Elfish, Julie Steimle [chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT] 📗

both.”

Peter laughed.

The Elf shrugged. Yet she smiled fondly at him.

As soon as a bag for her was packed, they loaded the car from police headquarters. They intended to return it. When they drove from Wells, the Elf traveled as a cat with them, riding in the back seat, though she eventually climbed into the front and curled up on Daniel’s lap, purring.

Daniel glanced to Peter, blushing.

Peter smothered a smirk.

 *

There were only few words exchanged when they returned the car. The police asked what happened to the Elf, but all they would say was that they had resolved the issue, and the Elf would no longer be in Wells. They did not say where she went, and the police did not see there was cat traveling with them.

They returned to Oxford after that.

They went directly to Prof. Taylor’s office.

The man was back at his computer when they arrived, working. He lifted his head when they stepped into the room. Then he rose. “You’re back! They released you?”

“The charges were dropped, and we went on to Wells,” Peter said. “How’s life on your end?”

The professor stared, then rounded the table, staring at the pair of them and the cat in Daniel’s arms. He thought it was odd that Daniel was there holding a purring Egyptian Mau, but it wasn’t important enough to address. He expressed what was urgent. “Prof. Birtwistle posted the incident online.”

Both Peter and Daniel nodded.

“That was expected,” Daniel said.

“What was the reception?” Peter asked, as that mattered more.

Sighing, Prof. Taylor chuckled, shaking his head. “Most people are calling it a hoax. My friend is being investigated for staging it—as the police won’t charge either of you for arson.”

“We didn’t start the fire,” Peter said. “I’d think any recording would prove that.”

Prof. Taylor nodded. “Yes. Exactly. In fact, it is clear you were trying to stop the fire—though people are already saying your face in the video is a deep fake.”

Peter nodded. It was as expected. Most people did not actually want to believe in the supernatural. It scared them too much, and the ordinary, non-magical world was easier to cope with.

“But what about the Oxford coven?” Daniel asked. The cat nuzzled its head under his chin smiling with a stronger purr.

“What about your stolen records?” Peter asked, ignoring it. “Do you want me to hunt them down for you?”

Sadly shaking his head, Prof. Taylor sighed. “I think it would cause you more trouble if you did.”

Peter shook his head. “No. It is the kind of thing we do. And…” he peeked to Daniel. “…I’ll be staying in England for a little longer. My work at the museum is not finished, and I think it is worthwhile to help you with your research.”

The professor gazed at him with fondness.

Something bumped into the window glass behind them. All of them looked. A robin was flying and bumping into the glass.

“Robin…” Daniel said, walking over to it to look for a latch.

“Yes…” The professor said, peeking to Peter with a wonder over Daniel’s mental capacity, “That is a robin.”

Daniel felt over for the latch, turning it to open.

“Hey!” the professor jumped to stop him. “Are you trying to let it in?”

“Yes,” Daniel said. The cat hopped out of his arms and landed on the desk. It went straight for the professor’s open lap top.

“Wait! What?” the professor reached to stop the cat, only to halt when he saw it use the mouse then type into keys to create actual words. He drew in a breath, stepping back.

Peter nodded. “Calm down, professor. It’s all good.”

Prof. Taylor stared at what the cat had typed. It got a web page. YouTube. It was bringing up travel advice for animals.

“Hey…” Peter walked over. “Thanks. We never got around to that.”

The cat meowed, nodding to him.

Daniel cracked open the glass and the robin flew directly in. It landed on the cat’s head.

Staring the professor watched as the cat seemed to smile. But then the bird hopped off and landed on the top of the computer screen.

Daniel closed the window again. He turned to face them. “So… we’re doing this?”

The cat meowed again then jumped of the desk. The moment her paws touched floor, she shifted into herself as Brigidt again. The robin fluttered off and dropped feet to the floor as the man who ran the tea shop. Prof. Taylor staggered back, grabbing his chest. Peter caught him so he would not faint.

“I…” Robin Goodfellow looked to Prof. Taylor, “…had a second thought.”

“Here we go,” Brigidt said, folding her arms. “I told you it would be difficult for you to leave.”

Nodding to her with guilty blushes, Robin said, “Not exactly the reason.” He looked to Peter. “You’re staying behind, right?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah.”

“And you have not yet vanquished the witches in Oxford,” Robin added with a nod.

Glancing to the floor, Peter said, “Uh. No. Not yet. That… well, it will take time.”

“Going at it by yourself,” Robin shook his head, “That is risky.” He then looked to Daniel and Brigidt. “I propose that I stay in London and Oxford with him. I can even help this man get all his stolen property back.”

Prof. Taylor stared at him.

“Besides, Queen Maeve is the kind of person who never forgets a slight,” Robin added. “And she too is the kind to adapt with the ages. I can keep lookout.”

“Keep lookout?” Daniel paused with a glance to Peter who liked the idea. Of course, they could tell Robin was exactly as Brigidt had said. He was having second thoughts about leaving England. It was his home. It was not as easy as he had thought.

Nodding, Robin said, “I can run my tea shop. Listen to gossip.”

Peter nodded. “It makes a lot of sense. And, you can help us deal with the witches.”

Robin nodded with confidence, trying to hide that he felt like a coward.

But Brigidt reached out and hugged him. “The better choice, my friend.”

Daniel nodded.

Then Brigidt turned toward the professor. “I’ve had bad luck with men like you. But I can smell it on you. You’ve been on the highway with all those that travel on All Hallows Eve. You understand now the dangers of meddling in things none of your business.”

Prof. Taylor nodded in earnest.

She took a step closer to him. “Then I leave my blessing with you.” She reached out one of her svelte fingers and touched Prof. Taylor on the forehead. “May no elf or demon harm you. May Maeve never see you. May you always stay in the light.”

A shiver of warmth went through him. A fiery light whipped over him—then was gone.

“This is a rare blessing,” she said, taking back her hand. “I’ve only given such to a rare few. One of them abused it. It only works if you remain on the side of light.”

The professor nodded.

“Where is Sean Dougan?” Peter asked, looking around. “Did he go back to Ireland?”

Prof. Taylor shook his head. “No. He’s at a hotel. He had to call his wife.”

“But the witches—”

“They’ve forgotten that he exists.” The professor gazed at them with amazement. “You really are the Holy Seven.”

Both Peter and Daniel nodded.

“Eight,” Brigidt murmured smiling at Daniel fondly.

The professor looked to her.

“There were eight originally,” she said. “And there are eight now.”

He nodded slowly. Yet with a peek to her, he also asked, “So… where will you go from here?”

Smiling at him, she then glanced to Daniel. “I will be leaving with this good knight here. Besides, I knew one day this time would come. And I do have some unfinished business in America.”

“You do?” Peter and Daniel said together, surprised.

She nodded with a peek at Peter. “Yes… there is a professor who would currently be at Stanford, in California, whom I’ve had previous encounters with. It is about time I visited him.”

Peter stiffened. “That would not happen to be Prof. Wycliffe, would it?”

Blinking, Brigidt exclaimed, “You know him?”

Nodding, Peter said, “Yeah… I, um, kind of opened a door at a… well, temple for Bastet, and he sort of took over the discovery. Most of the artifacts are in Cairo but—”

“I can predict,” she cut him off, “That he will soon have most of that on tour in the U.S. where he can study it in his own free time. He’s quite manipulative.”

“And how did you know that?” Peter nearly demanded of her.

Smiling, Brigidt said, “Because I met him ages ago—and I mean ages. But not the man you met. No. A later, more arrogant him. You see, meddling with elves and elvish artifacts can lead to something kind of like a time loop.”

“Time loop?” Peter’s eyes went wide.

But Robin closed his eyes, moaning. He knew what she was talking about. Daniel peeked to him.

“People steal from elves to gain immortality,” Prof. Taylor murmured.

She nodded to him. “Yes. But some steal from elves to have power over time.”

“Don’t bring him up…” Robin muttered, groaning.

Yet with a look to him, she said to Peter in particular, “I am talking about creeps like Merlin.”

“He’s real?” Peter stared, wondering how many more legendary figures actually existed. So had Prof. Taylor.

Brigidt nodded.

Robin groaned. Then he said, peevishly, “Merlin is dead.”

“Hopefully,” she muttered. She then looked to Daniel in earnest. “He was the biggest pain in my side—”

“Were you also the lady of lake? Niviane?” Peter asked.

She shook her head. “No. That story is all messed up. The Lady of the Lake was an acquaintance. Niviane definitely had trouble with him, but she was a witch, and I hated her guts. Merlin, however, is a shyster. Or was. He stole from me. Long story really. Let it suffice that I was the one who stopped him. Unfortunately, he had passed on information in the future with one Prof. Wycliffe, just to mess with me.”

“In the future?” Daniel and Peter stared.

Sighing, Brigidt nodded. “Yes. I’ve already been to the twenty-first century. New York. I’ve met this Tom Brown you speak of. Great guy. He was blind, though—”

Shivers went down them. That was definitely in their future. They all had heard about Tom’s possible future blindness, and they had all hoped it would never happen.

“And I do believe I’ve even met some of the others of the Eight. They recognized me, though I did not know them,” she said.

“How—?” Daniel and Peter both stared, this being something else entirely unexpected.

She shrugged. “Long story. But let it suffice that as an elf, I can break a time loop.”

“Though Merlin can’t,” Robin muttered with a snort.

Peter stared at him. “You mean—”

“Merlin might not be dead,” she said.

“He’s dead.” Robin nodded. “I remember when he got stabbed.”

“He could have looped to the future and gotten an operation for a stab wound like that,” she snapped back. “For cambion like him, it would have been more final if he got beheaded.”

“What is with you and beheadings?” Daniel moaned out.

She colored.

“OK…” Peter held his hands up. “Um, I’m done with this conversation.”

“Me too!” Robin raised his hand.

Prof. Taylor lifted his hand also. “I concur.”

Daniel sighed, gazing on their elf. It was another aspect of the elfish folk—they saw things in and acted in extremes. He realized he would have to be her guide in the real world. He understood why one of the Seven in the past might curse her. He was probably sick of her acting with elfish logic, which was a great deal more passionate than that of humans. He found it fascinating, alluring, and also dangerous.

“Ok.” He nodded. “Let’s instead plan our trip to New York.”

Brigidt nodded, smiling.

“A cat carrier for you…” he murmured, then looked up to Peter. “I wonder. Would we be able to convince a veterinarian to forge a document about shots for a cat?”

“Shots?” Brigidt paled.

“Vaccinations,” Daniel said. “I mean, you don’t need them, but they won’t let a pet fly without proof they’ve had them.”

“Can’t you just get vaccinated?” the professor murmured, though he seemed dazed. “Or forge a passport?”

“You don’t vaccinate an immortal elf,” Peter replied, almost laughing. “That’s just ridiculous.”

“And passports are out of the question,” Daniel murmured. “The SRA