Author's Note: Kudos to djkauf for betaing this for me.

Janie meeting with my parents wasn’t as stressful as I thought it was going to be. Mom made her feel really welcome and Dad didn’t appear to be as uptight as he’d been over the last couple of days. We had a nice lunch and went to do the whole nail thing afterward.

Frankly I didn’t see the thrill of paying someone to shape your nails and put polish on them, but Janie was very happy with being pampered.

We toured the house and Mom extended the offer which Janie was polite and grateful for and still said she wanted to think about it.

I tried to see it from her point of view, but seriously, if you had the chance to not work in the service industry, and have a private doctor with all of your bills paid, wouldn’t you jump at the offer?

There had to be another reason she was holding back that I wasn’t aware of.

Maybe I was the problem?

Okay, that sounded a little egotistical, but still. In my world, everything revolved around me.

When I dropped her back off at her house, she was pretty impressed about how long it took to travel back and forth without a car.

Since we had the privacy, I chose that time to bring up the outstanding issues. She could see that I was a little nervous and treated me with kid gloves.

“My mom asked if I had considered breast feeding the babies after they are born.”

Janie rolled her eyes and laughed a little. “Is that what you’ve been worried about? Yes, of course I intend to breast feed.”

“No, I meant me… to help you out. Since they’re twins and everything.”

Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Oh.”

She licked her lips and seemed to be considering it. “Would that be something you’d be able to do?”

I nodded. “It’s the same process adoptive mothers use. I just needed to know because I’d have to start working on it as soon as possible.”

“This is so weird,” she said. “I was there and I saw you change into a girl, but I still can’t wrap my head around you being the father of our babies. You’re a real girl, I mean with everything?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, in fact I’m on my period right now, so full plumbing and everything.”

Janie’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

“Uh-huh.”

Things became quiet for a while after that, I assume so she could absorb what I just said. Eventually she did break the silence.

“Chase… I have something to confess.”

I sat up and gave her my full attention.

“I didn’t tell my parents about what happened on the island, only the basics.”

That confused me. “I don’t understand.”

Her face reddened a little. “I told them I met a boy before the flight and we hooked up. Then I told them he died in the crash.”

I was stunned. “But…”

“My parents are very religious. You wouldn’t understand. If you showed them what you could do, they’d think you were a demon or possessed by Satan. I’d lose my babies. Daddy wouldn’t put up with it.”

“How are you explaining me?”

“I named the father Chance, and you’re his sister.”

I’m sorry. I get where she’s coming from. She’s in a difficult situation, but I was offering her a way out. And to take the last real evidence of my masculine identity away from me like that… As far as she’s concerned, I died and I was simply Aunt Chase. Fuck that.

Thunder sounded in the distance and it echoed across the sky. I gripped my cane and watched as my knuckles turned white with the pressure.

“You can’t do that.”

“Do you want me to lose my parents or the babies?”

“I think the choice is pretty obvious, Janie: our unborn children or fanatical zealot bible thumpers. You’re a freaking adult; act like it.”

She looked up at the sky and the dark clouds rolling in. I didn’t have to see them to know exactly where they were.

“Just because your imaginary world came to life, Chase, doesn’t mean that theirs won’t. They’re my parents; don’t insult them.”

Pushing myself up from the table, I paced on the grass and felt the sudden rise of humidity.

“There’s something you forgot to take into account, Janie.”

She looked as me, worried. “What?”

“Our children were conceived on that island, and I was already changing at the time. The odds of them being magical…” I chuckled. “Well let’s say that your parents are going to have a field day when they start talking to the local wildlife.”

When I saw her go pale, I pressed the issue.

“What happens then? Will they drown them in the bathtub, or cut their throats when they’re asleep in their beds? All in the name of banishing Satan, of course.” I returned and stood by the table, looking down at her. “I won’t allow that to happen.”

Janie looked away. I could tell she was torn up about it, but frankly, I had little compassion for someone that would do some of the things she’s doing.

“If your parents mean that much to you then give me the babies and walk away. I’m not going to twist your arm here, Janie. There are a lot of other much more pleasant options we can go through, but I’ll be damned and dead away before I let them near my children, and I have the ability to back it up.”

My eyes went skyward and hers followed. I think she was starting to get the point.

“I’ll think about it.”

“I want an answer no later than this time tomorrow. You’ve been sitting on this for three months. You’ve had more than enough time to think.”

Turning around, I walked back to the tree I’d been using and then turned around. Raising my cane, I pulled in the energies I’d been sending out and the clouds started to thin.

“You don’t have to move into the house, Janie. I’m not looking to subjugate you. But I will expect you to do everything you can to protect our children, even if it means cutting your parents out of your life.”

~O~

I wanted to go somewhere and just rage at the world. I was so angry that everywhere I appeared dark clouds followed in my wake, eventually making the area suffer a downpour. I could counter the storms but they would only come back again. That’s when I decided to head to the Sacred Grove that Zach and I created.

When I entered the grove, I felt peace wash over me.

Dropping my cane I made my way over to the sweet water and splashed my face, afterward drinking deeply. Energy returned to my body as I sat down and set my cane across my lap.

Not that I didn’t trust her, but… well, I didn’t trust her.

“Agnitio!”

I don’t know if you remember this one. It was the Greater Scrying spell I used back on the island that gave me my knowledge and finished my masculinity off. In the game D&D it is used to spy on certain creatures or people. Remember Disney’s Snow White, the evil witch that used a magic mirror to spy on the heroine? That’s a scrying spell. In the game, I would need a pool of water to watch over the subject. In real life, I saw them through their own eyes.

Janie was sitting at her kitchen table and her vision was blurry as she looked down at the surface. When she looked up, I saw who only could have been her father sitting across from her.

“Daddy, she’s rich and I could quit work. You know I’m not feeling good.”

He didn’t look placated. “The doctor said you would be fine if you took the vitamins.”

“They’re not working. I’m so tired all the time, and I’m on my feet six hours a day. What if it hurts the babies?”

He shifted and looked resolute. “Then it is God’s will. You had relations with a boy out of wedlock. Your sickness is your punishment. You’ve brought this on yourself.”

The desire I had to reach through the sight and smack the guy upside the head was almost overwhelming. While I couldn’t physically do that, I was able to send a spell through that might accomplish the same effect. The problem was deciding on which one to use.

Perhaps I could call an Earth Elemental and bury him under a hundred pounds of dirt and rock. Or maybe Summon Nature’s Ally and have a Dire Rat knock on his door, oh… or maybe a Tyrannosaurus Rex. That would make him shit a few bricks and think the apocalypse was coming for real.

Too bad I couldn’t just curse him, so whenever he said the word god he’d have explosive diarrhea. That would be cool. But sadly that was the Cleric’s domain and I highly doubted Sylvia would be game to do me the favor.

Janie got up from the table and ran to her room, slamming the door and stopped short of throwing herself on the bed.

The scene tugged at my heart slightly, but I stopped myself from going to her until I saw some sort of commitment, one way or the other.

It took fifteen minutes for her to pull herself together enough to sit up and look around the room.

“Come on, Janie,” I whispered.

I saw her reflection in the mirror attached to her dresser. She’d been crying for a while, but she looked determined to do something. Janie wiped at her cheeks and stood, heading toward her closet. Two suitcases were pulled out and put on the bed. That was enough for me.

Breaking the spell, I passed through two trees and emerged from the one in her back yard. Looking over I saw the light on at the end of the house where I deduced her room was.

Again, I was wearing next to useless shoes for the occasion, but at least they weren’t heels. You’d think I’d learn my lesson by now.

I cast one spell on myself and another on my fully formed staff. Planning ahead I pulled up several spells that would be useful in the situation as I didn’t want to actually kill her father, only punish him for harming someone under my protection.

When I got to the back door that adjoined the kitchen, I knocked lightly.

The door opened and her father was standing there, equal in height to me.

“I’m here to see Janie.”

I think he was confused as to why I was in the back yard, but he got around to dismissing me as soon as he could. “She’s under restriction. Go away.”

He started to close the door, but I held my hand out and it came to a shuddering halt -- gotta love that Bull’s Strength spell.

“I’m sorry. Perhaps I wasn’t clear. It wasn’t a request. Now move before I move you, and deep down I’m really hoping that you’ll stay right where you are because I have a nice staff here that I’d love to shove up your ass.”

He tried again to close the door, but my magically assisted strength more than held up.

“I’m calling the police.”

I nodded. “Fine, go right ahead.”

He turned away and I saw an old style phone on the wall. “Repo fatum!”

Hundreds of centipedes appeared on the wall, floor, and surrounding cabinets. I looked at them and gave the order. “Keep him in this room. Don’t kill him just yet.”

They multiplied and started moving over the ceiling surrounding Janie’s father. The only clear path was in front of me which led out of the kitchen. When I last saw him, he was backed into a corner looking like he was trying to scream, but nothing was coming out.

“Parietis postulo!”

Behind me, the entire doorway and much of the surrounding wall started sprouting vines as thick as my wrists with hundreds of finger-length deadly sharp thorns protruding in every conceivable direction.

When I reached the proper door, I knocked.

“Yes?” Janie sounded scared, like she was caught in the middle of doing something she wasn’t supposed to.

“It’s Chase.”

She opened the door a second later with wide eyes. “How did you get past my father?”

I gave her a are you serious? Look. “He’s… occupied in the kitchen. Unexpected guests. Can I help you pack?”

Again she looked at me with surprise. “How did you…? Never mind. Yes, come in.”

I looked at all the clothes she was taking. “Just take what you really want to have with you, Janie. I’ll make sure you have all the necessities, clothes, shoes, toiletries, whatever.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “You can have a whole new wardrobe if you want. I was serious about wanting to make sure you have nothing to worry about.”

With gusto in her step she turned over of her suitcases and dumped all of her clothes on the floor, only picking a couple of items up and putting them back in. Following her direction I filled the second case with stuff, mementoes, books, keepsakes, while she did the same with the first one.

Once she was through she looked around one more time and sighed. We’d filled a backpack apiece as well. She carried one backpack and I got the suitcases and the other pack. It was really nice to be exceptionally strong for once. I felt like arm wrestling Stuart. Who knows, I might win.

When we reached the kitchen door, Janie looked at the barrier I put up.

“Wall of Thorns. Unless you’re a Druid or a high level Ranger, you’re not getting through that.”

There was a scream from the other side of the door and I cringed at the sound. “You might want to stay here for a second. It’s a pretty gross scene in there.”

She looked at me wide-eyed. “What is it?”

“Creeping Doom.” At her blank stare I expounded. “Maybe a couple thousand centipedes are surrounding your father and keeping him in the kitchen. I told them not to kill him. They’ll listen. That doesn’t mean a few won’t sting him.”

Before she had a chance to berate me I held up my hand. “Don’t worry, I can cure the poison. I’m not here to harm him, just to give him a taste of what he gives to you.”

Her lips pressed together and she waited for me to do whatever.

I banished the Wall of Thorns and opened the door, banishing the centipedes as well. Mr. Book was kneeling on the floor, holding his seriously red hand and crying.

“Go to the tree. I’ll fix him and be there in a second.”

Janie set her hand on my forearm. “Chase, don’t hurt him. He’s still my father.”

I gave her a single nod.

When the door closed I sat the suitcases on the floor and approached the broken child abuser.

“Damn, that looks like it hurts.”

He looked up at me and then backpedaled away until the refrigerator stopped him from making any more progress.

“Now you know what it’s like to be terrified in your own home. How does it feel, Mister Book?”

He whimpered.

“This is how it’s going to work. You’re going to forget you ever had a daughter and that you mentally abused her with your bullshit. You’re going to forget about the centipedes, and me forcing myself in here tonight. You won’t ever look for Janie or me or our babies, because if you do… if I even think that someone I see remotely looks like you, I’ll be back, and this time I won’t hold the Creeping Doom from having their meal.”

Cocking my head, I smiled. “Do we have an agreement?”

He nodded quickly.

“Good. Now hold your hand out so I can keep my promise to Janie and not let you suffer from the stings.”

~O~

I threw up another Wall of Thorns along the back of the house just to be annoying.

“Why’d you do that?” Janie asked.

“Just to cover our backs. It’s not permanent.”

Truthfully, I didn’t know when it would end and either fade away or collapse. Eventually it would. It really didn’t matter anyway, because they still had the front door.

I took Janie back to the house and set her up in the room across from mine. The pool house was offered for her privacy if she wanted, but it was declined. Before she retired for the evening I received a hug of appreciation.

The shower I stepped into was more than welcome. I popped a couple of Midol beforehand so they’d have a chance to kick in by the time I made it to bed. As an afterthought, I felt the tiniest bit of guilt from subjecting Mr. Book to my hormonal induced Revenge of the Druid interpretation, and I could see why women never made it high in the ranks.

Most likely they were held back and never trained well. I mean can you imagine the power of a truly high level Druid with cramps, no Midol, and someone to take her frustration out on?

The Romans might have never made it back to their homes if the Druids had put women in charge.

When I returned to my room after drying and braiding my hair, I opened my makeup cabinet and withdrew a bottle of body lotion. If Zach could turn me on with his berries and vanilla then I was going to fight back with Japanese Cherry Blossom.

By Wednesday around lunchtime, I was going to be clean and clear and ready for some serious undercover activity.

Once the lotion was sufficiently rubbed in I slipped beneath my sheets and nodded off thinking about how many ways I could take him. Needless to say, my dreams were more than fun that night.

The next morning I took Janie to the mall and let her go crazy while I looked for something just right at Victoria’s Secret. When I shopped with Mom, I avoided the place like the plague had set in at the front door, but I had a whole new reason to visit.

There was absolutely no way he was winning the sexy panties contest that night. I might have bought a few other things as well, but that’ll come later.

When we stopped by Bath and Body Works I made the rounds and sniffed while Janie picked a couple of things up. Then a scent caught my attention. I grabbed the tube of lotion and opened it up taking the smell in to me as it brought back memories of the beach house and the taste of Zach’s skin.

“Deep Kiss. Of course.”

“May I help you find anything,” the sales lady asked.

I handed her the tube. “One of everything in this scent. Put it in a gift basket.”

That wound up being quite a lot. I thought maybe five or six different things, but it wound up being eleven different ways to apply that scent to a single body. I hope I didn’t drown the poor boy.

I wound up doing the same for myself in Cherry Blossom. We were glad Mom lent us her SUV to take the haul back home.

“Who’s the gift basket for?” asked Janie.

My grin widened. “Zach.”

“Panties Zach?”

My smile disappeared. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh,” she cringed. “Sorry. I thought he was gay and I thought you liked girls.”

“He isn’t and I still do, but…”

“I can see that. He kind of straddles both sides, I guess.”

Where in the world did she get that idea? “What are you talking about?”

She shrugged. “Well he’s short and not very masculine…”

Janie stopped talking because I was laughing. “You haven’t seen him in a while have you?”

“No?”

Now I got her curiosity up. “He’s about six-one now and really firm.”

“Really? In just three months?”

I shrugged. “He hit a growth spurt and he’s been working out or something. Every time he takes his shirt off I go catatonic. And I guess you’re right about one thing. He was turning into an Elf on that island and one of the traits is no body hair. So I guess that’s kind of feminine.”

“Really?”

That seemed to be her new favorite word.

“Uh-huh, and it feels so good against my skin. He’s so smooth.”

Janie huffed. “Stop talking about it. I’m getting horny and I’m guyless right now, and for the foreseeable future.”

Glancing over at her, I gave Janie a look of sympathy. “Do you want to stop by the toy store? I don’t mind.”

I think she got my meaning. “Seriously? You’d buy me a vibrator?”

I giggled. “Believe me; I know what it’s like to be frustrated.”

She laughed along with me. “Well if you ever want to share Zach, I’m up for a little adventure.”

The thought of that running through my head made me gulp. “Uh…”

“I was kidding… sort of.”

Making a left turn, I glance at her. “Let’s get you to that toy store ASAP.”

~O~

It took until mid-afternoon to put everything away. Janie wished me luck on my sex-date and I went to get prepared.

After I waved bye to Mom, I told her I’d be back by lunchtime, I stepped through to Tennessee. The cab I called dropped me off at the hotel I stayed at previously and paid for the honeymoon suite. It really wasn’t all that different from a regular room, just a bigger bed and a few extra amenities. Oh, and it smelled nicer.

By six-thirty, I knew Zach was through with dinner because I could feel his anxiety mixed with excitement. So I phoned him.

“I thought you’d never call.”

“Zach?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m in room three-oh-one, and I’m not wearing a whole lot at the moment. Do you think you can do something about this itch I’m having?”

~O~

You don’t get the details about that night, but I’ll give you the pillow talk near the end of his visit.

“It’s isn’t that I’m not grateful,” he said. “But why did you buy me all the panties?”

I was still tonguing his chest after our last bout, but I rose up enough to answer him properly. “Because I thought it might be difficult to buy what you want, you being a guy and all. The stigma attached isn’t pleasant.”

He studied my face as he asked his next question. “And you don’t mind that I wear them?”

“They’re just clothes, Zach. If they make you feel good then I’m all for it. I think you’ve proved your manhood to me several times tonight.”

He seemed relieved. “I have other things too.”

Wiggling my way back up his body, I kissed him and then sat up, straddling his hips. “Like what?”

“Jeans, shoes, stuff like that.”

“No lingerie?”

Zach frowned a little. “It’s doesn’t fit right anymore.”

“Well, you have grown quite a bit over the last few months.”

When I saw he was getting a little down, I poked him. “Hey.”

He lifted his brows at me in question.

“If there’s anything you want then you tell me okay? And I don’t mean just gifts. If there’s anything you want to experience, you tell me. I’m pretty open-minded if you haven’t noticed.”

He shook his head. “You’re everything that I want.”

I reached behind me to find him somewhat lacking in attention.

“I think it’s dead, Chase. Four times in two and a half hours has put him to sleep for the night.”

With a dramatic sigh I smiled naughtily. “Well I guess it wouldn’t do any good to tell you that Janie wants a threesome with me and you. Too bad.”

“What?”

I shrugged. “I was telling her about you and I, and she asked if I would share. Oh… lookie here I think you still have some life in you after all.”

“That’s not funny, Chase.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny. Funny is what happened when we tried to do it up against the wall and the people next door called the front desk.”

~O~

I did manage to coax that last one out of him with a little dirty talk. I know it always got me going when I was a guy.

Before he left, I rubbed some of the scented body butter on him so he wouldn’t chafe. He was still walking funny as he closed the door. The next morning, I was definitely walking with less of a bounce in my step, but I was one hundred percent satisfied and content.

Once thing I wanted to take care of before I went back home was to awaken another grove. Because of the excitement over the last week, I was behind my self-imposed schedule. Every week since I’d returned to the mainland, I wanted to awaken at least three across the world. This was so that magic could be evenly distributed to the entire world and nobody would be hit with it all at once.

I didn’t know if it was a good plan; I’m sure there could be fault found with it, but at least it was a plan and gave me goals to achieve.

So I had Hawaii, and Tennessee. I needed somewhere in Western Europe to hit next and then maybe India and Japan. I know they’re all not perfectly equidistant from each other, but it was close enough for me.

A little research on the internet set me in the woodlands of the Iberian Peninsula, where I found a decent area and started etching the warding stones. A good hour later, I set them in place and cast the spell. Everything worked perfectly.

Before leaving I drank a half a canteen full of Sweetwater and watched as the fountain trickled down the bank into a quiet stream.

It was so incredibly peaceful that I was tempted to just stay there for the rest of the day. However, I had duties, and a doctor to see. Mom made me an appointment with my new physician. I obviously couldn’t see my old one since I liked to avoid those probing questions about my sudden existence.

And so the next three days went. Everything was surprisingly mundane. The only thing I did out of the ordinary was a two hour trip to India and Japan to set up groves there. I’d work on the southern hemisphere the following week.

Janie was still getting settled in and used to the routine of how we did things at the house. The only item that she was surprised about was the lack of major rules to follow. Mom and Dad didn’t expect her to be all proper like they did me, which I envied somewhat. The only thing they insisted on was including her in everything we did as a family.

In case you’re wondering, yes, I’m taking drugs to simulate the hormones used to produce milk for the babies, and no, I’m not sloshing around asking people if they’d like cream in their coffee. They don’t work like that. They trick the breasts into thinking that I’m pregnant so after a certain amount of time, poof, breast milk, just like every other woman out there that has to carry around a life inside them.

The problem was that I started a little late, so I would probably produce less milk when the time comes. That’s where Zach is going to come in handy, I’m sure. In the last month I’m going to need to go through a lot of, um, suction, and the machine that you can buy just don’t really compare with human lips, mouth, and tongue. You really wouldn’t believe what’s involved. It’s not just a couple of times a day.

The whole thing is simulating the feeding patterns of newborns so that the flow becomes right. As those of you with children know, that means every two hours. Every TWO hours.

I’m sure I can get by with some mechanical assistance and manipulation with my hands, but the delivery date is in February.

Any way you looked at it, the process was long, intricate, and will probably be very frustrating, but I was determined to take part in this. As every day went by and I read a little more, I knew I’d do anything for them.

I just hoped that this Druid thing didn’t get in the way.

~O~

When the weekend came, Zach’s parents insisted he spend it with them since he was gone for the Labor Day weekend. He was ticked, seriously. I was too, for a little while. Instead of dwelling on it, I snuck into his room on Saturday night and gave him a welcome surprise.

Come Sunday morning I started on a little quest to observe those of us that were fortunate to make it off the island. Something wasn’t sitting right with me regarding why certain people weren’t affected while others had their lives drastically altered by something.

The entity on the island was of no help in this. The only thing I gathered from my last commune was its pleasure at what I was doing. Magic was seeping back in the world drop by drop.

Tourism to Hawaii was at an all-time high, mainly because of Sylvia’s work at the hospice. Nobody had twigged to her abilities and she still prayed over those that were sick, considering it her calling in life. So sick people were packing each flight and in some cases, literally camping out just for a chance to enter the holy building.

My rage-induced tour a few days ago made the news as reports of freak storms were covered in the wilderness of America, but that was just a note in some academic’s book of statistics somewhere.

To some people, no news was good news. To me, no news meant something was brewing and I needed to be there to make sure it didn’t boil over and endanger those that were close to me, those I protected.

I spent all day Sunday tracking five of the twenty-eight that survived the crash. I already knew the disposition of nine of them, that included me by the way. They spent their days with their families doing average ordinary things.

Only fourteen more to go.

~O~

Monday saw me in Big Sur hunting down someone that I didn’t pay too much attention to back on the island. All I remembered about him was his wanting to wear his torn business suit all the time, even in the heat.

There was nobody at his estate and the wildlife in the area was fairly thin considering that it was pretty much a national forest. There should have been loads of animals, rodents, birds, and the like. While I did see the occasional bird moving around, I didn’t even catch a glimpse of anything on the floor of the forest.

That made me nervous.

I climbed high in the redwood I was in and found a decent-sized branch so I could concentrate long enough with a scrying spell and not fall out of the tree in the process.

What I connected with didn’t make things any easier to find Jebediah Banks. When I connected with him, I thought I’d failed since there was only darkness, but when I started to withdraw, I heard sounds; footsteps.

Within moments the complete darkness gave way to the slightest bit of light and the sound of a girl cursing.

“Is somebody spying on me?”

My eyebrows lifted in surprise. I didn’t say anything in response, mainly because that’s not the way scrying works. It’s a one way connection unless I had psionic abilities, which I didn’t. At least I didn’t think I did. The subject never came up.

Something sparked in my vision and I heard a word of Latin uttered before the connection broke and I was thrown back where I was.

“Ohhh crap.”

My cell was in my hand a moment later waiting for Zach to answer.

“Hey, sexy, I was just thinking about you.”

“Zach, we might have a problem,” I said.

“What happened?”

Raking my fingers through my hair, I tried to make sense of what I’d experienced. “I’m in Big Sur checking on Jebediah Banks. I did a scrying spell and just saw darkness, but someone knew I was there.”

There was a slight pause before he answered. “Someone?”

“Yeah, female. She asked if someone was spying on her… you don’t think Jebediah turned into a girl too?”

I could almost see him shrug the way he does all the time when answering me. “That’s a good possibility, and it was probably dark because wherever he or she is, is dark, like underground.”

“I’m in a mountainous region. You think it’s a cave dweller?”

He didn’t answer, but asked another question. “What else happened?”

“She threw me out.”

“Really? Wow, that limits what class they are. Only magic users would sense your presence if at all. So, Cleric, Druid, Wizard, or Sorcerer. I’d lean toward the latter two.”

Rubbing my forehead I asked, “Would Darkvision come through on a Scrying spell?”

“Not necessarily. Crap, that means maybe an Orc, or Drow.”

“Drow? Great. That’s what I need.”

“I can be there in just a little bit.”

“No, I don’t want you sneaking out, Zach.”

He groaned. “You’re wicked powerful, Chase, but it’s not really a good idea to go at this alone.”

“And your parents would kill me if they found out I was putting you in danger.”

“It’s not their decision.”

I chuckled. “Until you turn eighteen it is. Don’t argue with me on this, Zach. Besides, I have no idea where she is and it’s a really big area.”

It was easy enough to tell he was angry about being left behind, but until I could verify exactly what Jebediah Banks had turned into I didn’t want anyone nearby, especially those that I cared for.

“Will you call me as soon as you find something out?”

I sighed with relief that he wasn’t going to put up a major fight on the issue. “You bet.”

“Please don’t forget, Chase. I’m nervous enough as it is.”

“I won’t.”

Another two beats went by and he came back. “I love you.”

That brought a pleased smile to my face. “I love you too. Bye.”

When I disconnected, a quick scan of the area still revealed nothing out of the ordinary. That’s when I looked down at my phone.

“What the hell, it couldn’t hurt.”

Tabbing though the various screens, I pulled up Banks’ information and dialed his cell. Surprisingly enough it was answered after two rings.

“I was wondering who it was that had the power for the scrying spell,” the now familiar female voice answered. “The irrepressible and irreverent Chase Moynihan, savior of flight 372. How have you been, Chase? Fed anyone else to that Dire Panther of yours?”

I blinked. Dire…?

God I was so stupid. That’s why Kitty was so freaking big. He must have been a young Dire Panther.

“Uh… no, actually. Is this Jebediah?”

She scoffed at the sound of the name. “Good god no, I left that name behind last week. Call me Delilah.”

Trying to keep the wariness out of my voice was difficult because I was so suspicious. “I take it you were somewhat untruthful about your return email to Zach last week.”

Delilah chuckled low and seductively. “Nothing happened that I didn’t want to happen. Do you know how maddening it is to be stuck in the wrong body for your entire life? Oh, well I guess you do. Silly me.”

I wasn’t buying the lack of recall on her part.

“The others were scared about what happened to you, Chase. The men were terrified that it was going to happen to them on the Coast Guard cutter for the trip to Hawaii. But me, no, I just sat there and stared at your perfect face and body with envy. What made you so great that you were chosen and not me?”

Taking a leap of faith here I was guessing that Jebediah was a closet Transsexual, and quite angry about it. “It wasn’t my choice.”

Her voice backed down to a more civil tone. “No, I suppose not. Who in their right mind would even think such a thing was possible?”

“Not a lot of people.”

“And rightly so,” she said. “So what do you want, Chase Moynihan? Why did you track me down and why are you spying on me?”

“I wanted to verify that everyone was alright.”

Her laugh was loud and somewhat condescending. “Oh, how delightful. Now you care?”

I didn’t answer that one.

“Go away, Druid. You aren’t welcome here.”

That answered a few questions for me. She knew what I was, she knew about the existence of magic, and she was most likely a user herself.

“There are others that have changed,” I said in an attempt to draw the conversation out a little longer.

“I assumed as much when your lackey contacted me.”

A minor surge to defend Zach surged in my chest, but I siphoned off the vitriol for my return. “May I assume that you’re a Wizard or a Sorcerer?”

Delilah didn’t answer right away. “Perhaps.”

“Do you think that we could work together to change some of them back to the way they were?”

There was a longer pause this time which I didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing. “I have what I want, Druid. Why should I concern myself with others?”

“You said it yourself, about being trapped in a body not of your liking.”

She made a sound of noncommittal. “What’s in it for me?”

That pretty much told me that her alignment wasn’t on the good side of the spectrum. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was Chaotic Neutral, not Good.

“What is it you want?”

Delilah seemed ready for this one, which meant that she was playing a game with me. “Materials, precious stones — the bigger the better…”

That confirmed her status for me. Magic users could do a lot of things with the right precious stones. I think she realized that she gave away a little too much too soon.

“… and other things.”

“You live in Big Sur, Delilah. You have to be rich.”

I could almost hear the annoyance in her voice when it returned. “There is only so much I can accomplish in public. If you want my aid, then you will supply me with my needs.”

She seemed reluctant to admit that much, but I didn’t doubt that it was an act.

“Why don’t we meet up and we can discuss what those needs are.”

Her seductive chuckle returned. “If we meet up, Chase Moynihan…”

“Yes?”

“Nothing. Go away, and don’t come back without an offering. Those are my terms.”

At that, she hung up.

~O~

Without knowing anything else about her, I was betting that she was a Drow. If you don’t know what that is, then you might look it up. In very basic terms it means cave-dwelling-Elf. They are an offshoot of regular Elves that are varying degrees of Evil. I didn’t receive the famous Chaotic Evil monologue that is was cliché with the type. You know what I’m talking about: the I will destroy you and all your goodie-two-shoes friends and subjugate you to my will in my ultimate plan to take over the world speech that you hear in movies and read about in books.

What I heard was someone that wanted to be left to her own devices. Depending on what those devices actually were would determine what I could expect from her in the future.

For the moment I went with Neutral Evil, or even Chaotic Neutral like myself. Yes, she might fall into my spectrum. The difference between us is that I will protect what is mine by using others to do so if needed. Delilah will protect what is hers by hoarding and living the life of a hermit.

I hoped.

The other choice is she would take what she wanted and damn the consequences, even if those ends used Evil to further her goals.

Her demands weren’t difficult for me to fulfill. I was guessing that she might even be using the task to test the limits of my power by insisting on spell components.

What am I talking about?

Druids, once they reach a certain level, can control the elements. I’m not speaking about the periodic table of element that you’d find in your closest chemistry classroom. I refer to Air, Water, Fire, and Earth, Elementals to be more specific. Druids could call them to fight fairly early in their training. The higher level the Druid achieved, the bigger the Elemental that could be called.

However, upon reaching the sixteenth level I could actually use my Wild Shape ability to turn myself into an Elemental, specifically Earth, much like I did when I turned into a hummingbird for Sylvia. More would come with time and experience.

There were two things I could find in the area right away. Gold — it is California after all — and Jade. Big Sur was almost famous for its jade digging along the coast. The Gold would take longer.

“Voco vis socius!”

The ground rumbled beneath me and in handful of seconds a humanoid creature started forming out of the rock, and soil. It didn’t have any eyes or ears, but the two arms and the thick trunk of the thing’s bottom might be called legs.

Holding my hands out, I mimicked a sphere about a foot in diameter. “True gold. This much. Bring it here and put it on top of the ground.”

Another two seconds and it collapsed back into the mountainside to complete its task.

I called another Earth Elemental, this one a bit smaller for more meticulous work and tasked it to find jade in the same amount and bring it to me.

When they were both off I sat down where I was and called what creatures remained in the area. It took a while, but several showed. I had a suspicion that they traveled some distance and didn’t particularly want to be there.

Speaking to wildlife isn’t as easy as it sounds. Like the ferret, they aren’t very smart, but with enough work I was able to narrow down the area that Delilah called home, and it wasn’t too far away.

I found the general area and then started questioning the plants and trees. Yeah, I can do that as well, and they are even more difficult. After a few false leads I was able to locate a hidden opening in the ground beside a large redwood covered by live brush.

When I returned to my original spot, the gold and jade was waiting for me. It wasn’t all one big ball, but there were sizable chunks of gold to be found in about the volume that I indicated. It was then that I knew I’d never have any problem with money for the rest of my life. Taking a couple of handfuls of each, I put it in my pack, thinking about how I could use it to make a gift for Zach.

Once the sun had dropped far enough into the horizon, I pulled out my cell and made another call.

“Back already Chase Moynihan?”

“I have something that you might be interested in.”

She sounded surprised. “Already?”

“Gold and Jade.”

It sounded like she was considering them for a few moments. “No diamonds? No emeralds, or rubies?”

It was my turn to chuckle. “Not until we meet face to face. We both know what those stones could be used to do.”

Which was a lot. Some of the more powerful magic required these items as spell components as places to store powerful magic.

“Where are you?”

If she was a Drow, she would smell my presence at the entrance to her cave, so I wasn’t losing any element of surprise in revealing that I knew its location.

“About fifty yards north-northwest of the entrance to your lair.”

I heard her suck in a breath and then a muffled curse soon after.

“Oh, and Delilah, I’ve had a number of months to become very familiar with my magic. If you try to harm me or break your word in any agreement we make, they won’t find a body, just little pieces scattered here and there.”

Her voice came back with anger. “Don’t threaten me, Druid. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

“I’m guessing a Drow Wizard of moderate power or else you’d have the ability to find your own jewels. Like I said, everything is on the up and up or I squash you like a bug. Unlike you I have the ability to level this entire mountainside and anything hiding underneath.”

Delilah didn’t sound pleased when she returned my threat with, “Agreed.”

I waited for a good thirty minutes before she surfaced. By that time almost all light from the sky had disappeared. The moon was only a sliver and I was reminded about how dark a forest could become.

Drow were gifted with Darkvision which was another way to say they could see perfectly well with no light whatsoever. They were also stealthy like their Elf brethren. That’s why I had the area trees spelled to alert me when she grew close.

I stayed as still as possible for a few seconds longer before igniting the top of my staff in bright flame.

Delilah’s hand immediately came up to shield her eyes as she flinched back about ten feet away from me.

“Oh, sorry about that,” I said with very little true compassion in my voice.

Zach was right. She was a Drow. Her height was maybe in the mid five foot range and her skin black on black. The hair that reached down to her hips was silvery-white and held up in a high knot at the apex of her head.

Then the clichés started. Thigh-high PVC boots and a PVC fetish outfit that screamed porn. I knew the Drow were a very perverse race, delighting in the most decadent sexual practices, but Delilah carried it to the extreme. At her hip was a standard whip hanging down her thigh and on the other side a cat-o-nine tails with little silver barbs on the ends.

On her wrists were leather cuffs with chrome D-rings hanging loose. She was obviously going for a dominatrix look, but failing, badly.

I did have to admit she was exotically beautiful with her pointed ears poking out and a good amount of cleavage on display.

“Lower your light,” she said.

“I’m thinking no.”

“Do you want to do business, Druid?” she snapped.

I dimmed the flame only a little, but I backed away at the same time. “What can you do to help those that have changed?”

Her fingers spread just enough to look at me. “Given time, I can store a Wish spell in an object, preferably a large diamond.”

I scoffed at that and let her know it. “I’m talking within the next few months, not another decade or two when you have the experience.”

The displeasure on her face was palpable. “Within the year, I might be able to create a Ring of Polymorph.”

She was telling the truth, which raised my estimate about how powerful she was, but not by much. “How many charges?”

“How many do you require?”

“I don’t know yet. There are only two people that are having problems, but there could be as many as twenty.”

Delilah considered something, probably how much she could milk from me.

“I require a proper lab built here, electricity, supplies.”

A chuckle escaped my lips. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll have people come and move your furniture into your cave, sell your house, and set up an account online so you can buy your own crap. When you produce something of value, you call me. We’ll do business then.”

She stomped her boot on the ground. “That’s unacceptable. There are certain items I need that can’t be purchased or that I can’t afford.”

“Send me a list. And don’t be stupid about the spell components. I know what’s needed for that ring. If I see anything involving Necromancy you and I are going to have a talk.”

As I started to back away Delilah saw that I was leaving. “Wait! I… I could trade for certain services.”

My eyes narrowed at her. “What kind of services do you need?”

Her body language changed to something akin to embarrassment. “Are there any more like me?”

The sound of her voice was almost natural this time and I could almost hear the loneliness at the edge.

“Not yet, but I only started looking. If I come across anymore, would you like me to have them contact you?”

“What would it cost me?” she asked.

“Nothing. I won’t prey on you that way.”

Delilah sighed. “I’ll do what I can. I’m not making any promises.”

“Fair enough. If you need anything reasonable, then call me.” Motioning to the ground I said, “The gold and jade are yours.”

She took a step toward me and then stalled. “Could you call those movers and the realtor?”

“Sure, no problem.”

~O~

“I think it was all an act,” I told Zach over the phone when I called back to tell him I was okay. “She’s read one too many fantasy books and is trying to emulate the stereotype.”

He laughed. “That’s… just sad.”

“What else has she got to do? She’s definitely not talented enough to last for long in the real world, not until there are more Drow around… and that’s a scary enough thought as it is.”

“What’s going on, Chase? All these races are starting to pop up with the people from the flight, but it’s not enough to really sustain them. In a couple of generations they’ll be dead, and that’s a best case scenario. So what’s the point?”

I shook my head. “I really don’t know, but I have a feeling this is only the beginning.”

“You think it’ll spread beyond us?”

“It’s why we’re awakening the groves, Zach.”

Originally I thought that introducing magic to the world meant that we’d get some Druids, and people would be able to do real magic eventually. Maybe some magical creatures would come back into existence and we’d ease into the whole thing. It really wasn’t working out the way I’d anticipated. People were being ripped from their lives and thrown into chaos.

Color me concerned.

At some point I’m going to wonder if it was all worth it; much like my current situation. There would be some truly evil people with powers not unlike my own and the Earth will be plunged straight back into well before the Dark Ages. It made me curious as to what would happen in the future. Would it all turn into some Mercedes Lackey/Piers Anthony future world where technology and magic become one in some scary dystopian society?

Considering the way the real world works, I wasn’t optimistic.

The only thing I could do was to wait it out and try to put out the fires as they cropped up. I didn’t exactly like the idea, mainly because doing so was changing me yet again. I was supposed to be this self-serving person. I protected what was mind and to hell with the rest. But I think there was more of the old Chase hanging around than was expected.

So my Lawful Good Chase was mixing with my Chaotic Neutral Chase to make something new. I didn’t know if I could deal with being Lawful Neutral. They’re more like judges are supposed to be. I’m didn’t think enough of myself to think that I would be qualified to interpret the way things were supposed to be. I was too opinionated.

Maybe Chaotic Good was more my speed. I had a pretty good grasp of what I thought was right and it tended to be on the Good side of the spectrum, but sometimes it could be pretty brutal.

I wasn’t bluffing when I threatened Delilah regarding attacking me or breaking her word. I had no problem with calling a lightning strike down on her or letting an earthquake loose and let the cards fall where they may.

The problem with the whole thing was, Druids weren’t supposed to take sides. They’re, by nature, Neutral. It made me wonder what would happen to my powers if I fell out of that middle-ground and Zach, by proxy. Since I was the one that gave him his powers, would he revert back to his regular human-self or would he eventually shift into that Elf he was supposed to be on the island.

There were too many unanswered questions for which I had no answers.

“Hello?”

“Evelyn, it’s Chase. We need to talk.”

TBC...