The Blender’s Bargain – Chapter 14

Garrick

Archie and I hurry down the dusty highway, putting distance between us and the angry mob back in Brimlow. My legs burn, and my shirt sticks to my back with sweat, but we don’t dare slow down. Not until we’re well away from that witch-hunt.

I can’t believe how quickly the townspeople turned on us. One minute we were strangers down on our luck, the next we were devil-worshippers in their eyes. Fear does terrible things to people, makes them lash out at imagined threats. I should have handled that better, found a way to calm them down. But it’s too late for regrets now. I have to think of the magicians and Archie. We all can’t get involved in a giant fight.

As we walk, Ysroth’s gravelly voice emanates from the blender. “This dark magic we’ve encountered… it bears the mark of my ancient foes.”

I glance at Archie, eyebrows raised. “Your foes?”

The blender hums as Ysroth gathers his thoughts. “Yes. There was a cabal of dark wizards in my time, users of forbidden magic. They sought to bring Latara under their control.”

“What happened to them?” Archie asks.

Ysroth sighs. “I’m unsure. My memories of that time are fragmented. But their foul magic appears to have resurfaced.”

Arvid chimes in from the toaster, his voice tinged with unease. “Indeed, the forces we witnessed in Stellura and Brimlow resemble the dark arts those warlocks practiced.”

I run my hand over my sweaty face. I could use a shower. “So you’re saying this whole mess was caused by some ancient evil wizard cabal?”

“It is possible,” Ysroth says. “Though much remains unclear.”

I blow out a breath. Just when I thought this couldn’t get any weirder. Warring magical factions from centuries past? It sounds like something from one of my fantasy novels.

Archie chews on her lip. “But if your allies defeated them once before, maybe we can do it again.”

“Perhaps, though I’m not sure how or why this is happening,” Ysroth replies. “Entrapped as we are, our grasp of history is tenuous.”

I squeeze Archie’s hand. “We’ll figure it out. One step at a time.”

She nods, determination burning in her eyes once more. She looks tired, though, the stress of the last day crinkling the corners of her eyes, wearing a groove between her eyebrows. She winces and lets out a long breath, grasping at her side.

I try to ignore it, but she’s clearly in pain. I think she was hit when those bikes flew at us.

Get back to the subject, Garrick.

Except I can’t. She’s the most important part of this partnership we’ve formed.

I can’t stop glancing at Archie as we walk. She’s trying to hide it, but I can tell she’s in pain. That bike handle must have hit her ribs when it slammed into us. I should have shielded her better. Some partner I am.

“How’s your side feeling?” I ask.

She gives me a tight smile. “Oh, it’s fine. Just a little bruised. It got my upper arm, too.” She lifts her arm and I can already see a bruise forming there. She winces as she adjusts her bag on her shoulder, so I stop and take the heavy pack from her before she can protest.

“Let me carry that for a while. We should take a break soon, anyway. Get some food and water in us.”

Archie opens her mouth to argue, but I cut her off. “Doctor’s orders. Don’t fight me on this.” I give her a pointed glare.

She sighs. “You’re not even a medical doctor.”

“Hey now, I got my PhD.”

“In literature,” she says, her voice dead.

“Yeah, well, trust me. My mom wishes I had gone to medical school.” I chuckle.

“You are a very smart and handsome man, Garrick.” Her lips jerk in a hint of a smile.

Handsome? I’ll take the win, even if she’s humoring me. As long as it gets her to rest.

We walk a little farther until I spot a shady grove of trees just off the road. A small creek babbles through the grass nearby. It’s as good a place as any to take a breather.

I set down our bags and rummage for the water bottles and granola bars. We sit beneath the shade of a towering oak, its branches rustling in the breeze. Despite everything, it’s peaceful here.

“We’re not too far from my parents’ house.” She jerks her chin at the direction we’ve been hiking in. “Another twenty to twenty-five minutes up the road, I think.” She sighs. “I usually take a taxi from the station, so it’s hard to tell by walking.”

She leans back against the trunk and closes her eyes. I wish I could smooth the furrow from her brow, ease the tension that’s taken up residence in her slender frame. But for now, rest will have to do.

I pass her some food and water. “Here. Eat up.”

She takes it with a grateful smile. “Thanks. I am pretty hungry.”

We eat in companionable silence for a few minutes. But my mind keeps turning over the magicians’ words from earlier. This dark magic must be connected to the ancient Lataran society somehow.

I glance at Archie. “So, what do you think of all this? Ysroth thinks this links back to some cabal of wizards from his time. That the magic we’re seeing bears their mark.”

Archie stares off into the distance. “It makes sense. Maybe, I don’t know…” She stops and sighs. “Oh, maybe there was a falling out between the different sides of magic?” She shrugs. “You know, the original settlers thought it was strange when we arrived here and found ancient human remains. One of the old theories was that some long ago civilization seeded thousands of worlds with human DNA. And maybe there was enough deviation between the Latarans and the Terrans that there could have been magic. But also they could have been very much like us, too. And humans love to fight.”

“That they do. So, if we continue on the same thought path, maybe when Ysroth and the others defeated them centuries ago, they didn’t destroy the dark magic entirely. Just contained it.”

“Until now,” she murmurs.

It’s as good a theory as any. And it means stopping this falls to us and the magicians. Destiny calling across the ages. I shake my head. This continues to be nuts.

“But how did their magic end up in modern appliances? Why show up now?”

I shake my head. “No clue. Ysroth seems as confused as us.” I meet her eyes. “But if it happened once before, there must be a way to seal it again.”

Archie sits forward, wincing. “We’ll figure it out. We have to.”

After another five minutes of silent rest, we continue down the dusty highway, the afternoon sun beating down on us. Despite the granola bar and water, Archie still seems drained, her shoulders slumped under the weight of all that’s happened. I know meeting her parents is the next step, but I want to lift her spirits before we arrive.

“So, tell me about this lake house we’re headed to,” I say, bumping her shoulder with mine. “Should I be prepared for stern, fatherly glares and awkward ‘what are your intentions’ talks?”

I hope she catches my meaning, that I would like to be dating her and meeting her parents. That I’m up for the challenge… if there is one.

Archie snorts. “Please. My dad’s about as intimidating as a teddy bear.”

Her lips lift. It’s a start.

“No need to worry about Dad. He’ll be thrilled I brought someone, anyone, home. Mom, on the other hand…” She winces. “Let’s just say she takes some getting used to.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

“She’s brilliant, don’t get me wrong. But not exactly warm and fuzzy.” Archie shakes her head. “She’s always been obsessed with her research. Our family vacations involved touring particle colliders, not amusement parks.”

I chuckle. “Could be worse. At least we’ll have an astrophysicist around to help make sense of those vortexes.”

“True.” She smiles, some tension leaving her face. “And the house is amazing. Really. Even I acknowledge it was a great place to grow up. It’s right on the water, with this big wraparound porch. Dad and I would spend hours fishing off the dock while Mom was sciencing away inside.”

Her eyes take on a faraway look. “We’d cook up our catch on the grill at night. Dad’s lemon butter trout is to die for.”

My stomach rumbles. Fresh fish sounds pretty good after a day of granola bars.

“Think he’d be willing to fire up the grill for us weary travelers?” I ask.

“Absolutely.” The spark returns to Archie’s eyes. “Once Dad hears what we’ve been through, he’ll pull out all the stops. His baked mac and cheese is another specialty.”

I groan. “Now you’re torturing me. Is your mom’s cooking just as good?”

Archie snorts again. “Are you kidding? We had a fire extinguisher solely for Mom’s kitchen catastrophes. She can derive quantum field equations but burns toast like you wouldn’t believe.”

I laugh. Archie’s stories are lifting the dark clouds that have been hanging over us. I love seeing this glimpse of her childhood, imagining a young Archie fishing off the dock, her feet dangling over the edge, kicking one foot forward, then the other. Did she bait her own hooks? Looking sideways at me, I think so. Damn. She is one hell of a capable woman.

I turn my thoughts away from her because that is turning me on like nothing else.

She nudges me. “Okay, enough about me. What embarrassing secrets can you share about the Elliott family?”

I pretend to think hard. “Hmm, let’s see…”

I glance at her smiling face, feeling lighter than I have in days. Her stories brought me right back to her childhood summers at the lake house. I want to return the favor.

“Well, I was mostly raised by my mom. She did her best, but it was a struggle at times. She worked two jobs to keep us afloat. Office job by day, bartender by night. So my sisters and I had to fend for ourselves a lot.”

“That must’ve been tough, especially as the oldest.”

“Yeah, I grew up fast. Started working odd jobs young to pitch in. Mowed lawns, walked dogs, you name it.” I chuckle. “Made me pretty self-sufficient, I guess.”

“What about your sisters?” Archie asks. “Are they a lot younger than you?”

I smile, thinking of my siblings. “Yeah, quite a bit. There’s Sharen, she’s five years younger, and little Fay, who’s seven years my junior.” I shake my head. “Those two were a handful, let me tell you. Always getting into mischief when Mom’s back was turned.” My smile fades. “I just hope they’re alright, you know? With everything happening…”

Archie takes my hand, her eyes soft. “I’m sure they’re okay. They live near your mom, right?”

I nod and kick a rock down the road. “Yeah. I’m sure they’re together. And Mom’s a tough one. Sharen was always the responsible type, even as a kid. She probably stepped up to help. Fay is probably cooking for everyone. She sounds a lot like your father.”

I take a deep breath, reassured by the thought of my no-nonsense mother keeping my sisters safe. We Elliotts are survivors.

“What made you decide to go into teaching?” Archie asks.

I consider the question. “You know, it was my mom’s influence, in a way. She always emphasized education, made sure we did our homework before anything else. She said it was the one thing no one could ever take away from us.”

Up ahead, the road splits into two paths. To the right, a worn signpost points towards “Starhaven”, but Archie tugs my hand and leads me left instead, onto a narrower street into the woods.

“This way to the lake house,” she says with a small smile. “It will be nice to get out of the sun for a bit.”

I nod and follow her lead, looking up at the canopy of old-growth trees over the road. As we descend into the shady forest, shafts of light pierce through, dappling the road ahead. Looking off to the right and left, smaller trails and home driveways snake off into the quiet trees.

Instead of tripping over gnarled roots and mossy stones, we move into the center of the road. It’s not like we’ve seen a vehicle all day, anyway. After ten minutes or so, the lake comes into view up ahead, sunlight glinting off its surface. A large wooden but modern house is perched on a hill on the shore.

Archie’s face lights up and she points. “Look. We’re almost there.”

She quickens her pace, too excited to slow down. I hurry after her across the lawn to the front porch. Before we can knock, the door swings open, revealing a tall, slender man with salt-and-pepper hair. His face breaks into a wide smile at the sight of Archie, but his eyes are rimmed with red, like he’s been crying. He pulls Archie into a tight embrace.

“Oh, thank God you’re safe!” he exclaims, voice thick with emotion. He holds her close for a long moment.

My pulse quickens. Something is very wrong here. But I stay silent, letting them have their reunion.

“You heard?” Archie asks, her voice muffled by her father’s shirt. “I tried to call…”

“We saw it all on the news.” Archie’s father releases her and looks at me, eyebrows raised in question. His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Archie touches his arm. “Dad, this is my friend Garrick. We escaped the city together.”

I step forward and offer my hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir. I hope you don’t mind. Archie said she wanted to come home, and I didn’t want her to go alone.”

He clasps my hand. “Of course, of course. Any friend of Archie’s is welcome.” He looks between us, worry creasing his brow. “Come in, come in. We have a lot to discuss.”

He ushers us inside, casting glances at the bags in our hands. I exchange an uneasy look with Archie as we follow him in. Her father’s behavior puts me on edge.

Something… He hasn’t said something that he wants to say.

I blink back my surprise and blow out a long breath. How do I know that? Why is that in my head? An issue is weighing on him, something he hasn’t told us yet.

I brace myself for bad news as the door closes behind us.