Find him…Talk to him.
“Find who?” Hank mumbled to himself as his eyes once again popped open. He noticed that Luci was now sitting beside him, her intelligent eyes looking back at him quizzically.
Reaching out his hand, he stroked the dog’s back.
“You must think I’m acting a little crazy, don’t you girl?” he grinned sheepishly.
Leaning once more into his lawn chair, Hank let out a defeated breath. “I think you may be right.”
***
An hour later, Hank and Luci entered the house after an early morning run. He’d been especially quiet during the run, mulling over the dream and its possible implications dozens of times.
By the time he returned to the house, he knew what he had to do.
At least he thought he did!
Pulling a backpack out of the closet, he then headed toward the kitchen. Always having supplies available for those times when he and Luci would strike out to see some nature, He loaded up the pack with bottled water and freeze-dried fruit and energy bars. Reaching into the fridge, he pulled out a pack of hotdogs for Luci and added them to the pack.
Having thought everything over during their run, Hank had finally determined that the beautiful woman had to be talking about Benton.
Find him…talk to him…
Not sure which way to turn from there however, Hank had reasoned that if he started at the scene of yesterday’s murder he might be able to backtrack the man from there. Further speculation led him to another couple of assumptions:
-Benton was heading west when he’d left them in the circle of fire.
-Since the dream had included a forest, Hank would head toward Marquam.
Marquam Nature Park was far from what Hank would consider an old growth forest, but it was the closest thing to it in the area.
Still not sure if this was just some kind of wild goose chase, Marquam was nevertheless full of hiking trails and animal life. He and Luci ventured there several times a year anyway, so even if it didn’t pan out for finding this Benton fellow, they could at least have a nice day in the woods.
Luci had already picked up on the coming adventure, now standing beside Hand with her leash in her mouth. Hank had to smile, sometimes amazed at the dog’s perception of her surroundings.
Or maybe she too just had a beautiful woman whispering into her ear.
Chapter 12
Hank and Luci stood quietly in the shadows of the closed storefront, watching the hooded man across the street move away from them.
Having arrived earlier to the South Side, Hank had donned the stone before heading west. Traveling slowly, they kept their eyes peeled for the mysterious Benton. Their exertions had been rewarded a half hour later when Benton had turned the corner right in front of them.
Ignoring for the time being that there was probably another pile of ash somewhere close by, Hank had moved closer to the building beside him in an effort to let Benton get a little ways ahead of them before following him.
When the man was a block away from them, Hank led Luci across the street before they set out tailing him. It had continued like that for about twenty minutes, until Benton had stopped off at a fast food restaurant. That was when they had taken cover in the storefront.
As they watched Benton leave the restaurant, Hank pulled out a length of rawhide from his pocket. Quickly fashioning a strap for the old staff, he then slung it over his shoulder, the gnarled and rounded end sticking up four inches on his left.
Wanting to be as agile as possible, he could now use his free hand quickly should the need arise. Removing the staff quickly from his shoulder if it were needed was something that he practiced extensively over the years, and he knew that he could draw on either the gun or the staff within a second should he need either of them.
“Let’s go girl,” Hank whispered before they stepped out onto the street once again. He was thankful that at least this part of his plan had seemed to pan out, although he still had no idea about what lay ahead of them.
Stopping and moving close to the building when Benton made a sudden left, Hank and Luci waited a full minute before continuing. Making a left on Market Street, they found that they would have to fall back even farther as the street gradually turned into a residential area with far less foot traffic. Keeping the man just barely in sight, Hank was at least confident that Luci would be able to pick up his trail should they lose their visual.
After they traveled only a half mile however, the road ended in front of them…and Benton was nowhere to be seen.
Kneeling beside Luci, Hank looked her in the eyes.
“Track him girl!”
Luci immediately put her nose to the ground and started dragging Hank between two buildings. Leaving the leash on so that she didn’t get too far ahead of him, he kept alert as he constantly scanned his surroundings in case Benton was lying in wait.
Before long, Luci had taken them past the buildings…and into the berm of the interstate. Hank glanced up at the roadway above him, wondering if Benton had risked crossing the busy highway before Luci drug him forward again. Within a minute they stood in front of a huge culvert that bisected the Interstate right-of-way.
“He went through there girl?” Hank asked dumbly. He knew that one of the boundaries of Marquam was just on the other side of the Interstate, although there were no entrances in that area.
Pulling out his handgun, he looked down at the red dog.
“Ok girl, lead on.”
***
As they exited the culvert and the brightness of the day hit them once again, they stopped to let their eyes adjust. Looking off toward the park in the distance, Hank finally spotted Benton as he easily hurdled the boundary fence to the park. Watching him intently, Hank gasped when Benton suddenly seemed to disappear, the trees around him shimmering for a second as it happened.
Shit, Hank whispered unbelievingly.
Apparently Luci had seen it too as she quietly whimpered beside him.
Reaching down to comfort her, he was at a loss. Overcoming his indecision, he whispered, “Come on,” as they started forward again.
Moving slowly as they crossed the open field, it took them a full four minutes to cover the hundred yards of open grass. Making sure that they weren’t being observed, Hank then lifted Luci off the ground and deposited her over the fence before he too climbed over behind her.
Now standing at the edge of the wooded area, he took a moment to study it.
Unfortunately…it looked like any other wooded area.
Finding a little used trail on his right, he kneeled down beside the red dog.
“Ok girl,” he whispered as he gently took her head in his hands. “This may get a little weird…You still with me?”
In answer, Luci licked Hank’s face, causing him to giggle despite himself.
“I take it that’s a yes,” he sighed as he once again stood and faced the trees. Gripping the leash tightly so that Luci shared the stone’s energy, he started slowly up the trail. After only thirty feet the trail ran between two small trees, each of about eight inches in diameter. If his calculations were right, this should be approximately where Benton had disappeared.
“Here goes nothing,” Hank mumbled as they walked between the trees…instantly disappearing from sight in a shimmer.
Chapter 13
Hank felt the familiar cool dampness on his face. Dropping his jaw in surprise, he quickly looked behind himself, realizing that they had just entered between the two massive twin trees of his dream!
“We ain’t in Kansas anymore girl,” Hank mumbled nervously as he looked down at Luci. Quietly returning his look, Luci didn’t appear to be feeling either frightened or threatened. Taking that as a good sign and seeing nothing around them, he re-holstered his weapon before taking in the forest before him.
His heart skipped a beat when he realized that he was standing where he had been when he met the beautiful woman the night before in his dream. Shaking off those though
ts as his mind refocused, he slowly scanned his surroundings.
Although there was no sign of Benton, the path before them appeared to be well worn with use. Luckily, it was the only path visible, and they wouldn’t have to guess which way to proceed.
Not yet anyway.
Not wasting any more words, Hank and Luci set off slowly down the path. Although both were on high alert, their eyes constantly wandered around the amazing forest.
Suddenly they heard a buzzing sound approaching them. Uneasy at the new sound they stopped, surprised when three winged creatures unexpectedly started flitting around their heads.
Thinking initially that they were just some large insects, Hank’s jaw dropped in surprise when he caught a glimpse of some human-like features on the face of one of the creatures.
“Easy girl,” he whispered, gripping the leash tighter when he realized that Luci was getting uneasy over the buzzy things flitting around in front of her.
“Good girl, just ignore them girl.”
Luci was whining now, unsure as to what to do about the things flapping around her. Just about to try and calm her once more, he realized that it was too late as one of the creatures got a little too close to Luci’s face. Starting with a low growl, Luci then let out three rapid and snarly barks, the force of her voice sending the creature head over heals into a nearby fern.
Crap, he mumbled, realizing that Luci’s barking would wake up the whole forest.
“Hey!” he heard then from down the trail. Following the sound with his eyes, he soon found the man Benton running full bore at him…followed by two other men.
None of them looked happy.
Reacting with practiced training, Hank effortlessly slid the staff off of his back and pointed the rounded end toward the approaching trio.
“STOP!” he shouted, the sound filling the forest like thunder.
The three men stopped immediately, skidding in the dirt. Benton uttered a surprised shit as shock spread in the eyes of all three as they stared at the staff in wonder.
Having been worried only about the approaching men, Hank hadn’t taken notice of his staff until that moment. Glancing at it now, he almost dropped it when he realized that the gnarled end had somehow turned into the head of a snake. His own shock had him wordless in response.
“Mister?” Benton uttered as his eyes moved toward Hank, “Just what the hell are you?”
Chapter 14
Fighting the urge to drop his Grandfather’s ancient staff, Hank stared at the snake in wonder…and a little fear!
“Hey man, could you put that thing back in its cage?” Benton finally spoke, appearing more relaxed.
Great idea, Hank thought to himself, if I only knew how.
As if hearing his thoughts, the staff suddenly transformed itself back into wood. Drawing it back to himself nervously, he tentatively touched the gnarled end to confirm that it was indeed solid once again.
“Who is this Benton?” one of the men beside him asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I thought he was just someone from the human world,” Benton replied thoughtfully. “He’s been following me around and even confronted me once on the street. He’s that cop I told you about.”
“And what of the beast beside him?” the third man asked.
“They call them dogs,” Benton enlightened, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at his comrade. “They are pets…domesticated animals that they can train to do various tasks.”
The man that spoke nodded knowingly. “A conquered species then, one that they have enslaved to do their menial tasks.”
Benton laughed at this, “You need to get out more, Nautilus! Dogs are just animals, dude. Pretty smart ones, too, and they can track a scent like nothing else.”
“We could use a dogs here then,” the man named Nautilus spoke up again. “Maybe we should enslave one.”
Benton and the second man were cracking up. “You doof! One of them is a dog…leave off the s. And I told you, they aren’t enslaved…they are…
“ENOUGH!”
The men looked toward the source of the explosive outburst.
It was Hank, who was as surprised as they were at the force of his words in this place. Even Luci seemed surprised.
“What the hell is this place?” Hank finally asked when he got his thoughts back in order.
The three men stared at him quietly for a few moments until Benton stepped forward and pantomimed a formal bow.
“You have entered the land of Faerie. The bigger question is…why are you here?”
Looking over his shoulder at the men behind him, Benton then turned to face Hank once more with a wicked grin.
“And until we can sort out what all of this is about…we will be taking you into custody.”
***
Reacting quickly, Hank slid the staff into his other hand as he pulled out his pistol in one fluid motion.
“I’ll decide who gets arrested; you men are coming with me!”
Anger crossed the faces of the three men before him as Benton created a ball of fire in his hand.
“You don’t know who you are dealing with here, dude,” Benton threatened, “Best if you just put that thing down on the ground and come with us quietly so we can sort this all out.” He held out his free hand in an effort to calm Hank down.
“I’m not going anywhere…dude,” Hank replied with a bravado he wasn’t feeling. “You’re wanted for murder, and I suspect that your friends are also involved…several counts of murder actually.”
Laying down his staff while keeping the gun and an eye trained on the three men, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
“Keep an eye on them girl,” Hank said to Luci as he punched in a string of numbers. “I’ll call in some backup and we’ll all go downtown to sort this out.”
When he punched the send button, the phone bleeped at him. Looking at the screen, he noticed that he had no service. In fact, the screen was flashing with lines and static at him.
“What the hell?” he mumbled before hearing laughter. Looking up, he saw that the three men were choking down laughs as they watched him fiddle with the phone.
“There is no communications on this side of the barrier fella,” Benton spoke then, drawing back his hand to throw the fireball. “You have about two seconds to drop your weapon or I will be forced to take you by force.”
As Benton raised his hand further, Hank also aimed down the sights of the gun. Their eyes met over the sight as a quiet few seconds passes with each of them staring down the other. Each was determined to follow through with their threats while simultaneously hoping to find a reason…any reason to call a halt to the madness that confronted them.
***
Hank was squeezing the trigger while Benton was beginning his throw when it happened.
A blinding ball of light suddenly appeared before them, an explosive force simultaneously emanating out of the ball, blowing all of them off their feet and onto the ground.
When next they looked up, there was a beautiful, golden-haired woman before them.
“You?” Hank asked as he saw the woman. “I saw you in my dream!”
Smiling at him momentarily, she then turned toward Benton.
“Benton, I am surprised at you.”
Her voice was like music as it left her lips.
“I told Hank that he should talk to you, and you threaten him instead? I would have hoped that one of you would have recognized the offspring of Tamaki Kyan?”
Hank’s breath caught in his throat. My grandfather? he whispered unbelievingly.
One of the men approached the woman; the tall and muscular one that had the look of being a Native American with long, dark dreadlocks. Hank seemed to remember Benton calling him Nautilus.
“Benton was not around then, but I knew Tamaki Kyan. This man looks nothing like him Dulci,” he replied as he eyed Hank through wary eyes.
“Do you then not recognize the staff, Nautilus?” The woman
replied melodiously toward the warrior with a deep tan, sparkling steel colored eyes and long brown dreadlocks.
The man’s eyes grew wide as he turned and stared at Hank’s staff.
“Damn,” he whispered, “It does appear to resemble it.”
“Hello?” Hank sputtered out then. “Would somebody like to tell me what the hell is going on here? And what’s all of this got to do with my grandfather?”
Glancing at Hank momentarily, the woman graced him with a smile…a beautiful, alluring smile. His heart leaped into his throat as she turned to address the other men.
“I will take responsibility for him for awhile gentlemen; there is much he needs to hear.”
“Are you sure…Dulci?” Benton questioned the oracle. “He was ready to shoot me a minute ago.”
“And you had a ball of flame aimed at him,” The woman replied evenly.
“Touché,” Benton replied with a smile. “We’ll leave you then, but we’ll be just over the hill if you need us.”
The woman smiled again, looking once more at Hank as she did. “I’m sure that we will be fine Benton. But thank you for your gracious offer.”
Bowing deferentially toward the woman, the three men turned and headed back the way that they had come.
Approaching Hank, she stopped in front of him and looked down at Luci. “And who might this beautiful animal be?”
“That’s Luci,” Hank stuttered, suddenly finding himself lacking any self-assurance in the glow of the woman.
“And w-w-who are you?”
Her smile growing, she placed a hand on his cheek, instantly calming him.
“I am called Dulcina, but everyone just calls me Dulci. I knew your grandfather when he was here, a long time ago.”
Seeming unsure of herself for just a moment, she nodded faintly before continuing.
“He was my lover.”