The Peabrain's Magic Read online

  The Peabrain’s Magic

  The Peabrain Adventures: Book Two

  Martha Carr

  MRC Publishing

  Copyright © 2019 by Martha Carr

  MRC Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Ljiljana Romanovic

  Created with Vellum

  Thank You

  To the Early Readers Team

  Kathleen Fettig

  Michael Robbins

  Debi Sateren

  Michael Baumann

  Special shout out to Grace Snokes, Jynafer Yanez, and Amanda Zwald for their general badassery behind the scenes to keep everything

  running so smoothly.

  To all those who love to read, and like a good puzzle inside a good story and can’t wait to see what their favorite characters are going to do next

  To Michael Anderle for his generosity

  to all his fellow authors

  To Louie and Jackie

  And in memory of my big sister,

  Dr. Diana Deane Carr

  who first taught me about magic, Star Trek,

  DC Comics and flaming cherries jubilee

  Contents

  Bernie and Maggie

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  About Martha

  Author Notes

  Bernie and Maggie

  1

  The sun was barely rising behind the cluster of skyscrapers in downtown Austin, coloring the dark blue sky with a streak of deep orange. Maggie Parker glanced over her shoulder and recited part of the rhyme her father taught her as a child. "Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning."

  She already knew something ominous was about to happen. They were there to hunt Simon Wesley and retrieve the compass.

  A large transparent bubble floated across the wide grassy plaza spread out in front of her, popping just in front of Maggie where she stood on the other side, releasing a message.

  "You okay over there by yourself?" Bernie's voice rang out loud and clear in the air in front of her.

  "He does know I can hear him, right?" Wilmark peered across the open space at Bernie who could be seen standing with his hands on his hips in the distance, scowling.

  "I think that's the point."

  "He didn't seem to appreciate it when I told him to guard our blind spot." The knight briefly stepped out of the shadows, still wearing the tall boots and leather pants and a form-fitting tunic with the crest for the Knights of Godwin in the center.

  "He did it anyway, though. I'm learning that about Bernie." Maggie stepped out of the shadows beside him and waved over her head, which didn't seem to be doing anything for Bernie. He held his stance and stared, smoothing out the front of a mustard-colored sweater. Small, illuminated bubbles piled out of his mouth as fireflies floated just above his head.

  Even Bernie is nervous, that's not good.

  Maggie turned away for a moment, taking in a deep breath. I'm standing on South Congress Avenue between a knight of yore and a gnome, tracking a fellow coworker for a magic compass. Yeah, that's about right. She wanted to go tell her sister, Diana everything. Soon enough.

  She let out the breath and turned back around, touching her lips. The memory of Jake's kiss settled in her chest and she felt a cool thread of energy pass through her head. So, the peabrain's magic is not all business. Good to know.

  "What are you smiling about?" The knight was giving her a puzzled look.

  "None of your business," she said, feeling her face grow warmer.

  Maggie was standing in a corner of the plaza, located behind the office tower that was shaped like an oversized Mayan Temple. Blue lights were still lit along the edges of the ascending levels, reflecting off the red granite front. She looked toward the east and felt her mind clear for a moment. "Nothing like a Texas sky," she whispered. "Let an orange sky be a good sign this time."

  Bernie waved to her again from across the plaza where he had taken up his designated position. It gave him a clear view of the nearby avenue and a direct sightline to Maggie.

  She raised her hand just as another shiver ran across the back of her neck, but this time it was accompanied by a sudden, brief pounding in her head and she quickly stepped back into the darkness.

  She looked up to see what had changed but the plaza was still empty. "Did we miss him?"

  "No, he's here somewhere. He'll show himself. Now pay attention." Wilmark pressed his hands together, pulling them slowly apart to reveal a glowing blue ball of light.

  "Can I do that?" Maggie watched, her eyes widening, as the pulsing light swirled between the knight's hands.

  Wilmark shook his head. "Standard elven magic. You can do something like this with bubbles. It's how I tracked Simon Wesley to this plaza. There's a similar ball of energy, a smaller one trailing behind him, ever since he broke into your garage."

  "He what?" Maggie put her hands on her hips, her fingers trailing along the top of her gun. I really need to get an alarm on that garage.

  The ball of light in the knight's hands suddenly grew darker, turning a deep purple. Wilmark jerked his head to the right, pressing his hands together and putting out the light. "There he is." Wilmark pulled her back even deeper into the fading shadows, his long dark hair falling over his shoulder. Maggie felt a familiar urge to move in closer on a suspect, but the knight's large hand was gripping her arm, holding her back.

  Simon came into view, his coat pulled closed, the collar turned up against the bracing wind and his hands were jammed into his pockets. He kept his head down except for the occasional quick glance in every direction and he was moving at a fast clip.

  Maggie saw his pocket bulge like he was grasping something inside, and she felt her muscles twitch, eager to take him down. "He has the compass with him."

  Wilmark narrowed his gaze, studying Simon's movements and saw his eyelids flutter over and over again. "Something is off. We're going to be cautious." The knight looked around at the almost empty street. "No need to start a firefight on an open street."

  "You too? Do you have an entire set of rules as well?" Maggie pressed her lips together and kept watching Simon, staying in the shadows. She could feel the pull of the compass and put out her hand without even thinking about it. Wilmark grabbed her arm again, lowering her hand.

  It was too late. Simon suddenly stopped in his tracks, close to the long, low waterfall that stretched along the entire back of the pavilion. He let out a surprised yelp and yanked his hand out of his pocket and shook it in the cold air.

  The noise of the falling water was making it difficult for him to detect any sound but something was bothering him. He held out his hand, palm up, blowing a blood red bubble that floated just above his hand.

  Wilmark tensed, letting out a low growl as his grip tightened around
Maggie's arm. Maggie peeled his fingers off her arm and shot him a look. "You're here as a courtesy, not as my babysitter."

  "I'm here to protect you. You don't understand what you're looking at; there is so much for you to learn."

  "I understand enough. Get this down now; we're allies, first and always. I'm willing to stand beside you, but not behind you." Maggie pulled out her gun, waiting.

  Wilmark crouched down, further into the darkness. "Simon is no longer an ordinary foe. He's practicing dark magic, some of the oldest kind. It's already taking him over." He shook his head. "It takes a rare magical who can use blood magic and survive. Your gun is going to be useless against it."

  Maggie furrowed her brow, putting her gun back in the holster. Even from this distance, she could see something was happening to Simon. His head jerked back and forth, left and right and his eyelids bulged out in places, only to lie flat again. "What the hell is that?"

  Simon opened his eyes, his teeth clenched. A single bee emerged from underneath an eyelid and stood momentarily on his cheek, before taking flight. He threw his head back, his arms straight out to the sides. Another bee emerged, followed by another until a swarm was surrounding his head, carefully following the lines of his face and forming themselves to it, till all that could be seen were the two dark eyes.

  Maggie's mouth was open in a perfect 'o', but she quickly shut it and felt herself relax into whatever was coming next. You find a solution by staying calm. That's one of my rules. Her hands rested on her hips and she lifted her chin. "That's a new level of darkness," she whispered.

  Simon's head swiveled in Maggie's direction, the swarm turning with him like an angry cloud. The sound of the buzzing grew, overtaking the gentle rush of water over the carefully laid stones behind him.

  Wilmark looked over at Maggie, recognition growing on his face. "He can sense you."

  "No, the compass can and he's using it like that old children's game. He's getting warmer." She felt the tug again, right in the center of her chest. "I think I've become connected to the compass."

  Simon took a step forward, looking deeper into the shadows. Maggie stepped back, knowing it wasn't going to work. "Warmer, warmer... I think he's about to get red hot," she whispered. "Tell me, Wilmark, if my gun won't work and he's using ancient dark magic that has you rattled, what do I use to fight him?"

  "This was a mistake." Wilmark tried to slide in front of Maggie, but she quickly darted just ahead of him, preventing his block.

  Maggie prepared herself for whatever was coming next. But something was stirring behind Simon and she looked just beyond him. "No... don't..."

  Bernie was stepping out of the shadows, blowing a continuous stream of bubbles till he was surrounded by them, transforming himself into a large yellow python, quickly slithering across the open space and winding his way up Simon's body. A smile grew across Simon's face and he turned his head, looking straight at Maggie through the swarm. That's when she saw it.

  His eyes were completely dark under the shock of silver hair hanging down over his forehead.

  Maggie sprang forward before the knight could stop her, determined to stop whatever Simon had in mind for Bernie. She quickly covered enough ground stopping just yards from him.

  "Just do what Bernie taught you. Focus on something and think of nothing. Easy." She put her hands out in front of her waist and forced herself to calm down.

  The python surrounding Simon curled around his neck, tightening down his trunk, but the smile remained on Simon's face, even as the bees changed direction and left their orbit around him. They were gathering in a stream, slowly building a noisy bridge pointed toward Maggie. His blank, black eyes stood out against his pale skin as a spidery black web spread underneath his skin, stretching across his cheek. The darkness was poisoning him.

  Save Bernie. Maggie set the intention, and let go, letting the energy flow through her. A tingle, building to a hum gathered along the back of her neck as a cool thread of energy rolled through her head. She repeated the intention... Save Bernie... and let it go again.

  A large, deep blue bubble grew in her outstretched hands, blowing apart into a thousand small bubbles that wove themselves together into a coil, whipping across the pavilion. The coil threaded itself under and around the enormous python, making contact with the scaly skin and instantly turning to gel, spreading in all directions. The snake lost its grip and fell around Simon's feet, it's tail whipping back and forth in the grass in frustration as it tried to regain its position but without any traction.

  The blue gel quickly reformed into one long, continuous bubble surrounding the snake, barely lifting it off the ground.

  "You had no right! I can do this!" Bernie's voice came screaming out of the snake, angry and hurt. Maggie felt an ache in her chest and it momentarily caught her off guard. The deep blue of the bubble faded and holes appeared, dropping the snake back to the ground with a thud.

  Maggie gasped, suddenly in a panic at what she had done. The python tried to slither away but instead whipped back and forth in a pool in the center of the pavilion.

  "I've made it worse. He's defenseless." She kept her hands out, doing her best to let go, form another bubble, but it wasn't working. Her entire focus was on the helpless snake... Bernie... caught at the feet of Simon Wesley.

  Simon's sneer grew and he raised his hands, the fingers curled, directing the bees to attack. The swarm reformed itself into a black and yellow ball over the length of the snake's body.

  Maggie didn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. She ran as fast as she could, covering the last of the space between them and lunged at Bernie, covering as much of the snake with her body as she could. She rolled over to face Simon, her hand outstretched, still trying to get the magic to reignite. Red slime was pouring from Simon's curled fingers, dripping down his coat and creeping along the ground toward Maggie and the snake. Four small stars were visible on his wrist.

  He's enjoying this way too much.

  The army of bees dove at Maggie, stinging her hands over and over again but she held her ground, covering her face with her arms.

  A high-pitched whistle abruptly filled her ears, blocking out all other sound, and making her cringe in pain as it echoed in her head and she put down her arms to see what Simon was throwing at them now. Bring it.

  This time, the weapons weren't aimed at her. Sparks in the shape of tiny gold spearheads flew over her head, piercing Simon's skin with small, painful nicks, pushing him backward. Simon reared back his head and roared in anger.

  Wilmark had come out of the shadows and was fighting back, pushing Simon from the center of the pavilion. The tall elf was straining under the pressure, his arms outstretched, still shooting the small missiles.

  The red slime pouring off Simon redirected itself making a sharp right turn along the ground, away from Maggie and the snake, headed directly at the knight. The deep scarlet liquid caught an edge of Maggie's shoe, burning the sole and releasing a stench of lavender and rotten eggs in the air. Maggie pulled her leg back, as Bernie transformed behind her, back into a gnome. He leaned forward in one swift move and wrapped his arms around Maggie, muttering, "In terris non sunt infirmata".

  "What the..."

  The world went black and Maggie felt herself fall endlessly, landing hard on a tile floor. They were inside the Earth.

  She looked up in the dim light to see Jack's worried face across the cavernous room. "What's happened?" He was wearing a pale blue apron and was lifting an oversized wrench. "Small flood in West Virginia. I have to fix the leak. Why are you here?"

  Bernie held his grip on Maggie. "No time. Rule number eighty-eight is breaking out all over!" The words whistled through his teeth.

  Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "You left a knight to battle by himself? I'm getting the others..."

  "Revertetur in quo nos fuimus."

  "Bernie, wait! You need backup!" There was a clatter as the large wrench hit the tile floor.

  The air r
ushed out of Maggie's lungs, leaving her gasping as she zipped through another black tunnel, her head pressed back hard against Bernie's chest. The feel of nubby, worn wool rubbed against her neck, the scent of strawberries filling her nose.

  They were right back on the pavilion, but this time located behind Simon who was screaming in pain, his anger growing. The bees were in chaos, flying in different directions and colliding with each other.

  Wilmark was winning for the moment, but with each passing second was getting closer to losing the battle. He was stepping back, doing his best to avoid the red tide sliding toward him and was almost out of room. He was going to have to choose between defeating Simon or saving himself.

  Bernie pushed Maggie to the ground.

  "What are you doing?" Maggie took in large gulps of air, rolling over onto her knees.

  "Wilmark won't be able to hold him forever and Simon has no reason to keep Wilmark alive. I'm going to distract him long enough to let Wilmark get away."

  "I'm going to help."

  "You're not ready, we made a mistake bringing you here. If you get in the middle of things, Wilmark will fulfill his duty and sacrifice himself and Simon will... Well, let's go over the more gruesome details later. Stay!" He held out his hand. "You can get mad at me for that later," he yelled over his shoulder.

  Maggie got to her feet, ignoring Bernie's plea. She had a different idea, a new one. She held out her arms and set a different intention. Help me to work with Wilmark. The energy shot through her, lifting her onto her toes as her back arched. A strangled breath left her throat in the sound of a gurgle and she had to fight to keep her position.