The Fox and The Wolf: A Tale of Modern Magic

Chapter 7 - A Murder of Crows

Harper had acquired a car years ago. She exchanged real money for it at a dealership and everything. That was over a decade ago, when she was seeing Gabe and used to do weird normie stuff like that all the time.

Well the car still started up when she tried it, she had been skeptical that it would, and before long both Harper and Cicero were on the road back to Toronto.

Not all the way back. They were going to swing up to Scugog island first to see Jackie.

"Look it's the Great Blue Heron Casino," said Cicero, pointing as they drove towards it. "We're getting close."

"That would be the landmark you'd use, wouldn't it?" said Harper.

"Hey," said Cicero, "you can gather a lot of puissance at a casino."

They drove past the magnificent casino, heading even further north, until they came to the much less magnificent Scugog Island Gift Shop.

Harper pulled her car into the parking lot and the two mages walked into the lonely building.

The gift shop was filled with high quality Mississauga handicrafts on orderly wooden shelves. Cicero knew from experience that some of them would be genuine magical fetishes but most them were exactly what they looked like; souvenirs. He resisted the urge the fondle any of them to check for signs of puissance.

Sitting in a rough chair just behind the counter was a middle aged first nations woman. It was Jackie Goose, who apparently forgotten to age over the past decade. The braids of her long black hair were hidden slightly by the gift shop branded hoodie she wore.

Jackie rose slowly and deliberately as soon as she saw her friends enter.

"Hey Jackie," said Cicero, waving weakly.

Jackie pulled Cicero into a bear hug immediately. Once she had squeezed the breath out of him she did the same to Harper.

"It has been too long," she said "It is good to see you both. What wonderful happenstance brings you both here?"

* * *

High in the sky, a crow caught a thermal updraft and rode it as high as it could. At the apex of the thermal it glided away, slowly lowering itself without needing to flap until it came to a landing atop the gift shop.

It shook some snow from its feathers.

* * *

"Simon has his memories back," said Cicero. "He's on the hunt for all of us. We need your help to fight him."

"Well that is disappointing," said Jackie, "I thought you had come to catch up with an old friend."

"I wish that's why we were here," said Harper. She made a helpless gesture with her hands.

"We wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency, Jackie," said Cicero.

Jackie crossed her arms.

"Simon Isengrim is not my problem," she said. "I have nothing to do with Toronto any longer. My place is here."

"But Jackie, if not the three of us then who is going to stop him?" asked Harper.

"What if Simon comes here looking for me? Who is going to protect my people? I have my own responsibilities just as you have yours. Toronto is Aubrey's city now. If it needs defending go talk to her."

"I already tried," said Cicero, "She's lost in her own ego. Doesn't recognize Simon as a legitimate threat."

"That is unfortunate, but it is what it is," said Jackie. "If Aubrey has forsaken her people that is her failing. Don't ask me to do that same."