A Logical Magician

24

Cassandra’s car made it to the mall. Barely, chugging and wheezing, the old wreck collapsed in a parking space. Muttering curses in ancient Greek, the Amazon slammed her door shut and stalked to the front of the auto. Wrenching the hood open, she glared at the engine like a particularly vile enemy.

“You’ll run,” she spat out, “or I’ll rip your innards to nuts and bolts.”

“Uh, Simon and I will head into the mall, Cassandra,” said Jack, edging away from the car. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Whenever,” said Cassandra, her hands fiddling with the motor. Her eyes glistened with battle lust. “I’ll be here.”

Jack and Simon hurried to the mall’s main entrance. Neither of them said a word until they were inside.

“I’m glad she’s on our side,” said Jack, letting loose the breath he had been holding since the parking lot.

“Cassandra definitely has a style all her own,” said Simon. He glanced around the wide hall. “The nymphs usually hang out in the center of the mall. Let’s head there. It might take a while to find them. They tend to walk around a lot.”

As they walked through the long gallery, Jack recalled the mystery he had wanted to question the changeling about.

“In one of our conversations, Cassandra mentioned an ‘insidious weakness’ that doomed most of her companions. You have any notion what she’s referring to?”

“Of course,” said Simon, smiling. “If you tried, you could probably guess it easily enough. Amazons lived for battle. They possessed none of the usual female longings and desires. But humanity created them with human emotions.

“Amazons are immortal and nearly invulnerable. But they have one fatal flaw. If they fall in love, truly in love, they become human. They metamorphose from deathless warrior to mortal woman.

“That is what happened to Cassandra’s companions. Over the centuries, they grew lonely, took lovers, became wives, raised children, died. Surrounded by the temptations of flesh and spirit, they could not resist experiencing life. Only Cassandra stayed true to the Amazon creed. She is the last of her kind, and very lonely.”

Jack sighed heavily. Immortality sounded wonderful, but he doubted he would be willing to pay the price. Life without love was not life, merely existence.

“Hazel’s spell seems to be working,” said Simon, as if sensing Jack’s mood and trying to change the subject “Considering the stares you’re getting, it’s proving quite effective.”

Jack glanced in the window of a nearby shop and nearly collapsed in shock. He was prepared for his features, but he hadn’t realized the disguise spell affected his clothing and size as well.

He resembled an outcast from a grade-B teen exploitation film. Skinny as a rail, he stood well over six feet tall—dressed in a tie-dyed multicolored shirt, faded blue jeans with the knees ripped out, and floppy sneakers with the long laces untied. No one walked by him without turning at least once for another glance.

“I’m the center of attraction,” Jack whispered to Simon. “Everyone’s staring at me.”

“Don’t complain,” said Simon. “No one in their right mind would associate a weirdo like you with Jack Collins. You’re safer with this oddball appearance than any regular disguise.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” said Jack, grimacing.

“By the way,” he continued, “this grotesque outfit reminds me that I’ve been wearing the same clothes for two days straight. After we meet your friends, I want to pick up some new duds before we leave. Cassandra won’t mind if we do some shopping.”

They spent the next thirty minutes wandering aimlessly through the mall. Upstairs, downstairs, through big department stores and little specialty shops, they searched for the elusive nymphs without success. Finally, they rested at an ice-cream shop where Jack ate a cone and watched his friend devour three milk shakes in quick succession.

“You bring money?” asked Simon, gazing wistfully at the empty container.

“More than enough for another shake,” said Jack. “I grabbed a handful of twenties when we left. Without the Universal Charge Card, we’re stuck using cash.”

“A fate worse than death. Maybe one last shake wouldn’t be a bad idea. Hey! There’s a nymph!”

Jack whirled, his gaze sweeping the crowd. “Where? Where?”

“The tall blonde in the white miniskirt,” said Simon, pointing at a young woman already disappearing into the throng. “Hurry up. They move fast.”

Simon darted off into the crowd, weaving ghostlike through the hordes of shoppers. Pausing long enough to drop a twenty-dollar bill on their table, Jack followed.

Now his bizarre appearance proved useful. People, seeing Jack coming, scrambled out of his path. He looked like trouble, and no one came to a shopping mall hunting confrontation. The sea of faces magically parted before the running scarecrow with purple hair.

He caught up with Simon at one of the shrub-encircled rest areas that dotted the huge passageways. Dozens of caged birds twittered as Jack approached the changeling and his companion. Seeing him, Simon waved happily. “Jack, come meet April.”

The mall nymph reminded Jack of Crystal in blonde. The thought of the succubus set his blood fizzing. Forcing his hormones to behave themselves, Jack held out his hand to the young woman.

“Pleased to meet you, April. I’m Jack Collins.”

April smiled, revealing a mouthful of dazzling white teeth. Her eyes were bright blue and her shoulder-length hair platinum blonde. Tall and slender, she was curved in all the right places. A white half-blouse barely covered her full breasts, leaving the bronzed skin of her stomach bare. A matching white miniskirt was equally daring, displaying an incredible amount of tanned flesh. White boots with high heels completed the nymph’s outfit.

She was a teenage fantasy come to life—the elusive beauty spotted from a distance walking through the mall but never actually encountered. It struck Jack that the nymphs’ persona had changed little from thousands of years past. The only difference in their lifestyle was the location. April was temptation personified.

“My pleasure,” said April, bells tinkling in her voice. Catching Jack entirely off guard, she reached up with both hands, held him gently by the cheeks, and kissed him full upon the lips. “It’s a tremendous thrill encountering a real hero.”

“The thrill is mine,” said Jack dreamily. “Are your sisters equally stunning?”

April giggled. “I’m the ugly duckling of the bunch,” she declared. “The others are much prettier.”

Twenty minutes later, Jack was forced to agree. April was unbelievable, but her three siblings were irresistible.

Moving with a fluid grace that made Jack painfully aware of the nymph’s supernatural origins, April escorted them into the tunnel leading to the mall offices and restrooms. She paused beside the water fountain, watching carefully until no one was in sight. Then, with a quick sidestep, she disappeared into the wall.

“What the…” began Jack. Before he could finish the sentence, one of April’s hands snaked out and snared his arm. With a quick yank, she tugged him into and through the barrier. A second later, Simon followed.

“Faerie magic,” the nymph explained. “Only supernatural or those in physical contact with them can pass through the magic door. It keeps the riffraff out.”

They were outdoors, in a beautiful woodland glade at the center of the shopping mall. Huge trees stretched to the sun, while a bubbling brook flowed lazily past their feet. Not far distant, a young fawn and her mother grazed on bright green grass. It was a dream landscape, impossible, yet real. The one discordant note was four chaise lounges set beneath one of the trees. Three of them were occupied. Jack’s jaw dropped with he realized none of the other nymphs were wearing any clothing.

“Hi, girls,” called April. “I’ve brought company. You remember Simon Goodfellow. And this is his mortal friend, Jack Collins, the hero we’ve been hearing so much about.”

Squealing with delight, the trio of nymphs bounded off their chairs and ran over. Clustering around Jack, they each insisted on kissing him in the same manner as April.

“I’m May,” declared a redhead with sparkling green eyes. After a very long, intense kiss, she winked provocatively. “I love heroes.”

“I’m June,” said the second, a brunette with flashing brown eyes. Her kiss lingered on his lips. “Think of me as a summer fling.”

“July is my name,” murmured the last of the three, with jet black hair and matching eyes. She kissed with a passion matched only by her voice. “I’m the oldest, and the best.”

“What do you mean by that?” said May angrily. “You’re no older than the rest of us. We were all created at the same time. And I’m the best.”

“Says who?” asked June.

“Says me,” declared May, her slender hands curving into fists.

“Wait a minute,” said April, sounding belligerent. “I found them. By rights, they’re mine. Especially Jack. I think he’s cute.”

“Girls, girls,” said Simon quickly. “No fighting, please. Consider the possible damage to your exquisite bodies.”

“He’s right,” said Jack. “Besides, each of you is uniquely beautiful. Comparing perfection against perfection is impossible.”

May licked her upper lip with her tongue slowly, sensually. “I’d forgotten how nicely you humans turn a phrase. April, June, July, I’m willing to forgive and forget.”

“All right, I guess,” said April, “though I still think Jack’s cute.”

“Your apology’s accepted,” said June.

“Likewise,” said July. “Why don’t we stroll over to the stream and relax? Would you care for some refreshment, Jack?”

“A Coke would be nice,” he said, trying to keep his wits in order as April and her three incredibly desirable, completely nude sisters conducted him to a chair next to the spring.

“I swear there were only four chaise lounges here when we entered,” said Jack, stretching out on the recliner. There were six chairs now, one for each nymph, Jack and Simon. In the plastic cup holder attached to one arm of Jack’s seat was a large paper cup filled with ice-cold Coca-Cola. Sipping the drink, he noted without surprise the name of the mall snack shop on the side of the container.

“A teleportation spell?” he guessed, remembering Merlin’s trick.

“Of course,” said July. “We use it for all our needs. Why pay for something when you can borrow it? We return the furniture to storage when we no longer need it.”

“But the forest, the running spring?” said Jack, waving a hand in the air. “Inside the mall?”

“It’s an illusion, of course,” said May. “But a very, very detailed illusion. One with texture and depth. You can’t pick a leaf from the trees or drink from the stream, but otherwise, this world is real. In the summer, we change it to the beach. And in the winter, it snows. Sex isn’t our only talent, Jack.”

“The mall was constructed with a hollow, doorless courtyard area in the center,” said July slyly. “No one ever questioned the architect why he designed it in that manner.”

She chuckled. “Silly boy. He was so easy to convince.”

Indolently, she turned her head and stared directly into Jack’s eyes. “And why have you come to visit us, my handsome young man? Simon never brings company when he comes calling. At least, he never did before.”

“Tell me the last time a true hero walked among the fey folk,” said Simon. “Jack is the personal protégé of Merlin the Magician. And a close personal friend of mine. I thought you girls would enjoy meeting him before he becomes famous.”

Simon lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard. “Jack’s going to save the world from the forces of eternal night. How often does someone like that come along? Remember all the trouble it was getting to see Arthur?”

April giggled. “It was worth the effort,” she declared. The nymph laughed again. “Even with the scandal afterward.”

May and June blushed. All over, Jack noted with wide eyes. Hours later, he tried imagining what might embarrass one of the mall nymphs. His mind boggled at the possibilities.

“Dietrich von Bern claims Jack is yesterday’s news,” said July, arching one eyebrow. “According to the German, in a few more days he’s going to be running the whole show. He sounds pretty sure of himself.”

Simon sneered. “So did Hitler. And the Kaiser. And Bismarck. All the way back to Charlemagne. Overconfidence is part of the German national character. It’s bred into them like beer and sauerkraut.”

July stretched her arms over her head, setting the sweat on Jack’s back sizzling. But what she had to say cooled his passion instantly. “Von Bern intends sacrificing a bunch of human women to the dark gods. Burning them alive, if I remember correctly. Are you two planning to stop him?”

“Maybe,” answered Simon warily. “What’s it to you?”

“We hate human sacrifice,” said May. “We’re creatures of pleasure, not pain. Von Bern’s a handsome devil, and usually we enjoy partying with him. But he’s stepped over the line with this scheme.”

“Then you’ll tell us where the ceremony is going to take place?” asked Jack.

“Would if we could,” said May. “But von Bern keeps information like that to himself. Now that I think of it, though, I remember Jan saying she heard the German mention something about his hideout the other night.”

“Jan?” said Jack.

“Our other sister,” explained April. “Jan’s short for January. She’s off visiting the naiads at the aquarium today. You’ll have to return tomorrow evening if you want to talk to her.”

“Terrific,” said Jack, rising to his feet. They finally had a lead. “We’ll be back.”

“Oh, you can’t leave yet,” said May, also rising. “We don’t allow our guests to depart so quickly. That would be rude.”

“Oh, sure,” said Jack, realizing for the first time that without the nymphs’ cooperation, he was trapped in the courtyard. “We’re not in any rush.”

“That’s good,” said May, running one hand slowly along Jack’s arm. “Because what we have in mind might take a while.”