Chapter 15, Magic’s Gift (Patreon)

“Can they find us in here?” Faye whispered.

“It they climb in, I will tear their faces off before they can distance bite.”

It took Harry a second to realize that “distance bite” was probably a dog term for magic. It made sense. “Sir Knight said he could protect us,” Dakota offered. “I know you don’t think much of prosaic dogs, but Sir Knight is special.”

“Of course he is,” Fikru said.

“Yeah,” Faye said before she whipped her head around to stare at Fikru. “Wait. What? Why would you say he’s special?”

“Because he’s spell-resistant. I think that makes him a magical dog, not a prosaic one,” Fikru said. Dakota smiled, happy that his friend had some protection, but Faye’s mouth fell open so the dim lighting of her mage light shone into the interior of her mouth.

Fikru shrugged. “When you two were climbing, the blockhead chasing us threw spells at the dog. They hit. I saw them hit. But it didn’t even slow the dog down.”

“The idiot thought I was too big a fool to block a distance bite. I have five thousand years of breeding against all sorts of predators. Do you think those sorts have never tried to steal sheep? Do you think we would allow even those sorts to prey on our flocks?” Sir Knight got louder until his voice was almost a bark.

“Shhhh,” Dakota hushed him, and Sir Knight’s tail drooped in embarrassment. “He said that his whole breed knows about distance biting, which I assume is his word for spells, and they know how to protect themselves and their flocks.”

“Whoa…” Faye said in wonder. Fikru’s expression had turned more thoughtful, or at least that’s what Dakota assumed. It was hard to tell when the tiny light in her hand made her whole face light up like a Halloween decoration.

Dakota shifted as a particularly sharp rock poked him in the butt.

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell people stuff about Sir Knight,” Fikru said.

“But if Dakota’s family knows he’s magical and knows that Dakota can talk to him, they’ll let Dakota keep him.” Faye sounded excited.

Part of Dakota wanted to follow that advice, but his stomach twisted with discomfort. “I would do anything to keep Sir Knight, but I don’t want another reason for everyone to call me strange.”

“They wouldn’t,” Faye said.

“They would,” Fikru disagreed sharply. Dakota shrunk into himself. Fikru sighed. “However, if we tell them that the dog is spell-resistant, that’s enough to classify him as a magical creature. Magical creatures are appropriate as pets.”

“Assuming they aren’t deadly enough to eat the family,” Faye said slowly. “But Dakota, you should be proud of being different. Strange is a compliment.”

“Then I don’t want people to compliment me.”

“Dakota,” Faye said with a sigh that made her sound like his Aunt Anita when Bob brought home another note from an unhappy teacher.

“How long will it take my father to get here?” Fikru asked loudly.

Dakota appreciated her willingness to change the topic. “I don’t know.” He assumed the adults were coming as fast as they could. “Why can’t they do that shimmer thing?”

“You can only do that when you know the area where you’re going to land,” Fikru said.

“And when you know there’s a space quiet enough that a notice-not charm will work and when it’s close enough that you don’t have to do the math to take the spin of the Earth or relative altitudes into account and when you’re old enough to have learned how and when there’s a sharp enough contrast between light and shadow for you to find an edge to slip into. And, and, and,” Faye added.

Dakota’s head spun with all the information she’d jump dumped on him. “Oh.” They sat in silence, and Dakota squirmed as another sharp rock found his butt. Usually Sir Knight’s den was comfortable—cool in summer and less bitterly cold than the streets in winter. However, it felt like the den had grown spikes in the week Dakota had been gone.

He pulled another sharp rock out from under him.

“What’s that?” Faye asked. She moved her palm closer to the mage light revealed a polished stone that looked like a cylinder with two pointed ends like sharpened pencils. She scooted forward until her hand with the mage light was right next to the weird rock.

“Is that?” Fikru sounded out of breath—worse even then when they’d been running.

“I think so. I’ve never seen one before.”

“Seen what?” Dakota peered closer at the rock.

Fikru bent over Dakota’s palm, studying the rock without touching it. “Merlin, May, Morgana, and all the mages.”

“It’s real?” Faye asked.

“What’s real?” Dakota was very confused.

“I don’t know for sure. Our parents would be able to tell us.”

“It could be his challenge gift.”

That pulled an explosive laugh out of Fikru. “Seriously? I found a twenty dollar bill I thought I’d lost. I didn’t get anything like that.”

“Like what?” Dakota said louder.

“Magic offers what’s appropriate,” Faye said, her voice a little wobbly and weak.

“Appropriate? That’s appropriate?” Fikru’s voice grew louder. Dakota would have shushed her but a voice outside was calling Fikru’s name and then a woman’s voice called for Faye.

“Mom!” Faye yelled as she scampered around Sir Knight.

Dakota tried to follow, but Sir Knight blocked him with a shoulder. “You will wait until we are sure predators have been removed,” he said firmly.

“But you’re letting them go,” he protested as Fikru crawled around them and hurried toward the exit.

“They’re not my flock. My foolish goat will not hurry toward danger.”

“The rescue is clearly here,” Dakota argued as he heard the happy sounds of his friends reuniting with their parents. Shoving at Sir Knight’s shoulder, Dakota forced himself past his furry friend and headed for the exit.

“Obstreperous young goat,” Sir Knight grumbled, but he let Dakota pass.

Dakota blinked as he climbed out of the window. A half dozen adult mages all stood around Fikru and Faye, some in the outrageous clothing he expected from mages, but others dressed in some bizarre combination. A gray sport coat over a rainbow dress, white shirt with orange floral pants. The assembled group looked like escapees from a circus.

A woman gasped. “Felix Dromos?”

“Dakota,” he corrected her. “Faye, Fikru, are you okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. We’re great!” Faye giggled, and a woman in a blue suit with clouds slowly drifting across in white wisps held her tightly. Dakota assumed that was her mother and a man whose eye and nose seemed to match what Dakota had seen in the mirror stood with his hand on Fikru’s shoulder.

“Oh! Show them what you found! Show them your challenge gift!” Faye said, practically bouncing on her toes.

“Let’s get you home,” her mother said.

“You have to see this. It’s incredible. Show them!” Faye said.

All the adults stared at Dakota and he backed up.

“What? What’s wrong?” Sir Knight demanded as he climbed out of his den and stood at Dakota’s side. The adults quickly backed up, and Faye and Fikru’s parents pulled them to the rear.

Dakota put his hand on Sir Knight’s shoulder. “It’s okay, boy. Quiet down.”

Sir Knight gave him a dirty look but didn’t comment on Dakota’s choice to treat him like a dog. “Dakota, come away from the dog,” a man in brown and yellow said as he held out his hand.

“Sir Knight saved us,” Fikru said, although her voice was strangely strained. “He’s magical. The man who was chasing us cast spells right at him, and they bounced off. It scared the guy enough that he stopped casting at us long enough for us to run away.”

“What?” An older man with a white beard nearly to his waist asked, his voice cracking. All the adults studied Sir Knight, expressions ranging from shocked to disbelieving to thoughtful.

“I am awesome,” Sir Knight agreed with a huff as he sat next to Dakota. Dakota scratched behind his ear and Sir Knight’s back leg started to twitch.

“Yeah, but that’s not the amazing part,” Faye said as she pushed her way back to the front of the crowd, dragging her mother with her. “Ask Dakota what he found in the basement. Ask him.” She was back to bouncing.

Dakota tightened his fist around the weird rock before he slowly held it out. In the sun, it sparkled like someone had dunked it in glitter and weird symbols were carved into the rounded sides—some red and some gold.

“Is that…” Faye’s mother reached out her hand, but then jerked it back before touching the rock.

The man with the long beard stepped forward, gave Sir Knight a cautious look before he bent over to study Dakota’s rock. He even grabbed Dakota’s wrist and moved it around so he could see different angled. Sir Knight huffed at the man, but he didn’t warn him off, so Dakota assumed that the man didn’t smell threatening.

“It’s an Laozi stone,” he said reverently.

“A what?” Dakota looked at the pretty stone as it lay on his palm.

The old man took a step back and shook his head. “Oh child. Leaving you with prosaics did such damage.” Dakota blushed furiously, but before he could defend himself, the man continued. “A Laozi stone is worth a fortune. It can give a single person a chance to learn a single subject so well that for a month, they will understand everything put in front of them on that topic. They are one of the treasures of the East. And those of us in the West almost never get to see one, much less own one.”

Dakota studied it more carefully. His hand tingled where the stone touched it, and he imaged he could feel the magic drifting off it like a fog.

“Put it away, child. Hide it. Your parents can explain its use when you get home,” Faye’s mother said. She turned to the other mages. “We need to get back to the arch and get these children home.”

All the adults seemed to agree with that because they started moving toward the end of the alley where the fence had been ripped from the wall and chunks of torn and warped chain links littered the alley. Faye’s mother put a hand on Dakota’s shoulder. “Come along. We’ll see you home safe.” She urged him to follow Fikru and her father who were already striding away.

“Sir Knight, come on,” Dakota urged.

Faye’s mother hesitated. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“The dog is magical. Let the Dromos settle that matter,” a man in orange pants said.

“As if any of you could stop me,” Sir Knight said, huffing in his arrogance, which was better than barking considering that mages didn’t seem to have a lot of experience with dogs. “And once I know where my foolish goat has hidden himself, no one will keep me away from his den.”

Dakota smiled as he followed the others down the alley, one hand tangled in Sir Knight’s fur. Sir Knight would rather abandon his own den than leave Dakota to live on his own. Dakota felt guilty for ever doubting his friend.