Light in the Barren Lands: Travail of The Dark Mage Book One (39 page)

Emerging onto the courtyard wherein a statue of Walt and Mickey could be found, they paused to stare at the majesty of Cinderella’s Castle. This close, Jiron could readily tell it was not a real castle as he had earlier thought. Aside from not being very large or defensible, it had a wide open area cutting through its base.

Magic radiated from the building, James could feel it. Sending out his senses, he could feel the flows of magic coming together within the heart of the castle. But where did it go from there? Curious, James had them walk toward the castle and into the walkway.

Suddenly, Jira screamed.

James turned with an offensive spell a split-second away from release, when he saw Goofy standing there. Chuckling, he released the magic. “It’s just a guy in costume,” he explained. “He is one of the many characters Walt Disney created a long time ago.”

“Kind of like Festival?” asked Jiron.

“You could say that. These costumed characters are all over the park. Don’t let them scare you.”

Jira nodded. “Yes, Uncle James.”

He flashed Jiron a grin then returned to examining the flows of magic.

They converged from all over at a point some distance above the ceiling of the tunnel. It didn’t feel as if there was any great build-up of magic at that point. Perhaps focal points such as this merely dispersed the magic as it comes in. That would make sense, otherwise it would be like a ticking time bomb, waiting for the accumulated magic to reach critical mass and go off.

If he recalled correctly, there was a story he once heard about how Walt had created a living area in Cinderella’s Castle. If true, it would be above them and nearer to the focal point; the perfect place in which to attempt the crossing. Feeling good about their prospects, he had them continue through the castle and resume placing the rest of the crystals.

From Cinderella’s Castle, they headed to Tomorrow Land where James spied a souvenir shop. Making a brief stop, he bought Jira a pair of Mickey Ears and Jiron a Goofy Hat. For himself, he settled on a regular baseball cap bearing the name Disneyland. “For disguise,” he explained.

While they were there, Jiron saw a display of engraved, wooden walking sticks. Taking two, he had James buy them along with the hats.

“What do you want with these?”

“I don’t have my knives,” he replied. Taking one of the walking sticks, he thumped it in the palm of his other hand. “You could crush a man’s head open with one of these.”

James nodded. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” They still had someone out there interested in them, and he had to admit, he would feel better if Jiron was armed, even if it were with nothing more than walking sticks. Once their purchases were paid for, they left the shop and continued on their way, placing crystals as they went.

For three hours they wandered from one Land to another until their supply of crystals had been depleted, save one. The remaining crystal was to be the focal point of the others. Rather than returning to gather each crystal as he had planned to do back in Vegas, there in the park he didn’t need to. They were close enough that their energy could be drawn to the focal crystal with little loss of magic. Trying to have done it all the way from Vegas would have necessitated using most of the magic just to maintain the connection.

Jira wasn’t blind to what was going on around her. Laughing children on rides, screams of delight as coasters flew around bends, it wasn’t long before she began making it known she wanted to do it too. James was more than happy to comply once the crystals had been placed.

He had set the crystals to gather magic at a faster rate than what he had back in Vegas. With the sheer volume of people constantly on the go, he doubted if anyone would even notice the draw. By tonight, they would be filled to capacity.

“How about Pirates of the Caribbean?” Now that the crystals were placed, and everything that could be done, had been, it was time for a little fun.

“Pirates?” asked Jiron.

“Not real of course,” James explained. Making a beeline for New Orleans Square, he saw the entrance and joined the queue of those waiting their turn. He caught Jira peering worriedly at the opening through which the line passed. “It’s really just a big boat ride. You get in the boat, it takes you around to see the sights, hear the music, then you get off.”

“If you say so.” She didn’t look convinced.

But when they entered the building and the fun-filled music could be heard, she relaxed. It took another fifteen minutes before it became their turn to get into the boats. “You’re going to love this,” James announced. And they did.

Jiron laughed at the sacking of the town, Jira squealed in delight during the ship battle, and both thought the final drop ending in a splash, terrific. No sooner had they reached the end and disembarked than Jira exclaimed, “Let’s go again!”

Grinning, James shook his head. “There’s too much else to see and not much time in which to do it.”

Disappointed, Jira very quietly said, “Rat poop!”

Next was the Matterhorn followed by Splash Mountain, then one ride after another, including the Tea Cups. There was simply too much to experience when you only had a single day. When they came to the Haunted Mansion, and the creepy music and sounds began to fill the air, Jira’s enthusiasm began to wane.

“It’s more light than fright,” explained James. “Yes, you’ll see ghosts, but none of it is real. Trust me.”

Not looking convinced, she nevertheless went along.

The sign at the point where they entered the line claimed they had a forty-five minute wait until reaching the entrance. During their wait, James caught the aroma of fresh popped popcorn and ducked out of line to get some. Upon returning, he found that the line had progressed to the point where they were but thirty minutes away.

Having something to munch on kept the wait from being too bad. Once at the entrance and the doors opened, they filed in. The room looked like a normal room, which made it all the more sinister as everyone knew it couldn’t be.

A man was there to greet them. And as he began to speak, the walls began to elongate and the roof rise. Pictures on the walls changed to spectral images, lightning flashed and if one were to look up, he might see a body hanging from a beam far above. Then the room came to a stop and a door different from what they entered through opened. As the group started moving to the next area, James realized something was wrong.

Glancing around, he looked to Jiron and asked, “Where’s Jira?”

“Why, she’s right….” But she wasn’t.

“Jira!” No reply.

Instantly, James sent magic to search and quickly located her. She wasn’t far, and not alone. A man held her tightly with a hand clamped across her mouth to keep her silent. “They’ve got her.”

Jiron was enraged. “
Where
?” His cry startled the other park goers nearby but he didn’t care.

Pointing toward one of the walls, James said, “Through there.” Moving to the concealed door, James found it locked. Jiron smashed it open.

“Here, now!” the man who had been their guide exclaimed. “What do you think you are doing?”

Jiron was through in a flash followed closely by James. Behind them they heard a commotion begin to grow.

“To the right.”

He could readily sense the location of Jira and her captor. Still in the Haunted Mansion area, the man raced along as he continued carrying Jira. James unerringly led them in pursuit. When the man passed through a door to the outside James said, “They’ve left the building.”

“Is she okay?” Jiron asked.

“Yes.” Though he knew the man
wouldn’t
be once Jiron caught up with him.

Up ahead was an opened door. “Through there.” And they were outside.

“Can’t you stop him?” Jiron asked.

“Not unless we stop. Can’t concentrate well enough while I’m running.”

The man was taking back ways, avoiding people as much as he could. Jira was now lying upon the man’s shoulder, as a child would do when all tuckered out and asleep. He must have rendered her unconscious somehow. A quick check revealed her heart was still beating.

Jira’s captor shot through a doorway and down a flight of steps leading into the underbelly of Disneyland. He then dashed along a maintenance corridor.

Jiron leaped the length of the steps and hit the corridor just as the man paused at a juncture of corridors and glanced back. Their eyes met. It wasn’t the first time their paths had crossed. It was the man from the motel. The one James had said was Seth’s father. Then the man turned down a side corridor and disappeared.

Vision turning red, Jiron raced after him with thoughts of death and pain running through his mind. If so much as a hair on Jira’s head had been damaged, the man’s suffering would be great indeed when Jiron caught him.

James hit the bottom of the stairs as Jiron rounded the corner. In his mind’s eye, he could tell that the man had entered a room and come to a stop. There was another man in the room, quite likely his brother, Agent Randle. That suited him just fine. He had a score to settle with them both.

Rounding the corner, he found Jiron standing before an open door, fists clenching and unclenching. Anger and rage were practically oozing from every pore. When he came abreast of his friend, he saw the reason why Jiron had gone no farther. Agent Randle held a gun pressed to the side of Jira’s head.

“Now,” Agent Randle said as he saw James arrive. “Maybe we can get some answers.”

“I don’t think so,” replied James. Magic flowed from him toward the FBI agent.

“You aren’t getting away this time,” Seth’s father shouted. “You’re going to be dead!”

“I told you before, I had nothing to do with Seth’s death.” Magic flowed into the gun that threatened Jira and froze the firing mechanism.

“Get in here and shut the door,” Agent Randle ordered.

“As you wish,” agreed James. Then to Jiron he said, “He wants us to enter and shut the door.”

“What about Jira?”

“Almost taken care of,” James assured him. Then allowing Jiron to enter first, he followed and closed the door. As soon as it clicked shut, he cast a sad look at the agent and his brother. “You ready?”

“Yes.”

Magic flowed through him as he sought the crystal in Jira’s pocket. Then slightly altering the spells that imbued it, he activated the shield.

It sprang to life in a shower of blood. Having removed the safeguards that prevented the shield from intersecting living tissue, it sprang to life and severed Agent Randle’s arm in mid-forearm.

As soon as he saw the spray of blood, Jiron was in motion. Launching a walking stick at the brother, he quickly followed after with the other.

Ping!

His shield sprang to life as Seth’s father tried to take him down with his Browning 9mm. Another shot was deflected before the walking stick caused Seth’s father to dodge the missile.

“Deactivate!” Jiron shouted to cancel his shield as he swung the second walking stick at the wrist holding the gun. There was an audible snap when the wood shattered the bone. As the man cried out, Jiron followed through with a blow to the head. And as he predicted at the gift shop, the walking stick was quite capable of smashing open a man’s head. Seth’s father was dead before he hit the ground.

Agent Randle held his bloody stump as James came to him. “I told you to leave us alone. But you had to keep coming.”

“This isn’t over,” the agent spat.

“Oh, I think it is.” Canceling the shield encasing Jira, he ignored the agent and picked up the girl. Carrying her to the door, he left Agent Randle to her father. Two blows from the walking stick and it was over.

Jiron tossed down the gory tool of death then went to collect his daughter.

“She’s okay, just out,” assured James. “I think it was the same stuff they used on me. She will probably sleep for a while.”

Glancing at the dead bodies amidst a spreading pool of blood, Jiron asked, “What now?”

“I seal the room when we leave and hope no one thinks to come in here until tomorrow. By then we’ll be gone.”

“You mean…?”

James nodded. “We make a quick run to the motel, collect our stuff, then come back after the park’s closed. We’ll be home by morning.”

“Good. As interesting as your world is, I’m ready to go home.”

“So am I.”

Seated at a bar located within McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, a vodka collins was being nursed by a man who had had a rough past couple of days. Mr. Barnes wasn’t eager to return to Washington, as there were many questions being asked about recent events that he simply could not explain.

If they had found the bodies, that would have settled the matter. But the explosion had wreaked such devastation, that there was precious little left of the terrorists’ car let alone the terrorists themselves. Sure, pieces of cloth and what may have been bone had been recovered and were even now on their way to the labs for further analysis, but he doubted if even
that
would satisfy some people.

It had been his Task Force. He was supposed to apprehend two terrorists and a child. How hard was that? But instead? The Las Vegas FBI building had been damaged to such an extent that it may have to be demolished, over a dozen brave agents and officers lost their lives, and a good portion of Hwy 95 south of Las Vegas was gone.

They had no clue as to who the terrorists had been working for, what their primary target may have been, nor even if there were other cells out there still in operation. None of the main terror organizations were owning up to it. The only bright spot, if it could be considered one, was that the bomb had been detonated outside of population centers. In the desert, the only thing it had destroyed was a bunch of cactus and yucca plants.

Downing the rest of his drink, Mr. Barnes glanced to the clock on the wall behind the bar. Ten-thirty, about time for him to make his way to the gate for his flight in twenty-two minutes. Tomorrow was going to be a
very
long day.

Just as he emerged from the bar and was heading down the concourse, his cell phone rang. “This is Barnes.”