Hey, dogs aren’t sick! Sherlock shouted. Unless you mean sick as in, ‘Yo, that dog is sick, bro!’ which I guess is okay.
“Not what he meant, Sherlock,” Maria said, and the Bloodhound growled in reply until Gelbus gave him a hearty smack on his behind.
Whoa, Gelbus, gotta buy me—
“A drink first,” Maria finished for him.
Bewildered, Joe just shook his head. Maria laughed. She didn’t care about the weirdness of the situation, she was just glad to have Joe back. So glad, in fact, that she rose up on tiptoe and kissed the corner of his mouth. His lips spread into a smile beneath hers.
Great, more people to put in harm’s way. But she was aware that no matter what she said, these people—her friends, her family—would’ve come to help. The phrase ‘To the ends of the Earth’ didn’t quite apply, because her family had gone beyond the ends of the Earth, all the way to Oriceran.
Joe swiveled his head around. “So, this is Oriceran, huh?”
“Home sweet home,” Maria said. “Trust me. There’s more to this place than the Dark Forest.”
“Ooh, Dark Forest, very Hansel and Gretel-y,” he laughed. The young witch punched him playfully.
“Careful, man,” Claire warned. “Maria knows magic, and this is her home.”
“I’m just joking. Don’t turn me into a frog.” Joe put his hands up, warding Maria off.
“That’s more up my alley,” Frieda said. She smiled to let him know she was only kidding. “Hi again, Joe. Nice to see you. And you, girls.” She turned her smile toward Claire and Tabby.
Sherlock barked, and Frieda ruffled his ears. “It seems I can’t get enough of you, Sherlock!”
Damn right, he mumbled.
Once the homecoming was over and everyone was settled, Maria gave them the low down on the plan.
She, Joe, and Sherlock would go to the Cave of Delusion—‘Why, yes, that is its actual name, Joe. Like I said, there’s more to Oriceran than just a clearing in the Dark Forest’—and Claire and Tabby would accompany Gelbus to the Light Elves’ castle to ask for E’olin’s help. Frieda would go on her own, due to the fact the dark witches in the northern part of the Dark Forest weren’t accustomed to visitors of any kind, especially those who came from another planet.
“Okay. Is everyone ready?”
They nodded.
Claire asked in a serious voice that was so very unlike her, “Are you sure you’ll be able to do it? Open all those portals, I mean?”
“Yeah, it’s different here on Oriceran,” Maria assured her. “The whole planet is oozing with magic that I can use to my advantage. And, you know, I finally got a good night’s rest.”
“That is important,” Joe agreed, nodding. “I guess sleep is a magic that affects humans and magical people alike.”
“Hey, I’m still human,” Maria argued. “Sure, I can do magic and am technically known as a witch, but I think being human is more than being from Earth and not having any magical abilities. Being human is all about what’s in here.” She tapped her chest above her heart.
“That’s beautiful, Maria,” Joe said.
The others nodded their approval.
“Well, I’m just speaking the truth. We’re all human,” Maria concluded.
So I’m human? Sherlock asked.
Maria nodded. “Yes, Sherlock, even you are human. But each time you eat a dead squirrel, you get further and further away from being human.”
The Bloodhound shrugged. Eh, I guess I’ll just stick with being a dog. He grinned, and Maria noticed his smile was considerably better than it had been before.
“See?” She pointed to his smile. “Human.”
They all laughed together—as a family.
Gelbus floated up to the castle with Tabby and Claire. It was a feeling none of them would ever get used to. They met E’olin in a great hall that manifested itself out of nowhere. Another thing none of them would get used to: invisible castles.
“Gelbus Cogspark,” E’olin greeted, a sly smile on his face. He looked quite handsome wearing that smile; both Tabby and Claire thought so, and through their best friend telepathy, they caught eyes and nodded. Claire even threw in a wink for good measure. “And you two lovely Earth girls. I did not think I’d see you again. What brings you to the castle?”
The three wanderers waited for one another to speak up and answer the Light Elf. Just when it seemed that none of them were going to say anything, they all started at the same time. Realizing their bumbling, they each apologized to the other two.
“Oh, my bad,” Claire said.
“Excuse me,” Gelbus added.
“Sorry,” Tabby said.
“Okay,” E’olin said, a hint of amusement in his eyes, “Gelbus, since I’ve known you the longest, why don’t you go ahead and tell me why you are this close to the library when you know you’re not supposed to be?” The Light Elf held up his arms. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell; but those Gnomes can sniff out trouble like they can sniff out an overdue book. They’re probably colluding as we speak.”
Gelbus cleared his throat. With the impending war near, the Gnomes he’d once called his friends and co-workers were the last things on his mind. Gelbus had seen battle; he’d fought for a good cause and saved people—actual people. He was like a brave hero from one of the books in the library, which meant he’d done more in his life than any of those other grumpy Gnomes. But that was another story. He wasn’t one for revenge or saying ‘I told you so,’ anyway.
“We’re here because there’s trouble,” Gelbus answered.
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
“Ignatius Mangood has been taken hostage by the Widow. She has declared war with her actions, and Maria Apple, Ignatius’s granddaughter, means to answer that call.”
The smile evaporated from the Light Elf’s face. He shook his head and looked down at the shimmering floor. “That Ignatius is always getting himself into trouble, isn’t he?”
Tabby and Claire chuckled uncomfortably.
“We would like for you to join us, for the Light Elves to fight side by side with a
