Nellie found herself crouched on the ground, covering her head with her arms. Her wooden sword sat in the mud next to her. The trees above her lurched, showering her with pine needles. She slowly uncovered her head, raising it to look up.
A pair of beady red eyes were fixed upon her. The snallygaster was the size of a ram with metallic green and brown scales that gave way to sharp feathers on the joints. It had a long, sharp beak and Nellie could see it lined with small razor-like teeth as it made a low hissing sound.
She flinched as Calix jumped over her. He shot at the snallygaster and slowly started moving away from Nellie, releasing a steady stream of arrows to keep the animal’s attention.
“Get it to the clearing,” Arch yelled from somewhere to Nellie’s left. She was pulled up. Arch brushed her off with his free hand, the other clutching a walking stick. “Did it get you?”
“N-no.”
“Then, take up your sword and get to the clearing,” Arch commanded. “Your job is to cover Calix, not the other way round.”
She scrambled to get her wooden sword as guilt squirmed in her stomach. She was dirty, but Calix and Arch had torn clothes, and she thought she saw a cut on Arch’s arm when he was dusting her off. She tore after him, able to catch up and slip by him being smaller and able to bypass the trees and branches easier.
She broke into the clearing.
“Nellie, down!”
She threw herself backwards as the snallygaster’s front talon sliced at her. The back followed, hooking her shoulder. She cried out, collapsing in the mud.
Calix was over her in an instant, shooting at the snallygaster as it circled above on large, leathery wings. He dove out of the way as it swooped.
“Nellie,” Calix yelled, now out of sight, “move!”
She winced as she scrambled away and up, grabbing her wooden sword on her way to her feet. She headed for the treeline with her swordless hand on her shoulder. Blood oozed over her fingers, but it was not an alarming amount.
“Nellie, down,” Calix called out.
She dropped and felt the slipstream from the snallygaster tear over her body as it passed.
“Catch me up,” Arch said, arriving.
“Snallygaster wants Nellie,” Calix said. “Catch her, and now ignore me.”
“Got it,” Arch said. “Both of you get to the trees.”
She was unceremoniously picked up and slung over Calix’s shoulder like a sack of flour. She jostled uncomfortably on his hard shoulder as he sprinted for the trees, throwing her onto his lap as he did a baseball slide into the brush to avoid the snallygaster’s talons, the monster whistling like a freight train in fury and frustration.
Nellie unwound herself from Calix’s long limbs and the underbrush, rolling over and crouching to see where Arch and the snallygaster were. She took a sharp breath as Calix touched her shoulder.
“Doesn’t look bad,” he murmured. “Need cleaning and plasters.”
Arch dashed into the middle of the clearing. He swung his stick at the snallygaster; the creature slamming into a mostly invisible shield as it tried swooping at him. He grunted and nearly lost his footing with the force of the animal on the shield, visibly panting when it landed and tried circling behind him.
“There you are,” Arch said, grinning maniacly. He slammed his stick down and the ground lurched.
Deep cracks formed from where he hit the ground; the dirt crumbling as the rocks wedged out. The rocks clustered together, building until they were a crude, wide human shape half a head shorter than Arch. The gollum launched into an attack against the snallygaster.
The gollum pounded the snallygaster with one of its club-like arms, knocking the animal into the ground with an angry, pained hiss. The gollum’s arm broke off and covered the creature, further angering it and causing it to thrash wildly to break free.
The snallygaster had a broken wing and a limp, but it clawed and snapped at the gollum unimpeded. It broke the gollum’s left leg off, clawing its way up and over the body to snap at the unshaped head.
“Arch,” Calix yelled, breaking from the underbrush.
Nellie jumped up, teetering. Arch was on his knees, breathing heavily with his shaking arms grasping his stick for support. She looked around for something to throw or for somewhere they could hide to recover. She gripped her wooden sword with both hands and dashed after Calix.
The snallygaster whipped its head towards her as she took position in front of Calix while he helped Arch up.
“That’s enough.”
A cage of light slammed down on the snallygaster, crumbling what was left of Arch’s gollum. The cage grew smaller and tighter until the snallygaster was pinned to the ground.
The Regere strode from the treeline, lazily waving an ornate walking stick that glowed from every crack. His pale blue eyes looked at the kids.
“Big and flashy is fine if you have the magic reserves to back it up,” the Regere said coolly. He looked more pointedly at Nellie. “Running around in a panic helps no one. Back to the car. All of you.”
Arch was too tall for Nellie to help Calix walk him from the woods. She dragged her feet behind them, feeling useless and trying hard to ignore her throbbing, bleeding shoulder.
It felt like hours they waited for the Regere and the Knights to straighten out restraining the snallygaster, but the dashboard clock let it be known it was only twenty minutes. After which, the Regere gave a dismissive nod to the pair of Knights and climbed into the car.
The drive back was short and silent.
“Check in with your guardians,” the Regere said, shutting his car door harder than necessary. “Hold nothing back.” He looked at each of them. “Mrs. Monroe will see to you. Wait in your rooms.”
“How’s your shoulder,” Arch asked once the Regere had disappeared inside.
“Hurts, but it isn’t bleeding anymore,” Nellie said. “Are you all right?”
Arch shrugged sheepishly. “Let it get away from me a bit. Calix?”
“No issue,” Calix said, holding his arms out and twisted to show he was dirty and tore his shirt on something, but otherwise fine.
They slowly made their way inside. Nellie suspected the boys did not hurry ahead or walk at their natural gait to create more space between them and her uncle. She did not grow up with him as a powerful figure of admiration, and she still felt the sting of disappointment when he looked at them. Calix and Arch must have felt awful.
Mrs. Monroe dusted a fine powder on Nellie’s wounded shoulder when she checked on her. After a tingling, the wound shut up and she was handed a damp washcloth.
“For the blood,” Mrs. Monroe said. She pulled a clunky cordless phone from one of her apron pockets. “I’ll give you your privacy. Bring the phone down to the parlor when you’ve finished.”
“Um…,” Nellie blushed, embarrassed, “I don’t know–.”
Mrs. Monroe handed her a folded slip of paper. “Ms. Herle’s number, in case you need a refresher.”
Nellie waited until the door clicked shut before unfolding the paper. She dialed, getting the slightest bit of amusement from the buttons giving way to her touch with a beep as she did, and eagerly held the phone to her ear.
‘Hello,’ Nathalie’s voice came unsurely.
“It’s me,” Nellie said, bubbling with excitement. “I have so much to tell you! But first, how’s Ash?”
Once Nathalie updated her, she described Silas’s compound the best she could but frequently defaulted to ‘huge’, ‘grand’, ‘elegant’, and ‘awesome’. She told Nathalie all about the others at the compound, eagerly bringing up how she and Ava already knew each other from school. She mentioned there was a bigfoot in the woods, but did not mention how she, Fin, and Calix found it.
“--and Hodge is there too,” Nellie finished, slightly breathless. “Penny is somewhere, but I guess Hodge stays with Silas when she’s… wherever. Me and Ava go visit him a few times a day. Sometimes we even help feed and clean him. Oh, and Silas has a bunch of jackalopes! Those are real!”
‘Truly,’ Nathalie said. ‘How about that. …Nellie, how’s it going with your uncle? I’ve been dreadfully worried.’
“I guess okay,” Nellie said, sprawling across her bed. “He’s… quieter than I pictured. Or, I don’t know, that probably isn’t the right word. I pictured him more evil or crazy or something, but he’s just some guy.”
‘The unassuming ones end up being the serial killers,’ Nathalie said. She laughed lightly causing Nellie’s heart to ache. ‘Too many podcasts.’
“I miss overhearding them,” Nellie murmured.
‘I miss you too, Nellie love.’ Nathalie sighed heavily. ‘I can’t help but worry with you so far. And with a man I was told to keep away from you. And surrounded by creatures and magic and gods knows what else. What if you were hurt? Would they even be able to get you into hospital without me there?’
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Nellie said. “I got a big gash in my shoulder just an hour ago and it’s already healed. They have this powder–.”
‘I beg your pardon,’ Nathalie interrupted.
Nellie bit her lip, shutting her eyes in dread. “Have you ever heard of a snallygaster,” she asked innocently.
‘Most certainly not, as you well know,’ Nathalie said with an edge. ‘Perenelle, did that man toss you at some dangerous beast?’
“Calix and Arch were with me,” Nellie protested. “And tossed is–.”
‘Oh, so he throws more than just young girls at these monsters,’ Nathalie said, her voice high. ‘How comforting!’ Nellie could hear her swearing but it was too low to make out the exact words. ‘Nellie,unfortunately, I must get off now. Please, write to me. And we’ll speak soon.’
“Are you going to harass Silas” Nellie asked suspiciously.
‘I love you. Bye-bye.’
The phone clicked as the call ended. Nellie stared at the chunky, black plastic and rubber buttons. She groaned and slunk out of her room to put the phone away.
Finding the parlor was easy enough despite Nellie not being certain what a parlor was. The house was big, but nowhere near the mansion that was Silas’s. She found the living room and spotted a long, thin table in a small nook between the living room and formal dining room that housed six phone docks, two of which were empty. She docked her cordless phone on one with a beep.
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as a pressure beared down on her. She turned and smiled politely at her uncle.
“How’s your shoulder,” the Regere asked.
“Completely healed,” Nellie said, rotating her shoulder for extra measure.
“Powdered alicorn does wonders,” the Regere said.
There was a long pause. Nellie rocked up and down on her toes, glancing around while the Regere inspected his cuticles.
He chuckled. “Perhaps I should’ve brought Morgan. Ah, well, live and learn.” He gestured towards the dining room. “Tea? Dimopoulos is already in the kitchen.”
Calix was nursing a glass of iced tea with several lemon slices. His eyes looked tired now that enough time passed from their entanglement with the snallygaster for his adrenaline to wane. He clamoured to his feet, giving a nod to the Regere.
The Regere gestured to the counter, indicating Calix should sit and that Nellie should sit with him. He took a seat at the small table, turning so that his back was to them and helping himself to a muffin.
“Your parents are part of the Auctorita,” the Regere asked.
“Yes, sir,” Calix said quickly, easing back into his seat. “Rangers. They assist the near Keeper Conservatory.”
“They’ve trained you well,” the Regere said.
Calix swelled, spilling his tea as he tried sipping it with his smile so wide.
Arch walked in and balked at the sight of them. His fair complexion tinted pink and his shoulders slumped when his glittering eyes fell on the Regere’s back. He carefully climbed onto the seat beside Nellie, hanging his head.
“Willoughby,” the Regere said. Arch tensed. “You have great potential. You just need restraint.”
“Th-thank you, sir,” Arch stammered, his cheeks brightening more as a smile took over his handsome face.
“You’ve been schooled by the Order of Ferblanc, correct?” The Regere glanced over at them with a secretive smile. “I was once as well.”
Calix and Arch were so elated that if they floated off their seats it would not have shocked Nellie too much. She could not help but smile along with them, feeling oddly proud of these two boys she had only known a week.
The three of them began recapping the snallygaster, giving way to the excitement of finding and battling such a dangerous cryptid. The Regere was all but forgotten as they went on, growing more at ease.
Nellie stole a glance at his seat once as Arch lamented not thinking of caging the beast, but found the seat empty. She looked around, seeing the kitchen empty of him, and slipped off her chair. She found him silently striding towards a set of French doors with an old flip phone in his hand.
“Regere,” Nellie called, trotting over. She slowed as his light eyes fell on her but continued forward. “Since we already captured the snallygaster, I was wondering how much longer we’re staying.”
“We leave tomorrow morning,” the Regere said. He brandished his phone. “I was going to have it arranged.”
“Then what,” Nellie asked. “Are there other jobs?”
“Not for you,” the Regere said. He kept his eyes on his phone, slowly dialing a number too long to be local. “This mission was more of a whim. I’d heard you had a bit of magnetism with creatures, and being able to find the snallygaster so quickly speaks to that. Just a bonus I could guise it as assessing Dimopoulos and Willoughby.”
She took a step back, twisting her hands together. There was something cold in her uncle’s voice, something dismissive and dehumanizing in the way he spoke about the three of them.
“Did… you use me as bait,” Nellie asked.
“I suppose so, although Willoughby would’ve also attracted the thing well enough,” the Regere said. “But, having it hunt you in the woods over him was interesting.” He waved his phone at her. “Forgive me, but I should make arrangements before it gets much later. You’ll want to get back to your school friend and Morgan at a decent time.” He paused, halfway into the office. “Oh, and should you want your dog creature to join you at Silas’s, I’m sure I can find a way.” He smirked. “Even if that means shutting down a handful of airports and highways.”
She felt cold, jumping as the office door shut with an echoing click.
----------------------------
I used this info for the snallygaster reference, but added the hissed based on Briar's turkey hissing. It sounds super creepy: Snallygaster: The Winged Terror of Maryland – Cryptid Index
I kept trying to figure out how to make magic different than how I do it for Witchboy (and some extent Fable Tale), and then I figured I didn't need to. So, mages/magic people have a conduit to help channel their powers, but unlike in Witchboy it isn't 100% nessecary. They can do magic with one (usually a staff or wand or some type of totem) but it won't be as focused or powerful. Nature/natural magic is an exception, and so is the Regere. And, like in FT (and probably Witchboy to a degree) magic and technology don't mix well, because magic is somewhat like electricity so can short things out. That's my constant with magic across everything even if there are small differences elsewhere (I was trying to find a reason for Amias to whip out an old flip phone to get this explaination happen in story, and it never happened, so out of story one until Nellie isn't creeped out and it comes up, I guess).
The Order of Ferblanc's main role is to keep magic people in check, so they have special schools for mage kids to learn the basics so they understand how to keep themselves under control and learn about how dangerous magic can be to them and others. About half of the kids stay on to be the teachers and caretakers, finding that a better alternative to just hiding what they can do or being afraid of trusting the wrong people with the secret. When the Auctorita was formed, it gave another life path so most of the ones that don't become teachers join up. (And some are recruited/join the Keepers, but a much smaller percent.)
The Castle of the Sunbird, September 2005
Where the Fault Lies, Part II, 2006
Mioko Del Mar, 2007?
Mioko, Sept 2002
Fire & Steel, 2005
