The precursor to Levi’s troubles appeared in the guise of a hyper intelligent squirrel.

Well…that was probably an incorrect way to put it.

The squirrel was indeed intelligent, seeing as how it knew exactly what to do to tear the attention of Levi’s party away from their ice cream, but it was apparent the creature was not doing this without prompt. Clear as day, the squirrel was trying to direct them somewhere, and Levi would bet his bottom dollar that what or whoever awaited them there was the one instructing the squirrel to act how it was.

Beth was delighted. Talking animals often appeared in books and cartoons, so some cheer from her was to be expected. Without Lorelei reining her in out of fear of exposure, the little girl released a wave of giggles as she skipped after the rodent.

Oscar trailed behind her acting unperturbed. He was a tightly wound guy, so for him to be so relaxed meant he knew what they were walking into. At the very least, Levi’s life wasn’t in any immediate danger.

Hopefully.

And so, the animal continued onward, leading the procession in a manner uncharacteristic to its species. Squirrels were typically flighty and nervous, but this one was trotting around town like it was a dog. A few people noticed the odd sight of three people trailing the squirrel, but the group was able to come to a trailhead unperturbed.

Whatever the squirrel wanted to show them, it was in here: the Cascadilla Gorge Trail. It was a scenic place located near the university which led to a waterfall. It was a great retreat from the bustle of the town and was a popular spot to visit.

Yet the area was positively abandoned. No doubt some form of magical interference was warding off the uninvited. Levi could make out periodic carvings in the trees, but hadn’t an inkling as to their identity.

“I’m tired,” whined Beth as she plopped herself on the ground, “and the air here feels funny.”

“You can feel it?” asked Levi.

“It’s hard to move around, the air feels heavy. Somebody carry me!” Beth crossed her arms and eyed Levi insistency. Oscar clicked his tongue and continued into the trail, leaving Levi with the little witch.

It was a sound tactical decision on Oscar’s part, though he had probably pushed on out of annoyance. Beth was insanely powerful compared to the average mage, so doing something like giving her a piggyback ride was like exposing your neck to a tiger. On the other hand, she was probably strong enough to punch through whatever was warding the trail, so having her on your side could be a precaution if things went south.

Plus, she was also a little girl.

Being afraid of her…even I’m starting to get disgusted with my own thinking.

Levi crouched down with his back facing Beth. She let out an excited sequel before jumping on. With Beth’s legs tucked through his arms and her arms wrapped his neck, Levi proceeded into the trail.

As he walked further in he noticed more and more of the carvings. Sometimes they were words and sometimes they were pictures. The language used was unfamiliar to him and the pictures were odd as well, resembling four-legged animals with huge heads. It reminded him of the inaccurate sketch-work of a child.

Whatever the carvings were, their affect was obvious even to him. There was a weight to the air which lent an ever so slight oppressive atmosphere to his surroundings. A normal human would mistake it for humidity, but Levi knew better. The area was unmistakably cloaked with some sort of miasma.

“Mr. Levi, what’s it like being a bookstore man?” asked Beth. As she spoke she moved her hands away from his neck to lean them and her head on the top of his.

“Looking into your career path? Bit young for that.”

“Wellllll, you’re magic like me, right? You could do magic instead of books.”

“I think we’re a bit different in that regard.”

“Suh-pose-ed-elli,” said Beth, adorably attempting to get the word right, “I’m not allowed to do magic. That’s what Lorelei tells me.”

“True. We all have skills we shouldn’t show others. I got thrown in the slammer for demonstrating my knife throwing at a diner.”

“Heehee! For me it’s because people are afraid of me,” she said, “they’re afraid of Lorelei too.”

“Can’t imagine why.”

“That's what I think! Lorelei is the best! I’m not scared of her at all!”

Beth continued to celebrate her sister as Levi made his way down the trail for the both of them. The wind blew ever so slightly, hitting his face in a pleasant way and rustling through the trees. The sounds of the leaves and Beth’s voice were all that Levi had to accompany his own footsteps.

In other words, there was nothing else to hear. The birds were silent, as were the squirrels, chipmunks, bugs, and whatever else lurked in Ithaca’s woods.

Either that, or they were gone.

Something was telling Levi to turn back, some sort of animal instinct deep within him. It appeared this was a common sentiment between him and the wildlife cowed into silence. Whether it be due to an inability to press further in or a fear of doing so, the depths of the trail had become the domain of man and mysterious guiding squirrels alone. While the carefully installed guide rails along the path suggested a human touch, life had vanished from this place.

A barrier powerful enough to not let even the smallest of mayflies eavesdrop.

Levi was beginning to understand what was going on.

Yes…this had her handiwork all over it.

Noelle was wound up due to her own foul mood and the blatant oppression of whatever barrier had been set down in the trail.

Oscar was tapping his foot impatiently. He had arrived not too long ago and grumbled something about “slow walkers” before leaning against a rock and crossing his arms.

Lorelei was scowling, but she was always like that, so Noelle felt a bit dismissive of it. “I thought you were watching Beth?” she had asked Oscar. All he had said to that was that the younger girl was being taken care of.

The only calm person was their presumed host. She was middle-aged, maybe a bit more, with graying black hair and a caramel complexion. Judging by her facial features she was Native American. There wasn’t much notable about her besides her outfit, 60s hippy garb, which clashed wildly with her age.

Or maybe it was appropriate instead? Noelle couldn’t remember when the whole “Peace & Love” thing was, well, a thing.

“Liking my digs, huh?” asked the woman as she winked at Noelle, “Got ‘em at Ross for half off!” It was the first thing she had said since the group had arrived.

Wasn’t this supposed to be some sort of magical summons? Who would care about clothes at a time like this?

“What’s with the small talk? I take it you needed us for a reason,” said Noelle.

“Ah you’re like that right out of the gate. So mean…” The woman sulked, “No point in starting before Mr. Hero arrives.”

“Hero?”

“I’m betting it all on him and throwing the dice. No way am I sorting this mess out.”

“What mess? You know about the monster?” Noelle asked.

“Hush. All has been made clear in this universe. One just needs to gain the proper perspective.”

“…”

“Also, I don’t feel like explaining twice. The stragglers are nearly here, so we can get started soon.”

Noelle looked behind her and noticed a man approaching with a little girl on his shoulders: Levi and Beth. “This can’t possibly be the ‘Mr. Hero’ you were-”

The pair’s arrival was met by a feral screech from Lorelei, who was perturbed upon noticing the piggyback ride Levi was giving Beth. She continued to complain and snip at them until Levi crouched down to let Beth get off.

“Pedo!” she barked, grabbing Beth’s hands and dragging her away from Levi.

“You’re so mean! Give me a break! I’m already stressed about being stuck in this boundary!” he replied. “I don’t even know how it works! I hate not knowing!”

“How is that my problem you creeper?!”

If Levi was the supposed hero he was certainly failing to live up to the hype. Noelle didn’t want a guy who’d let himself get berated by a little girl watching her back. Not that she needed it, she’d crack this case yet.

Though the company would be nice.

“What boundary?” asked Noelle, ”We didn’t walk into that field from the other night again, it’s not cold at all”

The older woman spoke up. “Oh no sweetie, today’s spell is the work of yours truly.”

“…”

“Wellll?”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to ask me how it works?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Go ahead.”

“Glad you asked! Ahhh, I admire the curiosity of the young! So the way my spell works is-“

“It’s some Native American thing, can we get a move on already?” interjected Oscar.

“That’s rude!” The woman puffed her cheeks, a downright childish gesture considering her age. “We of the Cayuga tribe are quite familiar with Christianity, you know? I could’ve decided to be a drag and use a boring Old World spell, but I wanted to show you something novel instead! You fuddy-duddies at the main office are so Eurocentric!”

“I want to know!” cheered Beth.

“Good! You see, little one, the tribes tell stories of a creature known as Naked Bear. It’s skin is nigh impenetrable, so by designating this area as carrying properties of the Naked Bear’s impenetrability, I created a barrier of sorts.”

“I don’t really get it. Lorelei just snaps her fingers when she wants to do something like that.”

“Being a witch is cheating!”

Noelle tapped her foot as the bickering carried on. It was acceptable to her that Beth was dragging the argument on, but the older woman was showing a flagrant disregard for social grace. A quick glance to her side convinced Noelle that Oscar and Lorelei were experiencing similar levels of impatience. Levi had a blank look on his face and a nervous smile

Seriously…what’s up with that guy?

“Beth. Behave.” said Oscar. He turned to address the woman next. “Not everyone here has worked with you. At least introduce yourself first.”

“Fine.” she said, straightening a hair that had come loose during her outburst with Beth. “I’m Talise, the Congregation-appointed Admin for the northeastern US.”

“Admin of what?” asked Lorelei.

“The ley lines of course! We can’t let people use them willy-nilly!”

“Figures The Congregation would try to control that. All you guys want is to boss the rest of us around.” Lorelei rolled her eyes at Talise.

“Wait…ley lines?” asked Noelle. “I thought that was just New Age bs.”

“Oh no. Not at all,” said Talise. “There are lines of supernatural energy criss-crossing all over the place. Plan out the correct relay points and apply some magic and you can transport goods and people all over. Like a teleporter!”

“To be an administrator for something like that…sounds like you’re a TSA agent with better marketing.”

“Well…there’s more inaccurate comparisons I suppose…”

“Brag about your job later,” griped Oscar. “Just because you’re a higher rank doesn’t mean you can just drag me all over the place. Why are we here?”

Talise frowned, dejected. “You’re no fun. No use in trying with a crowd like you. I’ll cut to the chase, I need you lot to clean up whatever’s happening in town pronto.”

“What! That has nothing to do with us?!” Levi whined. “I came here to open a bookstore, not fight people and chase monsters!”

Noelle rolled her eyes. “God! You’re such a pansy! All this magical power and you want to do nothing with it?”

“Yes! That’s normal! I’m trying to find my calling here, and that doesn’t include Congregation work. Have them do it!”

“That’s a no-go,” replied Talise. “The bigwigs have their hands full right now, I don’t think they’ll send an appreciable force here until things get…unmanageable.”

“Meaning what?” asked Oscar.

“The ley lines are acting odd. Actually, it’s more like they aren’t acting at all. The energy pulsing out of the town is like dark matter to me, I can’t explain it. At best I can predict the flow by following outages in the energy grid.”

“As in the town’s electricity?” Lorelei turned her attention to Talise, momentarily distracted from doting on Beth. “No wonder you’re the ley line administrator, that’s not something any old mage can do.”

“I’m the best of the best! I’ve been told I’m an ‘unnatural’ at sensing these things!”

“Doesn’t sound like a compliment…”

“Stay on topic,” said Oscar.

“Fine,” Talise cleared her throat before continuing. “The energy running through Ithaca is…well…if I had to put a label on it I’d call it anti-magic.”

Lorelei, Oscar, and Levi snapped to attention. Beth carried on picking at the grass near her feet. Noelle had no background in the subject, so the notion that this piece of news was a big deal was nothing more than an assumption based on the others’ reactions.

“If there’s magic then there’s also anti-magic. Who cares?” she said blithely, hoping to prompt an explanation on what exactly anti-magic is.

“We do,” said Levi. “Magic is a product of the psyche, the collective unconscious. You could say that magic exists wherever life does as well. Even if only minutely, magic should cover every square inch of the planet. It can’t just not be there.”

“Exactly,” replied Talise. “My senses don’t lie, something out there, something completely alien to me, is messing with the underlying magical structure of the region. This is a disaster in the making. I have my hands full just trying to keep my finger on the pulse of these things, if you guys don’t figure out what’s causing it then you can say goodbye to Ithaca, and New York state along with it.”

A grim silence fell across the group. If the situation was really so dire then they had to act. She still remembered the images all over the news of Philadelphia. A few years back, some sort of infection spread across the city and tore it asunder. Some thought that it was an act of bio-terrorism, but the cause of the incident was still ill-defined. There were some who thought that it was a malicious act of magic, an escaped danger from the hidden world.

She couldn’t let something like that happen again. She was an officer. She upheld the law. She protected the people. If anyone could solve the mystery behind the monster and the mercenary, it would be her. She had to, or else…

What was this all for?

The group continued to talk amongst themselves for awhile, but Noelle was too lost in thought to listen. Eventually they started walking away from Talise back towards the trail entrance. Noelle trudged along behind them, not even noticing that Levi had failed to accompany them.