Potter's Field

Chapter Eleven/Part Seven: Barrier Stone

Silver sat in a sort of seated fetal position for a couple minutes as Mars rose, and, taking Harley with him, healed up some of the stewardesses who’d been flung around, wiped the pilots’ memories (they had a perfectly smooth, joyful flight), got all the oxygen masks back where they were supposed to be, and woke everyone up.  It all took much too long, and Mars started to get a little annoyed at the eleven seconds he had to wait each time he wanted to cast a spell.  It was better than using magic affected by the curse, but he missed the good old days when spell casting was as easy as breathing.

With Harley’s help, he gathered up Silver and led her back to their seats where they all sat down with a communal relieved sigh.  They were all silent for a couple seconds, basking in the peaceful hum of the airplane, and the distant chatter of flight attendants and passengers.

Even as he sat down, relieved and a little tired, Mars thought ahead to the battle that was to come with the man who’d taken up forceful residence in his mansion.  It wouldn’t be practical to use Harley too much in the ensuing duel that was sure to take place.  The eleven second window, although convenient at times, would render Harley useless in a real magician’s duel.  That is, unless he used Harley as a magical shield.  That might work, until the man figured out that using physical attacks would render Harley, once more, useless.  He’d have to think it through.   

Something shot through Mars so suddenly he stiffened and sat upright in his chair, feeling both itchy and breathless.  His stomach dropped, and he gagged as the effects of forcefully breaking a magical contract washed over him.  Someone had snapped the thread connecting him to one of his barriers.  He studied the remnants of the thread as it faded away.  The barrier around his mansion.  Well, wasn’t that peachy-keen?

He could just imagine the man stomping on his barrier stone, a maniacal gleam in his eye as it shattered, letting loose all the magic used to hold the barrier to disappear into the air, and yanking away the thread tied to Mars as its creator.  Leaning forward in his chair, Mars took calming deep breaths as he cursed the man, not magically, but with very forceful language.    

Silver squinted at him, her arm still draped across her forehead.  “What’s wrong now?  Don’t tell me it’s more pixies.”

Mars shook his aching head and leaned back in his seat, still breathing rhythmically and soothingly.  “No, the man just found my barrier stone and broke it, sadistic little – ”

“What barrier stone?”  Harley interrupted.

Silver sighed, ignoring Harley’s question.  “Well, if he was just going to break it, couldn’t he have done it before we flew all the way to Switzerland?  Without the barrier, we could’ve made it into the mansion easy-peasy, even with all the draugar.”

Mars smiled, his nausea starting to ease with each deep breath.  “I think that’s what he’s planning on.  He’s luring me there.”

Silver finally took her arm away from her forehead, though her face still scrunched up in pain as she leaned on the window.  “I don’t mind going through the Swiss portal, anyways.”

“I’ve been wondering about that,” Harley said suddenly.  “How are we supposed to get to your mansion by going to Switzerland?”

Silver leaned across Mars and grinned at Harley.  “Isn’t it great?  Mars has a doorway to his library in Switzerland.”

Mars inclined his head at the compliment.  Yes, he was greatness personified, wasn’t he? 

Harley shook his head, obviously still confused, but unwilling to probe further, except to ask, “And where is the portal.”

This time, Mars answered, eyes still closed as the pain disappeared completely.  “It’s in The Bank.”