“Girl! Get back here!” the guard hollered after me. He was brandishing his knife and cuffs, running pretty fast for a silver-haired man. His uniformed gleamed pure white and his badge silver.
Oh, yeah, I thought. Like I’m going to let you drag me back to that Hole you had me in. Now go away.
I sped up and twisted into a tight ally. I knew the backstreets pretty well by now, since I’ve been sneaking through them all my life. My dad told me all about them when I was old enough to go out by myself. I had been terrified at first, but now the magical that roamed back here were like old friends, if any were left.
I bolted down a side street. I could hear a party going on ahead and headed over to try and blend in. My dark red tank and short black shorts, the clothes I had been wearing since I had been captured, would be okay there, if no one noticed their stains and rips.
I turned onto the street and headed towards the pulsing lights. It was a really tall fence, but a small bit of magic allowed me to jump over it. I landed in a huge yard where no one noticed me. I looked around and tried to find where I’d blend in most. There was a shaded spot in the very back of the yard. I headed over to it, trying not to be noticed. If I had brewed some potion I could turn myself invisible, but I’m not the best at brewing. It is also a lot more conspicuous if no one runs into you other than someone.
“Excuse me!” one of the obnoxious pretty girls my age scoffed as I rushed past her. “Who are you?” I didn’t reply but pushed onward. Rotating bodies pushed me this way and that way, but no one really saw me.
In the shadows I looked around at the space. I saw nothing that stood out greatly. My only worry was that someone would see me and start nosing into my identity. A few guys were checking me out, but nothing big. My hair was probably a mess, so I ran my fingers through the length of it, trying to tame my black, greasy mane.
“Hello,” a cheery voice that I recognized immediately chimed. I turned to see one of my best friends smiling down at me. At nearly six foot, Heather Mastiff, a 100% non-magical being, lifted my spirits just by being with me.
“Hey, Heather,” I replied.
“So, how… I mean, what are you doing here?” she asked. I realized what she was actually saying: how’d you get out of the Hole?
“I was just running around and thought I’d stop by,” I replied cryptically. “So, whose party is this anyway?”
“Do you really not know?” Heather asked, amazed. “This is Jae’s house.” I gave her my best confused look. “Jae Freeman’s house.”
“Freeman?” I asked. The name sounded familiar. “Wait, not Hunter Freeman’s house.” Hunter Freeman was a notorious trapper, that is, he made a handsome living by catching magical beings, like me. And here I was, standing in his backyard.
“Yeah, but he’s out tonight, so don’t worry. This is the last place he’d expect any magical being to me,” Heather comforted. “Just enjoy yourself. I think Jae is checking you out.” I looked over to the boy she was looking at and he caught my eye.
Jae Freeman was obviously a rich man’s son. His hair was perfectly cut and styled, his clothes seemed designer, and he had an easy air about him. Jae was about my age, eighteen, and around six foot. His hair was one of the darkest shades of brown I had ever seen, and his eyes were one of the lightest. Jae’s easy smile was pure white, and even in the dark light it was obvious he had a tan. His light brown eyes held my dark ones until he decided to walk over to me.
“Yeah, he was checking you out,” Heather beamed. Jae reached us at that point, and seemed to second guess himself.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Jae,” he introduced himself. His right hand went out to me. I knew better than to give him my actual name, but I didn’t know what other name to give him. My middle name?
“Amelia,” I replied, giving him my hand. We shook, and I knew he sensed my magic. He was a truth-seer. Truth-seers were non-magical beings who could sense magic and were able to see through magic trickery easier. Only a really powerful magician could trick a truth-seer.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amelia,” Jae said, breaking the shake. I smiled. “You must be Heather’s friend.”
“Yes, I didn’t mean to crash the party, but it is very, um, loud.”
“I think I saw a friend, catch you later,” Heather said as an excuse to leave me alone with the reasonably handsome Jae. “Oh, and I am really glad you could come, Amelia.” She gave me a wink before disappearing better than I could with a potion.
“So, Amelia, you having a good time?” Jae’s awkward feeling was palpable. It surprised me that he wasn’t mentioning my magic.
“Yes, now, if you’ll excuse me, my father doesn’t want me out too late.” I tried to slip away, but Jae grabbed my arm.
“You don’t have to worry. My dad isn’t here, and I won’t rat you out,” Jae assured me.
“You’d turn against your father?” I questioned, looking him over skeptically.
“I threw this party, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but that’s different than his whole way of life.”
“You trying to convince me into telling him?”
“NO, I just don’t believe you’d keep this from him”
“Amelia, I think you should meet my friend,” he recommended.
“Yeah, I know that’s what all the undercover trappers say,” I informed him.
“Would it make you feel better if it were in a public place?”
Jae was really getting on my nerves. He wouldn’t stop bothering me. I looked him in the eyes and walked away. I didn’t like turning my back to him, but nothing was worse than chatting with a future trapper and truth-seer. I swerved through the dancing and gyrating bodies, glancing back only to make sure he didn’t see where I was going. How dumb was I to break out of the Hole, only to jump right into a trapper’s party. Lucky for me it was the son here, not the actual trapper. Heather was chatting up some guy by the punch bowl, so I wasn’t about to interrupt that. I made my way back to the fence I came in and hopped back over, after being sure no one was watching.
Since I never told anyone my name I figured it was safe to go home, so I cautiously turned into an ally and wound my way home through the backstreets and smoker joints. I passed through a bar or two and had to wade through a stream twice, but eventually I made it to my father’s flat. When I arrived it was dark and empty, but that wasn’t unusual. Father went on many trips and checked up on many friends during the day and night, depending on the nature of his visits.
I unlocked the door with a wave of the hand and entered. Nothing seemed out of place, but that didn’t mean everything was alright. I knew that from when I got caught in the most popular magical club. It had looked normal, the normal customers were seated at their normal tables and Poe had been working the bar. I hadn’t seen the trappers hiding under the bar with magic-diffusing orbs out and ready. Of course, that hadn’t stopped me from fighting back, and taking three MD orbs to the back, plus two to the chest, which really hurts. I didn’t wake up until three weeks later. When I did wake up, however, and learned who my personal trapper was, I didn’t feel like answering their questions.
I didn’t even tell them my name. They would torture me and starve me and torture me some more. I would… I pushed the memory back and heaved out a sigh. I didn’t have time to do this.
I searched the rest of the house, which didn’t take long considering we had a three room place. In the kitchenette Father’s bag was still slumped against the microwave, which was odd. He never left without it… unless…
No. No no no no nononononononono.
I scanned the floor, because there was no way Father was in the Hole. No way. That’s when I spotted the MD orb that was cracked open under the couch. My knees felt weak and feeble, as if they were about to give in. No. Daddy.
I thought back to the Hole, trying to see if there was a way to help break him out. There had only been two escapes, including mine, in the history of the Hole. After the first one, escape had been nearly impossible, now it was bound to be. The first time, a 100% magical, the guards had been multiplied by five. No chance of escape.
Unless…
No, not possible.
It seems like the only plausible way, though.
Plausible!? The last time someone tried the quest, no one returned, and that was hundreds of years ago.
So, change that. How else will I be able to free Father? There is no way to break in, let alone in and out.
“Talisman is my only option,” I admitted. It would be nearly impossible to reach him, and probably just as hard to get back, but for Father, and every other magical out there, I need to try. I just would have to word my one wish very wisely. Father would not stay in the Hole, because I would find and get my wish out of Talisman.
First I’d need a crew, but not just anyone. I know there’s a legend somewhere that draws out the map and tells just how to build the crew and just how to pass the tests. Yes, I did remember that there were twelve tests that one had to pass before their wish could be granted. And I knew that the book I wanted was somewhere in the way back of my favorite library.
Well, I couldn’t start without a nice shower, so I made my way into the small shower, cranked on the lukewarm water, and lathered all the grime and blood and dirt off my skin. I winced as the soap found the open wounds in my arms that had been hidden by the dark dirt. I flinched as the light water pressure seemed to pound against all my sore, bruised muscles. I thoroughly washed my hair and left about an inch thick layer of grime on the bottom of the shower. That’s what one year in the Hole got you, dirty. At least not all of it was visible grime, and at least I was dark toned to begin with, or I’d have really stood out at the party. I changed into a plain gray T-shirt and shorts with a long black trench coat that belongs to Father. I stuck on my favorite boots that fit my wand in them. Thankfully the trappers hadn’t taken that, since I had forgotten it the day I was captured.
I guess it would be safer if I took magical protectors with me, but that would only attract attention. Truth-seers had a very easy time spotting disguising spells, and I was awful at potions of any kind, so that was a major no.
I grabbed my pocket knife and my spare bag, since the one I had had with me the day I was captured had been confiscated, and left. I had no cash to spare and nothing valuable to barter with. I was basically hoping and praying that everything would work out. It would probably take nothing short of a miracle to find the right legend alone. At least I sort of knew what to look for, since it was one of my favorites as a little girl. I remembered Father bringing it home once a month, if I had been good. I had had it all memorized at one point, but that was several years and a trip to the Hole ago.
I locked the door behind me and set off into the nearest ally.
I made my way to the little library that no one really knew about. I prayed and prayed that I would find Liza behind the counter. Liza was the go-to gal if you wanted to get into the catacombs of the library. There they keep all the magical lore and literature and spell books. Thankfully, she was the only person in the little building as I arrived.
“Hey, what can I help you with, Sage?” she asked as I walked in.
“I wanted to look up the legend of Talisman,” I told her. Her eyes widened in shock, but then she just nodded and led me down to the dark basement. Talisman was popular, and usually just passed off as a child’s bedside story, but some people knew the truth. He is real. He can actually help people. There are accounts of his fulfillment of wishes impacting the entire world. And all I wanted was to free my father, or maybe just stop the unjust treatment of magical beings. That would be a much better wish. Now, all I needed to know was who to take with me.
“Here you go, one legend right here. I can’t let you take it, but I can let you copy it into this,” Liza said, handing me a large journal and a small pencil that had long since lost its eraser.
“Thanks, Liza, I owe you,” I told her.
“Just promise you’ll use the wish to get my grandpa out of the Hole,” she replied. I nodded and started copying down the tales.