on his bruised cheek. "I- I don't know." 

"Can the humans be trusted, genie?"

Tón screamed, and Kristy turned to see the black robes of a witch standing several feet away. The genie narrowed her eyes as she stood, and a glowing staff appeared in her outstretched hand. "You'll have to go through me to get him."

Another form appeared before the witch could respond, causing Tón to shriek again. The pointy-eared male wore multicolored baggies and a shirt as white as his hair. He skipped toward Kristy with hands raised. "Woah, kin! Like major freeze on the 'tude!" Stopping, he gazed at Victor in awe. "Whoa! Like a total wipeout for the Vickster!"

Kristy lowered her weapon. A fae with a witch? Vickster? "What's going on?"

The witch removed her hood, and Kristy recognized the elita she'd met during her summoning in the central realm. The silver eyes bore into hers. "We haven't much time before the Tribunal comes to investigate the Disturbance. You, me, and Kenwylis need to put things right by combining powers to create our version of the old magic and mask this mess. So, I ask again, can the humans be trusted?"