Gaia's Champion Ch. 44 - Teaser (Patreon)

Tamara Dalca drove her nightblue BMW to the prearranged meeting spot for the kids that were her eyes and ears. It had taken them a while to shake the cops, but thankfully, they were all safe and waiting on her to arrive. She pulled into an old, abandoned industrial complex and parked the car before getting out. Tamara was dressed in a modest outfit that could be business casual.

Her heels clicked on the concrete floor as she walked into the old warehouse where the kids were located. The moment she spotted them, she breathed a sigh of relief, happy to see they were unharmed. The kids heard her and craned their heads, all of them smiling as they saw their mistress approaching.

“Mistress, it is good to see you!” the leader of the group told her as they all kneeled in front of her.

“Rise, Tory. It is good to see all of you as well. But I must ask, what happened? How is it you were spotted?” Tamara questioned.

Tory then relayed everything she had witnessed, telling her mistress everything. While it was a bit harrowing, Tory’s tale told the woman much of what happened. These Gaians, whoever they were, must have been more powerful than she realized. They weren’t paltry believers or even servants. No, this group must have had one powerful; Magi among them, either a Shaman or maybe even a Druid.

“Damn! This group, whoever they were, must have been in a hurry, or they would have come at you themselves,” Tamara deduced.

“What makes you say that, mistress?” Tory questioned, worriedly.

“Simple. If you were directly in their way or they had the time, they would have confronted you and we would not be here, having this conversation. These Gaians must have been in a rush, as they don’t like people knowing about them or knowing what business they are conducting,” Tamara stated.

“So, what do we do? How can we serve?” Tory asked, wondering how they’d make it up to Tamara.

“You and yours will get home. You’ve been out long enough, and I’m certain that you are all tired and need to get some food inside your bellies. Clara is whipping up a classic lasagna, with a proper Caesar salad and garlic bread right now. If you want it while it’s still hot, you might want to get a move on,” Tamara stated.

“Yes, mistress! Thank you!!” Tory blubbered as she and the rest of kids soon bolted from the warehouse.

Tamara couldn’t help but grin at their retreating forms, knowing that the group of them were all quite hungry. They had initially started off as lost souls she put to use in recovering items of worth. As time went on, she began to care for these children, as though they were her own. It didn’t take too long after that before she considered them as her family.

Being bereft of a proper family herself, Tamara knew how important it was to have people in your corner like that. Sighing, she went back to her car and turned it over before leaving the industrial complex. She knew of the places that the kids had been and knew something of what the Gaians had been up to. A pair of them informed her of a scuffle that had taken place at this rare book shop, which involved others of her kind.

This puzzled Tamara, as witches tended to keep their affairs and business secret, just like Gaians. It must have been a serious incident if the kids were able to spot what was going on. She pulled over and typed the address into her GPS before putting the car back into gear. The shop in question wasn’t far, and Tamara smiled as she made her way there through light traffic.

After finding a parking spot, Tamara got out of the car and headed over to the shop. She knew that this was a bad idea, but she went in anyway. If the Gaians and a coven of witches were here, then there must have been something worth it here. She browsed a few shelves, searching out anything that resonated with magical energy. Tamara could feel something here, but it was muted, as though hidden.

“Good morning, miss! May I help you?” a masculine voice called out. Tamara turned her head and spotted an older, portly man standing behind the desk near the door of the shop.

“I don’t know. I’m looking for some rare books and I thought maybe you might have what it is I’m looking for!” Tamara responded with a dazzling smile.