Susan paced just outside the entrance to the ill-begotten prom.

This is a terrible idea! Each and every time we do this I am putting my son in danger! He and naomi might have survived this long, but this is not a game! I should have been more firm! I should not have given into that man’s demands!

Conturbatio. That guy could be surprisingly persuasive for a corner office recluse. But this was going too far! How long were they going to roll the dice and hope they got lucky?

What Susan hated most about this situation was her own weakness. It was not the Sphinx’s silver tongue or any of the superficial justifications for bringing two teenagers on another dangerous mission. No, it was the sense of pride he felt at seeing her son do more with life.

Before she had brought Patrick to headquarters and he met the agents of the Q Files, he had been a menace and a scourge to his school and at home. He was brilliant in a way that not even street smarts could live up to, and he had the potential to do so much! But he was squandering it all, and she was at wit’s end for what to do with him!

And her husband was finally getting tired of it all, and was going belly up. She felt then that she was losing her grip on the situation and that Patrick would one day land himself behind bars. Susan might have even done it herself!

But that had all changed with one reckless day of rule breaking and her son befriending a straightforward girl like Naomi. True, here she was risking life and limb on yet another crazy adventure, but Susan knew that she had her son’s back. She knew that there was now no one else Patrick trusted more. And together they had done so much and started growing up.

Her trouble making son, a literal hellion, was finally growing towards becoming a man. Maybe somebody who would one day serve in the FBI just like she did. Or maybe he would go one to do something even greater!

Well, that was if they survived this night.

There was something dreadfully off about this entire operation. She had been against carrying on with the prom form the start. It felt like a dangerous set up. It felt to her like someone was a step or two ahead of them. He personally felt that the message sender was behind the whole ordeal and stringing them along for extra entertainment.

Trick, if you and Naomi are wise, you’ll get in and confirm that nothing too weird is happening and get out of there!

And that was when all of the doors slammed shut. They then turned to stone and each window went opaque and similarly turned into thick, grey stone slabs. Adults screamed in panic as they tried to pry the stone away. A couple picked up the dividers that led to the entrance and smashed them against the stone. It was to no avail.

Then fog spilled out of the stone. The surrounding area quickly took on the look and feel of a haunted house as the lights in the areas started getting dimmer. Teachers, parents, officers, and workers all rand away from the building. Susan, however, stood her ground.

No! Whoever was behind all this really can use magic from the Realms! And they expected this, or they were prepared in case our plans changed.But that doesn't matter, how do I get to Patrick?

The fog continued to billow out of the stones and started to rise, covering the building. The screams and shouts from the others began to grow distant, as if they had already sprinted a long ways off. Susan was not sure what to make of it. She wanted to also get out of the cold clouds of fog, but her parental instincts, duty as an officer, and her experience with this weirdness was enough to keep her rooted to the spot.

A voice caused her to spin about.

“You do not flee in terror like the others. How every curious.”

Susuan walked through the fog, waving her hand for all the good it would do. Soon she came upon a towering figure with a brown and gleaming gold robe. The figure was also clad in autumn leaves. She was not sure if they were floating in the air, or just very tall.

It turned to her and raised slender, long hands to pull back the hood that covered its face. Susan gasped as she saw the powerful, ancient, but handsome face of an elf. He had strong, high cheek and long, pointed ears. All of his hair was a shimmering silver and it cascaded down his shoulders. His face was lined and he had a friendly smile, and his eyes were a deep, enthralling brown. Not a description Susan would have ever before attributed to the color.

When the elf spoke next, his voice reminded her of a howling wind and the breaking of bark. But it was not necessarily a frightening voice, just a powerful one.

“Oh, I see now. You are not strange, just experienced with magic. Which given the state of your world might as well mark you as an irregularity.” He chuckle. “Oh, and your son is stuck beyond these walls. I am dreadfully sorry.”

When she found her voice, Susan asked, “Are you the one responsible for this?”

He gave her a confused look and said, “If you mean was this all my doing, my plan and strategy, no it was not. But if you ask for the state of this building and its inhabitants, then yes, I do play a part in it. I am making sure that my children will be unimpeded in carrying out the particulars of the covenant we have made.”

Susan pulled out her gun and demanded, “Then you will stop! I will not let you or anyone else harm my son!”

The elf glanced at her gun and it corroded in her hands. It rusted instantly and crumbled into dirt. As the dirt that was once her gun slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground, a series of small, twisting trees sprouted through the cement. They curved upwards, shooting out bright green leaves and glowing bulbs of purple and deep blue.

“The love of a mother for her child is exceedingly strong and is to never be underestimated. But we are the fae, beings who existence and power predate the nature of mortals and their abilities. You will not stop us with your display of force and weapons,” the elf said gravely.

“I’ll find a way,” Susan promised.

“They must a way,” the fae replied, gesturing beyond the wall. “My children like to play games, and so it is a game that was covenanted upon. If your son is to survive, he must win the game.”

Susan wanted to rage and shout, but she forced herself to keep her composure. He reminded herself that Patrick and Naomi had gotten themselves out of these situations before, and last time they had done so on their own! She should have more faith in them.

But since she was here, she might as well as see what she could learn from this creature and see if there was any information that would help her in getting Patrick and Naomi out of the building. Or possibly shutting the Door that was being used.

“I gather that you and your children came through a Door,” she probed.

“Ah, it is good to confirm that you have encountered magic such as ours before. It is written all over you, but it is another to hear and see it confirmed,” the fae said pleasantly. “Yes, we have been summoned through what you would call a Door. An ancient name, simple in concept, complicated in practice, and altogether dangerous. But in times such as these, escaping to the Origin and trying to take it over before war consumes all is the best solution. It is worth the risks.”

Susan walked across from the fae and leaned against the wall, looking up at him.

“How about you tell me then what exactly this war all entails, and what your plans exactly are.”

“Why should I reveal them to a lowly mortal?”

“Because you should never underestimate a desperate mother with time on her hands,” Susan countered. “But talking might just dissuade me.”

The fae laughed. “Mortal reasoning makes no sense, yet it is fascinating. Fine, prepare yourself, Susan Brown. For it is knowledge that you wish, and I who possess the power of Sight will give it to you. But beware, all wishes made of the fae have terrible consequences!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Agents Conturbatio and Miles led the raid on the property where the Door was located. He felt confident that they were on the right track. He had poured over all of the strange and supernatural dealings that were in Mesa. For sleepy appendage to the greater Phoenix area, it was uniquely touched by another power.

That was the best way he could describe it.

There was a shed they had cased out earlier, watching it through surveillance. The cameras had cut out at odd times and his people had lapses in memory when they were around the shed too long. Perfect signs that something was creeping from the other side through there. And what’s more, whatever it was was doing it well! This was no accidental or rushed breaking of the barriers between universes, this was deliberately planned and well executed.

“Sphinx, I hope that this is not another wild goose chase. Your people at the Q Files are famous for that!”

“Thanks, Reen,” Conturbatio muttered back into the comms. “We will be doing just fine.”

He glanced over his shoulder to Agent Miles. She was two places back in the lineup of agents taking down the shed. She had had her leg broken during their sojourn to Memmelsruhe and their fight with the Mother Jed. She had healed up s best as one could expect after four months. Susan would have been the better choice for this operation, but he knew that she wanted to be close to her son. And if things went awry at the prom there was no one better to have there, in his opinion.

Conturbatio continued, “Just make sure that your men continue to patrol the perimeter. Whoever has been sending these threatening notes will be keeping an eye on their base of operations.”

“This is a dump, not a base,” Agent Reen complained.

“We’ll see,” Conturbatio countered. “Let us proceed.”

He motioned and the the two agents armed with shield and gun moved forward. They cut the chain to the gate leading into the shed’s yard. The line fanned out and they surrounded the shed. The shed was locked with a flimsy lock which was just as easily cut as the gate’s.

Taking a deep breath, Conturbatio plunged in after the other agents and they charged into the shed.

Once they used their lights to properly illuminate the inside, the Sphinx groaned. It was not what he had hoped to find. There were markings and disturbing painting all along the walls. Barrels stood in the corner with decomposing leaves, fruits, and vegetables. There was a folding table in the middle of the room with strange set up in the center. It was leaking what appeared to be smoke.

On closer inspection, it was more akin to fog. And it was cold.

“Reen, we’ve found something here. But it is not what we wanted.”

“Well, Sphinx, what the hell did you find?”

“That our quarry has already moved on.”

The Door had been there in the shed, but someone had moved it.