New Reader? Start here!
Back to Part 32 — Chapter Index
Elliot had been flying, a little bit at a time, always with supervision. When she had gone out with Gimble, they had flown in short hops: from the island to the mainland, over a hill that would have been a hike, across a river, until they had made it to their destination. But they had never gone for too long. Even when she had run from the banshee, it was a sprint, a carefully launched arc, with a clumsy landing on a roof. But she wasn’t flying for long.
So, little by little, every night, Elliot went flying. She got a partner every time. Ty was happy to fly along on the weekends, coaching her on how to control her stamina, easing her into longer and longer distances, leading Elliot to discover tricks she had known all along. During the week, Z was happy to help, and their trips usually had a destination in mind, like Cassie’s, or flying over Pioneer Square, as if to let Ardy catch a glimpse of Elliot. And sometimes she got Meryl, who happily darted back and forth, as if not to stay in any one place, urging Elliot to keep up. Before long, Elliot could fly from Vashon, over the sound to the mainland, over Harbor Island, and up through the city to the Space Needle, and then do it all back again. She broke a sweat, and she stopped to rest sometimes, but she could do it.
That night, she decided to make a solo trip. She told Gimble, of course, told her what path she was going to take, and how long she expected to be. Gimble patted her arm, encouraging her on, and slipped a thermos of tea into her bag. Before she took off, Elliot held the thermos close, looking up at the clouds above her. Somewhere behind there, the moon was waxing ever on, rolling closer to a full moon, just in time for Halloween.
Magic.
Elliot took a quiet path through the city, one she knew was darker than other paths, that sent less light to the sky. She made sure her clothes weren’t reflective, so she wasn’t seen, and if she was, who could be sure that wasn’t just a clump of bats? Who could say? She didn’t wear her headphones, because being able to hear the city this high up was intoxicating. She skipped along the rooftops of downtown, past fancy office buildings and fancier condos, pausing at the library to return a book — there was a drop box on the roof, and Elliot was endlessly fascinated by this. Whoever checked that box had to have been a witch themselves, and she realized it made her a little vulnerable. Who deposits their book on the roof? But then again, witches weren’t real, and especially witches that worked for the Seattle library system, don’t be silly. And finally, she came to a rest on top of the Space Needle, in a dark spot close to the spire on top, and took it all in, took in the city, and the city glowed back at her.
Things were becoming easier. She could feel the energy she had now, the energy she never knew she could have in her, not magic itself, but motivation, and drive, and, well, contentment. She didn’t feel achingly sad anymore, not as much anyway, except when the mood caught her, but that’s bound to happen, right? She didn’t look forward to waking up in the morning, but she didn’t dread it anymore. She started looking more carefully before she crossed the street. She got plants, and intended to see them grow, season after season.
The magic came out of that. Her slaps radiated better, her spells, as weak as they were, worked, and she rarely misfired them. She could feel life in so many things, from plants to birds, but also to things like the trash can on the corner, silently determined to do a good job, to the broom she flew on, who liked to test her from time to time, until she learned the right way to gently correct it.
It was as if Elliot had opened the pack of crayons, and oil paints as rich as a rainbow fell out. She took a deep breath, taking in the October air, and she felt it. Just a tug, a little tap on the shoulder. Intuition.
Elliot had been working on that too. Gimble had always been the most intuitive of all of them, and she did her best to get Elliot to follow these little tugs. Elliot listened, and she tried to catch them when they showed up. This little tug, though, was just that: a little tug. Still, there was an uneasiness about it, a dread she felt in her bones.
Her phone vibrated. She checked it. A message from Ilo.
Intuition worked!
She read, ‘I’m going to do something really stupid and I need your help’
‘Where are you?’ Elliot asked.
‘Work.’ Lemuria. Elliot could see those towers, not at all that far away. She jumped on her broom and started towards them.
‘Which tower dummy’
‘Delta. It’s right on the corner where the streetcar stop is.’
‘I know it. What floor you on?’
Elliot approached the towers. This late at night, only a few floors were lit up.
’13’
‘Heck yeah’ Elliot eyeballed the thirteenth floor and circled the building. ‘You hiding?’
‘Kind of? Why?’
Elliot spotted Ilo in a cluster of cubicles, trying to look small. A security guard roamed the floor, not even close to Ilo, waited at the elevator, and disappeared. Elliot flew closer.
“Knock knock’
Ilo’s ears perked, and he looked around, until he spotted Elliot hovering outside on her broomstick. When they made eye contact, Elliot smiled, stuck out her tongue, and flipped him off.
‘What’s up nerd?’
‘Omg stfu. Also get away from the window, they’ll see you’
‘Roof access?’
‘Yeah, give me like two minutes’
Elliot circled the tower again, getting speed up to climb to the roof, and waited by the door for Ilo. When he reached the roof, he propped the door open discreetly, carrying a tome.
“Sometimes we have to discharge these, and the roof is the best place to do it,” he said to Elliot. Elliot nodded dutifully.
“So what’s this stupid thing you’re going to do?” She asked, watching him put the book down.
“When did Right Determination get here?” He motioned to a spot against the wall, and then sat down. Elliot stayed standing for a moment, holding her broom, staring down at him, and then sat down next to him.
“A few years before Westerners got here,” she said. “A few years at least.”
Ilo said nothing to this, thinking, looking up at the cloud cover, dark gray from the lights in the sky. “She’s been here a while.”
“Yeah.” Elliot said. She side eyed Ilo. “Why do you care?”
“I found this book and I want her to take a look at it,” Ilo said.
“Is her looking at it the stupid thing?”
Ilo closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the wall. “You know what, never mind. It’s fine.”
“Ugh, sorry…”
“It’s fine.” He said again. It wasn’t fine.
“No, for real,” Elliot said. “I’m sorry. I’m being shitty. I kind of default to it and I shouldn’t. You asked for my help and I’m sure there’s an important reason why.”
Ilo looked over at Elliot, looking tired, defeated, happy for the company, if only a little. He sighed, considering if he wanted to say anything at all. “I’m quitting soon. I’m sure they suspect it. But I don’t think they suspect how much I’ve been testing them, and like, figuring out their security. I’m going to steal that book, and I’m very scared that I won’t walk away from it.”
“Why steal it? What’s worth that much?”
“Because your demon was around when it was written. She’s probably forgotten a lot about the city, more than I’ll ever know. And I’m willing to bet showing her will jog her memory.”
“Okay, so what?”
“Because I think it has answers, whether she meant it too or not. I think it could answer what we’re doing here, and what the hell is going on in this city.”
Elliot weighed her options. “Look, I’m all for ‘be gay, do crimes,’ but this feels like you’re asking for trouble. And I’m not sure I want any part of that.”
“Fair,” Ilo said. “But there’s one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s her book.”
Elliot sat forward. “It’s her book?”
“She wrote it. And I think took some of the pictures too. But I’m certain she’s in a few of them at least.”
“It’s hers…”
“At the very least, you’ll score some points,” Ilo offered.
“Okay first, I’m one hundred percent sure I don’t need to score points, Ardy is bought in,” Elliot said. “And second, ew. Pervert.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Ilo said, looking innocent.
“So we have to get that book,” Elliot said.
Ilo nodded. “We need a plan.”
Elliot took a deep breath. “Okay, I think we can figure this one out. Can you chill on it for like two days? I need to talk to a few people.”
Ilo nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, we’ll come up with something. In the meantime, I think I might use some of that PTO I’ve never touched.”
“Sounds nice,” Elliot said. “Whatcha going to do?”
“Oh, you know, get my will together, tie up some loose ends, play some Mario Kart.”
“Oh dang,” Elliot said.
“You want to come over? I have two pro controllers.”
Elliot laughed. “Look at money bags Ilo over here.”
“That doesn’t sound like a no.”
“Because it wasn’t.” Elliot stood. “But first, planning. Then we’ll see about Mario Kart.” She offered her hand, helping Ilo up.
Wait, was she making a friend? She started to expand this one out, but didn’t get far.
The entire city began to shake.
Elliot was on her broom faster than she could think, ready to lift off if the building under her went away. And it wasn’t until the building stopped shaking when she realized how tightly she was holding on to Ilo. He looked at her, confused, but grateful. He gave her a soft, relieved smile, just a flash, before turning away.
“Thanks, buddy,” he said.
Holy shit, she was making a friend!
On cue, both of their phones came to life, buzzing with messages, people checking in on them. Elliot thumbed through them all, from Meryl, and Z, and Ty, and Gimble. She smiled, feeling properly looked after.
“I should go. My friends are worried.”
“Yeah, same. Text me later.”
“Yeah, totally.” Elliot adjusted her bag, pulling the strap tight across her chest, and lifted off the ground. “Don’t die, okay?”
Ilo’s ears perked, and he looked not entirely sure how to handle that. “Yeah, sure.”
Elliot nodded, and she pushed off, back towards home.
[g]