Breefolk

Apologies for the long time between updates. I'm probably going to be writing a bit slower than I was before due to personal things, but I'm still writing this and determined to finish it.

My portaling plan forgotten, I formed a dragon once more, this time for me to ride on.  I had to stop my mother before she murdered someone. I leapt onto the dragons back, and we soared into the night sky.

Rising up to the giant’s chest level in an attempt to look my mother in the eye, I saw her face twisted in a sick smile.  Not only was she endangering hundreds, if not thousands, of lives, she was enjoying it.

“Why are you doing this?” I called out.  “You’re going to kill people!”

“If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes,” she said, stomping the giant’s foot down into the waves.  “It’s YOUR fault, you know. You could have just given me my son back, and my husband. We could have avoided this.”

“You’ve lost it,” I replied, my dragon circling around her.  “You want me to give you something that I can’t give, even if I wanted to.  I’m your daughter whether you like it or not, and you kicked Dad out! You can’t just demand that someone come back to you at gunpoint!”

“Watch me!” she shrieked.  It’s no wonder I didn’t recognize her voice at first.  This is not the mother I knew, but at the same time, it is, like this crazy woman was lurking just beneath the surface the whole time.  She was always so in control of everything throughout my life, every word measured and careful, intended to manipulate others. This is Elizabeth Wilcox, unchained and out for blood.  Words have failed her, so she’s grasped onto any last bit of leverage she can cling to. In this case, that means, apparently, binding herself to an ancient entity older than the universe in order to hold the entirety of the Southern California coastline hostage.

I could only hope that help was on the way.  I had no time to call for backup; I needed to do what I could to evacuate people inland before my mother got this thing stomping  into the deeper portions of the bay.

I swooped low over a shopping center, figuring this was a large enough gathering place to get a lot of people’s attention.  Sure enough, lots of people could be seen below me going about their business, not even seeming to notice the massive, glowing, red abomination stomping into the ocean.  I landed the dragon in the parking lot and leapt off, running into the outdoor shopping center and climbing on top of a sunglass kiosk.

Waving my hands in the air to grab people’s attention, I shouted at them.  “Everyone, there is a giant monster trying to cause a tsunami! I need everyone to get as far inland as you can as quickly as possible.”

I did have their attention, but clearly not the credibility to hold it.  Some laughed, a few clapped, but they all continued about their business, clearly not believing me.  Just another performance artist trying to get attention. Welcome to Southern California.

Alright, if it’s performance art they wanted, I would give them a performance they’d never forget.  I commanded my dragon to fly over the crowd, breathing fire on the rooftops of the shops and over the heads of as many people as it could.

I waited a moment, then heard the satisfying sound of terrified screams as people began to realize this was very real fire burning down their favorite shops.  To be honest, I wasn’t even sure a psychically created construct of a dragon COULD breathe fire, but it was well worth the discovery. Sure, it caused a bit of a panic as people scrambled attempting to get to their cars or bicycles or to call an Uber, but a panic was better than people not realizing they were in danger.  I can deal with the consequences of my actions later. Right now, I had a lot of people to save, and not a lot of time to do it.

I continued to get as much attention as I could, and within minutes, I had the entire Orange County end of the bay in an uproar.  Sirens and people running everywhere. Yeah, it was a mess, but it’s the best I could do on short notice. At least people are moving, and none too soon, either: the first waves were starting to wash up on the beach.  If you didn’t know better, it might just look like high tide, but that would require you to be unable to see the massive, glowing, vaguely humanoid thing stomping off the coast.

Long Beach Harbor, however, remained in my mother’s sights, and it was too far away for me to reliably get to in time.  I just had to hope the word would spread quickly enough before the waves started hitting the other end of the bay.

I had no time to strategize, though, because my mother was quickly stomping towards a boat in the middle of the bay.  Seems appropriate she’d be stomping towards a vehicle like a toddler grasping for a scared kitten. Fits her maturity level.

The boat in question was one I was familiar with, coincidentally.  It was the Catalina Flyer, a ferry that runs between Long Beach Harbor and Catalina Island.  Tourists rode out and back on it, a trip that took about two hours. I used to take that boat with my dad when I was in the Boy Scouts, riding out to camp grounds out on the island for an annual weekend gathering, which prompted two rather disturbing thoughts.

One, I used to be a Boy Scout.  Ew.

Two, there were very likely children on that boat.  I had to do something, or that boat would capsize, likely with dozens left to fend for themselves in very cold, very choppy waters.  But what could I do? I couldn’t lift the boat. It’s much too big for any of the monsters I can create. Anything I do to move the boat or the people on it using my powers would be more likely to tear the boat apart.

I’d have to rely on something other than my powers.

I guided the dragon low over the Flyer and jumped down onto its top deck, allowing the dragon to dissipate in mid-air.  I could already tell that I wasn’t going to need to induce a panic here. That was clearly well underway, as people were cowering away from me and bracing themselves for the waves my mother was stirring up.

“Folks, I realize you’re all terrified and probably think I’m just as dangerous as that thing over there,” I said, gesturing toward the gigantic manifestation of my mother’s temper tantrum.  “But I promise you I’m here to help. Please, don’t panic. I’m about to do something you probably think is impossible, but I assure you it’s not and it is your best chance to get to safety.”

And that’s when I began casting the portal spell to the Library of Sigurgeir.

At first, people didn’t seem to realize what I was doing.  Since my magic ability was so basic, it just looked to them like I was waving my hands.  As the portal opened, however, people screamed in horror.

“It’s okay,” I said.  “This is a portal. If you go through it, it will take you to a library in another realm.  I realize you have no reason to trust me, but anything has to be a hell of a lot better than here, right?”

I had made sure to summon the portal a few inches above the deck.  I had no idea what impact it could have on a moving vehicle, and I’d prefer not to find out.  It remained in a fixed position, but the boat continued to sway underneath it.

Nobody moved at first, still holding on for dear life.  Then, a man spoke up, an older gentleman, who could have been old enough to be my grandfather.  “Oh, to hell with it. I’m not dying here.” He steadily walked to the portal and jumped through.

I guess the old man had some respect around here as several people followed suit, and, as more of these people saw their friends and family heading through the portal, they followed suit.  One by one, dozens of people stepped through the portal into the unknown. The last few stragglers, including the ship’s crew made it through the portal as the waves were beginning to truly toss the boat.  It had drifted a little, and the portal was now slightly off its side, but the boat was about empty now.

But not quite.  There was still one remaining passenger.  A little girl, no older than six, screamed and clung to a table built into the deck, too scared to move.

“It’s okay,” I called to her.  “Come on. There’s not much time!”

The girl looked between me, the portal, and the giant stomping ever closer, then shook her head and braced herself even harder.  A massive wave was coming as the giant was nearly here, moments from stepping right over us. I had to make a split-second decision.  I couldn’t leave this girl here. I dashed across the deck, picked her up, nestled her in the crook of my arm, then leapt the few feet from the deck into the portal.  We came to a rolling stop in the stacks of the Library of Sigurgeir, surrounded by the other passengers and crew from the Catalina Flyer. Beyond them, a baffled-looking Astveig and Arey.

The kid in my arms giggled.  At first, I thought it was with excitement, and then she changed, growing larger.  The giggle became a cackle as she towered over me, a tall woman. A woman I realized I’d seen before.  The raven-haired figure of Leanne, my mother’s lawyer and neighbor stared back at me.

Or, perhaps I should call her Loki.