War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 20

“Bon Appetit!” a cafeteria worker merrily bade a prisoner in a room that was nearly completely walled up.

“Spaghetti again?” the prisoner complained in a window on the doorway. “That’s the third time this week!”

The cafeteria worker shrugged. “I don’t create the menu, dude!” The prisoner shook his head in disapproval, and the cafeteria worker rolled his cart to the next cell. The man in there remained sleeping, so the cafeteria worker rolled on to the next one without another word. He expected to exchange pleasantries with the next guy, as usual, but when he glanced into the room, he gasped.

He grabbed his radio and urgently announced, “Cell six in Solitary Confinement has a person gushing blood in it! I’m gonna perform first aid!” The cafeteria worker grabbed his keys and rushed into the cell where a man with a bald head and deep, umber skin was bleeding profusely. The cafeteria worker used his own belt as a tourniquet and applied pressure to the wound, and that stopped the outpouring, but the man remained unconscious. Just as medics arrived on the scene…

“Do you smoke?” The man’s lids flicked open, and he stared at the cafeteria worker with his dark, cold eyes.

“Uh… yeah!” The cafeteria worker gazed at him in confusion. He couldn’t quite understand why someone would ask such a thing under these conditions… until…

The man snickered, “I thought so!” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the lighter in the cafeteria worker’s pocket burst into flames! The fire spread so quickly that the cafeteria worker couldn’t react with enough alacrity to save his own life! In an instant, the entire room got engulfed! The sprinklers soon went off, and a couple of medics used some nearby extinguishers to snuff the rest. When the blaze was gone, the medics realized the prisoner was too! They saw a hole in the corner, and the prisoner was running from the building!

Sirens blared, and the guards locked everything down. A voice on the loudspeaker broadcasted, “Attention all personnel! Be on the lookout for Iagan Endellion! Do not let him leave! This person is armed and dangerous!”

Iagan hurried toward the front of the facility, but when he got to the front gate, heard the sound of a couple of guns getting cocked. He turned around, and two police officers aimed their pistols at him. “Hands up!” one of them commanded.

“Okay!” Iagan put his palms up, but prior to the officers getting to approach him, flames shot out of Iagan’s hands! He set their weapons ablaze, and as they dropped them, the grass they fell on ignited! As they strove to put it out, Iagan burned a hole in the fence and slipped out.

“Damn it!” Gwyneira exclaimed as she beheld the search party around Tesca. “We’re too late!”

Noah assured her, “Don’t worry! He couldn’t have gotten far!”

Gwyneira spotted some K-9 units preparing to get deployed in the woods behind the prison, and she fretted, “He’s going to hurt those poor creatures!”

“Don’t go after him!” Noah warned her. “There’s no light in that forest- he could ambush you and hurt you too!”

“Fine! I’ll flush him out!” Gwyneira put her arms in the air, and rain clouds formed above the trees. It poured down rain, and everyone watched with hope gleaming in their eyes. When no one fled from the area, the K-9 handlers were ready to use their dogs… until…

An explosion sounded from the parking lot, and its impact knocked everyone in the vicinity off their feet! When Noah and Gwyneira swivelled off of their downward position, they espied Iagan emerge from under a vehicle! He hurled fire in their direction, but Gwyneira easily deflected that hex. Iagan used that quick second to flee, and Noah along with prison guards pursued him, but he was able to use his magic to rid them of their armament. Noah discerned that he was crossing a bridge over a creek, so he grabbed a garbage lid and flung it at Iagan’s skull. Iagan fell into the water and screamed in pain, but preceding anyone getting to seize him, he boiled the water. When the steam cleared it had become evident that Iagan had vanished into the shadows. 

Mayor Richardson rubbed his temples as the noises of construction loomed in the background. Amy knocked on on the door, and a chunk of it fell onto the floor. Mayor Richardson grumpily invited, “You may as well come inside!”

“Is this a bad time?” Amy gingerly asked.

“Yes, but it’s not gonna get better any time soon, so you may as well join me,” Mayor Richardson answered.

Amy sat down on a chair before his desk, and then she encouragingly told him, “It could get better soon! The right solution could be just around the corner! You can’t give up!”

Mayor Richardson ogled at her incredulously. “Amy, a few days ago, we had this place trashed by insurrectionists, and now there’s a felon who can magically incinerate things on the loose! I actually requested that they fix my window while I’m on the clock simply so I don’t have to hear the protestors! It’s not that I don’t wanna give in to their demand to make the city safer- I literally have no clue how to fix this! How do I capture a man who already escaped from somewhere that’s supposed to have the best security in the world? We even put in extra water pipes in his cell walls to overpower him! If we actually capture him, how are we supposed to contain him going forward? And I’ve done all I could dream up to spread more peace amongst my constituents, but their anger is only getting worse! I can take measures to discourage violence, but I can’t stop free speech! I can’t force anyone to quit taking steps towards their own demise! If they won’t listen to a pop legend like Nova, who could possibly influence them? If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears!”
After shaking her head, Amy responded, “I pray for advice myself, and I’m coming up blank. I don’t accept that doing nothing is the correct route to go, but I also need some sort of starting point! Since I don’t have one, I’m doing business as usual. I’ll keep going ‘til I get some kind of sign of what to do next! So, keeping in that spirit, here’s my latest budget proposal. Can I get your signature?”

“I can’t approve of this!” Mayor Richardson objected. “It’s already costing a fortune to fix the damage already done, and this nightmare that’s heading for us next is bound to be pricey! Everything may have to go to disaster relief- how can I approve of new stoplights and recycling programs if I have to rebuild houses and schools? I can’t give my approval to anything ‘til I know what exactly is going on!”

“Listen, Roald, I’m not gonna lie and say that scenario isn’t possible, but it hasn’t happened yet! You can put FEMA on speed dial if you want, but don’t prepare for absolute doom! You’ll drive yourself crazy with possibilities, but if act on actualities, you can feel more empowered! Stoplights and recycling may sound trivial in the grand scheme of things, but life is comprised of a bunch of little stuff! That murderous crowd tried to prevent us from doing our jobs, so I can’t picture a better method of proving they didn’t win than to do all the tiny details of our positions!” Amy passionately verbalized.

Mayor Richardson took a minute to drink in her words, and then he acknowledged them, “You’re right! They want us to be afraid, so we can’t show any fear!” He grabbed a pen, but before he could add his signature to her document, the construction crew paused. The cacophony of outraged citizens reverberated into his office, so Mayor Richardson pled with the crew, “Can’t you guys keep going ‘til the safety protests are through?”

The foreman filled him in, “Sorry, gotta follow union rules! Oh, and also, they’re not protesting anything safety related…”

As the crew exited the office, Amy and Mayor Richardson ran to the broken pane. When they caught a glimpse of what was outside, they cried out in aghast. Scores of people were holding up signs that were ordering the mayor to free Dawson Kolbyr, and the participants in the throng chanted the same message! Amy and Mayor Richardson stood there with their mouths ajar, totally unsure of how to proceed from here.

“Hello?” Noah picked up the receiver and strove to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Hi, Noah! It’s Chief Argus. I’m so glad to hear that you’re taking a Saturday off! You’ve worked so hard lately, you deserve a break!” Chief Argus remarked.

Noah reacted with a slight suspicion, “But…?”

Chief Argus catechized, “What makes you assume there’s a but?”

“Oh, come on! With all due respect, sir, I highly doubt you called me to only express that!” Noah riposted.

“Alright, there’s more,” Chief Argus admitted. Noah said nothing, so Chief Argus inferred that he wasn’t surprised by that revelation. He cleared his throat a bit, and then he went on, “I wanted to inform you that Jareth Thurio has gone missing!”

This report filled Noah with intrigue. “Really? Geez, he disappeared immediately after Iagan Endellion escaped from prison- that’s not a coincidence! So, is he his victim or an accomplice of his?”

Chief Argus relayed to him, “Well, we can’t officially start searching for him ‘cause it hasn’t been forty-eight hours since he was last seen. His campaign manager, Demi, attempted to file a case on him after the twenty-four-hour mark. I have the paperwork she filled out though- apparently, he already missed a photo-op, and he seems to be a no-show for another event scheduled for today.”

“That’s interesting!” Noah commented. “I thought this treasury election was part of the plan! I doubt he grew a conscious overnight, so he probably isn’t gonna drop out. But, something made the plans change…”

“I agree,” Chief Argus concurred. “And he’s already doing a lot of damage with this political venture! If he voluntarily altered the agenda, whatever he has in store for the public can’t be good!”

Noah grimaced at that concept. “Yeah, that would be awful!” This occurrence was daunting, and a twinge of guilt coursed through his veins. He had a feeling where this conversation was heading, and he wasn’t going to be able to aid him in this endeavor. It was an important task, but Noah had something equally vital up his sleeve… “Well, that was fascinating! Thanks for briefing me on the situation, sir!”

Chief Argus entreated him, “Wait! Don’t hang up!” Noah complied, but he cringed as he did so. He foresaw that he would have to disappoint his boss, and he really hated the premise of doing so! “I realize you’re limited with your interactions with Mister Thurio, but you’re so adept at finding where criminals are hiding! You know Mister Thurio better than anyone, so I was wondering if you could participate in a search for him as a consultant. You’d have to hand it off to Maurice or Lynn for any questioning or arrests, but I know they’d really appreciate it if you lent a hand! So, what do you say?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Noah sighed. “I can’t. Not today. I… I have a prior obligation to attend to!”

“Is there any possibility of postponing that obligation?” Chief Argus probed. “I wouldn’t ask if we weren’t at the precipice of an apocalyptic disaster getting unleashed in Los Angeles! Can it get rainchecked for another day?”

Noah gritted his teeth, and then he fibbed, “My grandfather is ill. He doesn’t have long… I can’t abandon him at his hour of need! He raised me after my parents were killed!”

Chief Argus groaned, and Noah’s remorse was overwhelming. It wasn’t as though he was doing anything immoral, but he couldn’t permit him to have access to the truth. If his colleagues had any inkling of his real intentions, they would’ve tried to dissuade him from such a dangerous mission! So, he had to stay silent about it until it was done. Chief Argus disappointedly articulated, “Okay! But take your police-issued vehicle in case we need to reach you.”

“But, Chief!” Noah panicked a little. This move had the potential to under what they had planned out!

“What’s the problem?” Chief Argus inquired.

Noah replied, “I… Nothing! I’ll talk to you soon!” Noah hung up, and after slumping on his couch, Noah defended himself, “It wasn’t a total lie! My grandpa is in hospice…”

Gwyneira suggested, “We should visit him when we’re done! But, since we gotta get there the slow way, we better get going!” Noah still appeared dismal, so she encouraged him, “Don’t worry! Everything’s going to be fine! We’ll take a quick ride to San Francisco, and then… Everything will be fine!”

Not wanting to dishearten Gwyneira, Noah smiled and squeezed her hand. “Hey! I did say we outta take a trip together! Not that I’m trying to get out of going to Maui or anything…” Gwyneira pleasantly chuckled as they went out of his apartment door.

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 19

Noah stormed out of the station and marked toward his car. He was so outraged that he didn’t even realize that Chief Argus was so close behind him. Before he could even get close to his vehicle, Chief Argus Argus called out, “Noah, you’re forgetting something!”

Chief Argus held a manila folder up in the air, and Noah didn’t look at it or his boss. Instead, he spat, “That’s not my case! That’s a mistake!”

“Come on, Noah! It’s not so bad!” Chief Argus consoled him. “The Umbra Murder was too stressful, you deserve something nice and simple after all you’ve been through!”

“I was making progress there!” Noah argued. “If I had a little more time, I could’ve gotten enough info to get a warrant! How could you do this?”

Chief Argus assured him, “Listen, I know I had my doubts about you staying on this case previously, but after reviewing the evidence you gathered, I wanted to let you remain on this. Unfortunately, Mister Thurio complained about harassment, and he threatened to sue the department! Our legal advisors gave me no choice!”

Noah roared, “This is bullshit! He was the one doing the harassing! I couldn’t just let him do that to a grieving widow, so I-!”

“So, you fell into his trap!” Chief Argus completed his sentence. “You knew he already made that claim twice! Clearly, he was baiting you!”

“I…! I didn’t think about that!” Noah realized he was correct, and he upbraided himself for not making this observation himself. He had to cast that thought out of his mind though since what was done couldn’t be changed. He turned to Chief Argus and contended, “But still! I didn’t do anything wrong! This isn’t fair!”

Chief Argus surprised Noah by agreeing with him, “You’re right! It’s a real shame ‘cause the person I pass this case to is gonna take a considerable stretch orienting themself with the facts you’ve gathered, and we really can’t afford to lose even a minute with this investigation! Who knows what’ll happen between now and then with these suspects! But, rest assured, whoever takes over will catch the prick that caused this! Your work won’t have been in vain!”

Noah quarreled, “But they won’t solve this case! This case is… complex! Not a lot of people will understand it, and they’ll jump to an incorrect solution!” Noah didn’t mention the Mystic involvement to avoid extenuating his predicament with Chief Argus, but it weighed at the forefront of his worries. Not everyone believed in the existence of their supernatural abilities, and oftentimes, the ones who did theorize that they originated from dark sources. The next in line may go in a totally erroneous direction, and it would give free reign for Dawson and his followers to commit more atrocities! Jareth would win that special election for sure, and terrible events would occur as a result of that! Plus, Megala’s disappearance was connected to this case, but not everyone would see that! It filled him with dread to picture what would occur due to this move!

“What? You mean ‘cause magic is involved?” Chief Argus questioned. Noah’s eyes went wide at that mention, and he was prepared to make excuses for it, but Chief Argus stunned him, “It’s okay! I recognized that Gwyneira and her tribe weren’t associated with it ‘til one of your suspects drew her in. It was unfair for me to say you couldn’t work any case involving Mystics! They’re not all connected! However, don’t hide anything from me again! I was once a detective like you! I can figure stuff out!”

“Alright, Chief!” Noah tried to smile at this reprieve, but he couldn’t quite get it out. His stomach lurched at the concept of anyone but him taking over this dangerous mystery, and he feared to envision what would transpire because of it!

Chief Argus put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “I can’t promise everything will turn out hunky-dory, so I suggest doing something to distract yourself. If you aren’t ready to take on a new case, why don’t you take the day off?”

Margaret entered into the vicinity and interjected, “This guy doesn’t take breaks, Chief! Besides, he’s a secondary on my homicide from the concert massacre! He’s gotta help me sole mine, and we have an interview to go to!”

Initially, Noah was perplexed by this plan. He recalled that she hadn’t closed the case in the killing of three boys, but that was only because the culprit was the elusive Demek. Suddenly, it clicked for him what she was trying to do! “That’s true! Let’s go!” Flooded with relief, he grabbed her arm and merrily escorted her to that interview’s locale.

“Gwyneira!” Michelle urgently addressed her as she and Kalanie entered into the cavernous chambers of Lake Marical. Gwyneira put down the papers she was studying and gave them the utmost of her attention. Michelle began to relay to her, “We found something in El Poder that you should be aware of!”

“What is it? Is it my mother? Please, tell me she’s alright!” Gwyneira panicked. Her heart beat so rapidly that she thought it would jump right out of her chest! Her gut always indicated that she was continuing to survive, but simultaneously, she always worried that someone would report that they found her mother’s body somewhere! She got queasy even entertaining this possibility, and she inwardly prayed that her anxiety would prove to be wrong!

Kalanie reassured her, “Your mother is fine! At least, as far as we can tell, she’s still alive. However, we may have discovered something equally as disturbing! As we were walking down a trail leading off Tempest Shore, we heard… Oh hello, Beck!”

The tension Kalanie recently held instantly vanished as she coyly greeted Beck, and Beck, who had identical marks of stress a second ago, stammered, “I… uh… Hi!”

Michelle and Gwyneira knowingly grinned at each other, and then Gwyneira broke their awkward exchange, “What do you want, Beck?”

“Oh! Right!” Beck shook off his more pleasant disposition, and then he informed her, “We have a visitor.”

“Send them in,” Gwyneira directed him.

Beck apprised her, “It’s a Sapien.”

Gwyneira repeated, “Send them in.”

Quite frazzled at this notion, Beck catechized, “Really? You would have an outsider visit these sacred grounds?”

“My father visited Lake Marical,” Gwyneira pointed out. “So did Noah! He even drank from the water!”

“Yes, but this is a different situation,” Beck differed. “She’s here strictly for business, and not business that benefits us, so…”

From outside of the vicinity, Robin probed, “What am I? Chopped liver?”

Gwyneira illuminated Beck, “Friends are never denied!”

“Thanks!” Robin entered with a small toolkit. “But, I’m not here for social purposes, unfortunately.” She handed Gwyneira a set of documents, and she sheepishly expressed, “I’m just glad all three of you are in the same room so I can get this over with!”

“You have a warrant for our DNA?” Gwyneira reacted in aghast.

Robin explained, “I didn’t petition the judge for that! And I wouldn’t have! Sidero says he wants to eliminate you as suspects, but I’m fairly positive that’s not what he’s doing. He says he wants to have comparisons for when they recover Megala.”

Gwyneira made a noise of indignation. “Ugh! So, he’s simply assuming that he won’t find her alive and that a Mystic was behind her death?”

“I’m sorry!” Robin ruefully regarded them. “Chief Argus put him on her case ‘cause his hunches are usually solid. He’s recovered hundreds of people throughout his career, but in this instance… Well, my prediction is that Noah will locate her first! I’m assuming that’s what he and Margaret are working on right now since he got taken off of the Umbra murder.” She paused, and then she instructed Michelle, “Swab both sides of your mouth, and put your sample in this tube.”

“This is pointless!” Gwyneira complained as she collected her request.

Kalanie brought up, “Since we’re all friends, there’s something you all should know… Scores of Earth Mystics from Mount Charleston were in the woods practicing. It appears that Dawson has recruited them for an upcoming battle!” The entire space grew eerily silent as they digested this news.

Noah and Margaret walked into Mayor Froth’s office, and they beheld him cradling his noggin on his desk. When Mayor Froth noticed their presence, he stood up and held his wrists out towards them. “Go ahead and arrest me now! It’s my fault he’s dead!”

“Brennan Umbra?” Noah furrowed his brows. Admittedly, he suspected him for a while, but Jareth’s behavior was far more indicative of culpability. He acknowledged that it was entirely feasible that he missed the mark completely, but his logic refused to accept this development as true. “Are you sure?”

“I’m talking about my son!” Mayor Froth dismally corrected him. “He’s dead ‘cause of me, so go ahead and take me away!”

Margaret obviously had the same instincts as Noah since she hesitated too. She ogled at him peculiarly, and then she inquired, “You killed all three boys?”

Mayor Froth emitted a sigh of morose frustration, and he clarified, “I didn’t kill anyone! But I may as well have done the deed myself! I told my boy not to go to college in LA, but I paid for his schooling anyway! Maybe if I tried a little harder to discourage him from doing that, he’d still be alive!”

“We’re not gonna arrest you for being a supportive father, Mayor Froth!” Margaret gently lowered his limbs down. As she took a seat, she comforted him, “You didn’t cause your child’s death! But, someone did! We’re here to figure out who that might be!” 

“I don’t know anything!” Mayor Froth glumly asserted. “He didn’t tell me much about his life out there, so I don’t know anything about who may have wanted him to die!”

Noah sagely articulated, “You may know more than you realize! Did you discuss your kid much at work?”

Mayor Froth recollected, “Oh, of course! I was very proud of Irenio! I bragged about him constantly! He was so bright, top of his class! Then, when his mom went to rehab, a lot of my colleagues pitched in to offer him support. Actually, Brennan used to ask how he was doing before he found out how I was! I could only imagine how he would act after finding out how he passed! Poor Brennan! Man, everyone around me has succumbed to a horrible fate! Maybe you two should go and avoid this curse!”

“You’re not cursed!” Margaret emphatically insisted. “But, someone around you may have the ability to do such a thing. Did anyone hold any grudges against you or threaten you at all?”

“Here and there, but they were usually nuts with too much time on their hands. Wait, are you implying that the murderer did this to punish me?” Mayor Froth’s eyes went wide with alarm.

Noah responded, “That’s what we’re attempting to decipher. Did you have any issues with your staff members? Did anyone behave oddly or suspiciously?”

Mayor Froth appeared mystified. “No! We’re a pretty tight bunch! No one did anything odd! Well, unless you count Jareth! He was a weird loner, but he didn’t seem dangerous! He couldn’t have hurt anyone! Heck, that guy was scared of the freakin’ wind! Have you heard of something so ridiculous?”

“Yes!” Noah’s pulse raced as he remembered his interactions with Dawson. Noah used wind against him since it was part of the Destructive Cycle, and even Link deployed this method as he was defending himself against Dawson’s venomous ire! If Jareth had an aversion to wind, that could only lead to one conclusion… “Did you do a background check on Jareth?”

“I’m sorry, sir!” a secretary apologized as she entered into the quarters. “She said it was urgent!”

Laverna went in, and Noah put his hands on his hips as he verbalized, “If this is a ploy to get a story, I swear, I-!”

She interrupted him, “This isn’t for an article, but it is related to The Mink Observer! Listen!”

After plopping a tape recorder onto the table, Laverna pushed play. Demek’s deep voice echoed out, “Go to the Tesca prison tonight. You’ll capture the headline of a century!”

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 18

“Mayor Richardson!” a radical shouted as he kicked open the door to his office. He and the people behind him glanced around, and when they saw no evidence of his presence there, the radical queried, “Mayor Richardson, where are you?”

As a belligerent bunch burst into the city council’s chambers, an agitator insolently called out, “Aaaaaamy! Where are you, Amy?” 

A revolter stood in an art gallery and brazenly proclaimed, “This is our house now!”

Several police officers were scattered throughout the vicinity, but before they could pull out a weapon to defend themselves, the raucous participants pounced on them. A few even grabbed whatever objects they could reach and proceeded to beat the law enforcement closest to them! Windows were breaking, and debris was strewed everywhere. A myriad of valuables were carried off the property, and an American flag even got replaced by a GLADA one!

“This is awful!” Noah remarked as he and his colleagues watched the scene in horror.

“Yes, it is!” Chief Argus concurred. “So, go in there and make it less awful!” As the detectives put on extra protective gear, Chief Argus apprised them, “I’ll be right there with you as soon as I get some… reinforcements…” Noah wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but there wasn’t a moment to spare to mull it over. He mentally steeled himself up, and then he entered the foray.

He approached a group of individuals barging in through a broken pane, and he commanded, “Hands up!” The group snarled and charged towards him, so he streamed his pepper spray into their faces. They fell down in agony, and after fending off an attacker from behind him, he dashed inside.

A man jiggled a doorknob, and when it wouldn’t budge, he announced, “Hey, guys! I think they’re hiding in here!”

“Don’t move!” Noah ordered as more of the masses flocked to that locale.

“Are you really gonna shoot us?” a woman mockingly challenged him. They snickered until Noah cocked his pistol. Their skin paled, and Lynn came up and cuffed them.

Noah heard a crash in the distance, so he ran to that site. He beheld Maurice getting pinned down by a bookshelf, and preceding a person having the ability to throw a potted plant on his head, Noah shot the pot. The dirt cascaded onto the person’s vision, and Margaret arrested that person as Noah freed Maurice. “Thanks!” Maurice gratefully expressed.

Before Noah could react, they received the reverberation of a male screaming in pain from a neighboring room! Noah sped to it, and he was shocked to discover Officer Jones on the floor bleeding profusely! When he kneeled to check on him, Officer Jones warned him, “Look out!” A malcontent nearly stabbed Noah in the back, but Noah flipped him off! Officer Letes immediately grabbed him, and Noah was about to administer first aid when…

A familiar sound of metal fastly flying in the air hit Noah’s eardrums! His muscles went rigid with fright, but knowing what that malefactor was capable of, he rushed over to thwart his efforts. He espied the red-hooded Earth Mystic, and his pulse instantly surged with adrenaline. He bellowed, “I got you now, Demek!”

“Oh, do you?” Demek chuckled as he faced away from Noah. “You’ve done your homework, I see! Too bad it won’t do you much good!”

“Like hell it won’t!” Noah disputed. “I’ll have an official name to list on your record when I take your ass to prison! Your buddy, Dawson, is waiting for you there!”

Demek slowly turned around, and Noah raised his taser. If Demek so much as lifted a finger towards producing a hex, he was more than willing to deploy his weapon. Noah couldn’t discern any of Demek’s features, but he could tell he was sneering at him. “I’m glad we could finally meet so I could get rid of you once and for all!”

Noah retorted, “Psh! You can try!”

“Okay!” Demek raised his palms up and emitted his swords. Noah fired his taser as he ducked, and he was successful, but it didn’t deter Demek much! Demek swiftly deployed more blades, and while Noah was able to evade them, Demek projected more and more. Noah continuously dodged it all, but he had to move so rapidly that he didn’t have a second to retaliate! The weaponry stuck to the ground, so Noah had to watch out for those too! He eventually found himself cornered- he was trapped! He didn’t want to show that vile villain any fear, so he bravely positioned himself to utilize his armament. Demek still deemed his predicament as humorous, so he maliciously chortled, “Say goodbye!”

“Goodbye!” Gwyneira articulated as the sharp edges destined for Noah froze in midair. Noah spun around, and his body cascaded in relief to view Gwyneira standing there with a dozen of her tribe members! Demek’s movement suggested that their appearance troubled him. He sent out trajectories towards them, but they easily deflected them. Demek clearly worked out that he was outnumbered, so he switched tactics. He aimed his palms at the ceiling, and prior to anyone getting to prevent this from occurring, several lights in the grand chandelier exploded! Sparks rained down the foyer, and everyone in this proximity had no choice but to take cover.

When the peril subsided, they discovered that Demek had vanished! Noah was certain that he had fled to the staircase, so he raced to catch him. He zipped down the steps, and he could hear Gwyneira and the other Water Mystics closely tailing him, but Noah’s furor propelled him vastly ahead of the others. It astonished Noah that he didn’t unearth him during the descension, and it deeply disappointed him to not espy him on the lower level! He surveyed the scenery to identify his whereabouts, but a delinquent advanced towards him. He effectively tased him, but he could hardly count that as a victory, not when Dawson’s lieutenant managed to escape!

Once the Water Mystics got involved, the mayhem started to calm down. First responders were able to transport the wounded out of there, and law enforcement brought out criminals in droves. One female shouted, “This is our building! We have the right to remove the mayor!”

“They’re letting our region decay!” a guy growled as he got shoved into a vehicle.

“Vote for Jareth Thurio! He’ll fix everything!” someone else vehemently declared. Noah bristled at this comment- not only did that reprobate assault the love of his life, but he encouraged his followers to behave violently! He doubted that he would get permitted to have the honor of capturing him for his influence in this chaos, but he savored the concept of Jareth finally facing accountability!

A detainee in Chief Argus’s custody held his frozen hands in front of himself and griped, “This is brutality!”

Chief Argus disagreed, “You tried to kill somebody I deputized! You were lucky you didn’t get worse!”

“You deputized the Mystics?” the detainee cried out incredulously. “Did everyone hear that? He deputized the witches!”

“The takeover has begun!” a lady nearby boldly asserted. Chief Argus groaned as he continued to escort this captive.

Out of the corner of his eye, Noah observed Laverna documenting this affair. Even though her composure was much meeker, it still incensed Noah to have her in his sight. He marched over and inquired, “What exactly are you gonna tell your audience about this?”

Flustered, Laverna uncertainly replied, “Uh… I dunno!”

Noah advised her, “Think about it carefully! Words have consequences!” He returned to closing up this episode, and Laverna bit her lip from incertitude on how to have her crew go forward.

“She was here!” Michelle assessed with her lids shut.

“Recently?” Kalanie pressed as they walked along a trail leading off of a rocky shore.

Michelle contemplated the matter more, and she determined, “Oh, yes! I can feel her anguish! She was unconscious, but her spirit sensed that she was in danger!”

Kalanie recalled, “This route stretches all the way to Santa Clarita, so Megala’s kidnapper could’ve switched to a different path there that leads to El Poder! Oof! Don’t tell me we’re hoofing it the entire duration!”

“No one is going anywhere!” Sidero proclaimed from the rear of their location. Michelle and Kalanie cringed as they swiveled to meet his gaze, and he smugly roosted himself on the dirt road as he addressed them, “I’ve been staking out the crime scene ‘cause we got reports of someone doing magic behind the rocks. Perhaps they were using it as they were searching for their next victim?

“How would we know? We weren’t there!” Kalanie riposted.

Sidero accosted them, “What did you have against the Water Mystic chieftess? Were you wanting your buddy, Gwyneira, in charge so that you could gain more power, or did she inhibit a scheme you were plotting?”

Kalanie growled, “How dare you, you-!”

“Please, sir!” Michelle appealed to him. “I recognize that you’re frustrated and anxious to put a close to this case, but we’re only here to track down our friend! We-!”

“I’d advise you two to not say anything more without an attorney present,” Sidero recommended.

Michelle blinked in bafflement. “You’re serious!”

Sidero sternly verbalized, “You two are coming with me! I-!”

All of a sudden, Sidero’s jaw froze shut! Michelle and Kalanie gasped, and Beck emerged from the bushes! “Beck! What are you doing? You assaulted a policeman!” Kalanie exclaimed.

“I know! I know! I just couldn’t listen to that crap anymore!” Beck explained. “And I couldn’t let you take the fall for this! I did the spells he described! I was getting frustrated! I wanted to find Megala too! After dealing with that fiasco, I hoped to restore her to her rightful place so that maybe we could deal with Sapiens a little less. No offense to Gwyneira, but I miss the more peaceful days!”

“Don’t we all?” Kalanie tittered. “But, I think those days are done. As long as there are those who seek to disrupt the natural order of things, we won’t get our tranquility restored!”

Beck nodded contemplatively. “That’s a valid argument! …See, that’s why I always admired you! You’re so thoughtful and brilliant!”

Kalanie blushed slightly. “You admire me?”

“Your intelligence, not your looks! Not that you don’t have good looks! Oops! I mean…!” Beck stumbled on his utterance enough that he was sort of glad that Sidero put shackles on his wrists. “I got to go to jail now. Best of luck in finding her!” They watched as Sidero sullenly carted him away.

“What are you grinning at?” Kalanie asked Michelle.

Michelle answered with a giggle, “Nothing!” They resumed their trek through the woods, and Michelle giggled once more. “Still nothing!” she claimed. Kalanie smiled but buried herself in her jacket.

In a cozy sitting room, Noah catechized, “So, Missus Umbra, did your husband ever mention any enemies?”

“No!” Missus Umbra reflectively reported. “Everyone loved Brennan! At least, they used to! With this stupid election coming up, everyone seems to have forgotten him!”

“I didn’t, Missus Umbra! I’ll get the culprit behind this injustice! I swear!” Noah avowed. “If you can recall anything that might be helpful, don’t hesitate to-.”

Noah cut off his own sentence when a roar of applause thundered outside. He peeked out the window, and he caught a glimpse of denizens gathered around a gazebo at a park across the street. To his appall, Jareth was orating, “Democracy is a fickle beast! Not tamed properly, it can prove dangerous!”

Completely outraged, Noah yelled, “Uh-uh! Absolutely not!” As Jareth went on, Noah made a beeline for that spot. He didn’t bother with any courtesies and interrupted, “Knock it off! You got a lot of nerve trolling the widow of the previous treasurer!”

“I had no idea she lived here!” Jareth alleged.

“If you keep harassing her, I’ll arrest you in an instant!” Noah vociferated. “And watch what comes out of your mouth! People believe you, and their beliefs can drive them to do horrendous acts! I’m pretty certain that yesterday showed that!”

Jareth kidded, “Why? What happened yesterday?” He viewed Noah’s glare, so he clarified, “It was a joke! Jeez, you cops don’t like to have fun!” The congregation cackled, and Jareth directed them, “Alright, guys! Let’s move it to the shopping center up the block!” As everybody followed him, Noah gritted his teeth while his head filled with Dawson’s diabolical laughter.

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 17

The councilwoman banged her gavel and commanded, “Order! Order! All those in attendance must wait their turn to speak!” A dozen unruly people in the audience begrudgingly sat down and shut their mouths. Once civility was restored, the chairwoman addressed the lady at the podium, “You may continue.”

“Thank you, Councilwoman Bolivar,” the lady responded somewhat nervously as she glanced back to the rowdy group behind her. She cleared her throat, and then she went on, “As I was saying, the road on Margarita Drive is in desperate need of repair! The cracks and potholes bear the risk of-.”

“Oh, who cares?” a male from the rowdy group griped. Councilwoman Bolivar banged her gavel again, and the man protested, “Oh, come on! This crap isn’t important! We have something vital to discuss, and you-!”

Councilwoman Bolivar warned him, “If you interrupt one more time, we’ll throw you out without hearing your proposal! Is that clear?” The male folded his arms and pouted, and Councilwoman Bolivar urged the lady, “Go on!”

The lady seemed rather intimidated by the angry whispers stemming from the rowdy group, so she hastily spouted, “The cracks and potholes are big, and that’s bad! Thank you!”

Councilwoman Bolivar let out an exasperated sigh, and then she somewhat irritably decreed, “Motion to repair Margarita Drive is granted. Next on the docket, Farmer Iris would like to discuss waste removal issues.”

“Councilwoman Bolivar, I’d like to skip my turn and allow these guys to speak.” Farmer Iris eyeballed the rowdy group with trepidation and swiftly sat down.

“Ugh! Fine!” Councilwoman Bolivar gave in. “The council now recognizes Wood You Just for their appeal.”

The male smirked as he and his cohorts approached the podium, and the male adjusted the microphone for his short stature prior to beginning his oration, “Good afternoon! My name is Kesteven Blakely, but everyone calls me K.B. Wood You Just was formed ‘cause a bunch of us have witnessed a grave injustice, and we’re not leaving ‘til this wrong is righted.” Councilwoman Bolivar and the other members looked frightened by the threat of them possibly not leaving, and K.B. seemed pleased to see this. “Today, we bring you irrefutable proof that our fellow Wood Mystic, Radley Brisco, was falsely imprisoned!”

Councilwoman Bolivar refuted that claim, “Radley Brisco confessed to murder to the police, and then he bragged about it at his trial! He’s guilty as charged!”

“You don’t understand!” K.B. snapped. “He was forced to make that confession! This document shows that the LAPD blackmailed him into taking the fall for that murder!”

“Blackmail?” Councilwoman Bolivar puzzled. “What could possibly have been worse than going to prison for multiple homicides?”

K.B. asserted, “Ah ha! I’m glad you asked that! The answer is right in front of you! A retired government official went into the GLADA chatroom and spilled the beans on the plot to relinquish control of the region to the Animal, Air, and Water Tribes! If Radley didn’t comply, they were gonna bulldoze our entire tribal headquarters! He did it to save us!”

The other Wood Mystics heartily concurred with that statement, but the council’s faces remained skeptical. Councilwoman Bolivar stated, “That doesn’t even make sense! Why would the government cancel any plans just to nail a random person for a crime they didn’t commit?”

“They wanna stick us with a bad reputation so our adversaries will be the only ones who can get respected by the public! It’s all about power!” K.B. grew miffed that no one was taking him seriously, so he spat, “Just read it!”

“Yo! I’m a former assistant to the dude who runs the county, and I saw with my own eyes they’re corrupt as hell! They wanna have the wrong peeps run Los Angeles… I’m sorry, is this person supposed to be retirement age?”

K.B. yelled, “Read the whole thing!”

Councilwoman Bolivar refused, “No! This testimony is obviously fraudulent!”

“You’re not being fair!” K.B. vehemently complained. “Our brethren is serving a sentence for something he didn’t do, and you won’t consider evidence that’ll exonerate him!”

“Listen, in case you didn’t already know, anyone can go on the internet and pretend to be whoever they want!” Councilwoman Bolivar educated him. “You can’t use the web as a reliable source! Besides, even if I found your evidence credible, we don’t have the power to pardon anyone!”

K.B. quarreled, “But you can recommend this gets investigated by the District Attorney!”

Councilwoman Bolivar shook her head. “We would never do such a thing based on such flimsy reasoning!”

“Where’s the real mayor?” K.B. fervently demanded.

“He had a medical matter to attend to,” Councilwoman Bolivar informed him. “So, as the pro tempore, it’s up to my judgment on how the council proceeds, and, based on what I’ve seen, my decision is to deny your request.”

One of K.B.’s lackeys muttered, “Didn’t I say they were gonna turn out to be total sympathizers?”

Councilwoman Bolivar inquired, “We’re a what?”

“You’re a witch sympathizer!” she maniacally replied. “You want these evil beings to take over the land! You are-!”

“Oh, this is ridiculous! Leave these chambers or I’ll have you escorted out!” Councilwoman Bolivar directed.

The rowdy group chanted, “Sympathizer! Sympathizer! Sympathizer!” Councilwoman Bolivar motioned for the police in the room to usher the disrupters out, and the majority of the lot continued to shout as they got carried out. K.B. complied, but he kept shooting her acrimonious glares as he walked out.

A couple of reporters had stationed themselves outside, and one of them posed to the ousted party, “What happened in there?”

“We showed the city council proof that exonerates a guiltless man, and they ignored it!” K.B. dramatically announced. “It fits their narrative to have Radley Brisco locked up, so they forced us to vacate the premises without even taking much of a peek at our facts! They pretty much admitted to their sympathizer agenda, and-!”

“Cut the feed!” the reporter instructed his crew. K.B. appeared dumbfounded by this move, so he clarified for him, “What? As journalists, we can’t ethically air untruthful or misleading comments.” As the media members departed from the vicinity, K.B. watched them with a small, sinister smile slowly forming on his visage.

In a backstage area, the director apprehensively expressed, “I dunno, Nova! This doesn’t seem very safe!”

Nova disagreed, “No one knows I’m here! They couldn’t have planned for what they don’t expect!”

“Yeah, but there isn’t much security here!” the director contended. “What if someone takes advantage of your vulnerability and attacks you?”

“I took several judo lessons when I was a little girl,” Nova relayed to him. “A lot of my dance moves come from that, didn’t you know?”

The director maintained his apprehension, “Okay, but the thugs who ambushed you before had weapons that I’m certain they didn’t teach you to disarm in judo…”

Nova ogled at him impatiently, “Oh, come on! Somebody would have to travel all over town with a weapon in the off chance that I coincidentally popped up where they were! I’m probably safer here than I was at Arnav Theatre!”

“If you wanna cancel your tour, I’ll totally understand…” the director very concernedly articulated.

“Weren’t you the one telling me to keep singing ‘cause those radicals were trying to silence me?” Nova countered. “I have to do this! Not just for me, but for my fans who they punished for being in favor of peace and tolerance! Besides, I got my start on small stages like this, it’ll be fun!” The director didn’t seem totally sold, but he nodded in acquiescence and exited those quarters.

As mall patrons went about their business, Nova emerged and spoke, “Hey, everyone! It’s Nova here! I’m raising money to benefit the victims of the concert massacre, so, if you’re a fan of me or simply a fan of love, please, give big!” The spectators were visibly leery at first, and Nova worried she wouldn’t incur enough donations to truly help her cause. This broke her heart to think, but she belted out a lively tune anyway. To her delight, a ton of folks flocked to the spot, and her director’s bin overflowed with cash within minutes of this endeavor!

As Jareth studied his cue cards by a staircase leading up to a platform, a female approached him and grimly proclaimed, “Sir, I have bad news…”

“Can’t it wait ‘til after my speech?” Jareth irritably wondered.

“No! If we don’t discuss this, your numbers will plummet, and you can kiss this campaign goodbye!” the female notified him.

Jareth emitted a frustrated exhale, and then he huffed, “Fine! Go ahead and tell me, Demi!”

Demi revealed, “Nova performed at the Paxton Mall. She promoted a message of togetherness and harmony, and she brought in a lot of dough for the dead guys. Now there’s tons of buzz about this, and a significant portion of your constituents are proposing measures to ensure safety for Mystics and their allies! And, several suggestions have been made about them living in dignity!”

“Shit!” Jareth reacted in an animated dismay. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” He cooled himself down, and then he consoled himself, “You know what, it’s alright! I can still use this speech- I just gotta insert a tidbit about Nova aligning with witches and sympathizers.”

“That’s not gonna work, sir!” Demi disagreed with that premise. “You’ll come off as a dick for not respecting the fallen!”

Jareth groaned, “Ugh! Well, this speech is pointless then!” He tossed his cue cards to her, and he ruminated on this subject. After several seconds, a lightbulb went off in his thoughts. “I’ve got this!” Preceding Demi getting to grill him on it, Jareth strutted up to the platform.

Scores of eager men and women enthusiastically greeted him, and Jareth beamed at them as he strolled over to the microphone. Once the cheers quieted down, Jareth orated, “Good evening,, El Poder! What a beautiful night! At least, it is for Mayor Richardson!” He paused for boos, and then he carried on, “He’s resting easy tonight! He doesn’t even have to physically be present for his bidding to get done! They’re all in compliance with his control!”

“Psst! What are you doing?” Demi hissed. “You’re not running for office in Los Angeles!”

“He doesn’t have to lift a finger so long as Amy Bolivar and her goons issue injunctions on his behalf!” Jareth verbalized as though he hadn’t heard Demi. The masses jeered at that concept, which inspired him to leer. “This is why voting for small offices is crucial! Amy Bolivar, for example, has the authority to decide something as important as a man’s fate! Did you know that? She could’ve helped free an innocent soul from a lifetime in Tesca, and she wouldn’t do it! She wouldn’t even study the evidence brought to overturn his conviction!”

A male in the throng vociferated, “Kill the sympathizer!”

Many shared that view, and Jerrith merrily chuckled, “Now, now! We don’t wanna go that far! Especially when it wouldn’t do much good! Mayor Richardson would still be at large, and he’d replace her with more sycophants! Mayor Richardson is the one who needs to go! If you elect me, I’ll do what I can to keep our town from following in LA’s footsteps! We cannot condone this behavior! Let’s take back our region!”

“You need to discourage violence!” Demi strongly recommended.

“And you need to shut your mouth or you’re fired!” Jareth retorted. “Can you believe it? This gal wants me to act kindly towards the sympathizers! I will not! Radley Brisco deserves justice, and you all deserve a treasurer who takes a hard stand against indecency! This election, vote for me, Jareth Thurio!” The congregation roared in vehement approval of his words, and Jareth brushed past Demi and off the platform.

In the morning, Noah interrogated a clerk, “Did you ever interact with him?”

She recalled, “No! He was pretty silent mostly. And he gave off kinda a weird vibe! Once, I-!”

“Calling all units! Calling all units!” Noah’s radio urgently paged. “We need every available law enforcement officer at LA City Hall immediately!”

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 16

Gwyneira pulled the hood on her cloak tighter as she crept through the forest. She illuminated her path just enough for her to see what was ahead, and she moved as nimbly as possible. She didn’t have any factual evidence that anyone’s presence may have been there, but her intuition insisted that someone precarious had stationed themselves in the shadows. She followed the orchids once more, but when she arrived at the entrance to the Earth Mystic Tribe, she paused. Something was off- not about them, about the unknown assailant behind her mother’s disappearance. The tribe seemed genuine in their claim that they didn’t approve of Dawson or his cronies’ plans, so it seemed unlikely they would allow anyone to keep a captive there or reside there if they did! However, it didn’t make sense for a person to lead a path to this location if it didn’t hold some key to their crime…

As she pondered this notion, the door on the tree creaked open! Gwyneira hid behind a bush, and while she remained hidden, there was an opening in the branches that allowed her to view what transpired. Kerkunn poked his head out slightly, and he glanced around at his surroundings. Gwyneira felt intensely intrigued about his purpose in emerging. She couldn’t discern whether or not he had detected her movements or if he had some other motivation that drew him out there. If he hadn’t come to deal with her, she couldn’t fathom what would have possessed him to leave his land so late at night. Suddenly, his eyes lingered in her direction! She panicked slightly and readied herself to use self-defense if necessary, but to her astonishment, he continued to scope the scenery! Seconds later, he ducked back inside and closed the door! She became quite confused and wondered why his vigilance had manifested and disappeared so rapidly.

After about a minute or so, she deemed it safe enough to abandon her protective layer. Logic would presume that he suspected that an intrusion occurred and left when it hadn’t, but something deep within her told Gwyneira that he had more cause to go outside than a mere investigation of a trespasser of some sort. She felt inclined to satiate her curiosity about this, but she couldn’t waste her time on this matter since it had nothing to do with her mission to uncover facts about her mother’s kidnapping. She was ready to continue, but she didn’t know where she would go to do that until…

A twig above her began to sway as though it were caught up in a circular draft, but currently, no wind had been blowing. As the wood twirled, Gwyneira understood that Kerkunn aimed to communicate something to her, and it confirmed her theory that a perilous entity roamed the nearby territory somewhere since he wasn’t speaking to her directly. When the sprig ceased its activity, it pointed to the left side. Gwyneira could tell that he was giving her the guidance that she had sought, and while she couldn’t ascertain any hints of a significant commodity existing close to them, she was positive that something was in their proximity. Gwyneira nodded to portray her comprehension of this hint, and she avowed to thank Kerkunn when this was all over.

The ground beneath her was fairly treacherous, but Gwyneira charged forth with vigor. It didn’t appear to be a frequently used trail, but she was sure that Kerkunn wouldn’t have sent her this way if it weren’t for a valid reason. Her dress caught onto a stick, and for a second, she worried that the sound had given her away. Nothing occurred as a result of that though, so she went forward still. The site seemed rather empty initially, but she soon spotted a rooftop ahead of her!

Gwyneira tiptoed towards the building, but it was enveloped by enough plants that she couldn’t see the exterior. She frowned, and she inwardly debated on how to proceed when she unexpectedly beheld an item that made it so clear…

She examined it more closely, and it was, indeed, much like what she produced when she created her artwork in the Badlands! In her mind, this could only signify one thing- her mother was close by! She scoured the floor for more, but she didn’t find any. Her work had not been in vain though- she chanced upon the entrance to this estate! It appeared to be a fairly ordinary vacation lodge, and with all of the lights off, she guessed that it was vacant. Kerkunn recommended that she visit this establishment though, so she set a foot onto the acreage…

“Get away from my home!” Jareth bellowed as he pulled Gwyneira back. He pinned her to a tree, and he was able to recognize her from this vantage point. “You! You dare to trespass onto my property!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was yours!” Gwyneira apologized. She delivered her words truthfully, but she also strove not to show this thug any fear.

Jareth didn’t appear appeased at all. “What were you doing here?”

Gwyneira didn’t let herself get intimidated by his fury, but it was troublesome. She didn’t want to engage in any violence, but she didn’t feel confident that she could calm him down enough to release her from his grip. She wished that she had brought Noah, he was so adept at charming people enough to relinquish their stronghold in a variety of situations! She resolved to negotiate with him, but she didn’t predict success in this predicament!

“You didn’t run into this place by accident!” Jareth frantically insisted. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve been combing the region to find my mother! I didn’t anticipate encountering any home here let alone yours! My only interest is in reuniting with the only parent I’ve got right now!” Gwyneira explained herself in such a fashion that she meant to induce pity in him so he would lessen his animosity, and she gazed at him pathetically in an attempt to iterate that sentiment.

Jareth, unfortunately, was not quelled by this tactic. “Oh, right! Out of all the locations in LA County you could’ve picked, you just happened to pick where I live?”

Gwyneira adamantly asserted, “Well, she wasn’t anywhere near Tempest Shore, and these woods are close to another crime scene, so it seemed natural to explore it! It never crossed my mind to look for you! And I would’ve estimated your residence to be a posh pad somewhere in the El Poder city limits! Believe me, I’m flabbergasted that you and I collided in these quarters!”

“What did you see?” Jareth pressed her.

“Nothing!” Gwyneira honestly attested. “Seriously! I got the impression that this cabin was abandoned!”

Jareth grilled her, “What did you hear? Feel? Touch?”

Gwyneira repeated, “Nothing!” She began to wonder if she should have noticed more, but she was not foolish enough to voice that concern aloud!

“Alright, fine! I accept your claims of innocence.” Jareth loosened his clasp on her slightly. “But, if I hear reports that paint me in a bad light anywhere, your mom will return and start searching for you!”

“What could I possibly say negatively about you?” Gwyneira queried with as much sincerity as she could muster. It was truly a chore not to utter any snark to this reprobate at this juncture! Everything about this interaction was alarming, and his abode screamed of sketchiness! However, for the sake of everyone leaving this altercation in one piece, she bit her tongue.

Jareth released her in a manner that caused her to tumble into the rocky debris adjacent to his lawn, and he upbraided her, “Don’t treat me like I’m an idiot! I know what game you and your boyfriend are playing! You don’t want me to win, but I refuse to lose!” He trudged toward his front stoop, and he vociferated, “I’m glad your mom is gone! One less bitch to bother with!”

That last sentence riled Gwyneira, but her instincts thwarted her from behaving rashly. She hurried from that sector as fast as she could, but she was burning inside during the entire duration. The insult was loathsome enough, but more importantly, it was obvious that Jareth had a secret vital enough to compel him to threaten her! She acknowledged that he may have fretted about campaign-related dirt, but, somehow, she envisaged that his ire formed over graver feats than that! She wasn’t absolutely steadfast that this related to her mother though. She obsessively desired to uncover what he was protecting, but she couldn’t entertain that possibility safely! As she passed the entrance to the Earth Mystic Tribe again, she deliberated on whether or not Kerkunn had sent her on this undertaking as an assistance or a trap!

“Dawson! In my office! Now!” Chief Argus snapped before Noah could even sit down in his cubicle. Noah obeyed his command, but he cringed while doing so. He dreaded the delay in his duties since he was involved in such a high-stakes venture, but he supposed that this was inevitable, so he hoped dealing with it early would expedite the tedium of this process.

“What did she say about me?” Noah catechized.

Chief Argus puzzled, “Huh?”

Dawson elaborated, “Margaret and I interviewed Laverna Maximon, and she turned it into some hogwash about corruption, right? Whatever she released from that recording isn’t true! She’s angry ‘cause we accused her of being involved in-.” Chief Argus plopped a manila envelope onto his desk, and Noah asked, “What’s that?”

“Your new case potentially,” Chief Argus gruffly answered. “You have two minutes to explain your operation from last night!”

“What operation?” Noah questioned. “After I got to my apartment, I fed my cat and I crashed onto my bed! I didn’t even get a chance to check my messages! I-.” Preceding his ability to finish that sentence, a cloud of water whooshed in with a piece of parchment on it. Noah’s brows furrowed- he knew that it originated from Gwyneira, but it seemed so unlike her to interrupt him during his shift! He seized it immediately, and after he read it, he groaned, “Oh no!”

Chief Argus inquired, “What is it?”

Noah filled him in, “Gwyneira was in the forest near the swamp, and she unintentionally set foot onto Jareth Thurio’s property! He threatened her not to reveal what she witnessed there. But what did she witness? Oh, I wish I could send a letter through magic like she can! I better call her and…” Something clicked for him, and he posed to Chief Argus, “Is this the operation you were referring to?”

“Potentially.” Chief Argus folded his arms as he addressed Noah. “Why did you send a civilian to badger a suspect?”

“I didn’t!” Noah emphatically refuted. “I wouldn’t have sent anyone there without a warrant, and I definitely wouldn’t have sent her into a dark woodland alone! I’m gonna have to have a chat with her about that actually! Ugh, the number of things that could’ve gone wrong…! It hurts my heart to picture it!”

Chief Argus quizzed him, “So, why is Jareth Thurio complaining that you two are harassing him?”

Noah grumbled, “That crook is trying to turn himself into the victim to get himself out of this bind! The guy’s a hateful prick, but I’d never resort to any illegal methods of silencing him! Come on, Chief! I wouldn’t risk throwing away twenty years of service over this!”

“And it’s only a coincidence your Mystic girlfriend got herself involved in a case where another Mystic might be involved?” Chief Argus stared at him sternly.

“Yes!” Noah affirmed. He recalled that Gwyneira previously said that there was no such thing as a coincidence, but he wasn’t about to bring that up! He wasn’t totally lying- he didn’t esteem that Gwyneira would’ve gone rogue for this case! Perhaps another one though… “She probably got impatient with Sidero’s progress! She really misses her mother, so I’m guessing she was out searching for her when she wandered into Jareth’s yard.”

Noah was relieved to see Chief Argus appearing to be contemplating this possibility. “Sidero theorized that Megala was the murderer in Brennan Umbra’s homicide.”

After rolling his eyes, Noah remarked, “If he finds a shred of evidence against her, I’ll arrest her myself!” Chief Argus grew shocked by this pronouncement, and Noah went on, “Listen, there’s a lot of prejudice and intolerance going around. It’s spreading into our politics, and it’s even seeped into our station! A lot of people are gonna act out of a deeply embedded toxicity, and there’s just gonna be a lot more acts of animosity until more individuals choose peace over anything else!”

Chief Argus considered this concept for a moment, and then he relented, “Alright, I believe you! You can stay on this case, but don’t bother Jareth Thurio ‘til you’ve got some irrefutable facts to arm yourself with! What are your plans for today?”

“I’m gonna check my answering machine, and then I’m gonna interrogate some of Brennan Umbra’s associates,” Noah relayed to him.

“Okay. Get out of here!” Chief Argus calmly dismissed.

Noah rushed back to the bullpen as quickly as he could. As he settled onto his chair, he froze. He wanted to hear if Gwyneira spoke about this incident, but his brain was reeling as he pondered what Jareth was trying to keep concealed…

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 15

“GLADA forever!” a man with a machete ardently shouted while Officer Letes swiftly cuffed him.

“Political prisoner!” a woman in the crowd hollered.

A guy next to her yelled, “He’s innocent!”

Officer Letes watched as that section of the throng had to get forcibly held back by the riot police, but when he glanced over to the other side, he observed a lot of crying and shaking. It stunned him to see such polar opposites to the same event, but he couldn’t dwell on that much- he had a job to do! He got onto the radio and desperately paged, “Chief Argus! Send the entire homicide division! It’s a bloodbath out here!”

As Noah ducked under the crime scene tape, he heard a familiar voice call out his name, “Detective Raymond!” Noah turned to see Laverna standing there with a camera operator and a microphone, and she quickly pressed him, “Word on the street is that there are at least fifteen dead bodies on the roads neighboring Arnav Theatre. Can you confirm this?”

“How did you get here before us?” Noah eyed her suspiciously.

“I… Uh…” Laverna’s focus fluctuated wildly. “I came to cover Nova’s concert… you know… just in case something happened…” Noah would’ve guessed that she was hiding something even if he was a rookie! This must have been evident on his face since Laverna added, “I didn’t see anything! My team and I were packing our stuff up in our van when we heard screaming! Look, we’re an old newspaper but a new broadcast channel- I was simply trying to gain an edge to build credibility for The Mink Observer!” 

Noah still sensed that she had a secret up her sleeve, so he ordered her, “Don’t go far.” She cringed, but he walked away prior to her getting to say another word.

At the peak of dawn, Noah and Margaret headed to the same area, and Margaret gratefully regarded him, “Thanks for lending a hand with this one! Every other scene had tons of witnesses and the assailants still on the scene, but this one… this one’s different…” They viewed three blanketed corpses in front of a row of apartments, and Margaret filled him in, “Three males with large lacerations on their necks, but the wounds are clean as if the cuts originated from projectiles. Pretty different, huh?”

“Different but very familiar!” Noah remarked. “I can understand why you sought me out specifically now!”

“That’s not the only reason,” Margaret divulged as she indicated to a spot nearby.

Officer Jones spoke to a set of crying parents, a woman consoling two small children, and Mayor Froth, who stood there as still as a statue with a blank expression on his visage. “My witness from the Brennan Umbra murder!” Noah noted.

Margaret informed him, “One of the victims is his son.”

“Interesting…” Noah had seen plenty of family members in shock over their loved one’s demise, but this didn’t look like a surprise. Noah could have sworn he was seeing a sensation of guilt, so he declared, “I gotta talk to him!” He approached Mayor Froth, and he asked, “How are you doing?”

“I told him not to come!” Mayor Froth hollowly answered. “I begged him to transfer to the community college in El Poder, but he insisted on staying in L.A. He was having too much fun. I tried to show him recent articles from The Mink Observer about Mayor Richmond’s lax policies on Mystics leading to an increase in crime, but he wouldn’t listen! It didn’t help that Brennan was always encouraging him to stay since he graduated from Emerson! Then, when he revealed that Nova was set to perform blocks away from his dorm, oh, forget about it!”

Noah discerned, “You seem to be harboring some resentment towards your late colleague!”

Mayor Froth gave him a biting glare. “Are you a father?” Noah shook his head, so he went on, “Try it sometime! If anything ever happens to your baby, call me and tell me I’m wrong for feeling this way! Excuse me, I gotta inform his mother her son is dead!” Mayor Froth marched out of the locale, and Noah wondered if he was too fast in naming Jareth as his prime suspect. 

“Where did you park?” the nurse wheeling Kalanie queried Michelle.

“Uh… Just a bit down the lane…” Michelle fibbed.

The nurse halted the chair and relayed to Michelle, “You’ll have to pull up here. I can’t release the patient on foot.”

Kalanie objected, “I can walk!”

“Physically, yes. Legally, no,” the nurse responded.

“Code blue! Room eight-four-eight! Code Blue!” a loud voice urgently announced on the intercom.

The nurse sprang into action over this matter immediately, but she instructed Kalanie and Michelle, “Wait here!”

Once the nurse was out of sight, Kalanie got up and grabbed Michelle’s wrist. “Let’s hurry!” Michelle seemed alarmed, so Kalanie justified herself, “What are they gonna do? Arrest me for leaving after I got discharged? “ Michelle still appeared reluctant, but Kalanie dragged her out the door.

“How’s your head?” Michelle inquired while they traveled along the sidewalk.

“Fine!” Kalanie assured her. Michelle looked skeptical, so she clarified, “Alright, it’s a little sore, but I’ll be fine! Where are we going?”

Michelle let her know, “There’s a field behind the library we can use. But, it seems advisable that I should take charge of transportation. Your method might remove your bandages or even your stitches!” 

Kalanie argued, “Oh, come on! I don’t even get a hair out of place!” Michelle remained adamant, so Kalanie relented, “If it’ll make you feel better, we’ll use your method! But make sure whatever you summon takes me to my tribe- I’m not ready to return to my apartment!”

“I don’t blame you! Do you have any allergies?” Michelle canvassed her.

“Shellfish. Why?” Kalanie pondered. Preceding Michelle getting to respond to that, they went onto the small avenue where the library was situated and observed that a lot of vehicles surrounded the building. “Huh! I’ve never seen so many people interested in reading material!”

Michelle suggested, “Maybe we should try somewhere else.”

Kalanie disagreed, “What are the odds there’s a bunch of folks on the outside of the library?” Michelle didn’t become totally persuaded, but she followed Kalanie nonetheless.

As it turned out, a bunch of individuals had gathered on the grassy quarters bordering a little forest behind the library! Kalanie shot Michelle an exasperated contortion, and Michelle threw her hands up defensively. “Hey! It’s not as though I wanted to be correct on this!” She espied some smoke billowing from the center of the congregation, and it really drew out her intrigue. “What are they doing?”

“Let’s go find out!” Kalanie brandished a pen that came from her pocket and made a beeline for the masses.

“No! You’re on medical leave!” Michelle grabbed her arm to prevent her from going forward.

Kalanie shook her off. “The truth doesn’t rest!” Kalanie advanced towards the horde, and Michelle closely tailed her.

A man stood above the pyre and displayed an ornate tome. “The Seven Feathers… Apparently, the hero of the story is a Mystic!”

“Burn it! Burn it! Burn it!” the spectators chanted. The man dropped it into the fire, and everyone cheered.

“They’re incinerating books!” Kalanie conveyed to her pen.

A lady overheard her, and she emphatically iterated, “Of course we are! We can’t allow our kids to absorb dangerous ideas!”

Kalanie retorted, “What dangerous ideas? Peace? Tolerance?”

The lady snarled, and after she got a closer inspection of Kalanie, she proclaimed, “It’s that reporter who got Dunstan locked up!”

“Get her!” an angry person vociferated. The majority of their comrades agreed with that sentiment.

“Stand back!” Michelle commanded.

A girl sneered, “Or what? You’ll use your stupid protective spell? You can’t shield yourself forever!” Her cronies cackled at that.

Michelle pressed her palms together and pointed them to the sky. A powerful wind enveloped the surface around them, and, all of a sudden, dozens of white birds flew into this sector! The force of their gale extinguished the blaze, and their pursuit of the miscreants sent everybody running. Michelle targeted the woods, and a bear charged into the tumult. It lowered itself before Michelle and Kalanie, and they climbed on. As they rode away from the fracas, Michelle swore, “My avian friends will leave in a few minutes!”

Kalanie didn’t care so much about the radicals’ fate, but she didn’t dare voice her lack of concern for the attackers to Michelle! Instead, she apologized, “Sorry for getting us into that!”

Michelle shrugged. “At least we saved some knowledge from getting destroyed!” Kalanie grinned at that concept as the bear carried them deep into the thicket.

“Have a seat,” Laverna gestured toward two chairs.

“This is a television studio!” Margaret gasped as she surveyed all of the wires and lights. “When you invited us to meet you at your headquarters, I assumed you had an office!”

Laverna sat on her cushy chair behind the desk with an air of imperiousness. “I do have an office! But do you really believe I’d permit an interview that I couldn’t use to my advantage? Oh, don’t worry- it’s not live! I’m not stupid! I know you might have some questions that could make me look bad! If you don’t like it, tough! These are my terms for cooperation!”

It incensed Noah to watch her rapturously swivel on her perch, so he grabbed it, gazed at her directly in her eyes, and sternly stated, “It’s not up to you whether or not you cooperate in this investigation! You’re a suspect in multiple homicides, and if you don’t voluntarily answer our questions, we’ll get a subpoena and compel you to come to the station! How would that look if all your peers were there to film you entering there like that?”

After her mug soured into a pronounced frown, Laverna meekly petitioned him, “Can I still record it?”

“Since your attorney isn’t present, I highly recommend it!” Noah affirmed.

“Wait, wait, wait! You’re talking attorneys and homicides! This is serious?” Laverna paled as they positioned themselves before her.

Margaret briefed her, “You can eliminate yourself from our list if you can provide an honest account that can be corroborated.”

Laveran exclaimed, “This is crazy! All I do is report the news!”

“That’s debatable!” Noah shot back. “You’ve been broadcasting a lot of rumors and conspiracy theories…”

“Ah! So, that’s what this is about! You’re mad ‘cause I’m making you look bad!” Laveran began to regain her swagger.

Margaret slammed a copy of The Mink Observer onto the desk. “This is your publication where you have an article describing the dangers of Mystics’ integration into the community.” She thrust a piece of paper onto the surface next to it. “This is a copy of a conversation between the admin of the GLADA chatroom and their followers. They use nearly identical language- coincidence?”

Laverna disputed this, “Excuse me! I didn’t manufacture any of these ideas! I simply publish them! I’m only trying to be fair and discuss both sides of these issues!”

“Both sides?” Noah cried out incredulously. “There isn’t more than one side! There’s only the truth and not the truth!”

“The truth is subjective!” Laverna contended. “Some citizens live in a different reality than the rest of us! I didn’t create this monster, I’m merely profiting off of it!”

Margaret catechized, “So, you’re okay with ripping apart the fabric of society as long as you wear the best cloth?”

Laverna’s lips twisted in a smidgen of shame, but she did not seek forgiveness for her actions. “I… present a variety of concepts, but I don’t direct anyone to commit violence! Once I put a story out there, I can’t control what anyone does with it!”

“But, how far would you go to grab a sensational headline?” Noah pressed her. “Don’t give me any more innocent bullshit! You beat law enforcement to a crime scene- you got the notion to do that from somewhere!”

“It was an anonymous tip!” Laverna unwillingly confessed. “I didn’t know there’d be a massacre, they just said it’d be huge! And I didn’t even get the call, ask my secretary! I don’t have a minute to spare for chatrooms either! I run a studio and a newspaper, I rely on someone else to go through my emails and stuff! There! Can we be finished now?”

Noah decreed, “Get us the tipster’s phone number, and we’ll keep in touch with you.” Laverna slumped on her furniture in defeat.

As they left that location, Margaret posed to Noah, “What do you think?”

“I think the mastermind could be anyone at this point!” After Noah made that verbalization, he heard Dawson’s maniacal laughter ringing out in his head. “Or maybe that’s exactly what they want us to think…”

UNLV Shooting

This is my college! I graduated from here in 2008, & I know people who attend there! This is crazy! Please, everyone, stay safe!

#UNLV #unlvshooting #LasVegas #vegas #lasvegasshooting #vegasshooting #activeshooter #breakingnews

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/12/06/university-police-responding-reports-shooting-unlv/

It’s okay to not be okay sometimes! When something traumatic happens to you or your community, you don’t need to keep calm & carry on. In fact, suppressing your emotions is downright unhealthy. If you feel sadness, anger, hopelessness, or any other negative feelings, take some time to let them out. After a while, you will collect yourself & keep going, but for now, if you are going through a hard period, let yourself be human for a while!

Yesterday, a senseless act of violence occurred on the campus of the college I graduated from. May the victims rest in peace & may their memories be a blessing! For their loved ones, my condolences! For the survivors & the grieving neighbors, I’m so sorry for what you’re going through! Stay UNLV strong! 🖤♥️🩶

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 14

Lynn took a deep breath and entered the building. It bore the appearance of a small video rental establishment that recently shut down. Its shelves were pushed to the back, but a lot of old movie posters still clung to the wall. Lynn stared at the interior in amusement; the eye-catching film promotions were misleading to the truly dark occurrences getting perpetrated by the new owner of this establishment! She saw that a couple of campaign flyers got dispersed throughout the vicinity, and their generic appearance didn’t seem very persuasive. It sort of perplexed Lynn that this guy was somehow the front-runner for this race!

“What do you want?” a middle-aged man barked at her from behind a glass counter with an empty till.

“Hi! I’m, like, here to volunteer!” Lynn chirped in a voice that was a couple of octaves higher than her normal tone. As Noah listened to this transaction on the receiver radio, he couldn’t help but feel impressed by her talent at undercover work, and he began to wonder if his doubts about the possibility of success with this operation were unfounded.

The man seemed surprised at this development. “You are?”

Lynn cheerily articulated, “Yeah! My sorority has our Helping Hands Week going on currently, and since I’m a poly-sci major, I came here! A bunch of my sisters are at Becky’s family’s stables, but when I heard I’d have to scoop up horse poop, I’m like, ew! No thanks!”

The man maintained his skepticism, but one of his peers came over and elbowed him. “What are you doing? Don’t kick out the hot blonde!”

“She has the eyes of a witch sympathizer,” the man whispered to him. Luckily for Noah, he didn’t have the capacity for a lower volume! 

“Dude! Why are you checking out her eyes?” his peer probed.

The man relented, “Alright! Come on in!” He lifted a small barrier, and Lynn clapped as she went inside.

About half a dozen individuals of various ages were parked on the floor stuffing envelopes. She jovially greeted them, “Hi! I’m Josie!” It stunned her that almost no one responded to her. A couple of men ogled her with a salacious interest, but nobody spoke to her. She didn’t let this awkwardness deter her though as she found a spot to roost herself on and queried, “Okie dokie! So, what are we doing here?”

“Here! Stuff these envelopes with pamphlets,” the front desk man huffed as he plopped a box before her. “Think you can handle that, sweetheart?”

“If you can’t, I’d be happy to pitch in!” the amorous peer offered.

The front desk man pushed him away. “Don’t harass her! This campaign has gotten enough pigs paying attention to us, we don’t need more!” The amorous peer defeatedly returned to his station.

The group worked in silence for a minute, and Lynn took advantage of this quiet to study the material at her disposal. It had a picture of a woman she didn’t recognize dressed as a sorceress, and Jareth was at the other end snapping a broomstick in half. Only so Noah would have an idea of what she was seeing, she spoke up, “Oh my gosh! This is cute! So on brand for Halloween!”

“That’s not a Halloween scene!” a woman snapped. “That’s a profound statement on Jareth Thurio’s stance against the witches! His opponent, Keddy Manavi, is a total sympathizer!”

“What do you mean by sympathizer?” Lynn petitioned her.

The woman snorted, “Huh! They’re not teaching you the truth at your college apparently!”

Another lady filled Lynn in, “Keddy Manavi is siding with the magical heathens who wanna take over society! That’s why we depicted her in a witchy costume. We want the people of El Poder to know where she stands!”

“Wow! She said she wants to support those jerks?” Lynn inquired.

“Well, she didn’t actually say that,” an older fellow replied. “But she wouldn’t denounce them either, so we figured we could still run with that angle.”

Lynn feigned confusion, “But, why wouldn’t she wanna denounce anyone who wants to destroy society?”

The older fellow gladly filled her in, “The witches have tricked a lot of idiots into buying the claim that these so-called Mystics are the victims! Magic is a dark art, and they said their souls to obtain these powers so they can annihilate us all!”

“Gosh! That’s scary!” Lynn reacted with aghast. “It’s awesome Jareth Thurio is doing his part to stop all this! But… I dunno, it doesn’t seem like enough! It’s not like being treasurer of El Poder can prevent all this destruction from unfolding!”

“You gotta join the GLADA chatroom, Josie!” an elderly female advised her. “GLADA has all kinds of plans in the works! Just be careful though- Dunstan was impatient, and he got himself arrested! Apparently, he attacked that reporter while she was on the phone with a pig! What an idiot!”

Noah shifted in his seat- after this was all done, he would have to confess to Lynn she made the correct call with him not being in the room with them during this mission! It was maddening to hear them speak of Kalanie’s attempted murder so casually! He would’ve squirmed at the reference to himself too! He had to agree with their point about that moron’s mindset during the assault though! He leaned in to listen to the rest of the conversation with great interest because he predicted that Lynn was on the verge of getting them to reveal something highly relevant!

Lynn remarked, “Surely, GLADA came up with better plans than that, didn’t they?”

“Of course they did!” the older fellow affirmed. “We’re working on getting some of these alleged heroes in trouble without getting our fingerprints on it!”

“How are you gonna do that?” Lynn asked.

The elderly female answered, “It’s nothing that’d get them in legal peril, but it’d persuade the public not to trust them! You see, we have this white powder…”

All of a sudden, an office door busted open, and Jareth burst out with a look of pure acrimony etched all over his visage! He seethed, “You fools! Never trust strangers with your secrets!”

“She seems alright though!” the amorous peer objected.

“Oh, you think so, huh?” Jareth stomped over to Lynn. Noah sat at the ready- he wouldn’t leave his vehicle until she indicated she was in true danger, but it seemed obvious that a need for rescue was imminent! 

Jareth picked Lyn up by her shirt collar, and he patted her underneath her collarbone. Lynn rather anxiously catechized, “How are you doing, pumpkin?” Noah withdrew his weapon and bolted out of his car.

After throwing her to the ground, Jareth confirmed, “Yup! There’s a wire there!”

The campaign volunteers gasped, and Lynn challenged him, “How did you know that?” Jareth glared at her for having the audacity to enquire about such a subject, and Lynn knew that she had struck a nerve since he refused to provide her with a response. A thought instantly hit her, and while a part of her realized it was an enormous risk to bring this up, she couldn’t resist grilling him, “Is it ‘cause it’s metal? Do you have a connection with this earthy substance?” Jareth’s lips curled up in a snarl, and Lynn mentally prepared herself to evade whatever advances he had in store for her…

“Freeze! Hands up!” Noah commanded as he aimed his armament at Jareth.

“Is that a taser?” Jareth eyeballed Noah’s weaponry peculiarly.

Noah smirked. “Uh-huh! No gun, no bullets, no manipulation from Earth Mystics.” It pleased him that Jareth’s expression grew far less confident upon hearing this, and as his cronies complied with his command, Noah was eager to witness how Jareth would wriggle out of this predicament…

Jareth seemed worried initially, but he abruptly let out a noise of annoyance. “This is harassment! You don’t like my viewpoints, so you’re doing anything you can to trap me!”

“We got proof of a conspiracy!” Noah argued.

“They did stuff, without a doubt! But, you have no proof I had knowledge of any of this!” Jareth folded his arms triumphantly.

The front desk man protested, “Hey! You can’t do this to us!”

Jareth shot back, “Complain all you want! I gotta recruit more election staff!” He returned to the office and slammed the door, and Noah gawked at him furiously. It was seriously astounding that someone with such obvious involvement couldn’t get convicted of any of his infractions!

“Damn!” the director bitterly lamented as he peeked at the quick change area backstage.

“If she’s not coming, I’m going home!” A backup dancer put her hands on her sparkly donned hips as she aired her opinion, and her coworkers heartily shared her sentiments.

The director assured them, “She’ll be here! Just stay in your places!” The dancers gazed at him skeptically, but they complied. As soon as the director turned around, he gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to lose his cool, but resisting that urge was growing less and less tempting…

Before he could leave the staging quarters, the stage manager tapped his shoulder and demanded, “Where the hell is she?”

“She’s around here somewhere!” the director irately conveyed. The stage manager didn’t seem convinced, so he added, “Gawd, give the kid a break! She’s been through hell, so forgive her if she needs a few minutes to compose herself!”

“Forgive her?” the stage manager repeated dumbfoundingly. “The show starts in five minutes! The theatre is sold out, that’d be a shit-ton of tickets to refund! And we’re not gonna get a refund on the extra security we paid for! What the f are-?”

The director adamantly reaffirmed, “She’ll be there, alright! Calm down, and let me go get her!” He marched into the hallway prior to the stage manager getting to argue further, and as the director stomped his way down the corridor, he fumed that she put him in this position. He furiously thought that she had better have a valid excuse for the grief she was putting him through!

After swinging the door open, the director bellowed, “Nova! Get your butt out there and-!” He espied Nova sitting on the floor with her arms cradling her legs, and he became very alarmed. “My gawd! Are you okay?”

“I can’t do it!” Nova reported to him in a barely audible timbre.

“What are you talking about?” The director’s skin paled to observe Nova in such a fragile condition. He sat next to her, but he was sort of afraid to touch her in case he inadvertently set her off. He peered at her tear-stained cheeks, and he reminded her, “You’re Nova! You’ve sold over two hundred million records, you’ve performed in forty-five countries, you’ve made sixty-one music videos! You can do anything!”

Nova ruefully disagreed, “I can’t tonight! I… I dunno! I have this really bad feeling about this gig! I should just cancel this tour…”

The director dared to put an empathetic hand on her shoulder, and thankfully, she didn’t get triggered! He couldn’t allow this extraordinary talent to quit at the top of her game, so he consoled her, “Nova, if you don’t do this concert, you’re letting them win! Don’t you see- this is exactly what those thugs wanted from you! They were trying to silence you! You can’t permit them to gain a victory here! Don’t give in to your anxiety! You gotta show them what you’re made of!”

“You’re right!” Nova accepted his argument. “I survived, and they’ve gotta know it!”

“Five more minutes!” the director snapped at the stage manager. The stage manager hesitantly left, and the director instructed Nova, “Touch up your makeup, and go put on a helluva show!”

Nova determinedly freshened up, and when she got to her platform, she still had an ill sensation at the pit of her stomach. She ignored that, and as the platform rose to meet her audience, the roar of their jubilee invigorated her senses! As she belted out a high note, she couldn’t understand why her gut was gnawing at her! Everything appeared as solid as ever…

As three friends strolled down the street, one boy exclaimed, “That was amazing! I’ll be deaf for a week, but it was worth it!”

“Dude, she’s the bomb!’ the second boy gleefully commented.

“What?” the first boy joked with his hand cupping his ear.

The third boy merrily verbalized, “I could die happy tonight!”

A hooded man emerged from behind a lamppost and growled, “That’s nice to know!” Swords emerged from his palms, and the boys screamed as the blades zoomed toward them…

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 13 Available!

https://danatheactress.wordpress.com/2023/12/01/war-of-the-mystics-still-waters-chapter-13/

War of the Mystics: Still Waters- Chapter 13

“Wow!” Robin exclaimed as she observed the large pool of blood that trickled across the simple but elegant living room. “It’s amazing that Kalanie survived this attack!”

“Yeah, but she still has to undergo some intense surgery,” Lynn sadly conversed as she scoped the area out. “And we’ll have to watch out for some cognitive decline due to where she got injured. She… Don’t touch that!”

Noah withdrew his hands from the tall, decorative vase he was about to open, and as he threw his hands in the air, he anxiously objected, “I’m sorry, but do you really expect me to stand here and do nothing while my friend is hurting and her assailant is still out there?”

Lynn insisted, “Yes! You have to, you’re a witness in this case! Technically, you’re not even supposed to be at the crime scene!”

“Well, it’s not like I can take my buddies to get some celebratory drinks after a thing like this!” Noah shuddered at his recent memory. “I knew it was a bad idea to do anything festive for my birthday! I probably lured her to her killer!”

“You did her a favor!” Lynn disagreed with him. “She’s lucky someone caught this incident! You being on the phone with her probably made the culprit leave in a hurry, and you know what happens when culprits do that! He or she made a mistake, and we can use that to find them and make them pay!”

Noah acquiesced to her logic, “You’re right! I constantly tell people in my cases that it isn’t their fault, but it’s so hard to not blame myself here! I’ve ruffled so many feathers that they’re gonna go after everyone I care about!”

Robin argued, “You’re making an assumption here! Trespassers ambush the occupants of a building for lots of reasons! Like, it could have been a robbery gone wrong, a hate crime, an attempted rape…” She discovered a small piece of paper near the site of her DNA collection, and she groaned, “Or maybe it’s related to the War of the Mystics after all!”

“Let me see!” Noah demanded.

“Bag it and tag it first!” Lynn ordered.

As Robin marked her evidence, she muttered, “I thought this guy was smarter than this!” She emitted an exasperated sigh as she handed it over to Noah.

Noah’s intense curiosity propelled him to snatch it up voraciously, and his pulse quickened as he read the content of the business card. “The campaign headquarters of Jareth Thurio! Of course! I never could trust that son of a bitch!”

“Is he the Earth Mystic?” Robin wondered.

“I dunno! Maybe!” Noah responded. “He’s connected to Brennan Umbra’s murder, and he uses a lot of the same language as Dawson and his supporters, but it’s hard to say if he’s the mastermind or merely a sycophant! I guess we’ll find out tomorrow when we question his election staff!”

Lynn queried, “We? Oh, yeah! Our cases are connected now!”

Noah put on some gloves and delightfully declared, “Yes! And given that fact, I can examine the crime scene as much as I please now!” Lynn smiled as she shook her head, and he cheekily grinned at her prior to turning his attention back to that decorative vase. He didn’t expect to chance upon anything significant, but…

As soon as he lifted the lid, a person emerged from the vessel with a hammer swinging at Noah! Noah evaded his assault, and the manner in which the man lunged caused him to lose his balance and topple over! The two women screamed while the vase fell down and shattered, and Noah immediately apprehended him. “No! Please, don’t!” the man whimpered.

“You expect me to show you mercy?” Noah cried out in amazement. “You certainly didn’t give your victim any!”

“This wasn’t supposed to occur!” the man wailed. “I only wanted to talk to her! I was gonna get her and the other witches to confess to heresy, and if they didn’t comply, I was gonna break their knees! I never meant to seriously hurt anyone, but then she got that call, and I just panicked!”

Noah surmised, “You’re a member of GLADA, aren’t you?”

The man confirmed, “Yes! That’s why I volunteered to help that candidate, but it didn’t feel like enough! Someone had to do something, didn’t they? I mean, they’re destroying society, aren’t they?” Noah could discern so many aspects of that dialogue that he could have disputed, but his fervor made him at a loss for words. He gazed at Robin and Lynn for a response, but all they could do was gawk at the man with faces as pale as ghosts!

Gwyneira sat at a desk staring at a single document surrounded by lofty piles of them. Her expression became increasingly frustrated, and eventually, she mumbled to herself, “I just don’t remember how much of this we need! What did we order in the past? There’s gotta be a reference for this somewhere…”

“Acting Chieftess!” a woman close to her age entered into the room.

“Yes, Brook?” Gwyneria addressed her while still rifling through the stacks.

Brook inquired, “Have you signed off on that press release yet?”

Gwyneira replied, “Not yet. I’ll get to it soon!”

“How soon is soon?” Brook pressed her.

“I don’t know! Soon!” Gwyneira strove not to snap at anyone in her community, but it was difficult to avoid it when she found herself in the middle of important tasks and others constantly interrupted her to badger her about trivial matters! She had no memory of her mother ever losing her patience, and she now regretted not learning how she managed to do that!

Brook clearly did not favor Gwyneira’s reaction- her visage became aghast, and she astoundedly shouted, “You don’t know? I have to do a promotion for the MIC in two days, and if there is anything that needs to get rewritten, two days isn’t a lot of time for this! I-!”

Gwyneira interrupted her rant, “Yes, it’s important, but so is ensuring that our tribe receives critical supplies! How would you feel if your press release was complete but your brethren didn’t have food to eat or-?” She hadn’t been using her entire focus on locating the form she sought, and she wound up bumping into a heap in the wrong fashion, which sent it all plummeting down!

Brook stared at the strewed sheets with a guilty conscience, and she ruefully regarded Gwyneira, “I’m so sorry! Please, allow me to assist you in reorganizing this mess!”

“Do whatever you feel you must! I need a minute alone!” Gwyneira vacated the vicinity prior to Brook getting the opportunity to react to that.

“Acting Chieftess?” Beck joined her on the cracked, desert floor that lay before the olive-drab hills, and he watched her as she shot pieces of ice that formed artistic images by the verdant oasis across from their doorstep, and he patiently waited for her to cease her efforts to continue the communication.

Eventually, Gwyneira huffed, “What is it, Beck?”

Beck conveyed to her, “It’s almost midnight! Usually, you’re in bed by now…”

“Usually, my mother takes care of these stresses, but these are not usual times!” Gwyneira retorted.

“Perhaps you have too much on your plate,” Beck conjectured.

Gwyneira agreed, “I definitely have too much on my plate! I have no inkling how I will be able to handle this when I’m much older and take over my mother’s legacy!”

Beck suggested, “Why not serve yourself less?”

“You say that like it’s so easy to shed vital work!” Gwyneira articulated. “I’m trying to save our world and theirs, how can I quit essential duties with so much at stake?”

“Why not choose our priorities and forget about everyone else’s?” Beck probed.

Gwyneira became so shocked to hear this that she paused her pursuit. She ogled at him  appallingly, and she gasped, “You want us to abandon our obligations to the constructive cycle?”

Beck debated this, “What good have we done with it? The Water Mystics aren’t any safer than before, and Sapiens seem hell-bent on obliterating the planet! Why not adopt a more neutral stance?”

“So, you’re proposing that we stand by and do nothing while humanity crumbles at our doorstep?” Gwyneira challenged him.

“We can’t rescue everyone!” Beck contended. “We used to have a positive impact simply by combating the Earth Mystics trying to unjustly make Sapiens extinct. Our direct involvement with their affairs has brought us nothing but trouble!”

Gwyneira quarreled, “We are all part of the same universe! Suffering by some affects us all! We cannot maintain the stability of life if we live on shaky grounds! If we eternally isolate ourselves, we will invite everything to collapse!”

Beck countered, “Link used to spew that same philosophy, and look what resulted from that!” Beck pointed his hand at the palm trees, and he illuminated a gravestone.

“You dare to disparage my cousin’s name!” Gwyneira seethed. “You-!” Prior to her getting to divulge the rest of that thought, a silhouette emerged from behind the tomb! A set of blades instantly manifested from their fingertips, and Gwyneira as well as Beck froze these swords preceding them nearing the two enough to damage them, but once they recovered from that siege, the silhouette disappeared!

“Damn it! Where did they go?” Beck growled as he searched the terrain.

Gwyneira directed him, “Take a team to search the Badlands. Do not allow your furor to propel you to fall into a trap! This individual may not have come here alone!” Beck nearly went inside, but then Gwyneira added, “Don’t forget this moment if you start to think that inaction will keep us safe again!” Beck cast her a resentful glare, but he could not dispute her reasoning, so he bitterly stomped out of sight.

Noah relayed to Lynn, “I dunno about this plan! If you get caught, you could undermine their confidence in us and they won’t wanna tell us anything!”

Lynn used the mirror on the passenger’s sun visor to accurately secure a microphone onto her chest. “The chief recommended we go this route for security purposes. It’s not like we can disobey him!”

“It’s not disobeying if he didn’t officially give us an order,” Noah brought up.

“But it’s not a bad idea!” Lynn differed. “These GLADA folks are very anti-authority, so how much would they tell us if they knew they were talking to a member of law enforcement?”

As Lynn put her hair into a bun, Noah verbalized, “True! But, I dunno! I just don’t like obtaining information so dishonestly!”

Lynn retaliated, “Oh really, Mister I’m Not Permitted to Work Mystic Cases But I’m Gonna Do It Anyways!”

“Touché!” Noah acknowledged the validity of that argument. Lynn chuckled as she put on a light-colored wig, and Noah asked, “You’re not worried about getting recognized wearing such a simple disguise?”

“Nope!” Lynn adamantly affirmed as she put on some ruby red lipstick. “They may recognize Detective Lynn Porter, but they’re not gonna find anything suspicious about a bubbly blonde who supports their agenda! They’re not expecting any of us to alter our appearances! No, seriously! I got a serial killer to confess once while I wore a red wig and fake boobs! He actually thought he was gonna impress me with that garbage!”

Noah tittered, but as she put on the final touches to her getup, he propositioned, “Maybe you should let me go instead!”

Lynn declined that offer, “Nuh-uh! You’re far too honest to be convincing! You’d cringe at the first slight against the Mystics!”

“That sounds pretty likely! But, what happens if they stumble onto your ruse and try to hurt you?” Noah posed to her.

“Then I’ll say the word ‘pumpkin.’ That’s your cue to go inside and get me out,” Lynn filled him in. “Oh, stop looking so gloomy! Everything will be fine!”

Noah expressed his faith in her, “You’re right! Don’t let my nerves get you nervous! Go get ‘em, kiddo!” Lynn beamed at him as she exited the vehicle, and he echoed her sentiments until she was out of his periphery. Noah couldn’t prevent himself from fretting about this arrangement- a lot was on the line, but he disliked his friends risking their lives for it!