The second chapter in the sequel to No Obligation finds Becca and friends learning exactly whose mind she visited the night before … and why this particular adversary might be impossible for her to beat.

by Randalynn

 

I’m a peripheral visionary. I can see the future, but
only out of the corner of my eye.” — Steven Wright

 

The trouble with visions is that it’s hard for most people to believe they’ve actually had a vision at all. I mean seriously, was I really supposed to believe I was thinking in parallel with some pissed-off godling, just because my work had attracted his attention? Why not just treat it like the dream it was?

Prophetic visions are even more easily dismissed as dreams. In fact, most people don’t usually realize they’ve received a glimpse of the future until what they saw actually happens, and that sort of defeats the purpose of having a premonition in the first place. As a result, the supposed visionary gets to watch as the mushroom cloud rises over the city skyline, then strike her forehead with a closed fist and say, “Damn! I was right! I shouldn’t have had the veal scallopini! Now there’s nothing left of Pittsburgh but a smoking hole in the ground!”

Such revelations often result in really strange cocktail party conversations. Trust me — until you’ve talked about ghosts and UFOs with a complete stranger in someone else’s kitchen for a few hours while slightly intoxicated, you haven’t truly lived. Of course, that was in a former life and not something I’d be doing any time soon. Thirteen-year-old girls are seldom invited to mingle with adults imbibing alcohol.

In any case, I thought it might be a good idea to do something more substantial to confirm or deny what I saw before whoever He was decided to track me down and turn me into a throw rug in His chaotic wonderland.

I rose from my bed and turned around. Heather had slept through the alarm as usual, but she was close enough to the edge of the bed for me to give her a kiss on her nose and then her forehead. She stirred, just a little, and I touched her cheek.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I said softly. “School day. Time to wake up.”

Heather’s eyes fluttered open, and I smiled at her. She pouted, then stuck out her tongue.

“Waking up is so over-rated,” she growled in a voice like an angry kitten, and started to turn over and wrap herself in covers.

“Maybe so,” I replied with a grin, “but you’ve got being with Jeremy to look forward to, and I think that’s worth getting out of bed, don’t you?”

I loved watching her face when she thought about my brother. The joy and caring just seemed to well up from inside her, and the pout became a smile without her even noticing. As she threw back the covers and dangled her feet over the side of her bed, I gave her a little hug around the middle, then headed for the bathroom.

‘If I’ve done nothing else right since I became the Advocate,’ I thought, ‘saying no to the Envoy about changing Heather back was exactly the right choice.’

I thought a bit more about the dream while I showered. Whoever He was, He thought of Himself as a rival to the Omnipresence Herself. I found that a bit difficult to believe, although I could see her setting up an entity to add chaos to the Multiverse ... especially if she thought it would create more of a balance between Chance and History.

‘Anything to throw off destiny and let folks strut their free will a little,’ I thought as I brushed my teeth. Then I grinned and shook my head. ‘As if I really understand what’s going on in the Creator’s head ... if She really has a head, figuratively speaking.’

The me in the mirror put down her toothbrush and grinned.

‘Careful, Becca,’ she said in my mind, ‘Concepts in the mirror may be closer than they appear.’

She shimmered briefly, and there stood Mrs. Graymalkin in her bathrobe.

‘Good morning, ma’am.’. I smiled happily at my teacher. ‘I’m sorry. Was I thinking too loud again?’

‘It’s still part of my job, child.’ She waved a hand, and I managed to rid myself of the used toothpaste without looking too crude about it. ‘I understand you had a vision this morning.’

‘If it was a vision,’ I replied silently. ‘It was more like a walk around inside someone else’s head. This someone thinks He is an agent of chaos, promoting evil and destruction like some kind of holy mission. And I was thinking maybe that’s exactly the sort of creature the Omnipresence would create to add a random element to the Multiverse.’

‘Hence my answer about concepts being closer than you think, Advocate. Of all humans, you probably understand the Creator’s intent more than any other. Chaos the entity is quite real, and very much a threat to you and your mission.’ She sighed and rubbed the side of her nose. ‘Like almost everything in Creation ... it’s complicated.’

There was a knock on the door.

“Becca?” It was Emily. “Are you finished yet?”

“Almost!” I called back. “Sorry, Em. I’ll be right out!”

I sighed. ‘I’m afraid we can’t continue right now, ma’am. Others need the bathroom, too.’

‘I understand, child. I grew up in a large family as well, although our morning ablutions were somewhat different back then.’ Mrs. Graymalkin smiled. ‘We will talk more later. Chaos has been with us since nearly before time began. He can wait a few more hours.’

The image in the mirror shifted back to me, looking slightly confused. I grabbed my hairbrush and make-up and opened the door.

“Sorry, sorry,” I said quickly, slipping by her.

“Grrrrrr.” Em dove through the bathroom door and slammed it behind her. I walked back into the bedroom and Heather was standing in front of the mirror in her underwear, trying to pick an outfit.

“What’s the weather today?” she asked.

“Well, in the bathroom, which is where I’ve been since I left, it’s hot and steamy from my shower,” I replied. “But since it’s December outside, I’m thinking it’s at least cool and almost certainly cold. So the denim skirt is out unless you wear tights or leggings under it. And a nice sweater up top.”

“Hmmmm.” Heather slipped back to the closet and looked for a moment, then took down a lavender crew neck with long sleeves. She held it up across her chest and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Is that a ‘can I borrow this, Becca?’ eyebrow? Or is it a ‘what do you think?’ eyebrow?” I tilted my head.

“Both, I think.” She turned and looked in the mirror. “Does it look good? Is it heavy enough? And if the answer to both questions is ‘yes,’ can I borrow it, please?”

I walked over and put my hand on the window. “It’s cold out there, but that’s a nice tight cotton knit, and it should work fine. And yes, you can borrow it.”

“Thank you!” She hugged me tight, and ran back to the bed to get dressed.

“Just remember the tights or leggings — that skirt really ISN’T enough. And wear a jacket.”

“Yes, ‘Mom!’”

I threw my towel at her.

###

My own outfit was a bit simpler, jeans and a long-sleeved light green tee with a short-sleeved dark green sweater over it, white socks and gray sneakers with pink trim. My hair was back in its usual ponytail, and my make-up was soft and understated. For jewelry, just some simple charm earrings: two stylized fox faces as a way to honor my kitsune heritage.

I sailed into the kitchen to find Jeremy hard at work on his breakfast, with Mom at the stove cooking eggs and Emily making her lunch.

“Good morning, Becca,” Mom said. I gave her a quick hug from behind.

“Morning, Mom.” I walked over to the fridge and pulled out the milk, then settled down to a bowl of Special K and a banana.

Dad came in, wearing most of his suit with a tie around his neck still undone.

“Morning, all,” he said as he made his way to the coffeepot. A chorus of “good mornings” bounced back his way, and he groaned as he poured himself a cup.

“If you’re going to audition as a group,” he muttered between sips, “at least rehearse a little before you perform.”

“You forget, dear,” Mom said sweetly as she moved past and put her plate on the table, “we’ve all heard you sing, and as far as you’re concerned, rehearsal won’t help.”

“I love you too, angel,” Dad said, putting down his cup and giving her a hug before she sat down to her breakfast. “And as much as I’d like to serenade you all, I’m afraid Elvis has to leave the building. I have a breakfast meeting with a client.”

“Thank you, mystery client!” I sang out, and Dad looked at me and winked. I winked back and grinned. Thanks to a gift from the Omnipresence, the me that was lost when I became Rebecca was magically restored to the Barnes household, leaving me in the oddly paradoxical position of being my own father and learning to relate to him as someone ... well, someone not me.

Still he did seem to enjoy the secret we shared, and I enjoyed having him around again, and in my life. In everyone’s life, really. His return lifted the burden of a lot of my guilt for the chain of events that made me the Advocate. Carolyn’s loss had been replaced with the happiness that comes from always having her soul mate by her side, and in fact none of my family even knew Jack had died. Plus I had the rare opportunity of discovering what a great dad I had been, from the best vantage point ever — the point of view of one of my children.

Honestly, though. Who knew talking to yourself could be so much fun?

Like the Jack I used to be, he still wished for life as a woman, but he remembered my month as Becca before his resurrection as if it was his own, and that has helped some. But I remember all too well how it felt to be in his position, and he knows he has a standing offer from me for as much girl time as we can get for him, whenever we can figure out how to make it happen.

We’ve been talking about it during our regular Sunday breakfasts. Sometimes he spends them as my nearly identical twin cousin Jackie, which makes him smile. But coming up with a plan to give Dad a longer stay on the female side of the gender divide is harder than it seems. Jack would need a reason to be gone for a while, and as a freelance writer, business trips aren’t an option.

‘Just something else for me to think about in my copious free time,’ I thought with a smile.

Dad tousled Jeremy’s hair and gave each of the girls a hug and kiss before heading out the door. Most of the time he’s very happy to be himself, but I know inside he’ll always need to be the girl he never could be ... until he was me for a few wonderful weeks, not too long ago.

###

School was school. I had resigned myself to going through it all again, but to be honest, I really didn’t mind. It wasn’t that much of a challenge, and it gave me the chance to help my friends study by pretending I needed their help. It was also another way for me to experience life as a normal girl, and God knows I didn’t want to miss that — not after everything I had to go through to get here.

And Tommy was ... well, Tommy. He still made me melt, still made me feel special and loved and desired. In a way, it was odd. I had spent forty some-odd years as a guy, been married to a woman I loved, and yet this boy could make me feel so special with just a smile. I knew from past experience how much power love has, but I remember having more control as Jack than I’ve ever had as Becca. It was all I could do to not to let him have me, because I did want him that much. My whole body ached for him, and sometimes I’d take a little extra time in the shower or the bath to get rid of some of the sexual tension that built up every time I thought of him.

At first, I hadn’t really thought about sex much. After all, becoming Becca wasn’t really about sex. It was more about being myself — about being the woman I truly was inside. But once I agreed to be the Advocate and was transformed into a teenager, I discovered that my new life came with a boyfriend. All those hormones began to rise, and every time I touched him, it got harder to remember why we kept holding back.

It was easier when we weren’t together. After all, it was hard enough being the Advocate now. Add being a teen Mom to the list, and I’d have to ask Akomachi to babysit while I went off to fight evil. Of course, that would be better than asking Mrs. Graymalkin. Just thinking of the look she’d give me for getting pregnant made me shiver.

Tommy and I had managed to avoid “doing it,” but that didn’t mean I still didn’t want to, and the part of me that realized how badly she wanted it knew she needed a way to take that edge off without involving her man.

I was surprised at how easy it eventually was, although I suspect it had to do with a lot of pent-up frustration. Well, that and thinking about how it would feel if Tommy were touching me the way I was touching myself.

Ummm ... is it hot in here?

Moving on ...

###

“Chaos is ... well, for lack of a better description, in a class by himself.”

In Mrs. Graymalkin’s studio, Heather and I were stretching for dance class. Not too far away, Leander moved through a series of katas, and when I reached into my mind to identify them, I discovered I couldn’t. Leander caught me watching her, and her lip twitched an instant before she sent me a message, mind to mind.

‘I am attempting to combine elements of Jeet Kune Do and my own experience in swordwork ... with the coaching of Allaku to bring them together.’

Mrs. Graymalkin cleared her throat delicately, and I realized I was being rude.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

She nodded, and continued. “In order to make the Multiverse less ... orderly, the Omnipresence created Chaos. Not as an entity, originally. More like a force of nature. Chaos was meant to be a subtle influence that made Destiny less certain. It introduced an element of uncertainty into the Creator’s plan, increasing the need for free will. However, in order to make Chaos a truly random factor, the Omnipresence had to do something dangerous. She had to make the force independent of Her. Essentially, She put Chaos off-limits to Her own power, for the good of all.”

“So God really can create a rock so heavy that she can’t lift it?” Heather cocked her head, confused. Mrs. Graymalkin sighed.

“It’s more that She can choose to stop herself from ever lifting a particular rock,” the teacher replied. “She can decide never to touch that rock again, and make that decision binding upon Herself. Heavy or light, big or small ... it does not matter. Her decision is what is important.”

Heather nodded, and Mrs. Graymalkin continued. “For a long time, Chaos did what it was created to do. It brought uncertainty to the Multiverse, but randomly. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, Chaos changed. It evolved. It stopped being an ‘it’ and became a He. And when that happened, His mission became personal. He decided that chaos was more important than order, and let that belief shape his actions. He became destructive, and through no fault of His own, evil. He doesn’t think He's being evil. He thinks He's just doing His job.”

“And the Omnipresence can’t step in and stop him directly?” I looked up from my stretching and met my teacher’s eye. “After all, if the Omnipresence can decide never to touch that rock, She can also change Her mind, if it puts the great plan in danger ... can’t She?”

Mrs. Graymalkin made a face that looked like she’d accidentally sipped a glass of straight lemon juice.

“Unfortunately, I believe that reversing Her decision to stay hands-off where Chaos is concerned could negatively influence the plan, which was begun and continues to evolve with Chaos in an active role.”

“That means we must deal with Him, then.” Leander said, her voice unaffected as she continued her katas. “Although given the level of His power, I would think a direct attack would be unwise.”

“I agree,” I replied. “On the other hand, considering the strength of His position, anything else would be merely treating the symptoms without addressing the disease.”

“Also, since Chaos is needed as part of the plan,” Mrs. Graymalkin said, “eliminating Him would harm what the Omnipresence is trying to create.”

“So what cannot be cured, must be endured.” I rose to my feet, and Heather followed. “Even though His actions will make our job harder, we’re stuck with Him. Not my first choice, but we can’t change the ‘Verse on a whim, and the Omnipresence needs Him.”

"The Omnipresence also needs you, Advocate." Our teacher looked up at us both, and her face was stern. "Do not forget that. Chaos must not be allowed to stop you from doing what you need to do. He is not more important to the plan than you are, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." I nodded. "I'm not about to let anything take my life away, not after all we've been through to get here. And my work is too important to abandon in any case. I'll just have to be ... careful."

“I will make sure of that,” Leander said, moving into a blocking spin that became an attack. “To get you, He will have to come through me. And I can make that very, very difficult.” There was a hint of a smile on her face, and as her eyes flickered my way, I threw her a smile in return.

###

Since I was doing my best not to use my magic unless I had to, Heather and I took the bus back from Mrs. Graymalkin’s studio. As Heather and I walked back home from the bus stop in the cold, I noticed she had gotten very quiet.

“Hey,” I said, breaking the silence. She looked at me, and I smiled. “There was something you wanted to say last night, but you told me to wait until you were awake. Do you want to share? Unless you’re sleepwalking right now? If you are, I totally understand you wanting to wait.”

She smiled at me and shook her head. “No, now is as good a time as any, I guess. I’m still not sure how to say it, but I’ll try, because it’s something you need to hear.”

Heather stopped and put her hand on my arm, forcing me to stop as well. She looked up at me, and I could see concern and a little fear in her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I love you, Becca. You saved me, like you save everybody. And you do it every night and every day, day after day. It can’t be easy doin’ what you do, stopping the bad guys and saving people. Having Leander watching your back helps, but because you’re the Advocate, you’re living three lives at the same time ... and you burn through two days for every one the rest of us live. And the worst part is, I think you don’t care. You’re so committed to doing the right thing for everybody else, that ... that you never really think about you.”

Heather looked away and bit her lip. “I just worry that, when it comes down to it, there isn’t anybody who’s gonna save you from yourself. So I thought I’d try.”

It was quiet for a few seconds, and I reached up and touched her chin. She turned to face me again, and I smiled.

“You’re right.” Her eyes widened, and I laughed. “Oh, come on, girl, don’t look so surprised! You do get to be right once sometimes. I’ve known about the problem for a while. I’m still trying to figure out how to fix it, or even if there is a fix. But I do know it’s there, and I am working on it. Okay?”

“Okay.” Heather sighed, and then her eyes narrowed. “How exactly are you working on it when you barely have time to breathe?”

“What does anybody do when they need help?” I grinned. “I’m going to call the cops.”

###

“Let me get this straight. You need my help?”

Detective Dominique Stabenow sat across from me in the Starbucks closest to school, with the biggest cup of coffee they sell cupped in her hands. I nodded and took a sip of my frappachino.

“I have a problem, Dom,” I replied. “And yes, I think you can help. At least, I hope so.”

“But you’re the Advocate,” she said, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips. “Magical protector of all humanity. Why do you need me? I mean, seriously, I saw you slow down time and float in mid-air. You can pull rabbits out of hats without actually having rabbits ... or hats, come to think of it.”

“That’s actually part of the problem. The magical protector part, not the headwear or wildlife.” I sighed. “I can’t forget that any time I’m not out there working, someone is probably being hurt, and I could be doing something about it. When you add the whole ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ thing on top of that, I’m surprised I can actually stop working long enough to sleep — and I buy myself an extra eight hours every day by sleeping part of the time in an alternate dimension where time moves much, much slower.”

“I’m starting to feel like I’m burning the candle at both ends, and I need to figure out how to be both the Advocate and Becca without either side being lost to the other. I figured I needed to talk to someone who protects and serves and still manages ... somehow ... to have a life. So I came to you.”

Dom looked into her coffee cup. “That’s a tall order, rookie.”

I grinned. “Who else am I going to come to? You’re my partner!”

The detective smiled and shifted in her seat. I waited, knowing she was thinking about the question, and then Dom sighed.

“I’m sorry, Becca. I wish I could help, but I don’t think I can.”

I felt a chill all over. “Why?”

“Because our situations are different, in a lot of ways. I don’t have to choose between home and career, because, as a cop, I’m not really alone. When I leave the station and put the job aside for a while, there are a lot of other police officers and detectives to take my place when I go home to my family. It’s not all up to me, the way it is for you. So I can go home and rest, knowing the ... well, the fight goes on without me. I may not be there, but someone else will be.”

“But there’s only one of you, hon. Only one Advocate. And whenever you aren’t on duty ... bad things are going to happen. Things only you can stop because there is nobody else.”

“There is Heather. And Leander.”

“From what I understand, Heather’s job is to protect the people at home, and Leander’s job is to protect you — because your job is to protect … everyone.”

Dom reached out and put her hand on mine. “I’d take your shift for you if I could, partner, as often as I could. You know I would. But the magical world is out of my jurisdiction, and the things you can do put your job way outside my ability … not to mention my pay grade.”

###

She offered to drive me home, but I could just imagine the expression on Mom’s face when I was dropped off in front of the house by an unmarked police car. And since I needed some time to think, I decided to walk instead.

‘Could I just create a magical police force to back me up?’ I dismissed the thought almost as soon as it occurred. The Omnipresence told me I was special, which is why I was given all this power. I couldn’t just share all this with anyone, not even my friends.

When I freed Leander from her punishment, her own power returned from its 500 years in exile. It was impressive, even if it wasn’t in my class, but she wasn’t ready to do what I do. She was still learning how to be who she was now — a champion, and a free woman. Although she’d made so much progress since our partnership began, there was anger there, both with the Arbiters for their 500-year punishment and for the man she used to be and the things he had done. I was afraid pushing her to balance justice with mercy might require a level of forgiveness she was still working to achieve.

And, surprisingly enough, Heather had similar issues. After a few months of training and an initial boost from me, her innate ability for defensive magic had grown by leaps and bounds, especially with Mrs. Graymalkin still helping her to shape her skills. However, I knew she still remembered being a bully in her former life, and she didn’t want that part of her to ever return. As a result, I believed she was holding herself back from using aggressive magic, subconsciously limiting what she could do out in the field. Maybe she could get past that eventually, but she needed to feel secure in her new self before those barriers could come down.

No, I had excellent back-up, but there was no one who could step in for me and do my job if I needed a break. For good or ill, I was going to have to be the one and only Advocate for the foreseeable future. I wasn’t giving up. I knew there had to be an answer. It was just a question of finding it.

After all, I saved a lot of other people every day. It was time for me to put that experience to work saving myself.

The question was … how?

###

Olaf Johannsen finished the morning’s milking and walked out into the yard behind the barn. As he fished his pipe and pouch out of his jacket pocket, he thought about how lucky he was. Luckier than the other dairy farmers in the valley.

‘Thirty cows,’ he thought as he stuffed tobacco into the bowl. ‘And I didn’t have to buy a single one. Just that old cowbell Marie found in the attic, and a few random hikers every week or so, and I’ve got a herd of dairy cows that just keep givin’. No wonder I can lower my prices to beat ol’ Arne and still make a profit. I must be the luckiest man alive.’

“The trouble with luck is that it always runs out, Mister Johannsen.”

Startled, he turned, pipe in his mouth and a lit match in his hand. A red-headed girl and a blonde woman stood there, clearly dressed for walking through the countryside. He’d seen his share of hikers over the years, although two women alone was very unusual.

‘Not that they’d be women much longer.’

“Welcome, ladies!” His smile grew wide at the thought of more producers for his barn. “Travelers, I see. I offer you my hospitality, such as it is.”

“I am afraid your ‘hospitality,’ as you put it, is nothing to brag about. It usually winds up with your guests sleeping naked in the barn, with your hands on their … teats.” The older woman sniffed and shook her head. “I can’t believe anyone would stoop so low.”

“Excuse me?”

She shook her head. “If you think I would excuse turning innocent men and women into cows, you’re crazier than I thought. If we had not noticed the higher levels of ambient magic covering your pastures, we never would have caught you.”

The young girl seemed to look straight through him, then turned to the woman with a frown. “Leander? It wasn’t a spell. He’s not gifted at all.”

“Then it must be an item, some kind of magic-imbued relic.”

“Can you find what he used to change them?”

The one called Leander nodded. “Of course. Give me a moment.”

She closed her eyes for a second, then moved purposefully towards the farmhouse.

“Why … why do you want it?”

The girl looked at him again.

“We need it to undo what was done,” she said, “and whatever it is, it is way too dangerous to remain loose in the world.”

“Undo what was done?” Olaf turned pale, and took a step towards the girl. “You can’t! You’ll ruin me!”

“That is the least of your problems, Mister Johannsen.” She sounded very mature for one so young. “I am the Advocate, charged by the Omnipresence with protecting people from magical abuse. You have used magic to ‘ruin’ other humans, turning them into farm animals and stealing their very humanity. It is not just your farm at stake. It is also your future.”

Olaf saw Leander returning from the farmhouse. She held the tarnished cowbell suspended on the end of a broadsword he hadn’t realized she had been carrying. Her other arm was outstretched, levitating his wife Marie a foot in the air as she struggled to escape her invisible grasp.

The blonde woman lowered his wife to the ground and pushed her forward to fall at his feet.

“The cowbell is what they used,” Leander said, tossing it with a flick of her wrist to land at the Advocate’s feet. “It fairly reeks of malevolent magic.”

“What are you doing?” Marie rose up and turned on the woman with the broadsword. “You have no right —“

“Do not be so quick to speak of rights.” The point of the broadsword touched her chin, and she froze. “We are dealing with you fairly, which is more than I can say you and your husband did for those hikers in the barn.”

The wife pulled her head back and looked away. “Hikers? I don’t know what you mean! They are cows!”

The girl called the Advocate shook her head. “You cannot lie to me, Marie.”

“How do you know my name?”

“The same way I know that you were the one who found the cowbell and used it on the first group of hikers who came to your farm. When you found it, it told you what it was, and what it could do. And the idea of having that kind of power … thrilled you.”

She looked into Marie’s face, then shuddered. “I feel the joy you felt when you turned those boys into cows. You loved tormenting them for weeks afterward, too … hearing them bawl while you milked them. You sat on the porch and smiled as they grazed, crying the only way they knew how for the lives they lost. The lives you took.”

Leander turned to Olaf and touched the center of his chest with her blade. “And of course, free cows are not a gift to turn down, yes? Why argue with your wife’s cruelty when there is money to be made?”

“Bah!” The farmer looked down the length of the sword into the blonde’s eyes. “How could a spoiled rich thing like you understand how hard the world truly is?”

“Rich?” Leander’s eyes widened. “You think I am wealthy?”

“You wear those fancy hiking clothes, don’t you? Such expensive boots.” He sneered. “And that sword must have cost you a pretty penny, missy.”

“This sword? It cost me nothing,” she replied, sinking it deep enough in his jacket to go clear through to his skin. He froze. “But the obligation that goes with it? Well, that is priceless. I get to use it on people like you, who steal other people’s lives and make them nothing but property.”

“Leander.” The girl’s voice stopped the blade’s progress instantly, and the blonde pulled it back an inch, and sighed.

“Apologies, milady. Memories.”

The Advocate nodded. “I understand, I do.”

She turned to the couple and looked at them for a long moment. “I’m not quite sure what to do with you both. You, Marie, stole the lives of thirty people because you enjoyed it, and Olaf, you let her do it so you could make a profit.”

“A profit? Hah! Just breaking even is a challenge these days.” He snorted and shook his head. “You’re just a young girl. You don’t understand. You don’t know how hard it is to keep a roof over your head. I am sure your parents give you everything you need. They feed you, take care of you when you’re sick. You don’t have to earn a living. I don’t have that luxury. I work from dawn to dusk every day, just to stay alive.”

“We did what we had to do to survive, that’s all.” Marie sniffed, and looked down her nose at the duo. “And do not try to tell me you would not do the same. You are human, after all.”

“So that’s why you did what you did?” The Advocate lifted an eyebrow. “Life is hard, so you took a shortcut through other people’s lives to make it easier for you?”

The wife sneered at her. “Naturally, you stupid girl! Isn’t that what everyone really wants —to make their lives easier?”

“So let me make sure I understand. If you had all the food and rest you could ever want, with no jobs or responsibilities to worry about, and everything else was someone else’s problem, you’d really be happy and content … for the rest of your lives?”

“Of course!” The husband and wife answered together, and the redheaded girl smiled.

“Done.”

###

After I sent the last of the restored hikers back on their path, I stood for a while looking at the now-empty farm. My eight hours were almost up, but I still lingered, thinking about the Johannsens — what they did, and what happened after.

“You seem lost in thought, milady.” Leander spoke from behind me, and I smiled at the sound of her voice.

“More like second thoughts,” I replied without turning around. “I mean, it seemed pretty straightforward to me. I applied my usual punishment for situations like these.”

“You did unto them what they did unto others?”

I smiled. “Yes, exactly. And after the transformation, while you were making the hikers human again, I went to them the way I usually do and told them the rules. If they truly understood what they did was wrong and were honestly sorry for the crimes they committed, I would restore their humanity.”

“And what was their response?”

I turned to face her. “They laughed at me ... well, mentally, anyway. I don’t think cows can laugh, but if they could, both of them would have been rolling on the barn floor.”

“They refused to admit they’d done anything wrong and refused to acknowledge my authority. Then they told me that they would just as soon stay cows until the end of time rather than admit that stealing the lives of those hikers was anything but justified.”

“And this troubles you?” I nodded, and Leander tilted her head. “Why?”

“Because when I took you away from the Arbiters, I did it because I believed in redemption. I saw something in you they didn’t, because they couldn’t. They were blinded by their prejudice against humans, but I believed in your capacity for learning and growth, even after what they had done to you. I trusted my faith in humanity, and in you. And you’ve never disappointed me.”

“But these two ...” I shivered, and wrapped myself in a hug. “They’re psychopaths — totally without empathy. I could tell Marie continued to feel pleasure from what she did, even after she found herself in a similar position. And Olaf? He decided he’d rather stay a cow just to spite me, since he didn’t feel he needed to be punished. He also saw his humanity as a burden, since as a cow, he could be taken care of forever.”

“How could they not want to understand? I can see through the eyes of all kinds of magical creatures, and make them understand each other. So why can’t I understand ... them?”

For a long time, Leander said nothing. Then she surprised me. She reached out and pulled me into a hug, and just held me until the shivering stopped.

“Because they aren’t magical creatures,” she replied, whispering into my hair. “And they aren’t human, even if they seem to be. You told them that you would restore their humanity once they truly understood the depth of their crimes?”

I nodded. “But Becca, not even you can give them back something they never had. No matter what they might look like, they had no humanity to restore.”

“Maybe, in time, they will change. Maybe they will not. That’s why the Omnipresence gave humans free will, so we can all make that call on our own. But you can’t make them see. All you can do is put them in a place where they might learn. In any event, it’s somewhere they can do no harm, and maybe, this time ... that will have to be enough.”

“Besides, for all of their bluster, they haven’t realized the true measure of their punishment. For two strong personalities like themselves, having no control over their own lives will become ... more than frustrating, don’t you think?”

I looked up at her and she smiled. “In the end, you can only save the people who want to be saved, milady. Sometimes, rescuing the victims is all you can do ... because we both know they needed and wanted to be saved.”

I nodded, and she broke the hug.

“When did you get to be so smart?” I asked. Leander grinned.

“When I said yes to your offer, all those months ago.”

“Nice to be surprised by something good for a change,” I said with a smile, and she surprised me again by sticking out her tongue.

“Anyway, it’s late, for both of us. And you’re right, we’ve done enough to save the world for one night. Time to head for home.”

###

Ken Franks looked at the foreman, and back at the line.

“Two extra cows? Where the hell did we get two extra cows?”

Bill Morrisey shrugged. “I’ve got no idea, boss. When I noticed them this morning, I went back and looked to see when we got them. According to the records, they showed up with a group of other cows months ago, but this is the first time I remember seeing them.”

Ken took the clipboard and looked at the arrival slip. “From the Johannsen farm, sired by different bulls ... Olive and Mary? Come on, Bill! We’re not such a big operation that we can miscount our stock for months!”

“Well, the equipment is set up for them, And we’ve got feed records from when they got here, and medical records extending from before they showed up. They’re both in perfect health, and both of them seem to be way above average when it comes to milk production.”

“And they’re both on the bill of sale with those other cows?” Bill nodded, and Ken handed him the clipboard. “Then I guess we’ve got ourselves a bigger herd than we knew. Where are they in the breeding cycle?”

“According to the records, both apparently calved right before we got ‘em, and it’s been about two months, so they’re at peak production now. They’re almost about due to be bred again.”

“Okay. Have the AI tech schedule insemination for both of them when their cycles say it’s best.”

The foreman nodded and turned to go, then stopped and turned back. “You know, Fred Stossel’s bull is available for breeding. You’ve seen his records. His heifer calves wind up with terrific production numbers, and so if both calves are female, they could be a good expansion for the herd down the line.”

“The herd’s already larger than we thought.” Ken grinned, and Bill smiled back. “Okay, check on availability and see how much it’s gonna cost us for two cows. Olive and Mary are good producers, and between their records and Fred’s bull’s, we ought to get some great cows from a match. Oh, and get the breeding pen ready.”

“Going traditional this time? That’s a switch. We could go AI with his sperm, too, you know.”

It was Ken’s turn to shrug. “Yeah, that’s true. God knows insemination is easier, but it seems to me that life’s gotta be more than just waiting to be milked, don’t you think? Fred’s bull is pretty tame and predictable as dairy bulls go, and the girls deserve a little action once in a while. So, set up the pen and get the staff ready.”

“You’re the boss.”

###

Again, He felt the ripples in space-time, and once more the chaos He had created among the humans untangled itself. In a frustrating burst of magic, reality became ordered once more, and thirty lives that had been interrupted were made whole again. The anguish and confusion over their disappearances had been wiped out as if it had never happened, and the two agents responsible had been removed from His influence as completely as if they had never existed.

Only one being had the power to do that. Yet, He was sure it wasn’t ... Her. Whatever Her long game was, direct action was something She avoided, because it held the possibility of endangering Her goals. She had only done that once in recent memory, for reasons He could not hope to understand.

And although He couldn’t quite figure out why it felt different, He knew this was not Her work. At least, not directly. He needed to learn more, but had no idea how to do that. He was unused to creating plans, since plans required a certain level of order to succeed, and order was always His sworn enemy.

He needed to think on this. Perhaps He needed someone to assist Him. A human, perhaps — someone used to planning and achieving goals, as She does.

Perhaps He needed ... an ally.

© 2013 as a work in progress, all rights reserved. Posted with permission of the author.

Readers, Please Remember to Leave a Comment