Chapter Seven
“Are you serious?” Bea wearing a long black coat and knee high black leather boots, asked Will as she pressed her red lips together. “The portal is in Chicago.”
I stood with my back to the rest of the group not listening to them, and peered into the fire. Piper used her magic to set the pyre that didn’t produce any smoke that might alarm the rest of Pleasantville. All that was left was the crackling of the blue flames. I threw a handful of greenery and twigs with berries still on them as an offering to the fire in remembrance to Rosie. I wished I had a big beautiful bouquet of flowers to show how much she meant to me. I couldn’t cry anymore as I stared into the flames feeling hollow inside.
“The portal is at Millennium Park,” Will replied not bothered by Bea’s flickering eyes. “The cloud sculpture is the portal.”
I pulled myself away and stood by Will. I felt like I needed a hug, but certainly didn’t want to ask for one. It seemed they didn’t understand what death meant to humans. I knew everything was too dangerous to dwell in sorrow, and I said one final prayer in my head, and then pushed my sadness away.
I focused on Will as he talked about how the sculpture was perfect to use as a portal, and humans would be none the wiser. I remember seeing it featured in a magazine at the library. It reminded me of a huge silver bean that reflected everything like a mirror.
“Clever glass people, you are. Hiding a portal in plain sight, that’s genius.” Loki dressed in a long, brown, wool coat walked beside Will.
“So, how are we getting there?” I asked as Piper went over to the funeral pyre and put it out. With a wave of her hand she extinguished it, and then something silver ran down her cheek. She wiped it away, said something I couldn’t hear from her moving lips, and quickly joined the rest of the group. I didn’t look at her, and pretend I didn’t see what I thought was a tear, and maybe a final good-bye.
Will gazed down at me and smiled. “We’ll be going by train,” he replied.
It was the first part of December, and holiday travel was nearing its peak. The train station in Pleasantville was busy.
“Is anyone going to notice you…I mean…” I motioned to my hair as I looked at Will.
He shook his head and smiled as the black coat really set off his white and silver hair. “Did you notice glass people before you were marked?”
“No, I guess I didn’t,” I said trying to think of different scenarios that might pose problems. “I thought you had to buy tickets in advance?” I whispered to Will.
Piper swooped up beside me with her wavy blonde hair and wings concealed by what she called a glamour. “You ask a lot of questions, and worry too much. Watch and learn little human,” she said holding up five toilet paper sections.
I gave her a confused look as she smiled at me, and then approached the counter. I could hear her giggle and flirt with the man behind the counter as he took the pieces of paper like they were real tickets—even stamped them. I let out a chuckle as Will looked down at me.
“We can get on,” she said strutting by as she took my hand, and pulled me close to her. “And that is called a trick glamour, we fairies use it for the obvious—to trick people into seeing something that isn’t there.”
“When will he realize that you just gave him toilet paper?” I couldn’t help but to look back to see any commotion.
“Not for at least a couple of hours,” Piper said getting on the train. “I haven’t done that in a long time, and it feels so good!”
“Calm down, fairy or you’re going to alert everyone on the train.” Bea pushed Piper into a seat, and gave me a quick glance.
Piper and Bea sat on the side with two seats, while Loki, Will and me, sandwiched between them, sat across the aisle from them. Several people were getting on, and the lights from the inside flickered off the windows.
“Are you sure it’s secure?” Loki asked nervously.
Will leaned over slightly and looked at him. “Yes, I’m sure. It’s a known portal and therefore, secure.”
“Are you sure it’s not too known?” Loki craned his head to see in front of him. “Because I don’t think we’re alone.” He lowered his head and whispered. “Glass people, and possibly not the good kind.”
Will’s face paled, if that was possible, and discreetly looked over the other passenger’s heads.
“I don’t see them, and don’t sense them. You’re paranoid, Loki,” Will said as his eyes twinkled at me for a moment.
Loki rested his head back. “Something doesn’t feel right. I think I should go into entity mode and have a look at things.” He gazed over at Will as if asking for permission.
“Too risky, others can sense you if they are here, and we don’t want to alert anyone.”
“Very well, but if you change your mind, I’m ready.”
I had about a million questions running through my head, but wasn’t sure if I should ask them in such a public area. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and planed on just resting for a couple of minutes. The swaying and rhythm of the train noise lulled me unknowingly to sleep.
In the blackness behind my closed eyelids, I could hear whispering. I tried to focus on it, thinking it was Loki and Will discussing something.
“She said it was here, and her daughter had it.” One voice came in clear.
“She’s probably just paranoid, and I would be if the one thing that could kill you was in enemy hands,” another voice, male, said. “I’m going to get something to eat, do you want anything?”
My eyes popped open, and I looked around catching Loki’s attention.
“No, we’re not there yet, if that’s what you were going to ask.” Loki tapped his fingers on his knee with a look of boredom mixed with anxiousness. He shifted his weight in the seat. “Something doesn’t feel right kitten.” He peered over the seats again.
I watched him, and then looked over at Will who was fast asleep. “Were you just talking to Will?” I glanced back at Loki.
“No,” he replied slowly. “He’s been a sleeping-beauty-prince for about an hour now while I feel like I’m going to explode.”
“I…heard voices… must’ve been a dream.” This caught Loki’s attention.
“Voices,” he turned to me. “What did they say?” He asked eagerly.
The voices that were so clear at the time were fogged over now to just fragments. I looked away trying to recall what they said as Loki prompted for me to tell him something that had nearly slipped away.
“One was going to get something to eat, and the other…said something about having it here and they were just paranoid. That’s all I can remember, and they were male voices.” Loki let out a frustrated sigh. “They were human voices, if that helps any.”
“We can’t sit still anymore,” Loki said gazing over at Will.
I looked back at him, and then at Loki. “What are you going to do? Go into entity mode?” I asked in a low voice.
“You heard voices and my skin is crawling…something has to be done.” He sat up and looked over at me with his dark brown eyes. “Here take this,” he said shoving a small, silver, metal mirrored compact into my hand. “I can communicate with you from this. Keep it open because it doesn’t ring or vibrate. Got it?” I started to say something when his image vanished.
I held my breath as I looked into the vacant seat wondering where Loki went, and more importantly, what he’d find. I looked over at Will sleeping soundly and then down at the compact that reflected my image.
“Loki,” I whispered into it, and then looked around to see if anyone noticed me talking to a mirror.
Loki didn’t answer, and maybe he couldn’t hear me. I then looked over at Piper and Bea sleeping as well. I thought of waking someone to let them know what was going on when suddenly, Loki came out of thin air and sat next to me. I could feel my heart jump into my throat as I tried to contain the scream that bubbled in it.
“Just as I thought,” he said with his dark eyes peering forward across the seats. “Angus’s thug glass men are traveling with us, but I don’t think they know we’re here. They are searching for the trident, and they don’t have it either.”
“Should we wake Will?” I asked pointing to him as Loki nodded.
I gently nudged him with no response.
“You don’t have to be gentle. He’s called a glass person, but he’s not made of it.” Loki clenched his fist and tapped him on the shoulder a little harder than I thought necessary, but got the job done.
“Alright, there are two glass men that are working for Angus on this train. They’re looking for the trident, and failed to find it too. And they don’t know we are here.” Loki lowered his head whispering quickly to Will who rubbed his eyes.
“I take it you went into entity mode to find this out?” Will asked calmly.
Loki’s eyes shifted to me, and then back to Will as he nodded his head. “Eliza heard whispers, and I think she can hear glass people.”
I looked over at Will with trembling mouth as his blue eyes shifted back to Loki. He let out a sigh, and then leaned over me getting closer to Loki.
“Don’t do that again. We were lucky they didn’t sense you, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
Loki cocked his head. “Strange, don’t you think? I mean glass people not being able to sense me when I’m in entity mode, something’s not right there.”
“If they’re not sensing you, then that’s good. Let’s just stay put, and blend in. I would like to make safe passage rather than poke at something that doesn’t need poking at, especially since it’s just us that can handle them.” Will pointed between him and Loki.
Loki glanced at me and smiled as Will nestled back into his seat.
“Eliza,” he said turning to me. “I’d get some rest because we’ll be in Chicago soon.” Will smiled, unmoved by what just happened.
I sat back and closed my eyes. I was tired, but my mind raced with everything that has happened, and sleep wouldn’t come to me. It also didn’t help that Loki kept bumping me with his elbow. I opened my eyes gazing over at him engrossed in a small book with yellowish pages curled in the corners. It appeared old, almost like a diary.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a whisper.
“Reading,” he said vaguely.
“I can see that, but what are you reading?”
“It’s an old book of symbols. Some are for protection, and some are for warding off bad things.” He flipped back through the pages. “I know Will hopes to get by on his charming looks and fly under the wire.” Loki looked up at me with his dark eyes. “But I like to be prepared.”
He went back to studying as I leaned closer looking at the book with him. It was more like a journal, hand written, and in lettering I didn’t understand. Large, black, swirling symbols, some elaborate, and some simple in design, took up most of the page followed by writing underneath it.
“Where did you get that?” I asked as he continued to flip pages.
“From the same girl that I got the perfume from,” Loki said.
“You stole it then.”
“Well, it’s all how you look at it.” He lifted his eyes to me for only a second. “How can you steal something that’s already been stolen? I call it borrowing…or in my case, compensation.”
I sat back watching Loki thumb through the pages. I gazed at the symbols and lettering wondering what it meant, and thought of asking, but Loki appeared to be engrossed in trying to find something.
“The book I took from a witch that had me under a spell, and as you can guess, she lived in France.” He glanced at me again. “I figured you were wondering, and I’d love to tell you my story, but time is of the essence here.” I nodded my head.
Loki continued studying the book, then stopped, and let out a sigh.
“Eliza,” he said my name for the first time instead of kitten. “I need your help with this.”
I looked down at the book then at Loki’s dark eyes wondering if that would be a good idea.
“When the time comes,” he shut the book. “Say the word abracadabra.”
I raised my eyebrows at him wondering if he had gone crazy.
“I know,” he shook his head. “Humans say it all the time, and yes, it’s an ancient word connected to magic. It isn’t so much the word itself, but what is connected to it at the time. I’m using it now, and I need you to say it when the time comes.”
I looked back at Will sleeping soundly.
“So, do you think you can do that? Because I don’t think we’re going to leave this train as smoothly as your prince thinks.”