Witch Clan: Warriors! by John Stormm (good book club books txt) 📕

I’ll get to travel like you someday,” he added wistfully.

“You never know,” Stormy replied. “New things happen everyday.”

Prior to them leaving the house, Little Fox had given him last minute instructions and disappeared into the night. Dodger kept in step with his Matriarch like he had been there his whole life and scanned the rooms continually for any signs of trouble. Grandma’s spell was obviously helping with his ability to focus as the butterflies had left him completely and only the assurances of a seasoned professional filled him now.

Uncle Milty stepped out into the lime light to the roar of applause and delivered his carefully crafted lines with dignified aplomb and introduced the myriad of guests as they took their places on the giant stage. When called, he, Grandma Emma and Johnny came forward to be introduced and Uncle Milty escorted them to their assigned positions for the ceremony and took his own place among the robed, dancing celebrants.

He continued scanning the crowd and noted the Vizier and Grand Marshal Rumsdon in their ceremonial robes among the plethora of fashion and designer robes of the celebrants. They appeared anxious, but the Matriarch began her speech to greet the Solstice celebrants and open the dance and then, all was quiet. Johnny cued the percussion section and the drums began to pulse like a heartbeat while he moved to the center of the circle. He stood there for the space of a couple deep breaths and very subtly, his body began to move to the beat. Slowly the musicians began to accompany the earthy beat with an exotic rhythm and harmony and Johnny’s movements became more defined and the first of the dancers at the edge of the circle surrounding him began to mirror his movements while moving in a spiral towards the center where Johnny danced. One by one, the other celebrants moved in step into the spiral dance as if they had danced this way their entire lives. Dodger had no doubt that Johnny had, but in truth many of these dancers weren’t even friends in Council or the Assembly of the Wise. Scanning the audience, he could see them swaying, nodding their heads and rocking their shoulders in time to the music. The effect was awesome to behold and he had a grandstand view of the spectacle.

Horns, wind and stringed instruments joined and harmonized as the full spiral of the dance was formed on stage. Many feet above the dancers, tiny fireflies mirrored the spiral below like a model of the galaxy in miniature. The dancers and spectators were so enrapt in the ensorcelled dance that none stopped even for the briefest instant to “Oooh” or “Aaaah” at the massive effect the world watched on their scryboxes. Stormy began to perform leaps and little midair spins to his dance which even the elder of the celebrants mirrored without a misstep. Dodger was certain none of those older gents could ever have been convinced to even rehearse moves like that, much less perform them outright for all the world to see. Gods, but it was a marvelous sight to see. Past the twenty minute mark and all the cameras remained focused upon the stage with no let up in sight. The only changes were the indicator lights on the individual cameras, showing which one was the main feed of that moment. As the musicians added bridges and variations on the theme, Johnny added stomps and shimmies which were followed in turn by every dancer on the stage. Sweat appeared upon flushed faces but no other sign was made that any were willing to do any more or less than to dance this spiral with the witch kid dancing the circle at its center. The Matriarch held her position, chanting a song and waving her arms gracefully as if she were directing the fireflies in their aerial dancing.

At the fifty minute mark, Dodger noticed a large contingent of Elite Guard gathering in from the exits, but no one made a move closer in as they stood with heads nodding, swaying in time with the music and rocking their shoulders at the back of the audience. Some of the dancers on stage, including the Vizier and Grand Marshal Rumsdon were showing signs of exhaustion. Grandma Emma appeared to take note of this and began signaling to get the musicians attention and slowly wound the dance to its proper closing.

In spite of the length of the dancing, the audience seemed never to notice the passing of so much time and applauded wildly, the Elites in the back echoing their approval. In fits and droves the celebrants seemed to come out of their trances, smiling and acknowledging the applause and congratulating each other on their splendid performances. Dauntless Dick seemed to find the energy to make his way up to the podium, upon which he leaned heavily and proclaimed he hadn’t danced that well or hard since he was a boy. With the exception of one, Dodger doubted any boy ever danced like that before. The crowd roared their approval and Dauntless waved, smiled and chanted the simple Solstice benediction for prosperity and world peace and the press boxes began their clamor of news anchors and commentary on the epic ceremony and picture of harmonic coexistence such as the Council or Assembly have never seen in their combined histories. The fireflies seemed to have left the room when no one was watching as there were none to be seen winking anywhere. Dodger held his position next to his Matriarch and Stormy as the celebrants and the crowd dispersed. A limousine drove them home afterwards. People from all walks of life on the street could be seen mimicking their favorite dance moves from the night’s performance. If he lived so long, Dodger would tell his grandchildren of this one night of his life and anyone who would listen for years to come. Providing, of course that something awful didn’t happen to the genuine deadliest man in the world as he took on his mission to retrieve and destroy the Rift Wand. It would all be pointless then. Dodger worried all the way back to the apartment with Grandma Emma and Johnny.
Stone Cutter

It was a cool night to be out jogging barefoot and naked across town towards the Ivory Tower. Emma had used a needle and a fine silk strand from one of her fae garments to thread the black bean on a single strong filament worn about his neck. John Little Fox had no fears of accidentally swallowing the enchanted item or of being seen. The exertion kept him warm as he loped along at a brisk pace to where he had a cloak and some clothes stashed. A few blocks away from the apartment, he quickly donned his gear and made his way across town to where the Rift Wand was being kept.

The sprawling Capitol building and its Ivory Tower was gaily lit for the Solstice Celebration. The southwest corner housed the executive offices and council chamber of the witches’ Assembly of the Wise. The southeastern corner likewise housed the Wizards’ Council. The northern corner held the main amphitheater where celebrities and heads of state would be jostling for position within for all the best places to view and be viewed by others. Little Fox wasted no time stashing his clothes in a nearby alcove and taking the wrought iron fence at a run. Launching himself off the hood of a limousine to clear the spiked barricade, he did a neat tuck and roll as he touched down on the other side. Coming out of an energy dissipating tumble and into a smooth stride, he continued his way into the building unseen.

He knew the layout of the building from his sessions with Indigo and Scylla. By this time, Emma, Johnny and his own doppelganger would be appearing on the grand stage for the Solstice Celebration. He could hear the applause coming from the far side of the building. That meant he had less than an hour to get his hands on the Rift Wand and destroy it. He slowed down when he got to the research wing of the building as he knew there would be more guards here than just those he could actually see. Elite Shadows constantly patrolled these corridors in pairs and in the innermost rooms, there would be an unknown number of them using the same methods he was using to stand guard on the Pentacle’s treasures.

He was very glad the place was heated. He could slow his pace and approach cautiously. Windwalker had told him that the invisible Shadows would not be carrying weapons. That would give their positions away, but they would be within easy reach of weapons, should they need them. He would need some kind of diversion to get past the guards he could see and then he would quietly stand inside and search the room for weapons to get a clue where the invisible guards might be.

Two guards flanking a third, who was carrying a small urn of coffee and a tray of sandwiches passed him in the hall going in the direction he was heading. He padded along a few feet behind them to a large double door at the end of the hall with an armed guard standing at parade rest on either side. Only one door to this wing. That will save a lot of needless searching.

“Open up, lads,” the tray bearer commanded, “so the others can have their dinner and you two can head back to the barracks and watch the show on the scrybox with the rest.”

“I’ll bet we already missed Uncle Milty,” one complained.

“You never know what that man will say next,” the other said with a chuckle.

“I know what you mean,” said his relief. “It always hits me right between the eyes. He was telling us about how he had slipped and got his rump stuck in a garbage can and started hollerin’ ‘FIRE! FIRE!’ and when the Yellow Jackets came and pulled him out and asked him where