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From: IJ Glenncannon <ijglenncannon@gmail.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} revised: Solstice Magic 07: Country Magic and City Magic - Jacob and Marilis 1-8/8 (M +Ffamiliar, magic/fantasy, implied het sex, fairly mainstream)
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Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 07:10:02 -0400
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Sorry, folks.  I put part 2 in twice and left part 3 out.

Fixed!
====

Solstice Magic 07: Country Magic & City Magic - Jacob and Marilis
1-8/8
----

Jacob [B]: Held by the heel (Hebrew Name)
Marilis [G]: Abbreviation of Amaryllis - the flower Amaryllis; poetic
reference to a simple shepherdess or country girl (Greek Name)
====

Jacob and Marilis 001
The Meeting
---

Jacob was, as his habit, taking the time to explore.  This time, he'd
spotted a desert trail that his SUV could handle, and decided to see
how far he could follow it.

For once, he'd been surprised, and now the 'surprise' was sitting in
the passenger seat and drinking from one of the bottles of water he
routinely carried.

* * *

The track had ended at the entrance to a narrow canyon, so he'd
parked, then got out to look it over and take some pictures.  He'd
been no more than fifty feet from his vehicle when he heard a woman's
voice.  "It's about time you got here, Jacob.  The road is in
excellent shape, so the delay must have been because you decided to
play tourist and take pictures?"

He'd turned his head, and he knew he'd stared at her, but he supposed
anyone would have.  She was...  a vision of feminine perfection, and
her slender, willowy form, invited a man to stare at her.  Her face
had been framed by black hair that cascaded over her shoulders so it
flowed over her chest, caressing the perfection he'd just *known* was
hidden beneath the flowing white gown she was still wearing.  Her
waist length hair would also, he'd known, be caressing what was
probably the most perfect butt he'd ever hope to meet.

She'd deliberately turned so he could verify the truth of his
thoughts, then she'd looked over her shoulder and winked at him.
"Well, Jacob?  Seen enough of me, or are you going to invite me to
share the coolness inside your SUV?"

He'd flinched, then shrugged.  "Never enough..."

She'd turned back and held out her hand.  "Marilis."

He'd taken it briefly, then with obvious reluctance, let go and
gestured.  "I don't believe the name suits you, but I will use it if
you wish me to.  Would you care to let me enjoy your company for a
while longer, until we reach a point where we must part?"

"My destination is the same as yours, Jacob.  Marilis will be fine.
The contrast...  is often to my advantage."

He'd  finally laughed.  "I bet it is!"

She'd got in before he could open the door for her, so he'd climbed
in, then got them turned around and headed back to the main road,
before he'd reached into the cooler that was between the seats, and
offered her the bottle she now sipped from.  He got one for himself,
finally, then guzzled it and tossed the empty over his shoulder before
he shrugged at her amused look.  "Safer to toss, than try to carefully
place."

"You are a pragmatic man, Jacob.  I like pragmatic men."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Was your offer of a ride, an invitation?  Of course it is.  Let there
be truth between us in this matter.  We are mature adults, and we are
attracted to each other.  Furthermore, our lives are linked in ways
beyond the ken of most mortals.  I am no coyote, to tease you.  When
you are willing, I will be ready, and also willing."

"Beyond the ken?  Since it seems like you know a lot about me, for
having never met me, that I can recall, you must know that I don't
believe in all that mystic stuff."

"Say it, Jacob.  I believe you usually say 'mystical nonsense' and
quite often go out of your way to refute it."

He snorted.  "Very well.  It's all 'mystical nonsense', and not a way
to seduce me, unless you desire a debate about it."

"Thank you.  I will take the debate offered.  Your words say one
thing, yet your actions speak of your life in a different reality."

"Oh?"

She gazed out the window, then spoke softly.  "Your choice of the
random paths you follow.  Do you not *always* discover something on
them that captures your interest?  Do you not 'follow your feelings',
when you choose which one to take?  Jacob?  Don't you think it's time
you admitted the truth to yourself, and explored the possibilities of
that truth?"

He flinched, then recovered before he glanced at her calm visage.
"Very well.  Since I am caught in a web of my own making, what are
you, Marilis?  For what reasons have you chosen to allow me to be your
companion?  And, for what it's worth, I apologise for an earlier
comment.  Your name *does* suit you."

"The apology is accepted.  I am here to be your companion while you
search for truth, for I, too, am obsessed with that search.  My search
defines who I am, just as your search defines who you are."

She fell silent for a few miles, then, after she finished her water
and casually tossed the bottle over her shoulder, she returned to
their conversation.  "I am the manifestation of how you see 'truth'.
Elegant, casually confident and unapologetic for what it is.  Direct,
yet subtle when it needs to be.  Yet, for all that, quirky and able to
surprise in unexpected ways.  I am your fantasy companion, and I will
be your true companion, for the rest of your life, no matter how much
you change."

"Are you, then, some sort of manifested power?"

"Yes."  She held her hand where he could watch it without taking his
eyes off the road, then spoke with a hint of laughter in her suddenly
commanding voice.  "Come to me!"

The bottle she'd casually discarded, floated into view, then she
wrapped her fingers around it.  "Be as you were!  Fill thyself with
the substance of life!"

It was suddenly full of what appeared to be water.  She opened it,
sipped, then offered it to him.  "Will you drink of the new truth I
bring to your awareness, Jacob?"

"Madness, but it's my madness.  Yes, Marilis.  I will drink, and drink
deeply."

She gently placed the bottle against his lips, tipped, and he guzzled
half of it before he used a hand to press it down before he glanced at
her and smiled slightly.  "Good enough, my true companion?"

"Yes.  For now!"

After they'd been on the freeway for awhile, he pointed at the signs
ahead of them.  "I have no place special I need to be, and no set time
to be there.  Will you join me, so we may explore a different aspect
of the truth between us?"

She laughed, then touched his arm.  "I am *always* willing to explore
new aspects of truth, and follow what I find, until a different truth
distracts me into following *it*!"

"Inherent to your nature?"

"Of course!"

"Then, Marilis, we will stop, and...  see how many new truths we can
discover, together!"
====

Jacob & Marilis 002
A New god is Made
---

After they'd rested, Jacob had ordered a pizza for delivery, and while
Marilis sat cross legged on the bed, he sat at the table and gazed out
the window while they ate.  The watching of her reflection suited his
mood.  She seemed to sense his sudden ambivalence about her presence
in his life, and stayed silent unless she wanted another slice of
pizza.

"Can you, then, feel my mood?"

"Yes.  Even if I couldn't, I can read your posture, as you read mine,
even now."

"I was wondering if you noticed that."

"It is a pragmatic solution, to an awkward situation."

"Awkward.  I think I expected something other than what I
experienced."

"A different truth, because I am not mortal?"

"Yes, Mari."

"Thank you.  Few dare to speak aloud, what they call me in their
thoughts."

"You're welcome.  What happened...  Forgive me this observation.  It
was everything I ever wanted, yet it was also, not what I wanted.  Was
it what I needed?"

"It was the truth, Jacob.  Would you have us begin the rest of our
lives, with a lie between us?"

"Never that, Mari.  What I wish for...  No.  Not wish, for wishes are
most often a denial of the truth one faces.  Is it possible to change
the truth?"

"Change it for us?  Yes.  However, before I can change, you must
change."

"Oh?  Must?  And that is very open ended."

"Of course it is.  'Must' is because you will have to accept that
'mystical nonsense' is just a different way of seeing and manipulating
the world.  Learn its rules, and you will find yourself able to ignore
many of the things you now think of as inevitable."

"For example?"

She moved off the bed, took his left hand in hers, then placed it on
the table in front of him.  "Your version of reality says you, and the
table, are mostly empty space.  Yet, as you can see, you are solid
enough your hand rests on the surface.  There are two conflicting
truths here.  One says that in theory, the empty space that is part of
you, should be able to pass through the empty space that is the
table."

She pressed gently, and their hands passed through the table, then she
wrapped her fingers around his hand and lifted it until it was above
the table again.  "Once you learn the greater truth, the conflict
vanishes."

He felt his hand, then sighed.  "So, if I learn this greater truth, I
will see and experience the truth of you, in a different way?"

"Yes.  Right now, I can change, but your senses would insist on seeing
me in the same way you do now."

"Anything else?"

"Many things.  A new truth will be that for you, Death will not touch
you, until you allow him to."

"Allow?  I will change that much?!"

"Yes.  Here, Death is an integral part of things.  There, he is a
guest who must not do his job unless he is asked to perform it."

"Will I still be able to take part in this...  Reality?"

"Yes.  Here, you will be everything you think a god should be, and
none will be able to say yea, or nay.  Those who might, are living
their own lives, and unless you were to make them notice you, they are
indifferent to what other gods do here, or anywhere else.  You will
have, at last, True Free Will."

"Surely, there must be some sort of code!"

"As you will, Jacob.  *That* is the only code that could possibly be
true, for a god.  Anything less, and he would not be one."

"Are you a god, Marilis?"

"Yes.  Does it bother you?"

"I...  It didn't, earlier, did it?"

He went silent, then, after it was dark, he stood and moved to settle
on the bed.  "Mari?  Help me seek the truth.  If I need to be a god,
to learn it, then I will be, as long as you choose to stay my
companion."

She moved and sat on his legs.  After that she reached and held his
hands in hers.  "Feel my touch, Jacob.  Let your awareness become one
with your body, then listen carefully while I show you what it is
like, to be a god."

* * *

Several hours later, a slice of pizza rose from the box and drifted
until it was against Jacob's lips.  It slowly vanished as he ate it,
then a napkin left the table and came over to wipe around his lips,
before something crushed it into a shapeless mass and it arced through
the air, to land in the trash can.

After that happened, Jacob opened his eyes and studied Marilis.
"That's it?  It's so...  simple.  And you.  Before, Marilis, you were
beautiful and alluring.  My fantasies come to life.  Now..."

He went silent and she bent until her lips could brush against his in
a tender and lingering kiss, before she shifted to lie beside him.
"And now, my god?"

He laughed, then rolled to watch her eyes.  "You are a goddess,
Marilis.  My goddess, and...  still alluring!"

She stared, giggled, then rolled him until he was on his back, before
she straddled him and started pummeling his chest to get rid of her
sudden exasperation.  "And *you* Jacob, are so stubbornly truthful..."

She stopped her attack and smiled tenderly.  "That you can't be
anything other than the god you were always supposed to be, and I love
you for it!"
====

Jacob & Marilis 003
---

Jacob and Marilis stepped through the terminal doors, and headed for
the line of cabs.  Marilis stopped walking, then started laughing.
"Look.  Our cab has been selected and held for us."

Jacob looked, then smiled.  "A friend of yours?"

"Think of her as a distant cousin."

They kept walking, then, after they were next to the cab, she reached
and rubbed between the ears of the coyote who was sleeping on the
hood.  "Bored, Sani?"

One eye opened.  "No.  The sun isn't as bright here, so if I want to
be warm, I must gather heat in some other way."

Jacob held out his had to the cabbie who was leaning on his car and
watching them.  "Jacob and Marilis.  Are you in service?"

They shook hands, and the man sighed.  "Nate.  I'll be in service, if
Sani decides I am.  She may be invisible to most folks, but she's not,
to me."

Sani stood, stretched, then stepped through the windshield and settled
on her haunches, on the passenger side of the front seat.

Jacob chuckled.  "Looks like you're in service."

"Where to?"

"Stonehenge."

"Aye, I should have figured that one out.  You here to see Aileen and
Galyn?"

"Not unless we happen to meet them."

"Right.  Well, get in, and we'll be on our way, now that Sani has
decided on our passengers."

Jacob smiled.  "Runs your life?"

"Keeps me from getting bored with it, when she's around."

"Mari does the same for me."

They got in, and once he was in traffic, he glanced in his mirror.
"What brings you folks here?"

Mari laughed.  "We seek truth, with the same intensity that Sani hunts
for not-boredom."

"Obsessed folks, then.  Well, Stonehenge is a good place to meet the
obsessed, if you're patient about your waiting."

Sani turned and looked at Marilis.  "It is good, cousin, that you have
found a mate again."

Marilis grinned.  "I suspect this one will not tire of the new game as
quickly as my first mate did.  Are you well?"

"I am quite well.  These modern humans are very entertaining.  Did you
fly here inside one of the birds that has wings that don't move?"

"Yes.  What of you?"

"A human female who wished to journey to meet my mate, kept me
company.  Her companions were very good at staying not-bored,
especially the tiny woman who is also a spirit person.  Perhaps you
will meet them at Stonehenge."

A tiny figure appeared and sat on the seat back, between Mari and
Jacob.  "An' what meddlin' be ye doin' now, pointy ears?"

"I am not meddling.  I am seeking to learn what my cousin has been
doing since I last talked with her, and then I will find out if she
has anything planned for their visit to Stonehenge, that will be as
not-boring as keeping my friend Nate, company."

"Hmmph!  Ye be far, far worse than the vixens I know!"

"Of course I am.  I am bigger than they are."

The leprechaun grinned at Marilis and Jacob.  "Sani be fun to be
around, once she relaxes.  I'll let Aileen and Magan know we have
company on their way."

She vanished.

Sani sneezed.  "Perversity's people are much involved in their own
version of the game, which includes a rule that says they must not
take it, or themselves, too seriously.  Some humans are able to play
it, but it takes them a long time to understand the need for that
rule.  What game do you play now, cousin?"

"Newness and truth.  Jacob and I seek to learn if there are any more
truths than the obvious ones, that caused so many people to receive
The Gift in so short a time."

Sani thought about it, then she nodded.  "You hunt an elusive prey,
Cousin."

"None better, if you enjoy the hunt more than you do the capture.  If
we fail, we will have been very not-bored."

"A good thing to have happen.  Very well.  You are still as obsessed
as ever, so I find your hunt boring.  I will stay with Nate."

Mari's eyebrows rose when Nate reached and scratched the side of
Sani's neck.  "Sani is good company.  I miss her when she goes home. I
guess she isn't ready to share me, which is disappointing, because I
wouldn't mind meeting more of her people."

Jacob grinned at Sani.  "Nate?  Perhaps she fears the possible boredom
she faces, if you receive The Gift.  It is traditional that one Spirit
being links with one human, when that human receives The Gift.  A
Tradition is not always a Truth.  Perhaps Sani's heart has hidden that
Truth from her mind, because there has been recent news about a man
who has The Gift, and he has *two* Spirit people sharing his life. His
wife received The Gift, and has a Spirit person living with her. They
do not care who plays with who, and they are *very* not-bored."

Sani stared at him, then faced her Cousin.  "He speaks Truth?"

"Yes.  Their Spirit companions are living as dogs, and quite often get
to chase cars as prey, and catch them, because catching them is one of
the rules their humans live by.  The human 'catch' is a symbolic one,
but it is a true catch, by their rules."

"I will think on this matter.  While I do, my children will keep Nate
company.  I do not want him to get bored."

She vanished, and two younger coyotes replaced her.  One was male, the
other was female.  The male spoke excitedly.  "Hi!  Mom says your name
is Nate!  I'm Pop, because I like to startle people when I appear.  My
sister is Tart, because she thinks she knows it all, and thinks
everyone else is stupid, so she speaks in short sentences most of the
time."

Then both of them spoke at the same time.  "When we're together, we
call ourselves the Pop Tarts!"

Nate's GPS suddenly spoke and both of them stared at it.

Tart spoke hesitantly.  "Hello, little box.  Are you a new type of
person?"

Nate chuckled.  "It is only a box that uses a recording, Tart."

"Yet it gives you directions, like a wise one would, and you can
choose to follow them, or not?"

"Yes, because the directions it gives me are not always right."

Pop pointed with his nose.  "Look!  A CB!"

The mic on Nate's radio lifted and settled in front of Pop's nose,
then the switch depressed before Pop spoke enthusiastically: "Breaker!
Breaker!  This is the Pop Tarts looking for a comeback, go on!"

There was a silence, then a voice that sounded slightly bemused,
spoke.  "Pop?!  Switch to channel four, please."

"Uncle Galyn?!  Sure!  We're gone!"

The display on the radio changed, then Pop spoke again.  "Uncle Galyn?
You copy?"

"I have a copy.  So your mother decided it was time for you to see the
world?"

"Yeah!  We're riding with her good buddy, Nate, because she thinks
he'll be able to keep us from getting into too much trouble.  He
drives a cab,  just like you do, and she said his passengers are on
their way to see Aileen and Magan.  Are you going to be there?  We've
already met a box who talks like people, and Tart tried to talk to it,
because she thought it was a new type of person.  Was she embarrassed!
Come back!"

Galyn was laughing when he replied.  "I won't be there, this time.  I
have some passengers who are laughing very hard and wondering if all
their cab rides will be this entertaining.  I wish I could chat
longer, but I do have to take proper care of my passengers, first."

"Ok, Uncle Galyn.  It was nice talking to you.  We're gone!"

"Galyn, gone!"
====

Jacob & Marilis 004
---

Perversity met them in the parking lot.

After they all got out of the cab, she pointed at Pop and Tart. "Since
you two so seldom behave, doing it should be very not-boring."

Tart glared, then relaxed and smiled.  "Mom said we must do what Nate
says."

Perversity put her hands on her hips and studied them.  She finally
smiled.  "So that's the way of it, is it?"

"Yes, Aunt Perversity."

"Nate?  I leave them to you."

She vanished.

Pop and Tart stared at where she'd been, then Pop sighed.  "I think
you just made a mistake."

Tart turned her head slightly.  "Nate?"

"Well, Lass, I don't think you made a mistake, as much as you upset
Perversity's plans for a good time.  She'll get over it."

Tart sneezed.  "True, but it's *how* she gets over it, that makes us
think I made a mistake."

"Aye.  I can see where anyone would be concerned about that.  Well,
folks are used to your mother manifesting and enjoying herself here,
so once we are through the gate, you can fully manifest, and go play."

He waggled a finger at them.  "However, you must put everything back
the way it was, before we leave, and your play must not frighten or
hurt folks!"

"May we do things that amuse them?"

"I know what that means when your mother says it, Tart.  Aye, you may
entertain and amuse them."

* * *

After they were inside, a man met them and held out his hand.  "I'm
Lester.  Aileen and Magan are waiting at the stones.  Enjoy your..."

He stopped when a sudden 'pop' made him flinch.  He looked down, then
sighed "Two of you?"

"I'm Pop.   She's my sister, Tart.  Together, we're the Pop Tarts!"

He smiled.  "You do that well.  Welcome to Stonehenge.  Are you any
relation to Sani?"

"We're her children!"

He winced, then sighed.  "Don't make any permanent changes to things.
People are used to coming here so they can see Stonehenge as it is
now, not as it was.  Think of it like you are putting on a special
show, when you change things, and only a few people will get to see
it."

Pop looked past him.  "What about the way the stones glow in different
colors?  That's a change."

"A human did it, and it is not permanent."

Pop sneezed.  "Maybe not, but it will last many human lives, if nobody
stops it.  May we do the same?"

Lester turned and looked, then sighed.  "Please do as your mother
does, when she plays here."

"Put all our toys back where they were, so nobody can tell we were
here, just like we have to do at home?"

"Yes."

"Ok.  Mom says she's always escorted to the stones."

Perversity appeared and studied him.  "Now, you show some sense.  With
your permission, I will escort you."

He sat and tilted his head, before he spoke carefully.  "Mom told us
of the time when you rode her, and she held your leash."

"Aye?  I suppose you want to do the same?"

"No, Aunt.  I think we should ride you."

"An' if you haven't noticed, you are bigger than I am.  I'll grant the
silliness of it would be entertaining."

He and his sister shrank, then he jumped and landed on Perversity's
head.  Once he was facing forward, he sat and held his tail clear of
her neck.  Tart jumped on Perversity's shoulder, then carefully draped
herself around Perversity's neck.

Pop lowered his tail, then pointed with his nose.  "Giddyup!"

Perversity laughed, then she started walking.  "Your mother will be
proud.  It be best that I warn ye, that the stones are filled almost
to bursting, with power.  You'd best be cautious, because if you treat
the power here, like you do the power in the stones at home, you'll be
in trouble, right quickly!"

The rest of them followed, and after they were on the path, Nate
sighed.  "Would I be seeing more than there is, if I start thinking
Sani has decided to send temptation my way, in the form of her
children?"

Jacob smiled.  "If you accepted The Gift from them, it wouldn't be the
strangest first step on the path of Free Will."

"Know something about that?"

"Yes.  I like to explore, and the trail I chose one day, led to a dead
end, and a woman in a flowing white gown, who had already decided that
our lives should be joined."

"Aye.  There's no normal way, is there?"

"I don't know.  There is normal as we think of normal, and normal as
other cultures think of it.  Best we've come up with, is to agree that
it's normal for the first step to be unusual in at least one way."

Nate laughed, and gestured at the stones, where Perversity was sitting
on the altar stone, Tart was running in a circle that had her weaving
*through* the stones, and Pop was matching her circle, but running on
top of the stones.  "Sani was more...  Mature, in her entertainments."

Marilis smiled.  "Maintained her dignity?"

"If you can call making the lines of power visible, then running above
them, dignity."

Pop suddenly jumped and landed on one of the stones that was on the
ground.  When it started to rise, he looked directly at Nate and
grinned, then he guided it until it settled and became a lintel again.

Tart had stopped to watch him, then she rode a stone into place.  Both
of them jumped down and came over to look up at Nate.  "It is like a
puzzle made of toy blocks.  Some of the pieces are missing.  We know
where they are.  May we go get them?  We'll put them back before we
leave, and nobody will be able to tell we ever moved them."

Nate sighed and raised his voice.  "Perversity?  I think I need some
of your advice!"

She strolled over, then sighed.  "And what be these two trying to get
you to agree to?"

"They know where the missing pieces are, and they want to reassemble
Stonehenge.  Is there any danger, if they do?"

"Aye, there is, but not to we who are on the ground.  Let me consult."
She raised her voice.  "Aileen!  I need your help!"

Aileen and Magan joined them, and Aileen smiled.  "You need my help?
You live up to your name, once again."

"I do my best.  The children wish to reassemble the puzzle that is
Stonehenge.  There would be no danger to us, but those who fly above,
would be in danger."

"Oh?"

"Aye, Lass.  Stonehenge is a beacon to the gods, and when it is
complete, it sends a pillar of energy to the heavens, to proclaim our
joy that the gods watch over us."

"So, completing it is like throwing a switch?"

"Aye."

"What if they made duplicates of the missing parts and used those?"

"Lass, I don't know what might happen.  Perhaps, if they made the
duplicates and put them on the ground, they could set them in place
one at a time, while the rest of us watch carefully, before we decide
to let them add the next one.  The power will build slowly, before the
final stone releases it."

Jacob had been silent, and when Perversity stopped speaking, he
sighed.  "Was Stonehenge deliberately torn down, or blown apart?"

"Aye.  You have the right of it.  Both, and wisely, the builders chose
to not reassemble it."

He nodded.  "So, as long as the final stone isn't placed, we shouldn't
have to worry?"

"Laddie, you enjoy asking questions people don't have the answers to,
don't you?"

"I suppose I do, yes."

"Back then, there were hundreds of people who shared The Gift, and
most of them had at least one Spirit companion.  Together, we all
worked to keep the power under control while it was built.  That's all
I can tell you."

Jacob nodded, then moved his attention to Pop and Tart.  "Can you
control yourselves, if one of us asks you to stop?"

Tart sighed.  "We are not supposed to do anything that might endanger
humans.  What if we duplicated all of the stones and built a model,
outside the circle of power?  If no power is in the model, it should
be safe, but we are as concerned as you are, so we are willing to
place each part, then wait until you tell us it is safe to place the
next part."

Perversity finally nodded.  "Many models have been built and
assembled, safely.  You show the wisdom of your mother, Lass.  We will
do that, and hope nothing happens.  Now, all we need is a place to put
it."

It was Nate who pointed at the visitor's center.  "We could keep a
small space clear, and let them assemble it there.  I think people
would enjoy seeing what Stonehenge looked like, before they see its
ruins."

Pop studied Nate, then perked his ears at him.  "If we make the parts,
will you assemble them for us?"

"I don't have The Gift, Pop."

"That will not be a problem.  We like to play with Styrofoam, because
one of its properties is that it makes a person appear a lot stronger
than they really are.  It is great fun, to create illusions that are
reality, in a world made of illusions."

Nate sighed.  "I *knew* I've been paying too much attention to Sani.
That made sense.  Let's go find someone who can tell us the best place
to build your model."

Pop's and Tart's ears perked, then they flanked Nate and looked up
expectantly.  He nodded, and the three of them left.  By the time they
stepped ten feet, two tails were vertical, and wagging from side to
side vigorously.

it  was Perversity who spoke for all of them.  "An' who, I wonder, is
charmin' who?!"
====

Jacob & Marilis 005
---

Everyone watched them leave, then Aileen spoke casually.  "You folks
must be Jacob and Marilis?"

Marilis laughed.  "Yes, and we came here, not specifically to see you
or your companion, whom I assume is Magan, but to see if we could find
any hidden truth."

"There's a lot of it here that is undiscovered.  Perversity's casual
admission of one of the purposes of Stonehenge, and Nate's companions'
casual revelation that they know where the missing stones are, were
two truths we weren't aware of."

Marilis smiled.  "They are nice to know, of course, but they are
probably not related to the Truth we are searching for."

"Oh?"

"We seek to find out if there are reasons that so many are being given
The Gift, in such a short space of time, and the reasons most of those
people are ones who are highly visible to the public."

Aileen shook her head.  "That isn't anything I considered.  Magan?
Trevor?"

Magan sighed.  "We've been pretty busy, coming to terms with The Gift,
and how it affects our lives, to pay much attention to the news."

Jacob laughed.  "I'm afraid our obsessive search keeps us listening
and watching for any news of people who have The Gift.  There is a
group forming here, as a result of that Winter Solstice display, and
there is another group forming in the western US.  There is also..."
He snorted.  "The group that is loosely tied together by Sani's quest
to stay 'not-bored'."

Magan smiled and gestured at him and Marilis.  "Then, there is the two
of you, correct?"

"We're not sure where we fit in.  Mari and Sani are cousins, but Mari
had her own reasons for meeting me, that had nothing to do with that
relationship, as far as *I* know."

Mari giggled.  "My reasons were my own, and derived from who and what
I am.  I haven't had a chance to see Sani in thousands of years.  The
last news I had of her, was that she was enjoying herself hugely, by
pestering the Native Americans."

Magan smiled.  "And you?"

"I was in what you now call Alaska, and seeing if I could backtrack
the footsteps of the first settlers who entered the New World from
that direction."

"Did you?"

"I'm not sure.  I found many isolated spots, but I couldn't link them
together, so I eventually got bored and went looking for other things
to do."

"That makes sense.  Trevor?  Any ideas?"

"Maybe."

"Oh?"

"Do we all agree that Aileen's 'game with the stones' is much like
reducing the pressure, so an explosion doesn't occur later?"

Aileen and Magan nodded, while Marilis and Jacob shrugged, so he went
on.  "If we assume that the huge amount of power built up in
Stonehenge generates some sort of field, that sensitives are attuned
to, it would make sense that more people would be able to feel it, and
then use it, with little or no special training."

Jacob nodded slightly.  "I'm with you, so far.  What of the Spirits,
Mari?  Are they attracted to places of power?"

"No.  We're already everywhere, and if we 'clump', it's because we've
found something that interests us.  It was you who interested me, not
your potential to use power."

"So, essentially, you are attracted to what someone can do, right
then?"

"And in the near future.  Yes."

"Oh, well.  I thought I was going somewhere, but I wasn't."

Aileen turned and studied Stonehenge while she thought.  "Maybe,
Jacob, you were going somewhere, but it wasn't where you wanted to
go."

"Oh?"

"There is a clump of new power handlers here, and some of them
recognized the danger to all of us, if Stonehenge was allowed to keep
collecting power until it...  exploded.  There is another clump in
America.  That suggests to me, there might be another 'battery' being
charged, and it's close to exploding."

Trevor's eyes widened.  "Of course!  Balance!  There hasn't been any
in so long, that power handlers, on an individual basis, don't have to
worry about it, as far as human lifetimes are concerned.   Now, the
scale, if there really is one, has started tipping the other way."

Marilis sighed.  "If you are right, we are going to see a huge
increase of people with The Gift."

Trevor shivered, then turned to gaze towards the entrance.  "Mari?  Is
it possible that this has happened before, and the...  racial memory
of you Spirits is acting to make sure the power is used slowly, so it
doesn't destroy us all?"

She frowned, then sighed again.  "I don't know, Trevor.  We use it
ourselves, because we do need to replace what we use up because we are
alive.  Think of it as eating.  It's possible that humans are a way
for the energy to be dissipated, but that's strictly a local effect,
and places such as Stonehenge will slowly absorb the energy until it
has to be dissipated, again."

Trevor sighed.  "It looks like all we're doing is creating more
questions for you and Jacob."

Jacob chuckled.  "Don't worry about it.  Seeking Truth defines who we
are."

He pointed at the freshly replaced lintels.  "We do not care what
Truth we discover, as long as we find some once in awhile."

Suddenly, he frowned, made a sweeping motion with his hand, and the
lintels lifted and moved away, until they were clear, then they
settled in their original positions.

Tart showed up and studied the stones, then looked at Jacob
accusingly.  "We were going to put them back."

"I know you were, Tart.  I felt it was an emergency, and I acted,
instead of calling for one of you."

"An emergency?"

Yes.  Can you tell if the two stones you put in place have more energy
in them, than they had when you moved them?"

"Yes.  I will check."

She walked over, touched her nose to one of the stones, then jerked it
away and stared at the stone as if it was going to bite her.  "It's
hot!  Hot enough that it would burn a human, if they touched it!"

She glared at the stone, then spoke angrily.  "I did not do this, and
when I find out who did, I will let them know they should not have
done it!  I will fix it!"

She jumped and landed in the center of the stone, then looked down.
"Try to burn me, will you?!"

She started glowing until she was white hot, then she slowly dimmed
until she looked normal again.  She jumped down, paused to kick some
dirt and grass at the stone, then she turned and looked over her
shoulder.  "Hah!  I win!"

She looked at Jacob.  "I will go help finish building the model, while
Pop comes back and plays the new game with *his* stone!"

She vanished, Pop popped into existence on his stone, and he
immediately began to glow.  He went through the same cycle Tart had,
then he jumped down and came over to sit and study Jacob.  "All we did
was put them back where they should have been.  They should not have
become much hotter.  Do you know who played with us, and how they made
the stones so hot?"

"You and Tart did it."

"Impossible!"

"No, it's not.  Have you ever played with electricity and shorted two
wires together?"

"Sure!  Sometimes they spark real pretty colors, but if you hold them
together, they...  get real hot!"

He turned and stared at Stonehenge.  "Electricity is energy.  The
stones have lots of energy in them, and it acts just like electricity
does.  Tart!  Come quickly!  I've discovered a new game!"

She appeared, looked at the stones, then turned and looked at her
brother.  "I see no game.  Maybe you are playing a game with *me*?"

"No!  No!  A fun game that is like one we already know how to play,
but I bet it's better!"

"Oh?"

"Sure!  The stones are like wires, and the other stones were like the
wires we melt.  Let's stand on top and make a Jacob's Ladder with our
tails!"

They both ran, jumped, landed on stones that were next to each other,
then they turned and stretched their tails until energy arced from
tail tip to tail tip.  They slowly raised their tails, until they went
past vertical.

Suddenly the stationary arc became a travelling one, and they held
their poses for awhile, then they moved so the arc vanished.  Tart
jumped a few stones further, then shouted.  "Let's see if the arc
changes color!"

Pop ran the opposite direction, then turned around and held his tail
out so they could do it again.  The arc didn't change color, but after
they held their poses longer than they had the first time, they began
to glow the same color as the stones they were standing on.

By the time they got tired of their game, most of the crowd was
cheering them on, or roaring with laughter when they tried different
poses so they could see what happened.

 * * *

Jacob had looked at his companions when it was clear the game was
going to last awhile, then he grinned.  "Well, I thank you folks for
the pleasant time we've had so far.  Since Mari and I are here, could
we trouble one of you for the usual guided tour?  This is my first
time here, and I don't know anything other than the stones are filled
with power."

Aileen stared at him, then giggled and gestured for them to join her
while she started walking.  "I will not attempt to tell you of the
history of the stones that is being made right now.  Instead, I will
tell you of what we know about their past, and what we speculate might
be truth..."
====

Jacob & Marilis 006
---

Jacob was killing time on the plane by reading his notes.  Eventually
he set them aside, and sighed.

Mari glanced at him and went back to watching the clouds.  "A
problem?"

"Yes.  None of it makes sense."

"None?"

"According to what we've found on the net, there aren't any known
places of gathered power, anywhere near where things are happening in
the US.  I'm starting to think we're using the wrong approach, but I
can't figure out where we went wrong."

"What about the places where legends say special events have
happened?"

"They're all hundreds of miles away from any of the recent events."

"Don't ask me to go looking for any.  I couldn't sense anything
different about Stonehenge, until we were next to it."

"What about the lines of power?"

"Even when I knew where they were, I couldn't sense them."

"Sani can.  I didn't think to ask Pop and Tart if they could sense
them."

"Some humans can dowse for them.  Maybe you could try it.  If you
found a line, we could follow it and see  if there was any
concentrated power on it."

Jacob sighed and shook his head.  "I suppose we could try that, but
I'm not really interested in all the problems we'd have when we
started crossing people's private property."

"Oh.  I do have an idea."

"I'm listening."

"Let's go talk to all those people in that other new group.  Maybe one
of them will come up with something."

He thought about it, then leaned his seat back and closed his eyes.
"It's worth trying.  Wake me up when they serve the food."

Mari studied his profile while he relaxed and went to sleep, then she
went back to looking out the window and marveling at how different
things looked when one was miles above them.

* * *

After they ate, Jacob handed Mari a list he'd made.  "As best as I can
tell, that's the order they were given The Gift."

Mari took it, read it, then placed a finger on the top names and spoke
softly.  "Could it really be them?  It's been so *many* years..."

"Mari?  Something wrong?"

"Hmmm...  Oh.  No.  It's nothing like that.  Just some memories, from
a long time ago."

* * *

The mare stopped where the pass gave her a good view of the small
valley, and thought about what she saw.

Finally she snorted and started walking again.  Maybe she could find
someone here, who would accept her for who and what she really was.
She'd heard rumors...

It was starting to snow again when she found the tavern.

She looked around, and when she spotted an alcove where she would be
hidden from sight, she headed for it.

She was about to change into her human form when a voice spoke softly.
"I've never seen you before.  You're beautiful.  You like me, and
trying to get out of the cold?"

A child left to live or die, in a village this small?  The situation
felt wrong, somehow, so she bent her head and studied the boy.  He was
dressed warmly, which left her even more puzzled.  Surely, he could
have asked for help in the tavern, couldn't he?

Something about the boy bothered her though, and suddenly, she
realized what it was.

He wasn't shivering.

Her decision made, she shifted and held out her hand to the boy, who
was now wide-eyed and staring at her.  "No.  I'm not trying to get out
of the cold.  I only wanted a place where I could change, so I could
go inside and meet some of the people who live here.  Will you join
me?"

"You...  You're like me!"

"Am I?  I'm a woman, and you're a boy."

"No!  No!  I mean *really* like me.  Suddenly a dog was sitting on his
haunches, where the boy had been.  "See?!"

The dog became a boy, and he smiled hesitantly.  "I couldn't think of
a way to make them believe I'd wandered in during the storm, so I
decided to stay out here and wait to see if anyone might want a dog
around."

"But you were a boy when I saw you."

"I know.  No dog would be out in this stuff, and it's easier to ask
people if they need a dog to watch things.  I figured I could find out
who really needed one, end then I could go back to being a dog and
wander in on them."

Marilis laughed softly.  "The only flaw in that, is the original one.
A boy would be safe at home, and in a village this small, anyone who
met you would know you're a stranger."

"Yeah.  I know, but I was hoping I'd figure out a way to make it work,
before I was spotted.  At least, human footprints wouldn't get as much
attention as a dog's would."

"Perhaps.  I'm here because I have heard rumors that make me believe a
man and a woman who have a farm here, are like us."

"Really?!  That would be nice.  I'd really like to have a family
again."

"Oh?"

"Yes.  A childless couple found me while I was exploring, and took me
in.  Last year, they both got a real bad fever and died from it. Folks
blamed me, and ran me off.  Eventually I saw this valley, and decided
that even if nobody wanted me, I'd be able to live in the woods or
something, or change and be whatever animal they needed."

Marilis smiled.  "I'm Marilis.  Most people call me Mari.  You have a
name?"

He suddenly seemed to realize her hand was still outstretched, so he
shook it enthusiastically.  "Yeah.  I'm Owen."

"Well, Owen, I've done this before, so how would you like to be my
son?"

"Son?!  Really?"

"Yes.  We can say my husband died and I didn't get any marriage offers
that would let me keep you, so we left and went looking for another
village we could live in."

He thought about it, then nodded.  "I'm not a real good liar yet,
because I'm new here.  You'll help me?"

"I'll help you.  If anyone asks, We'll tell them we cached our
supplies and made a desperate dash to get here before the full force
of the storm hit."

"Ok."

They held hands on the way to the tavern.  Mari pushed the door open
and spoke softy, but loudly enough anyone inside could hear her. "See,
Owen?  We made it!  We can go back for our possessions, after the
storm lets up, or I can buy us new stuff, if it will be awhile."

She let him precede her, and he entered, then waited while she came in
and closed the door.

She stamped her feet, then smiled.  "Stamp your feet, Owen.  The snow
belongs outside, but I think they'll be ok if we leave it by the door,
instead of tracking it all over."

"Oh.  Yeah."

He stamped his feet, she nodded her thanks, then she looked up and
studied the few people that were in the room.  "I know it's late, but
would it be possible to get something warm to drink, and some food for
our bellies?  We had to leave our supplies behind, but I did bring my
money with me."

A muscular man came out of the kitchen and looked them over.  "I'm Sir
Halloran, and any woman and child who are brave enough to travel in
that storm, get to eat free, until I say otherwise."

Mari curtsied.  "Thank you, Sir Halloran.  We are looking for a place
to live.  Perhaps, until we decide where, I can repay your kindness by
sharing some of the chores."

He laughed.  "You're no 'faints at the sight of blood', wench, I'll
wager."

"I'm not, and neither is my son."

"We'll discuss it later."

He turned his head and spoke loudly.  "Gabriella!  Two ciders for our
guests!  I'll get the poker!  Jezzi!  Two hot meals.  One for a boy,
and one for his mother!"

A teen girl came through the doorway and she was holding two steaming
mugs.  "Did you think we didn't hear them come in, Father?"

He laughed and gestured widely.  "Pick a table after you hand me your
cloak and jacket.  I'll hang them so they can dry."

Mari handed him her cloak, and Owen handed over his jacket.  Mari
looked around, then she settled at a table that was near the
fireplace.

After Owen sat, she winked at him.  "Ok, my brave young man.  You
don't have to impress these people with how manly you are.  It's ok if
you shiver.  Sir Halloran will understand, and appreciate your
courage.  I suspect that if he approves, so does everyone else."

Owen started shivering before he looked at Sir Halloran and smiled
shyly.  "Really, Sir, it is *very* cold out there, but I didn't want
my mother to worry about me."

He nodded slightly.  "She can be proud of you, Owen."

Mari smiled.  "I am."

Gabriella set the mugs in front of them, and as soon as she left, a
slender woman came out of the kitchen with two heaping plates of food.
After she set them down, she looked at both of them, and her eyes
widened slightly before she relaxed.  "Eat.  The food is simple, but
nourishing.  We can talk about the sweetbread, later."

When she reached to touch Owen and brush his hair our of his eyes, she
paused, then took a deep breath.  "We are a friendly people, and our
farm is close enough that I can find my way home in spite of the
storm.  It should let up fairly soon, anyway.  Until you decide what
you want to do, please stay with us.  We are childless, and have
plenty of room for guests."

She laughed softly.  "A walk in the moonlight, in the snow, can be a
*magical* experience."

Owen looked at Mari and she noded, so he smiled back.  "Thanks for the
food and a place to stay..."

"Jezebel.  Since you'll be staying with us, you can call me Jezzi."

"Thanks, Jezzi.  I can be real good at helping do chores.  Dad made
sure of that!"

"Had a firm hand, did he?"

"Very!"

They both laughed, then Owen looked at his plate.  "Umm...  I'm really
hungry, mom.  Do we have to say grace?"

"You may say it in your head if you feel you need to.  He will hear
it, and understand if you are abrupt.  I will also give thanks in my
head, for His help in making sure we made it to a place of refuge."

They both ate and drank, and after Jezzi had made sure they had eaten
all they could, she sat at the table and studied them, after she
brought out a plate of sweetbread.

Finally she smiled.  "I suppose you know how it works, Marilis?  Since
I am here, I get to ask all the questions that everyone will
eventually find an excuse to ask."

"And Owen will get to glory in his role as the fearless adventurer who
wades through snowdrifts, and rescues his mother from the dangers that
he spotted and avoided, so she didn't have to worry?"

Jezzi laughed.  "I see you are well traveled.  To save time, there are
no available men who are near your age, and those who are married, are
faithful and will not seek newness in their lives."

Mari smiled at Jezzi's hint, then nodded.  "I am not here to seek a
husband to replace the one I lost.  It will be enough, if Owen can
grow up around men who are men and will treat with him as if he were
their own."

"Memories?"

"Mostly good ones."

"Owen will be popular with the boys, for his bravery, and popular with
the girls, because he is...  well mannered, and a boy."

"He knows the rules, Jezzi, but if some choose to remind him, or make
sure, I will not be upset.  Ways can be different, and is up to us to
adapt to you, and not the other way around."

"True."

Jezzi walked over to the window, then looked out and studied
something.  Eventually she turned back.  "In a couple hours, the storm
will lessen, and we may leave and expect to get home before the rest
of it returns.  Will that be a long enough respite for the two of
you?"

Mari nodded.  "We will be ready.  It will be nice to know there is a
warm destination waiting for us, this time!"
====

Jacob & Marilis 007
---

The last of the regulars left the tavern and Jezzi came over and
smiled at Marilis and Owen.  "That's the last of them, and if anyone
braves the weather, Hal and Gabriella can take care of them.  I'll get
my cloak while you two get ready, then we can leave.  It's not that
far, but we'll have to move briskly, if we want to be inside before
the rest of this storm gets here."

Once they were out of sight of the village, Jezzi stopped, then faced
her two guests.  "Ok, are you two ready to be honest with me?"

Mari watched her warily.  "Honest?  I don't understand."

Jezzi laughed. softly.  "Oh, I think you do."

She changed into a mare and snorted.  "Does this loosen your tongues
any?"

Marilis stared.  "The rumors were true!"

"Yes.  That was a nice touch, telling Owen he could shiver.
Unfortunately, he forgot to flush his face.  Worse for him, his face
was warm when I brushed against it.  I wasn't testing either of you. I
just wanted a good look at that handsome face of his, and I thought I
would be reassuring him that he was safe, finally."

Marilis laughed.  "So the comment about the girls finding Owen
attractive, was the truth?"

"Oh, yes.  We can talk about it after we get home, and I introduce the
two of you to Boyce.  He's human, and he has The Gift.  He also knows
about me, and we have spent many years living as husband and wife.
This is not our first farm."

She bent her head and watched Owen.  "Well, young man?  Do you want to
walk, ride, or run?"

"With all this snow to play in?!"  He became a dog and grinned up at
her.  "I'll run!"

She laughed and raised her head.  "Well, Mari?"

Mari became a mare and laughed.  "I am a mare.  I will run, of
course."

Jezzi looked down.  "Will you be able to keep up, or should we let you
set the pace?"

He laughed.  "This is a game I have played before, with real horses.
Lead, and I will be at your side."

"Then we shall all run!"

Jezzi launched into a gallop.

The three of them ran for several miles, then Jezzi slowed and pointed
with her nose.  "Home lies just ahead.  We have neighbors who can see
the path, so we must change back and walk the rest of the way, so they
do not realize what we are."

She changed, the others matched her actions, and they made the rest of
the trip in silence.

When they arrived, a man was sitting on the porch and watching them.
"Well, Jezzi?  Collecting strays again?"

She laughed.  "Oh, no, Boyce.  Not this time.  Meet Marilis and Owen.
They just arrived this afternoon."

"And they need a temporary home?  Well, they will be a welcome change
from the usual boredom of surviving another winter."

He stood and held out his hand.  "Welcome to our home, Marilis and
Owen."

Instead of shaking the offered hand, Owen grinned, then became a dog
again.  "Thanks!  You got a hearth rug I can sleep on?"

Boyce stiffened with his surprise, then he let loose his laughter.
"Yes, we do.  We also have enough beds so you can have your own, to
sleep in, or on, if you feel you need to."

"Wow!  Great!"

Boyce shook his head, then looked at Marilis.  "And you?"

"I can be a mare, but I prefer to be a woman, when around humans. Will
that be a problem?"

"No,  In fact, it is wise, until you learn the habits of our
neighbors."

He looked at Jezzi.  "A wonderful surprise, Jezzi.  Thank you!"

"You're welcome, My Husband.  You are also forgetting your manners."

"Manners?  Oh!  Of course!  Come in, everyone!  We will figure out
which rooms will be yours, then we can talk until we quit talking!"

* * *

Mari shook herself and turned to Jacob after she finished her story.
"There is a lot more, of course.  We spent over a century living in
that valley.  With four of us to play the game, it was much easier to
do things to avoid making it obvious we were really only four."

"You can tell me the details later, since we'll be landing soon."

"Easy to do, since I don't remember most of the details.  We're just
like you are when it comes to our memories.  Our immortality forces us
to spend a lot of time 'living in the moment'."

She laughed.  "Our moments *are* quite long, in your terms."

"Interesting, and that's going to force me to discard or modify some
ideas I had."

"Oh?"

"Yes.  I was thinking all I'd have to do is ask questions, and you
could search your memories."

"For example?"

"I've been wondering if these clusters have happened in the past."

She sighed.  "I am not a good person to ask.  I am something of a
loner, and the pause with Boyce and the others was not normal for me.
I think I've done something similar in the past, but the best I can do
is tell you I haven't done it very often."

"Would some of that be because unless one of you deliberately does
something to let people know you are 'different', you wouldn't
recognize each other?"

"Probably.  It is news to me, that so many of us were in one place and
have formed a community.  Sometimes I've wondered if there were those
of us who lived in our own villages and towns, but..."  She shrugged.
"There's no way I know of, to learn how true that is."

Jacob thought about it, then sighed.  "Until now.  That show on the
freeway was...  impressive, for more reasons that the obvious one of
helping with the search for evidence.  It makes me think you folks are
far more common than any of us, except...  Oh!  There have been
communities all along!"

"Oh?"

"Yes!  The Leprechauns are one example.  If what I suspect is true,
many of the rumors about 'the little people', are based on fact.  Sani
and the other 'Spirit People', who have generated the legends passed
from generation to generation, are probably part of a loose knit
community..."

He went silent, and stared at Marilis so long she got nervous. "Jacob?
Is something wrong?"

"Hmm?  Oh.  No.  Something may be right.  I don't know.  Maybe..."

"Maybe, what?"

He touched his armrest.  "There have always been stay at homes, and
travellers who love to explore.  The travellers are far fewer in
number, and until recently, only had a vague idea of how many people
there really are in the world.  The stay at homes had the same problem
in reverse.  They know other communities must be out there, but they
knew that as theory, not from their own experience."

She inhaled, then let her breath out slowly.  "Could it really be that
simple?  We're all finding out we're not as alone as we've always
thought?  Families and communities are...  As much a part of our
lives, as they are yours?"

"There could be billions of you, Mari, and none of you could have
known, until now."

She nodded.  "Jezzi and Boyce are the key to what is going on.  I'm
sure of it."

Jacob touched her hand.  "Well, if they aren't, the news reports
talked of a german shepherd who seemed to be in charge of all those
mice and other animals.  Let's hope she'll talk to us."

Mari smiled.  "Yvette.  She sounded a lot like Sani, while she was
being interviewed, but not as focused on her search for not-boredom."

Jacob chuckled.  "Do you suppose she's being true to her basic nature,
and has been 'herding' her companions?"

Mari stared at him, then giggled.  "Her story of how she managed to
wind up in charge, should be very not-boring'!"
====

Jacob & Marilis 008
---

They pulled into the parking lot, got out, and Jacob walked around so
he could join Mari, who was studying the painting of the stallion and
rider who were being chased by a hiway patrol car.

She finally shook herself and spoke softly.  "It *is* him!"

They were still walking towards the warehouse when a horse and rider
ambled over to keep them company.  "Good morning, folks, what can we
do for you?"

Mari faced them, then she giggled.  "Well, for starters, Owen can drop
the innocent stallion pose."

Owen laughed.  "Fair enough, since most folks who come here...  Mari?!
Is it really you?!"

"It's been a lot of years, hasn't it?  How are Boyce and Jezzi?  We're
here to see them, too.  Oh, and you can mind your manners, young man,
and introduce me to your partner!"

He laughed.  "It *is* you!  The thug on my back, who thinks he's a
policeman, is Duncan.  Boyce and Jezzi are fine, and will be happy to
see you...  and the partner *you* haven't introduced, yet."

She laughed.  "He's my husband, Jacob.  We're still in the giddy
newlywed part of our relationship, and in no hurry to escape it."

"No hurry?  You gave him The Gift?"

"Yes.  We keep track of the news, so we know you gave Duncan The
Gift."

"Ah.  Still obsessed with finding the Truth, and Jacob is too?"

"Yes.  Now, before we do anything else, get down here so I can give
you a good head hug.  It's been so *long*!"

He lowered his head, got his hug, then he raised it and looked at
Duncan.  "Marilis didn't give birth to me, but in every way that
matters, Duncan, she's my mother."

Duncan smiled and got down.  After he shook hands with Jacob and Mari,
he sighed.  "I suppose I would be wrong if I assumed this is strictly
a social call?"

Mari sighed.  "Not completely, but we're in no hurry to get to
business."

"Appreciate that.  We're pretty busy right now.  Do you want us to
look your SUV over?"

Jacob nodded.  "We do a lot of serious off roading, so if you could
look it over and fix any problems while beefing up the suspension,
we'd appreciate it.  We can afford it, so don't worry about us telling
you we can't afford something."

Duncan laughed.  "The kids will love that!"

He looked at the open door and shouted.  "Team one!  It's time you
slackers faced a challenge.  Add the SUV that just pulled in, to the
end of your list!  Open ticket!  Fix what you find, then beef the
suspension!  Use your own judgement!  No hurry!"

A girl walked out and looked at Duncan, then pointed.  "That one,
Boss?"

"Yes.  Full treatment.  The woman is Owen's mother, and I don't want
to listen to her complain, later."

"Owen has a mother?!"

"Adoptive."

"Oh.  Ok.  Now it makes sense.  Keys?"

Jacob tossed his key ring and she caught it.  "Thanks.  Two ahead,
then we'll be on it."

They watched her go back inside, then Duncan smiled tenderly. "Heather
is one of the best mechanics we have.  She's also a good enough
driver, she leads the point standings already.  What brings you folks
here, besides a chance to catch up on old news?"

Mari touched Owen's neck.  "Well, what brought us here, is you, Owen,
and the others who have been given The Gift.  We've been to Stonehenge
and had a chance to meet some of those people.  We weren't responsible
for the latest surprises there, but we were there for them."

She gazed at Owen.  "Sani was there, amusing herself by riding around
with a London Cabbie.  She decided we weren't not-boring enough, so
she left and sent her children to take her place."

Owen chuckled.  "Sani, a mother?  That's hard to picture."

"I didn't ask how it happened.  Have you seen what they did to amuse
themselves at Stonehenge?"

"The news said something about building a replica that looked like it
did before it was destroyed."

Mari giggled.  "Well, there was some other stuff, but overall, they
were very 'not-boring'!  Sani must be proud of them."

"Good!  Are you ducking, or reluctant?"

"I guess I'm reluctant.  Now that I know it's really the three of you,
it's hard to feel comfortable about the real reason we are here."

"Do we need some privacy?"

"No.  We've been wondering if there are reasons for so many people
being given The Gift in such a short space of time."

"Ah?"

He thought about it, then bobbed his head.  "Your memory is longer
than mine.  I don't remember it happening this way, before, but this
is the first time we've had a world wide system that lets news travel
faster."

"True.  The simple part is that Stonehenge has been gathering power,
without it being used, so it was not very far away from 'exploding'.
That's the reason Aileen and Galyn made the stones glow all the time.
We're wondering if there is a place of power here, that is having
something similar happen."

"I haven't been here that long.  Boyce and Jezzi would be the ones to
ask, since they've been here quite awhile.  I haven't had a chance to
get their story about how they wound up here, so don't ask me for it."

Mari turned slightly.  "Jacob?  We've been so busy, I forgot to ask
you if you know how to ride a horse."

He chuckled.  "I've been exploring things since I was old enough to
walk.  I know how to ride one.  You hinting that I won't have to run
to wherever we're headed?"

"Bareback?  If I change, I won't have a saddle."

"Let me grab a handful of your mane, and I'll be fine."

"It wouldn't matter, because I can keep you in place."

She studied Owen.  "Well?"

"Boyce and Jezzi?"

"Yvette, too, if she'll talk to us."

"Yvette?  She'll talk, if you can convince her to stop catching
speeders on the freeway, long enough."

Mari laughed.  "She found a new game?"

"Yes.  Something to do while she's waiting for her human friend to
finish here."

"Sounds like she has a lot in common with Sani."

"I think it's the herding instinct in her.  She's been helping escort
traffic when the hiway patrol runs escorts."

"Sounds like all of you have managed to find ways to get accepted."

Owen bobbed his head.  "Still some who don't want us around, but we
think it's nothing personal.  They don't like the idea of not being
able to hide from us, if we decide we really want to find them."

Mari sighed.  "More of that hide from authority stuff?"

"Yeah.  Never changes.  Might be some like us, out there helping the
other side.  None of us have met them, yet, so we haven't had to cut
some sort of deal."

"We'll watch our backs, and let you know if anyone comes looking for
us."

"Thanks.  Around here, it shouldn't be a problem.  Yvette and her
folks decided the entire city is part of their 'herd', and none of
them like predators."

Mari giggled.  "Should be interesting!  You ready to run, or are you
going to tell us where, so we can go see Boyce and Jezzi?"

Owen turned his head.  "Duncan?"

He sighed.  "We have those folks coming in who want to make that
donation.  I'd better stay here.  Take a radio with you, just in
case."

"We're still on leave."

"So?"

Owen snorted.  "It's in my left saddlebag, where you put it, this
morning."

"Sorry.  I'll pass the word, and let them know you'll have new
company, this time."

"Thanks."

Owen turned back to Mari.  "Well, Mother?  You ready?  No racing.  I'm
part of that authority you mentioned, and I have to set a good
example."

She touched his neck  "Imp.  You set the pace."

She changed, Jacob got on, then leaned forward and grabbed a handful
of her mane,  "Ready."

Mari and Owen left, and after they were out of sight, Duncan chuckled
and reached for his phone.  When a man answered, he spoke mildly.
"Gil?  Owen's on his way to see Boyce and Jezzi.  He's got some
company with him.  If she's around, see if Yvette will run escort for
them.  If you need me, I had to stay at the shop."

He got a long suffering sigh.  "Who's the company?"

"His mother and her husband."

"I'll get the story later.  Yvette was taking a break in my car.  She
and the girls just took off to go meet them.  Something about 'It's
Mari?!'."

Duncan let him hear his sigh.  "I don't have a clue, other than Owen
was euphoric, for him."

"Got it.  See you two for dinner?"

"I should be there.  This wasn't entirely a social call."

"Understood.  Helen will probably check in with Jezzi, later.  Nice
talking."

"Yeah.  Same here.  Got lots on my desk."

Duncan put his phone away, then started walking towards his office. "I
hope we can go back to work soon.  I'm getting tired of driving a
desk."
====

End: Solstice Magic 07: Country Magic & City Magic - Jacob and Marilis
1-8/8

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