He walked into my office after ignoring the
pleas of my secretary that I was in a meeting, and sat down across from
me. I was in the middle of eating my
dinner of a freshly-delivered pizza. The
first steaming hot piece was halfway to my mouth when I saw him sit down and just
stare at me, then I put it down slowly and looked back.
“Are you Elenore?” his voice was soft, with
an edge of impatience about it.
“Yes.” I nodded, “Would you like a
slice? I’m about to eat dinner.”
He glanced at the pizza and nodded, “Okay,
seeing I interrupted.”
Placing a couple of pieces onto the lid and
turning it around to face him, I glanced at him, “So, you know my name, what’s
yours?”
“Daniel.” He picked up one piece and bit
in. After polishing off most of the
slice, he told me his problem and why he approached me, “I have been trying to
get a hold of you, but you’re a tough one to nail down.”
“Not really, I have all your messages, but
have yet to get back to you.” I took a sip from my drink as I listened to
him.
“Will you take my case?” he asked, “I just
need you to do that.”
“Sure… but exactly what is your case? You’ve told me a problem and that I’m who you
were looking for, but not why.”
“You’re not exactly the run of the mill
kinda …”he cleared his throat, “… detective I’ve tried before.”
“Oh… I get it, you’ve tried the rest, now
you’re going to try me out.” I smiled, “Funny.” I stood and collected the now
empty pizza box, closed it and shoved it into my recycling bin, “You can go
now.”
Standing, he pulled from his pocket a bottle
of light blue liquid. It shone when my desk
lamp lit through it, “Before I leave, please, I beg of you, take this.”
My eyes widened as I took it gently from his
fingers, and I heard myself whisper, “That’s Dragons’ Tears. True-to-life, rare as all shit Dragons’
Tears.”
“Yes.” He nodded, “I believe you’re looking
for it for a spell you’ve been working.” He pointed to the bottle, “I can get
more as payment.”
Shaking my head, “But dragons are extinct,
so are fire-drakes. And by the way it’s
reacting to light, it’s not fake, so where are you getting this from?”
“I can’t tell you, but trust me when I say
that my name is Daniel and I do need your help with my problem.” He said.
I looked into the swirling bubbles of
gorgeous blueness in the tiny bottle before looking back at him, “What do you
need me to find?”
“The Key to where?” Desmay asked turning
from her ancient texts.
“Yeah, I know… I’ve only heard of it, but
never been there – nobody has.” I pulled from my bag the bottle of dragon tears
and turned it around in my hands, “And my payment is Dragons’ Tears.”
Stepping down from the ladder which leaned
against her library of books, she looked at what I had in my hand, “Holy shit. Just look at that thing.”
“It’s real.” I said holding it up to the
light and watching its gorgeous blueness turn around. My eyes moved back to her as her blond curls
massed around her face, “Can you help me?”
“Sure.” She nodded, “I’ll just fly you to
the UK to and area of land where Avalon is supposed to be – but isn’t – and the
key will work.” She set a box on the table and opened it with a brass key and
began sorting through it, “I was given something strange about five years ago
by some weirdo at a convention. He didn’t
want anything for it, but told me to protect it with my life.”
“And?” I asked.
“Well… remember when my house was broken
into but nothing was taken?” she kept rummaging.
“Yeah.
That was strange.” I shook.
Smiling she pulled out a long, crème-coloured
skeleton key. It looked like a toy, “They
were looking for this.” She gave it to me, “It’s the key to Avalon.”
“Does it work?” I asked.
She shrugged, “There’s only one way to find
out.”
The monolith stood tall in the middle of the
field as the fog rose around it. This
was the place: Avalon. It was surrounded Arthurian mythology and
history; and yet people didn’t know what was the truth about it. Daniel, Desmay and I had walked over two kilometres
across that marshy field to the tall old ruins of what was left of Avalon.
“This place used to be something of legend…
a place where magicks of long ago worked and was once real.” Daniel smiled as
we all climbed up to the tall, moss and vine-covered doors stood.
I looked at him, “You know, this might not
work.”
He nodded, “But you will still be paid.”
“I must bless this place first before
continuing. I can’t just open these
doors without asking permission.” I pulled open my bag and laid out my Book of
Shadows and Athame.
“Just use the key.”
“No.” Desmay said, “She can’t, not without
blessing place first – and then blessing the key. Being an occultist, she must do everything by
the book, or something bad will come from this place.”
Daniel turned on me, “Dammit woman, you don’t
get it! I must get inside that place.”
I stopped and looked at him, “Why?”
“Because I was thrown out of there… it’s
been a thousand years and a day and I’m supposed to be allowed back in!” he
turned to the doors and thumped on them, “But when I asked the Gods, they
denied me access.” His gaze turned to me, “Why do you think I asked you?”
“Because I’m a practicing witch; and you
were going to sacrifice me in your place to get in.” I smiled.
He turned, shocked, “How did you know?”
Smiling, I opened my Book as I pointed my
Athame to the sky. Thunder clapped above
us, “Goddess of change, Diana and gods of All, do you wish us access to permit
Daniel…” a massive thunder clap cut me off as lightning struck a nearby
shrub. I turned to the man, “Whatever
you did to be thrown out pissed them off.” I turned back to my Book, “I have
the Key to Avalon…” my hand reached
inside my pocket, pulled it out and held it high. As it was held up, lightning flashed! Thunder cracked!
My life changed forever as I was permitted
access to Avalon.
