Gnomes of Suburbia (15 page)

She crept to the door, opened it and yelled, “Boo!” Interesting. A gnome could go straight into the air for about two feet. “Sorry, Harby. It was an experiment.” She leaned down to give him a short cuddle. This time he didn't unhook her bra, but he was still glaring at her as she patted him on the head and proceeded down the hall.

"What was that about?” Seesee was watching her exiting the guest room with no little amount of surprise.

"I tried an idea that I had, but it didn't work out.” Abby exposed her palms to the gorgon. “I didn't put these into the plan.” She let a little bit of a whine enter her voice, “Since I have been thwarted, can I get some breakfast?"

Seesee laughed. “Of course. Your creatures have taken over the kitchen already."

She had to wince. “Don't eat anything that I haven't tasted first. The gnomes have a funny sense of humour, they think I will be safest if you are unconscious."

Astonishment was evident until the rueful laughter took its place. “They are probably correct. Until your powers are stable, you are in danger from the vast majority of magical creatures."

"So Xander is fond of telling me.” It was a little disturbing that Seesee had not denied being a danger to her. She followed her host into the kitchen and sure enough, there were the gnomes, preparing a feast.

Idly, Abby wondered if they ever ate. She had never seen them eat, but they really knew their way around a kitchen. Orange juice was being squeezed and eggs whipped. Their tiny hands worked with efficiency, each gnome taking on one task, one portion of the assembly line to create the breakfast for their creator and her host.

Mitsy tried to serve Seesee first and, with a heavy sigh, Abby reached out to take a forkful of omelette, only to have her hand smacked to keep the food from her mouth. “Guys, I told you to stop drugging my hosts. If they are going to do me in, it is going to happen regardless of what you do."

Mitsy hung her head in shame, and in a subdued manner, the rest of them plated up the remaining food, to leave it on one large plate with smaller empty ones to the side. The implication that Abby got was that they were to eat from one plate to prove the innocence of the sustenance before them. Tricky little buggers.

"You weren't kidding, were you?"

"Nope. Juice?” She had the glass in her hand and a chagrined Harby claimed it from her and dumped it into the sink. “Do you think water would be safe?” Splint hobbled over to the refrigerator and climbed up to the water carafe, Skint stood beneath with a bucket and they emptied it out while Abby buried her head in her hands.

"They are quick, aren't they?” Seesee was appalled, but had a grudging respect for their efforts to safeguard Abby. It was apparent by her expression.

"Yes. Yes, they are.” When the food was finally sorted and Abby confirmed that it was un-tampered with, they had a belated and somewhat cool breakfast.

"Their cooking is excellent.” Seesee wiped her mouth on a napkin. “How did you come to animate them?"

With Seesee's earlier comment on not being able to trust her echoing in her mind, she told her what she felt was safe. Not that Xander had shown up and her hormones had triggered a magical wave. That was not something she needed to put on her business card. “Uh, Xander and I have not figured out that one. Fear and tension do seem to have an effect."

"So you were going to cause yourself pain earlier?"

Did the
little death
count as pain? “Yes. That was my plan. I wanted to send out a few large waves of power to make the stalker make their next move immediately. I don't have much patience for this type of thing."

"Ah, do you have another plan?"

"Sort of. How many scary movies do you have on hand? I mean fear inducing ones, not just splatter fests."

"Hmm ... a few.” Her hair was writhing with excitement.

"Is that because I want to let off a pulse with you right next to me?” Abby gestured to the wild dance that Seesee's hair was doing.

"Yep."

She followed her host into the living room and took the preferred seat for watching the big screen television. She would be truly immersed in the films. She hoped that it was a solid plan. Abby hated horror movies.

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"I am never doing that again.” Abby's stomach was still roiling in panic, her nerves vibrated and her host shook under the sheer volume of energy that she had emitted. “I think I am going to be sick."

"Put your head between your knees and breathe.” Seesee was amused.

Abby fought the urge to punch her. “If I catch that little bugger, he is going to regret the day he came to life."

Throughout the movies, Harbinger had taken it into his head to touch her with a clammy, wet glove from behind her, under her or on her side. No body part had been safe from his creepy assault. His attacks had been carefully orchestrated. He waited until she was completely immersed in the tension of the films before he touched her, and his light and unpleasant touch had the desired effect. Power had swirled and eventually she had enough for a magical burst. And another and another.

By the end of the third movie, she had let out four waves of energy involuntarily and was exhausted. “Can I take a little nap here? I think I need to recharge a bit."

"Sure, no problem. My hair hasn't felt this lively in ages.” The hair in question was tucking a polar fleece blanket around Abby on the chair. It lightly stroked her forehead and left her to sleep.

She must have napped for about an hour, woken only by the shout in the room right in front of her.

"Let me go, you little twits!” Imagine if you will a woman with graceful locks that reached to her waist. Then imagine five garden gnomes fighting that hair in an effort to keep the gorgon from using the camera in her hands.

"It's okay guys, let her go.” Shaking off the fatigue that still rode her, she sat up. Rubbing her face to wake herself, he just had to ask, “What were you doing with the camera?"

"I didn't think you would mind and some of my relatives work for the Eternal Archive.” At Abby's confused look, she filled in the blank. “There is a reward for the first picture of a Nexus. In the old days it included painting."

"Why would you want to claim the reward?” A bit of hurt crept into her tone, she couldn't help it.

Seesee looked offended. “Of course I wouldn't want to collect the reward, but if I had this picture, no one else could ever submit the
first
picture of you. There are safeguards to protect against fakes in the Archive."

"So what you are saying is that if you take the first picture of me, then no one else will bother seeking one for this archive of yours?” When the gorgon nodded, Abby mulled it over for a minute. “All right, I want a picture with all of my gnomes. We started this together after all. Gather around guys."

She fought herself free of the blanket and knelt on the carpet, gesturing for her gnomes to surround her. When they remained at Seesee's feet, she did a head count. “Where is Bitsy?"

"Which one is Bitsy?” Looking around, she obviously didn't see anything amiss.

"He's the dwarf gnome. I was running out of wire to make his skeleton and so he ended up half the height of the others.” The other gnomes looked worried.

"I haven't seen him. Do they know where he has gotten to?"

"Harby? Mitsy? Ruffles? Skint? Splint? Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?” Her position on the floor made asking them easy, but at the same time, she was hoping that he was just playing the kind of joke that Harby had been during the movie. Her blood pounded in her veins and her body flexed as each gnome shook their heads to indicate a lack of knowledge of the whereabouts of their little brother.

Abby rose to her feet and concentrated. If she could just focus on her power, the power that the gnomes carried and find its match, she may be able to find her precious little one.

"What are you doing, Abby?” Seesee was behind her and sounded like she was a thousand worlds away.

"I am tracking Bitsy with the traces of my power still within him.” She looked from one end of the house to the other, looking through walls and seeking power.

"You can do that?"

"We will see.” There. A glimmer, a flicker. Faint but tantalizing. “I found him. Stay here."

"What? No!"

Her gnomes were keeping Seesee occupied, the scrambling behind her was comforting. She would be alone. Seesee's access to the backyard was done through a regular door of wood and glass, the small spells woven into the doorjamb were no deterrent to her exit.

The yard was well tended and Seesee did love her roses. It was under a blood rose bush that Abby found her tiny companion. “Oh, Bitsy. What happened to you?” His energy signature had been faint because there was a giant hole in it. Someone or something had plucked out one third of his life force. Bastards.

He was firmly curled around the base of the rose bush. His bright blue eyes met hers through the thorny brambles that guarded him. He was in pain. Incredible pain. “I know you are hurting, sweetie. I can help you, but you have to trust me. Come out, Bitsy, I promise you will be safe today.” She only hoped she wasn't lying.

Slowly, with motions that spoke of his agony, he crawled out toward her. She waited until his body was completely exposed before she gently lifted him to cradle him against her chest. Power flowed into the void within him, she poured all her energy into him until he breathed more easily. As she cradled him, she rocked back and forth, humming to him. She had moved through her entire repertoire of 80's pop songs and was revisiting
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
when he fought her grip and sat up.

Teary, they looked at each other and he tugged on his vest. She didn't know how she had missed it, but there was a folded piece of paper safety pinned to his vest.

This was not going to be good. She had a funny feeling.

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Bitsy was on patrol and he saw something he didn't like. With the rest of his family watching the Nexus, he was concentrating on the unusual goings on down the street. The human was knocking on the door of the magus. He welcomed her with an uncomfortable smile, but took the coffee cup that she brought him. She followed him into the house, but left the door open. This wasn't good.

Bitsy scurried closer to the still-open door. Inside the two were standing and talking when suddenly the magus began to sway. He couldn't hear them, but it didn't matter, the human caught him under the arm and walked him out of the door. He was on the ground on his back by the time she got him to the sidewalk.

He watched in astonishment as the smallish human dragged the magus by his heels toward the Nexus’ home. Up the stairs and through the house she went. She used the keys that she had had before the Nexus moved in and dragged the magus through the house.

Curious beyond belief, Bitsy followed. If he could help the magus in any way, he would. But with Xander being unconscious, there wasn't much that he could actually do. He could only lift twenty pounds.

Keeping to the shadows, he entered his home. It didn't greet him like it had taken to doing. Something was killing it, draining it of life and magic. If he wasn't careful, the same could happen to him. Caution now ran through him as he moved. The human was doing something that she shouldn't be able to. It couldn't be the magus, he was out cold.

The sunlight in the backyard was off its peak. Noon had come and gone. Crushed grass showed the way to the tree where the magus was being fastened. The great oak didn't like being used as a method of confinement and sent its complaint out across the magical ether. Bitsy thought to himself that he may be able to fix that. Whatever was holding the magus up, could be undone, if only he could get himself close enough.

It was with that goal in mind that he inched around the yard, hiding in the shadows and under the new bushes that they had spent all that time planting to disguise their tunnel entrance.

He wasn't expecting to be caught with his hands on the cuffs tying the magus to the tree and he certainly wasn't expecting the other human to touch him in the chest, bringing pain the likes of which no gnome should have felt.

Agony seared him. The magic that gave him his life was bleeding away and there was nothing that he could do about it. The human pinned something to him.

"Give that you your mistress before you die, magical filth."

Sent on his way, it took all of his energy to crawl the length of the Nexus’ yard, through the mermaid's property and to make it to the gorgon's home. He slumped exhausted under the rose bushes and hoped for the best. The Nexus would find him, but he hoped it would be in time to save the life he was coming to love.

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"Did you find him?” Seesee was still blocked from the door by the gnomes, but the concern in her voice wasn't faked. Mitsy was dangling in her tresses and didn't look too pleased about it.

"I did. Someone chewed a hole in him."

The gnomes instantly abandoned Seesee to cluster around Abby and Bitsy as they made their way to the kitchen table. “I patched him up with most of the magic that I had, but he is still bleeding energy."

"Who do you think did it?"

Bitsy was being treated to hugs and cuddles as he was coddled by his family. He met Abby's gaze with his own and nodded.

She unfolded the paper that she had clenched in her fist. The contents shocked her anew and the handwriting was terribly familiar. “You need to call everyone in the neighbourhood and bring them here. Now."

"Why?"

"Because I know who is doing this and it has to stop.” Bitsy was running low so she topped him up. The drain was still occurring and was showing no signs of stopping.

Someone needed their ass kicked.

Seesee had called all the neighbours together after she had read the note. The sun had set and darkness enveloped the cul-de-sac that they called home. It guarded their movements and those of anyone who would harm the new Nexus.