Xaera pushed aside the heavy stone to gain access to the cavern that had been her home. Emalia and Karla were on her heels, moving quickly. While this place was still relatively safe, they didn't want to push their luck with it being discovered. Soon after they were in the murk, Emalia brought up a Fairy Light spell, illuminating the way down.
"No matter how many times I see that, it never gets old," Karla giggled.
"Come on, you two. We still have to retrieve the tome and get back before the Dark Nymph recovers," Xaera reminded the pair.
Without any further ado, the trio descended into the passageway, headed for the main cavern. A few minutes later, they came into Xaera's home, which was exactly as she had left it. Even the candles were still burning, which surprised the fairy and human, as they looked at the troll woman with a sense of awe.
"What?"
"Everlasting candle lights? I didn't think that trolls had such useful spells," Emalia remarked.
"I stumbled upon a spellbook that was written by a troll mage centuries ago. It's full of spells that have helped in accelerating my learning of magic," Xaera responded pridefully.
"From the archive, I would assume?" Karla guessed as they reached the table where Xaera did most of her studying.
"Yes, but sadly, it's the only book on troll magic that I've been able to find, and it's in rough shape," Xaera grumbled as she collected the tomes on the table carefully.
"Have you considered making a copy of the book? I mean, so you could study them all in better detail, without worrying about damaging the original?" Karla questioned.
"I... don't know... how to write. Not well, at any rate," Xaera admitted.
"Maybe I can help. I was part of the calligraphy club back in my high school years, and it wasn't that difficult for me. I could try my hand at replicating the book, if you'd like," Karla offered.
"Really?!? That would be amazing if you could do that!" Xaera gushed.
"It's no trouble. Maybe I could help you with learning how to write better as well. Is it one of the books you packed up?" Karla asked.
"No. It's this one," the troll woman said.
She then gingerly lifted a musty looking book from the table. There was no doubt about its age, as it appeared to have been crafted from ancient papyrus. The cover was careworn, and the lettering faded so badly that only the imprint remained. Karla couldn't read the runes but knew enough that it had to be a powerful spellbook if Xaera was studying it.
"Any idea on how many pages are in it?" Karla asked.
"Maybe four-hundred, and there are some pretty extensive drawings in it as well," Xaera warned.
"That's not an issue. I can draw too, so all we need to do is stop by a Chapters to pick up a few blank books. Probably even some art materials while we're at it," Karla said.
"Xaera, if you have everything you need, we should get going. Not only do we have the Nymph to deal with, but we also shouldn't linger. That wraith/child could be prowling around anywhere," Emalia reminded the pair.
Seeing the point the fairy woman was making, the pair ceased their chatter, grabbed what they needed, and moved. The trio hustled up the passageway, with Xaera sealing the way behind them before they headed for Luke's van. While it wasn't what she'd wanted to drive, Karla had borrowed it, because it gave Xaera the space she needed to be comfortable. Being a troll woman had as many drawbacks as it had perks.
The first of which was finding feminine clothing that fit her. Having a friend as big as Xaera opened Karla's eyes to how bigger women were overlooked when it came to fashion. Just because such women were taller, bustier, thicker, hippier, brawnier, or any combination, shouldn't exclude them from having nice clothes. Maybe she'd look into finding some properly sized clothes for the woman once this hassle of the Nymph and wraith was settled.
The ladies piled in the van, and Karla turned over the engine and drove out of the park. She stopped at the local Chapters as promised and dashed in to get the items needed to copy the book. Xaera and Emalia desperately wanted to go in and peruse the bookstore, but there was no time. And, as Karla had explained, she didn't want to have to hunt either woman down while they were in the store.
Once she'd purchased the books and returned to the Gaian women, the three of them were off again. They made a brief stop by Wendy's to grab some eats before heading back to the house. After getting their order, Karla drove the van to the house, but took a few turns and detours along the way. Emalia noted this and hopped to the front seat to ask about it.
"Why are you taking the long way around? Aren't we supposed to be getting back to the house?" Emalia questioned.
"I would have gone straight there, but I noticed we are being followed. You see that deep blue car several places behind us?" Karla asked.
"Yeah?"
"They've been on us since Chapters. I've tried to lose them while getting us to the house, but the driver looks like he knows what he's doing. I'm worried it might be more Praetorians," Karla huffed.
"Praetorians? Where?" Xaera asked, her head whirling.
"In the blue car a ways behind us. I can tell there is a man driving, but that's about it. If they are Praetorians, we need to warn the others," Karla stated.
"Let me open the back door on this van and I'll blast them with some magic! It would get them off our tails and make them think twice about following us," Xaera growled, bringing the basics of her magic into form.
"We need to stay hidden, Xaera! As much as I'd love to watch you blast those bastards, and trust me, I really want to see you roast them like kebabs," Karla snickered, which made the troll woman smile. "We need to keep a low profile and stay off everyone's radar. You throwing around magic like that would paint awful big targets on our backs. Besides, we're not even sure if they are Praetorians."
"I guess," Xaera replied sullenly, dispersing her magic.
"I have an idea," Emalia piped up.
"Yes?"
"How about I shrink down to fairy form and fly back to the car? I should be able to slip in and eavesdrop on them and learn if they are Praetorians and what they know," the fairy woman suggested.
"That's... not a bad idea! If you're going to go, you need to be careful, OK? I don't want you getting caught or captured by anything or anyone. Got it?" Karla admonished.
"No problem. Just a quick zip in and once I know who they are and what they're doing, then I'll zip out and tell you," Emalia promised.
"All right. I'm going to drive around a little and stay within sight of them so you can find your way back. You ready?" Karla asked.
In response, Emalia waved her hands in a quick cantrip and shrunk back down to her regular size. Once she was small again, Karla cracked the window and the fairy woman was off like a shot. Her wings hummed as she flew down to the car, slipping in the back window, which was cracked open enough to allow her to fly in. Emalia dropped to the backseat quietly and listened to the pair as they were talking.
"... you're sure this is the van that Randy had described? For all we know, it could be someone else with the same van," the woman argued.
"Meera, I'm pretty damned certain that this van is the one we're looking for," the man stated. Just then, a blip sounded on Meera's phone, which she picked up and looked at for a moment. She then huffed in defeat before putting her device away.
"Bad news?" the man asked.
"No, just that you're right, Konstantin," Meera grumped.
"The ownership of the van came back?" Konstantin asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah. A guy called Lucas Barton, who is apparently a real tech head. Graduated in the top five percent at the local university in computer engineering and is quite the genius. Several major firms have been trying to headhunt this guy for years, to get him on their staff. Turns them down each time, no matter how ludicrous their offers are," Meera stated.
"If Randy's intel on this guy is right, maybe it's less about the money and more about principles. Sounds like this guy has them, along with a firm set of morals," the man called Konstantin told her.
"On that, we agree," Meera said with a smile. "I'm still leery of what Randy told us about fairies and magical creatures."
Emalia almost yelped at the mention of this, but kept her mouth closed. Randy had betrayed them?? Luke would be pissed that a man he'd called a friend had rolled on them so quickly! Pushing down her anger, Emalia continued to listen, hoping she'd learn why these people were chasing them.
"You heard them on the tape recording! There was no way that was special effects or anything like that! Not that fast and there was no way Randy discovered the bugs I'd planted! I was careful!" Konstantin argued.
"Like I was saying, I hope that you're correct on this, or the captain will have our heads and our badges. You know the killer is out there, draining people dry as he kills them. Everyone is stumped how the fucker is managing this. We need to find him and bring him in. I only hope this Lucas character can shed some light on the situation," Meera huffed.
Now this was a new development! The way these two were discussing matters made them sound like law enforcement! If this was the case, then Karla wouldn't worry too much. Deciding she'd heard enough, Emalia took flight and was out of the car as fast as possible, without either of the detectives noticing. She reached the van easily enough, as Karla had kept her word about staying within sight of the car.
