Fairies Sorcery and the Greek Gods

Prologue

This story began in Wisconsin; a man had been picked by the hand of God to wage war with a powerful force that was trying to take over the world by bringing a race of ruthless fairies back from exile. Many years ago, the angels came to the earth, expelled the fairies to a distant planet, and released the souls of the sons and daughters of the angels who came to the earth and fooled around with the humans. Some hid, like the blue fairies; those were the ones who existed today. The blue fairies enslaved the red fairies, and the sons and daughters of the angels became Greek, Norse, and Egyptian gods; it all depended on where they lived. Their children could handle the power of the fairies and became guardians for thousands of years throughout the world.

Jack sat in the passenger seat of a rental car with his eyes closed, saying, OK, let’s get this straight. I saved a green fairy that was being attacked by blue fairies, the green fairy named Elizabeth tried to kill me, a red fairy named Nora saved me from her, and I come to find out the blue fairies killed my wife, Ermma. That’s when I found out there are thousands of red fairies enslaved by the blue ones. I was then taken into the forest and met a unicorn named Ivan, and I killed a Bigfoot and rescued a red fairy guardian named Sara. Oh, yeah, let’s not forget your boss, Marvin the Magnificent, also known as Merlin the Great, Merek, and Albrich, who was the apprentice of Baba-Yaga and was the Dragon Slayer, and I killed a blue guardian, Margaret, who is going to be my mother when I regenerate. Speaking of that, I am no longer an eighty-three-year-old guy. I am around fifty, I believe, and I am getting younger all the time. My job is to free the red fairies from the blues, stop the blue fairies from coming back to the earth. I guess in the past, they were banished to some distant planet. I really don’t know what’s up with that. Oh, yes, we brought Juliet back to life, Marvin’s wife of thousands of years. I just can’t grasp how long some of you guys live. You’re around three thousand.

Andre said, You left out meeting the archangel Gabriel and the Mother Mary and stopping the devil himself.

It has been a busy three weeks. Speaking of that, I should call my lawyer or Margaret’s lawyer, tell him we found my son. Validmar has my new life ready. He is computer-generating pictures of me, but he needs some when I have finished regenerating. Damn.

Andre asked, What was the damn for?

Oh, yeah, that I have to get to Nassau—you know, that small island off the Bahamas Margaret owned. It’s going to be mine. I have to meet that Dave Hanson guy and Linda. That has to be done. They are of the blue fairy.

When is he flying down?

Jack shook his head. Today. Crap, I don’t have time for this. It has to be done. Ah, nuts, what am I going to do?

Andre smiled and asked, OK, let’s look at this. You need to fly into Nassau, so we will fly you to Nassau. How long are we going to be there?

Jack asked, Where is Elizabeth?

Nora, the small red fairy, hopped up to the dash. She’s in the back, sleeping. I’ll get her.

Andre pulled onto the highway, got the car up to speed, put the cruise on, and then looked over at Jack, who was sitting with his eyes closed. Elizabeth, the green fairy, flew onto the dash and asked, What can I do for you?

Jack opened his eyes. Oh, yes, do you think I could fly at night across a couple of hundred miles of water without getting lost?

Andre added, Or without running out of power and crashing into the sea? Why do you want to do that? I can fly you.

Jack said, The next exit, take it.

Nora was chatting with Elizabeth. Jack watched for a couple of seconds and then said, Wow, my hearing is doing pretty good. I got most of that, so what do you think?

The green fairy stood and looked at Jack. There is going to be three blue guardians, the guy and his two women, and Linda. You don’t even know her power.

Jack said, OK, let’s look at this blue fairy guardian. What do they do? They take the fairy dust. The guardians help the fairies turn the dust into power. The blue ones help keep them hidden, but they feed on them just enough to keep them alive and are storing the dust to bring thousands, if not millions, of blue fairies back to the earth.

Andre asked, Are you OK, Jack? God Himself picked you for this war. You’re not mentally losing it, are you?

Jack asked, Elizabeth, do you think I can make it or not?

The green fairy cocked her head and said, Sure, you are the most powerful human I know.

Andre pulled off on an exit. Jack smiled. There’s a gas station. Let’s get some coffee and a snack. Then I drive.

Andre said, No, you don’t. That is my job.

Jack smiled. You heard the Mother Mary. You are to do what I tell you, so we have plans to make. The two went inside and got their snacks and coffee, and Jack got in the driver’s seat.

Andre asked, OK, what do you want me to do?

Jack slowly pulled back on the highway and asked without taking his eyes off the road, I need you to find a circus in southern Florida and then book a flight plan, hotel, and car—you know, do your thing.

Why the circus?

I need a reason to be in Florida.

Andre leaned over and said, Set your cruise at sixty-five. You’ll get run off the road at fifty-two. Jack pulled up to sixty-five and set the cruise. Andre smiled. If you get pulled over, you’ll have to work your magic because you don’t look like the picture on your driver’s license. Andre sat and played with his phone. This is it. There is a small, three-ring circus down by the keys in Key Largo, their winter site, now a hotel.

Jack asked Nora if she knew what a circus was. Nora fluttered to his shoulder and asked, Is it the same thing as in Wisconsin? And yes, I have been to great ones that came on trains with elephants, giraffes, all kinds of animals. They shot people out of cannons, ate fire. Those were the times before the blues. I traveled coast to coast, a week here, a month there.

Jack asked, So why did you stop?

Jack, are you feeling all right? We lost over three-quarters of my colony the first time the blues attacked and have been hiding ever since.

Jack just said, Oh, yeah.

Chapter One

To Key Largo, the Circus

Andre said, Well, tonight we will be sleeping in a Hilton Garden on the water fifteen miles from the circus. The plane is fueled and ready. All I need is the flight plan, and that can wait for a few minutes. Oh, yes, the car rental—I’ll get on that.

Jack was cruising along. Cars were passing them constantly. You could see Andre was getting a little frustrated not being able to drive. Andre said, Not this exit, the next. We want to gas up before we return this thing.

Jack said, Good, I have to take a leak. He pulled into a gas station and up to a pump, almost jumping out of the car, and quickly walked to the station. Andre gassed up the car and then went into the station to find Jack standing at the counter, buying a box of chicken and a coffee. Jack turned to him. It’s a rental. I would never eat chicken in your cars.

Andre shook his head and said, Come on, old man, we have a plane to catch.

Jack smiled at the young girl at the counter and said, Have the baby, take Tom to Vegas, get married. He handed her a pile of cash.

Andre stood at the door; when Jack got to him, he asked, Did you just hand that girl all your cash?

Jack smiled and said jokingly, No, of course not, just fifteen hundred. She needs it.

Andre shook his head. Marvin told me to start watching the cash. This project is getting expensive.

Jack got into the car, smiled, and then asked, I thought he didn’t care about the cost.

We are talking thousands, hundreds of thousands.

Jack chuckled. He got the bill for the trailer at the Circus Museum. I bet it went around fifty grand.

Andre turned and looked at him. You mean you had that billed to Marvin?

Well, of course, I did. Who else is going to pay for it?

Andre took a deep breath and then said, OK, you tied Marvin to the fire. That’s not the way we do things. Marvin could have made a donation to the Circus Museum through someone else. No wonder he was all pissed off.

OK, I get you. From now on, I will ask permission.

And by the way, you have to stop reading people’s minds. You don’t need to know people’s problems. That girl in the gas station would have worked it out. He pulled out his phone and texted a message.

Jack asked, I wish you wouldn’t text and drive.

Andre smiled. We have twenty minutes to get this car back and on the runway for takeoff, so get ready. We pull up to the shuttle, which is sitting, waiting for us.

Jack asked, What is the hurry? You own the plane.

I have a flight plan, and it is just common courtesy to be on time. He pulled up to the shuttle. Jack grabbed his suitcase, and so did Andre, who did a quick sweep of the car, and they were off.

Andre slipped the driver a fifty, and the driver drove right up to the awaiting jet. Jack got out and walked to the plane. Andre took a quick walk around, checking the tires, flaps, and so on. Then he walked up to Jack and pulled down the staircase. Jack picked up his suitcase and followed Andre up the stairs. Andre met him at the top and said, OK, I should teach you how to open and close the door.

Jack squeezed by him and said, It would look odd for an old man to be handling those stairs, don’t you think?

Andre shot him a dirty look, pulled up the stairs, locked the door into place, and said, Look into the mirror. You look younger than me.

Jack took Andre’s suitcase and buckled it into a seat next to his. Andre was sitting in the pilot’s seat, running through the checklist. He said over his shoulder, If you want to take a leak, do it now.

Nora flew back to Jack and told him, You have to drink more water.

Jack opened the small fridge, took out a bottle of water, put it to his lips, and pounded it down. Then he asked the little fairy, There, are you happy? He walked into the bathroom.

Andre started to roll the plane out and taxi down to get into line for takeoff. Jack came back and slid into the copilot’s seat; he asked, Is everything a go? And is this a nonstop flight?

Andre smiled. Yes, we are fourth in line, and this will be a nonstop, cutting it a bit close, but we should be good. I had them filled up.

Jack looked at him and asked, Then why did you almost run out when you picked me up?

Andre chuckled. Now that was different. I knew how much fuel it would take, and fuel is heavy, so you don’t put more than you need, and we burned a lot in that takeoff and landing.

So how long of a flight?

Andre pulled up behind a jet, slowly rolling; he said, As soon as we get up to cruising speed, you can take a nap. It should be five and a half hours, if I push it a bit.

Jack leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. Soon they were in the air and on their way.

Andre leaned over and gave Jack a shove. Hey, we’re here. Buckle up. We’re descending.

Jack opened his eyes and tried to focus; he rubbed his eyes, put on his seat belt, and then announced, Oh hell, I have got to go pee.

Andre said, See? I told you. I should have woken him a half hour ago.

Jack looked over to see Elizabeth sitting on one of Andre’s shoulders and Nora on the other. Jack stared for a couple of seconds and then said, Oh boy, I’m not feeling well. Are we going to land on that island?

The plane shook and rolled a bit as they came down and touched the strip. Andre said, Hey, we’re in Key Largo. How about some slimy oysters? Oh, I know some alligator.

Jack smiled. Now that sounds good. I haven’t had alligator in twenty years. Nora flew up to him, holding a Snickers bar with her feet. Jack took it and thanked her.

Andre talked to the tower and pulled off on a small runway up to a hangar with a white Ford Explorer in front of it. Jack asked, I thought you were trying to save money.

Andre said, Screw that. It doesn’t cost that much to have the car run out to the plane, and where am I going to find the time to fuel my own plane?

Well, if this thing with Margaret turns out well, we will never worry about money.

Andre smiled as he said, Marvin isn’t a poor boy, let me tell you. He might act that way, but he is probably pushing a billionaire. I mean, he has old money. So much of his stuff is on loan to museums.

Jack got up, and to the bathroom he went. Andre filled out a sheet on the clipboard and then got off the plane; it was a beautiful day, with the sun shining and a warm gulf wind. A man slowly walked out to meet them. Jack handed the luggage down to Andre. When the man got to them, Andre handed him the clipboard and asked Jack if there was enough water in the minifridge. Jack told him there was plenty. Andre reached into his back pocket for just a second and then reached out to shake the guy’s hand. The man ensured Andre that the plane would be ready for takeoff in a few hours, and then he turned his palm up and peeked at the bill that was in it.

The two towed their luggage to the SUV. Jack said, I saw you slip that guy some cash.

Andre said, If you want good service, be prepared to pay for it. You know how things get done down here.

Jack chuckled. We’re on island time. I was stationed in the Caribbean for six months. This was my dream retirement.

So why didn’t you?

Jack stopped at the Explorer and said blankly, I don’t know. Got married, raised a couple of kids, but wouldn’t it have been wonderful to retire here, just smell the salt water? There is just something about the Caribbean.

Jack opened the back door and started to put his suitcase in. Andre popped the back and pointed. Jack stopped and carried his suitcase to the back of the Ford and asked, What is the difference?

Andre smiled. The trunk is for the luggage. We don’t need to be scratching up the interior. They got into the car. First to the hotel, and then we will find the circus. Can’t be hard. We’re on an island.

In five minutes, they were pulling into the hotel. Andre walked up to the desk, said hi, handed the girl his phone, and said, I would like two rooms top floor, facing the gulf. She looked at it, handed it back to him with a set of keys, and wished him a wonderful stay.

Jack walked alongside him and asked, Why didn’t you ask her where the circus was?

Andre said quietly, She doesn’t need to know why we are here.

If we’re trying to save money, why did you get two rooms?

Andre stepped into the elevator and said with a smile, I have this feeling you are going to smell real bad when you get back to the room.

Jack frowned and looked at him over his glasses. OK, you have a point. I am going to regenerate, so I’ll stop doing that.

Andre asked, Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately? You sure wouldn’t be flying commercial, not even close to your passport.

Jack smiled and said, And that expired fifteen years ago.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked to their room; once inside the room, Jack pulled the curtains. The wall was all glass and overlooking the ocean. Jack said, Now this is nice. It’s safe. You can come out.

With that being said, Nora and Elizabeth climbed out of his pocket. Nora flew right to the window and then back again; she was saying, God, I love the ocean. It is so green here.

Elizabeth said, We should close the window things. If we can see out, they can see in.

Jack walked over and pulled the drapes. There was a knock on the side door. He walked over and asked, Who is it?

Andre asked, Who the hell do you think? Unlock the door.

Jack stepped toward the door, unlocked it, and opened it. Andre stepped in and asked, Are you ready?

Jack looked at him with his jaw hanging. We just got here. I haven’t even taken a pee.

Keep focused. Let’s do what we are here to do and move on.

Jack grumbled, Beautiful fricking beach. He turned and looked at Andre. You know, you have to stop and appreciate life. This is great.

Andre held up his hand and said, We have a job to do, and I am supposed to help you, so let’s get it done.

Jack took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom. Nora flew to Andre’s shoulder and told him, Jack has to rest and drink more. I am supposed to feed him every couple of hours.

Andre said in a surprised voice, Rest? That is all he does—sleep. When you get him in the car, five minutes, he’s sleeping, the same on the plane.

Jack came out of the bathroom. I’m thinking going over all the stuff in my head and getting rid of the stuff I don’t need. It’s like cleaning the files. Hey, you know, I heard you in the bathroom. My hearing is getting better, and I did look in the mirror. You’re right, there is no way I would match my driver’s license.

Nora flew up and asked Jack, How many waters did you have today?

Andre said, OK, we are burning daylight. Let’s all go to the circus.

Jack nodded and said, Fine, who’s riding where? Elizabeth flew to Andre, and Nora flew to Jack.

On the way to the rental car, Andre searched for the address on his phone and punched it into the GPS when they got to the car. Jack asked, Now what? Are we going to drive around the island, looking for a circus?

Andre held up his phone and said, There’s an eight-dollar admission. This is the end of their four-thousand-mile tour through the United States. There are two shows, one at two and the other at six. Would you like to look at pictures?

Jack just turned, looked out the window, and said to himself, Smart-ass.

He then asked, Can we stop for a bite?

Andre said with a smile on his face, In fifteen minutes, we will be there. We can have funnel cake, bananas on a stick, big juicy old hamburgers, maybe gyros. Oh, I do miss going to the circus.

Jack said, pointing, There’s a sign. I can see the tent over there. We are going to have to park a block away.

Have faith. Andre pulled into the field and drove down rows of cars, and then right before they got to the tent, he saw a boy standing there. Andre drove up and held a twenty out the window; the kid stepped toward the car, took the bill, walked up, and moved a No Parking sign. Andre pulled right in.

Jack said, You have to be kidding me.

Andre smiled. You’re in the circus world, anything for a buck. They got out and got in line. Andre asked, So what the hell are we doing here?

A glazed look came over Jack’s face, and then he said, I don’t know really. I am supposed to be looking for my son, which doesn’t exist, so what the hell are we doing here?

Andre put his arm around Jack’s shoulder and gave him a hug. We are here. Let’s get something to eat, take in the show. Then we will figure out what our next move is.

They walked in and down a row of small tents. Everyone was trying to get them to play a game or to see something. Jack said, This way.

He led them to a tent with a sign marked Tarot card readings. A woman stood in front, and Jack walked up. She looked right past him to Andre, and she asked, You are the one. I was expecting Marvin or someone with a lot more power.

Jack turned, looked at Andre, and asked, You know this woman?

Andre blushed. Oh, yes, I know her. Then he asked, So how have you been, Luna?

She said, Come in. I have been waiting for you. It’s Ella now, and who is this?

Jack walked over to a small table where a deck of cards laid; he stretched his arm across it and took her hand. She looked into his eyes, and her jaw dropped; then she jerked her hand away and yelled, Don’t you ever do that again!

Andre smiled and said, This is Jack, the chosen one. Give him a minute to analyze the information that he took from you.

Ella asked, So how have you been?

Andre smiled. A lot better now, so how are you?

Jack said, She is doing what she likes to do, is not in a relationship. You two have a long history. I mean, back to the horse-and-buggy days, you two were deeply in love but never exclusive. She wonders if Ivan is still with you. They too had a thing.

Andre looked from Jack to Ella. So no man in your life?

She motioned for them to sit, and then she picked up the cards and looked at Andre. No, not at this time. Maybe we can catch up later.

She shuffled the cards and then dealt them. She then looked at Jack and flipped one; it was first the king of cups, next the king of swords, then the king of wands, and finally the king of pentacles. She said, Whoa, you are a powerful man. She turned over another. You have met a powerful woman. There is death coming, more than one. There will be many here, one at home. You will take number seventeen. There will be great riches. You have a great destiny. I see love in your future.

Jack asked, Number seventeen? What do you mean?

She turned over a card and said, You have to leave now. She flipped over another card. You will travel by boat.

Andre pulled out his phone and started to play with it, and then he slid it into his pocket. She said, You will go with Jack.

Ella looked up to Andre, cocked her head, reached over to a pile of cards, flipped over a card, and asked, A green fairy?

Jack said, Lizard, show yourself.

Elizabeth climbed out of Andre’s jacket pocket; she fluttered to Ella. Ella put her hand over her mouth and gasped. I haven’t seen a green fairy in hundreds of years.

Jack asked, Really? What is so special about the green ones?

They are very rare, and they have very bad tempers.

Andre slid a card to her and said, Call me. We are at the Hilton Garden. I will send a car. A huge smile slid over her face. It’s time. We’re burning daylight.

Jack reached over, shook her hand, and thanked her. Andre stepped out of the tent; he stopped, turned to Jack, and asked, So what do you think of her?

She can’t see far into the future. The cards have told her we were coming. Let’s get something to eat before we leave.

Then we find you a boat.

How long do you think it would take to get to the island?

Well, let’s ask the almighty Google, and the answer is almost two hundred miles.

Jack said, That’s too far to take a boat.

Elizabeth yelled from Jack’s pocket, We’ll take a boat to an island and then fly from there! You just need to get a blue green suit!

Jack asked, Where can we find a blue green suit?

Andre said, OK, a suit might be a little hard, but a dress should be easy.

Jack looked at him and then rolled his eyes. Let’s just get something to eat. I am starving.

Andre pulled into a small strip mall and parked near a restaurant that had a big sign marked Jerked chicken. He said, This looks quick. Might even be tasty.

Jack said, Just get me the house special and a coffee. I’ll take a seat in the sun.

Andre walked over to the window and placed the order; he turned to see Jack talking to a well-dressed black man and then taking a table out in the sun. Jack just sat there staring into the ocean. Andre came up with the food; a smile rolled across Jack’s face. That smells delicious.

Andre sat the plates down and went to get the drinks, a Coke for him and a coffee for Jack. He then asked, So what did you find out from the guy you were talking to?

Jack looked at him over a steaming forkful of shredded chicken and noodles. Oh, yes. He said to try the Blue Shop or down the road, where there is a store called Surf’s Up.

Andre looked at Jack; he took a long pull off his straw and then said, A blue green suit, right? Now I understand you, something to match the sea.

Jack didn’t even look up; he just started to shovel in the food. When the plate was empty, he looked up and commented, Now that was good, great seasoning, and the coffee is smooth.

Andre smiled, That is Blue Mountain coffee, grown in Jamaica. They say it’s the best in the world.

Jack stood and said, Take your time. I’m going to walk over to the Blue Shop, three stores down.

You know we are on the islands now. You can slow down, take it easy.

Jack shot him a dirty look and then turned and walked quickly down the parking lot to the store. Andre said, Jack’s right, he has a full day ahead of him, two hundred miles, well, I suppose. He got up, took the plates to the garbage, and headed to the Blue Shop.

When he got there, Jack wasn’t there; he went down all four aisles, no Jack. In fact, there was nobody in the store. Andre yelled, What the hell! There was no response.

He stood for a minute and then pulled out his phone and dialed Jack’s number; he asked, Where the hell are you?

Jack said, They don’t have a suit like that, but the kid that was in here said his grandpa did, so I’m at his place, and it fits. I’ll be back in five minutes.

Andre turned around and walked back to the restaurant to wait for Jack. Five minutes went by, and Jack appeared in a suit that looked like it came from the 1960s, but it almost fit him. Jack walked right past Andre, saying, Let’s go. We’re wasting time.

Andre got up, threw away his coffee, and met Jack at the car; he asked, Do you know where you are going?

Jack pointed. Three miles down the road. We should be able to find a charter boat there.

Andre pulled the car onto the road and said, Nice suit. Don’t stretch too much, or you rip the back out of it.

OK, it’s a little tight, but it fits.

Andre pulled over to a small shop along the road and said, I’ll be right back. He went into the shop and came out in two minutes holding a hooded sweatshirt. He got back into the car. This will be warmer, and you won’t look like a dork.

Jack took it and said, Extralarge, this should do.

Andre pulled into the marina; it was during the week, so there were a few boats still there. Jack pointed. That one, number seventeen, it looks fast. Andre pulled in and parked. Jack said, Elizabeth, you will come with me. They got out and walked down the dock.

Jack yelled, Ahoy there! I want to rent this boat!

A man appeared from below and asked, What the hell do you want?

Jack held out his hand; the man’s eyes met his, and that was all it took. Jack stepped on the boat and said, Wish me luck. Oh, yeah, put a light in the window or something so I can tell what room is mine.

Andre stood and said, You be careful and trust no one. He sprinted to the boat and held out his phone. I set the GPS. It’s a satellite phone. Call me. I’m in the contacts.

The captain of the boat said, Time to cast off. I have enough gas to get you fifty miles out.

Jack saluted Andre as they pulled away. As soon as they were on their way, Jack called Linda and asked, Have David Hanson and the girls arrived? I am on the way to Margaret’s island.

The cigar boat entered the open water, and the captain brought the boat to a plane. There was a light chop, but the boat was flying at around sixty miles an hour. Jack yelled to the captain, who was only three feet from him, This thing really moves!

The captain pointed to the fuel gauge and said, I can take you about five more miles, and then we have to turn back.

Jack put his hand on the captain’s shoulder and said, That will be fine. Just come to a stop before turning back.

Ten minutes later, the boat came to rest; you could see ships out in the open water, cutting across the gulf. Jack stood looking out over the water and muttered to himself, Boy, I don’t think this is a good idea.

The captain said, This is as far out as we can go.

Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out his money clip, counted out five hundred dollars, and handed it to the captain. He looked the captain in the eye and said, You will remember that same car that dropped me off picked me up. It was a nice ride. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Jack pulled out the hooded sweatshirt, slipped off his shoes, and put them in the backpack he was carrying, which matched his sweatshirt and pants. OK, Lizard Breath, you go ahead and look for boats or islands. We don’t want to be seen.

Elizabeth hopped onto Jack’s shoulder and asked, Where are we going? I know to a private island, but what island?

Jack stared at her for a second and then pulled out Andre’s phone; he turned it on, and it went into Google Earth. He could see Nassau and then scrolled to the west; he then pointed. That’s the one with the blue balloon over it. Jack zoomed it in closer. That little dot off the chain of little dots, it’s the sixth one. He then zoomed it out to see Nassau come back in view.

Elizabeth said, Wow, that’s amazing. Who is taking the pictures?

Jack said, Satellites hundreds of miles above us. They circle the earth, watching us. That is why we have to be so careful. They say they can read a license plate—you know, those signs on the front of cars with the numbers on them. OK, enough of that. It’s overcast. A storm is coming. Can you find the island?

Elizabeth said, Yes, I think so. The question is, can you fly that far?

Jack smiled as he slapped the captain on the back. Get going. You will remember taking me back to port and dropping me off. That is it.

Jack lifted off the deck and slowly followed the green fairy, who was slowly picking up speed. He flew to her side and said, You fly up and get your bearings, and I will stay close to the water to stay hidden.

She landed on Jack’s back and asked, You want me to fly up and do what?

Fly up and see where we have to go and then come back down.

Elizabeth flew straight up until Jack couldn’t see her; in a couple of minutes, he felt her land on his back. She said in his ear, Follow me. With that, she was off. Jack was right on her tail. She kept on picking up speed, but she couldn’t outrun Jack.

Soon she was glowing a bright green. She slowed and landed on Jack’s back. She walked up to his ear and said, I have to go up and look for the island. She shot straight up; in a minute, she was down and leading Jack across the water at a high rate of speed.

They flew for five more minutes, and she shot back up; this time, Jack watched her go up once more and then back in front of him. Jack could see the islands popping up from the gulf. The wind was picking up, and the waves were getting higher. Elizabeth flew to Jack and asked, The sixth island, right? Jack nodded. Elizabeth shot up and then back down, turning away from a larger island and then toward a smaller flat island about three hundred acres in size, full of palm trees with a large house on the beach.

Jack caught up and said, That’s the one. Climb into my pocket and don’t let anything leave this island. They slowed, and then Jack shot right to the house, landing just at the water’s edge.

A young girl met him. She walked up and said, You’re not Margaret. Who the hell are you? Jack smiled and caught her eye. The young girl lashed out in a harsh tone. Don’t even try that with me.

I am sorry. It’s just so much easier that way. Do you have something to drink?

She said one word. Follow.

Jack followed her till they got under the palm trees; he then asked, You have a servant, or is that your master?

She turned and said in a low tone, I have no master.

Jack reached up and grabbed the young girl by the shoulder; she spun around with a hand full of energy. Jack caught her hand and pulled; he stared straight in her eyes. There was a bright light shining from his eyes to hers; as he pulled, you could see the energy being drained from her. Jack didn’t stop; he kept pulling. Her knees buckled. Jack dug his foot into the sand; you could see the energy spreading out, looking for a ground. He wouldn’t let go. Her skin started to wrinkle.

An older woman came running from the house; she was building a ball of energy between her hands. Jack slowed; he started to chant. A brown haze started to flow from him; it went into the jungle and circled the house. The older woman stood at the jungle’s edge and turned into stone.

Jack didn’t let go of the young girl. She started to break down; her bones looked like they were wrapped with skin. Her teeth showed as her lips shriveled; she looked like a mummy. Jack let her fall to the ground and stood over her with both hands stretched over her. He pulled. Soon there was nothing left, just teeth and hair; even her sundress was gone.

He walked to the house. Once inside, he quietly walked to the kitchen. He stepped around a stone statue; it stood at the sink with a dish in its hand. He stepped in close and looked at it, and then he took out a container from the cupboard and walked back outside.

Elizabeth said, Nothing has left the island.

Jack scooped up three silver balls and looked up with a grin on his face. Let’s go hunting.

Elizabeth flew down to him, landing in his palm; she said, Kill all the blues.

Jack’s hand had a light green glow to it; he said, Yes, kill all the blues.

Elizabeth then asked, Linda, where is she?

Jack took out his phone and then reached out his hand. They are on their way. We must take care of these blues. Remember, nothing leaves this island.

He flew off down a trail to a small cave; he landed, stretched out his arms, and said, Come to me.

It sounded like popcorn. There was blue light flowing from the trees and shooting off out of the jungle into the sky. Then there was a streak of green light chasing and popping them. Jack walked into the cave; there were thousands of red fairies. He stepped in and said, You are free. Come outside and into the sunlight.

Jack looked down; he was standing in bat droppings. He wiggled his toes. A red fairy flew to him. He said, I have much to do. The blue fairies and their guardians are dead. Everything that has to do with fairies must be taken off this island. With that, he turned around and walked out.

As soon as he hit the entrance, he flew to the water’s edge, washed off his feet, and then walked to the house. He walked in, went to the fridge, grabbed some water, and chugged it. Then he took out a Coke, walked to the porch, and sat. Elizabeth flew in at top speed, landing on his arm; she looked up and said, They’re coming.

Jack said, Yes, I know.

Elizabeth then asked, How did it go?

Jack took a swig of Coke. It went well. I want you to take charge of the cleanup. Nothing fairy shall stay on this island. I want it clean.

Elizabeth snapped him a salute and then said with authority, You heard the man. Let’s start gathering up all that is fairy. I want it piled on the porch now.

Jack stood and said in a flat voice, How far?

Elizabeth hopped to his shoulder and said, As far as it was from the boat to here. Do you—

Jack cut her off, No, there is nothing you can do. You get those reds to clean up this place. Put it in something. Just do whatever you have to do. With that, Jack flew off within a minute. Elizabeth couldn’t see him.

Jack came up to a boat and landed; all three female passengers looked at him. He said, Sleep. And the three girls, who had been hypnotized before, bowed their heads. Hello. He reached out his hand; Dave took it, and Jack started to pull. The motor slowed and then died. He then reached over the side and shot a stream of power into the water, grounding out David. Jack kept pulling power; you could see a silver sheen come to Dave’s skin as Jack chanted and pulled the unicorn blood out of him. This took a while; it looked like silver droplets rolling to Jack’s hand. When that was done, he pulled the rest of the energy from David, leaving him dead on the deck.

Jack then stepped toward Linda and put his hand on her forehead; her legs buckled, and she fell to the deck. He did this to the other two girls. He walked down into the galley, took out a beer from the refrigerator, and started to rummage through the cabin. He stepped into the head and took a leak. He started to climb the steps in the center of the boat and shot a stream of bright light into the deck down to the gas tank; the diesel burst into flames. Soon the fiberglass was ablaze. A black smoke filled the air; you could see it from miles away.

Jack flew fast across the water, almost touching it, back to the island. He landed right at the beach and walked to the house. Elizabeth met him with a Coke; she was gripping it with her feet. Jack took it and asked, Is everything ready?

Elizabeth said, I don’t know what you’re going to do with all this stuff. There’s piles of it, pounds and pounds of dust.

Jack looked at the porch, and it was stacked with a pickup load of bags and boxes. He took a long pull on his Coke and then said, Ah nuts, where can we hide this stuff?

A rusty red fairy flew up and sheepishly said, Ah, sir, there is a good hiding spot on the next island, a pirate cash. There are chests of gold that have been there for hundreds of years.

Jack said, That’s it. Then we wait till night and then move everything there, all the people that where turned to stone. Aw crap, what to do with those guys?

Jack walked over to the edge of the yard and looked at a statue. He reached out, touched it lightly, and mumbled a phrase, and it crumbled into sand. Jack smiled and said, Elizabeth, send out your fairies and find every person that was turned to stone. I will turn them into sand. Jack then walked to the house; he stepped into the kitchen and touched the statue of a woman doing dishes. She crumbled into a pile of sand.

The next half hour, he was led around the island; there were statues in all different positions. He went back to the porch, sat down, leaned back, and said, Wake me before dusk. Elizabeth, you teach the red fairies how to defend themselves. He closed his eyes, his breathing slowed, and he looked like he was dead.

Elizabeth took a small bag of fairy dust and flew into the jungle, where hundreds of fairies were just lying around. She ripped the corner off the bag and poured it on a tree trunk that was lying there. She said, Eat. We are going to go over everything I told you before, and we will have a question and answer. The sun is going down, so let’s get started.

Elizabeth went over how to kill a blue. Now it must be a body shot. Cut off an arm, leg, or head. Chopping off their hands, feet, or wings will not kill them. She showed them how to string wire traps and told them about the wasp spray. Then she opened it to questions. They all asked about Jack. One asked, Did he kill all thirteen guardians?

Elizabeth flew to him and asked, What thirteen guardians? There was two on the island, Margaret was the third, and David was fourth. The girls were lesser guardians, so they shouldn’t count.

The fairy bowed his head and got down on one knee. I’m sorry, I should not have asked you that.

Elizabeth fluttered to him and put her hand on his head. Silence took over hundreds of fairies; not one moved or said a thing. Elizabeth said, Rise and tell me of these others. A group sigh came from the trees. Elizabeth looked around; she knew the greens had a bad reputation, and she could have absorbed this old fairy’s energy or ripped off his wings for speaking.

The fairy looked at her, lowered his head, and said, Once a year, thirteen guardians come and have a meeting. They dine and drink. No one knows what they talk about.

Elizabeth said, Now remember, this is defense. Learn to hide your power so you can hide. You can’t outrun them. Now the strong flyers, come with me.

She flew slowly down the path to the beach house, where Jack sat motionless in the chair. She landed on his shoulder. She then walked to his ear and said softly, Jack, it’s time. Wake up.

Jack slowly opened his eyes and said, Damn, she was one wicked broad. He looked down to see Elizabeth giving orders. The whole pile was filled with fairies; they were taking the bags and boxes from the pile. Jack rose from the chair and grabbed his back.

Elizabeth flew to him. Are you OK?

These Adirondack chairs aren’t that comfortable. Now wait, there are a few things I want. He took a large Ziploc bag from the pile, a glass tube with liquid silver in it, and a large leather-bound book; he pointed to a couple of fairies who were hovering with a box. They flew to him and sat the box on the chair. Jack reached in and took out a unicorn horn and a brown envelope. Jack then said, You’re in charge. Elizabeth flew around, barking orders.

Jack took his stuff, put it into his backpack, and lifted off to follow the line of fairies to the nearby island. He flew up where the fairies where trying to move a rock; some with smaller packages could squeeze though. Jack landed in front of the rock. An old fairy said, When the tide is low, you can get in. The entrance is underwater most of the time.

Jack heard Elizabeth say, Watch this.

He raised one hand, and the rock rose into the air; he said, Quickly put everything inside and grab me a few of those gold coins.

The fairies all flew in and were carrying gold on their way out. Jack asked, Is everyone out? Then he placed the rock back into its spot and turned. When we leave, I want every footprint swept down. I don’t want anyone to know we have been here, and nobody is to come back here.

Jack started to pick up all the gold coins and said, This is a lot of weight. Is there much more?

A red fairy said, Three chests and one of jewelry, swords, cases of rum.

Jack gave a whistle. OK, we will be off then. I will return to collect the stuff. I thank you all for your help. With that, he shot up through the trees and pulled out Andre’s phone, with the hotel’s address in it. Lizard Breath, climb on and hang on.

Jack shot through the air a couple of hundred feet above the water; in about a half hour, they could see the coastline. He slowed, took the phone out of his pocket, and looked at the GPS. He turned up the coast and dropped down to water level, skimming the gulf at a hundred miles an hour. He flew to the beach and called Andre; he asked, Hey, would you flash a light so I know what room? Then a light flashed on and then off three times.

Jack walked to the hotel and shot up to the balcony. Andre stood there waiting for him. Jack landed and handed the backpack to Andre, who said, Wow, this thing must weigh a hundred pounds.

Jack then asked, The tarot card reader, is she here?

She stepped into the doorway, and her hand went right to her nose. She gasped. Oh my god.

Andre said, Now you know what I have to deal with. Whenever he uses his powers, he excretes this brown slime. Then he slowly shut the glass door. I’ll open your door. Shower and then come over and talk to us.

Jack folded his arms and stared through the window. Soon Andre slid the balcony door open on the next room; he was about to yell to Jack, but Jack flew around the beam and landed next to Andre. He said, Don’t touch anything. Straight into the shower. Throw everything away.

Jack asked, Could you get me something to eat?

Sure, no problem. Would you like a drink?

Jack just nodded. Nora flew into the bathroom before him; she turned on the lights and exhaust. Elizabeth flew out of his shirt to Nora, who said, You smell like Jack. Wow, are you ripe? Nora flew to the sink and pulled the lever so it slowly flowed.

Andre followed Jack into the bathroom and handed him a garbage bag he had hanging out of his back pocket; he asked, So how did it go?

Jack blankly looked at him and then said, The mission was a success. He took off his shirt; you could see where the collar rubbed against his skin. There was a white mark in the caramel color. Everything went into the bag; he took out his driver’s license, cash, and credit cards from his wallet and threw them away also.

Andre went back to his room, where his date was waiting for him. She asked, Does that happen every time? I can still smell him.

I’ll take a shower. There was a smile on his face when he asked, Order some drinks and a snack.

Jack got out, walked into Andre’s room, and saw the two of them drinking wine and chatting; he apologized. Andre said, Come on in. You’re not interrupting. Just catching up.

Jack stepped in and asked, Did you order food?

Andre blurted, Oh, I forgot. And he wrinkled up his nose. It smells in here.

Ella said, It’s on the way.

Andre looked to Ella, the tarot card reader, and said, The backpack.

Jack asked, Do you have another bag?

Andre got up, grabbed a bag out of his suitcase, and tossed it to Jack. He asked, So what’s in the backpack that is so heavy?

Jack stopped for a moment. A book, ten pounds of dust, some weird bags of stuff, just a bunch of crap taken from the room the book was in. Boris can figure it out. He picked up the backpack and said more to himself, Man, this thing is heavy. Oh, yes, the gold. He then placed it into the bag.

Andre was on the phone, checking on the pizza. Jack walked up and said, I have changed my mind. I would like a drink. Make it a vodka gimlet.

Ella walked up with a huge smile on her face; she held out a glass of champagne. The best in the house.

He thanked her for it, took it, tasted it, and then slammed it. He asked, Do you cut hair?

She smiled. I do a lot of things.

Andre looked over and said, And she does them well.

Jack walked into his room. He turned to see if the tarot card reader was following; she was. Jack stopped at the suitcase and took out scissors; he held them out for her and said, My name is Jack. We haven’t been introduced.

She smiled. I know who you are. We met at the circus. I am Ella. Now sit in the chair. Let’s see if we can get this hair cut before the pizza gets here.

Jack said, I hope he ordered two.

Andre just stepped in the room; he spun around and headed back to his room. Ella said, I think he’s doing that now.

Nora flew to Jack’s lap; she looked up at him and said, I don’t know what you guys did, but it sure did Elizabeth in. She’s fast asleep.

Jack chuckled. She even rode back. That was two hundred miles. It went by pretty fast on the way back. Of course, we flew over the islands instead of around them, so it was closer.

Ella, combing and cutting his hair, said, Two hundred miles.

Yeah, it was a small island, beautiful house. We’ll have to go there on vacation someday. I think I own it.

Andre came in, talking on his cell phone; he handed it to Jack. It’s Marvin.

Ella took it and cheerfully said, Marvin, baby, Ella here, your favorite card reader … Nope, just finishing up … A week … California? Sure … OK, in a couple of weeks. She handed the phone to Jack. The old man always liked me.

Jack took the phone and talked code. Everything is good here, met the crew. They’re gone now … Nope, no drama. A couple I’ve never met before. Don’t trust her … OK, see you soon.

Andre asked, OK, what’s up?

Jack stood still and said, Something is up. He didn’t say, but you could just feel it.

Ella said, Done. What do you think?

Jack got up and dusted off some hair. He walked into the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. Well done. He turned to see Andre on all fours, putting Jack’s hair into a bag; he said more to himself than anyone, Leave no trace that you were here.

Ella rolled her eyes and said, He’s been with that old fart too long.

Andre said, You have to see him. He has never been this old before. Well, he has lost damn near twenty years in the past week, and Jack here needed a cane to get around. There is more fairy dust than you have ever seen, pounds of the stuff.

There was a knock on Andre’s door. He jumped to his feet and headed for the door. Jack was still in his towel. Ella said, You know, I could eat.

Andre quickly opened the door. A waiter stepped in with two drinks and a bottle of champagne. He sat the drinks down on the table, opened the champagne, and placed it in the holder; he asked if he should get some ice for it. Andre thanked him and did his handshake. The waiter turned, looked into his hand, and then put his hand in his back pocket. Jack said to Ella, "He is smooth. It’s like