“But how do you reseal Odom? Is it anything like what we did with Zaffi?”
“Almost exactly like it,” Mei Li acknowledged. “Like Zaffi, we will channel the power of the wind and water to fuel his resealing. The design is extremely similar with very few changes to the talisman. So, if you want to reseal him, we can. Or we can destroy him with just a bit more effort.”
Dolan arrested, frozen in place as her words pinged about in his brain.
A low whistle could be heard in the back of the room.
Someone else said, “She’s right. It’ll be easier in that sense.”
Ling Ling marched over to join them, unable to keep her curiosity at bay. She snagged a chair and sat without ceremony, looking Mei Li dead in the eye. “You really think we can do this?”
“I give it good odds.” Mei Li weighed the possibilities on a scale made by her hands. “On the one hand, Odom is more powerful than either Jingfei or Zaffi. It makes sense—they grew from him. On the other hand, we have more powerful elements to reseal him with. It won’t be without its challenges. But wouldn’t all of you rather just destroy Odom than worry about what he might do to future generations?”
There were more than a few nods and murmurs as people discussed it with their tablemates.
Rone came to stand at Ling Ling’s shoulder, her expression unreadable. It wasn’t clear if she agreed or disagreed at this juncture. “In the past timeline, you just faced Odom.”
“It was not without cost,” Mei Li said with a pang. “We had multiple injuries and one death. But we also had no idea what we were doing. I have a very clear picture, now, of how to reseal him, if we choose to do that. And of Odom’s weaknesses, if we choose to exploit them.”
Finn came next, brows drawn in a pensive line. “But you think we can defeat him? What are the odds of some of us being injured?”
“If it all goes perfectly to plan—slim.” Mei Li’s mouth twisted in a wry grimace. “But of course, we know how often things go perfectly to plan.”
There were more than a few snorts of agreement there.
“If it goes semi to plan, like it did with Zaffi, then I would say odds are we’ll have a few injuries. Hopefully nothing serious, but it will mean some of us might take the brunt of the attack.”
“We dragons will shield you from his fire,” Chen declared, voice loud enough to carry to every corner. “We’ll not let you be injured if we can help it.”
Bless him. Such a faithful friend, that one.
“Thank you, Chen. I don’t want to force anyone’s hand on this. Speaking for the Tomes, we’re tired of having to defeat the same things over and over. Of having to keep five-thousand-year-old records because we’ll need them in the future. You can imagine how the older dragons feel.”
“Tired,” Shunlei said from behind her. He stopped combing her hair long enough to address the room in general. “Not to say that I’ll stop helping you. Never think that. I’ve invested far too much into the world to watch it burn. But I would like fewer repeat battles, if that can be managed.”
“I feel tired as well,” Rone agreed with a sigh. “And I haven’t helped nearly as much as you have. I take your point. But how would you defeat him? I think we all need to hear the plan before we can agree or disagree.”
Fair enough. Mei Li would say the same in her shoes.
“There’s really only one method. Odom’s power comes from the earth, much like Zaffi’s does. That’s why it’s so difficult to seal him, as he’s standing on earth at all times. But if we can remove him from it, he becomes animated boulders and little else. I propose something like the build of the Sea Walls of Tanguay. But instead of a wall, we build a box with an open top. The water will disconnect him from the ground, cutting off the main source of his power. Then we can direct the wind to create a vortex inside the box, and it will rip him to shreds. He’ll be entirely powerless to stop us.”
Dolan let out a low whistle. “That’s ruthless. But won’t that take time to build? The box would require a lot of talismans, wouldn’t it?”
She gave him a nod.
“That’s partially why this plan hinges on time. If we don’t have enough time to create all of the talismans we need to build the box, then this plan gets shuffled off to the side for a later date. We still have Kovel Below to deal with; we can’t afford to spend much time on Odom.”
“But if this works,” Simeon said, his eyes alight, “then we would be the group that defeated Odom. Wouldn’t that be an amazing achievement?”
Not to mention quite a boost to their reputation. Not a single mage in this room would have trouble finding work after that. Mei Li didn’t mention aloud what everyone was obviously thinking.
“Everyone sleep on it,” she advised. “Think about it on the way to Odom. We don’t have to make a decision until we get there.”
“That’s true enough.” Dolan regarded the ceiling as if it held the answers to the universe. He was thinking so hard she could almost hear the gears grinding away. “I think we have the magical power necessary to do this. With him being on the coastline, you’re right, he’s in the right place to make this feasible. I just don’t know if the risks outweigh the benefits. Even resealing him carries some risks.”
Mei Li spread her hands. “I can’t answer for you. You’re right, it does. But I want everyone to at least consider the option.”
He dipped his head in slow agreement. “Yes, I am certainly going to do that. Thanks, Lady Mei Li. I’m now guaranteed no sleep tonight.”
She laughed outright. “You’re tired enough I think you’ll drop right to sleep. I’ll be the one up half the night thinking.”
“Ha, we’ll see who’s right in the morning.” Dolan stood, stretching. “Either way, I want to take advantage of that soft bed upstairs. Good night, all.”
“Good night.” Mei Li watched as people dispersed, all of them clearly thinking hard about what she’d said.
Shunlei pulled the comb through her hair from top to bottom without hitting a single snag. He kissed her temple before pulling her in for a hug.
“Which way do you bet?” she asked in a low tone. “Defeat or resealing?”
“Defeat,” he answered confidently, his voice a low rumble in her ear.
“Really? Why do you say that?”
“I could see it in their faces. The idea of having that fame, of defeating Odom, entices them.”
She’d noted that on a few faces herself. “You don’t think caution will weigh in?”
“Hmm, doubtful. You did warn them of injuries and possibly death, and they didn’t even blink. They’re confident in their skills, they like your plan. I think they will choose defeat.”
She had to agree with his opinion there.
“My worry is not about whether we can defeat Odom—I believe we can—but about Kovel Below. The last report we had from there was not promising.”
No, indeed it wasn’t. Dolan had passed along a quick message before she stepped into the bath—the situation was worsening. Despite the Prince of Horvath’s efforts, more and more people were disappearing in Kovel, a sure sign that they were falling into the cracks and ending up in Below. Considering the monsters, ghosts, and dangers in Below, that wasn’t a good thing.
They’d now evacuated part of the city because it was too dangerous to walk through. And still, they were losing people. It was a very bad sign, indeed.
“I hate Kovel Below,” Mei Li sighed. “I’ve never had to deal with it, and still I hate it. The last Tomes that had to deal with it wrote an entire eight-page rant about it. You need an army to deal with Kovel Below. And even with the Prince of Horvath’s personal guard, it’s not enough manpower.”
“We’ll call in more help.” Shunlei let his chin rest on her shoulder for a moment. “We dragons will have our wings clipped in that city. The streets are too narrow to give us much range of movement.”
“Which will just make a bad situation worse. But I knew that going in. And I really don’
t know how we’re going to manage to reseal that city. It’s a city. How do you get the situation under control enough to contain anything?”
“Your ancestor Tomes managed.”
“He cursed the entire time,” she pointed out, dry as a desert.
“You can too,” he promised drolly.
“You’re so kind.”
“I do try.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that when I start swearing up a storm in front of dignitaries.”
“What makes you think the dignitaries will not also be swearing?”
She had to admit, the man had a good point there.
Mei Li did not sleep well, tossing and turning, her brain too active to let her rest. She finally gave up as the dawn light started turning the sky, and got out of bed. The first clothes at hand were deemed acceptable before she slipped out of the room and into the empty tap room below.
At this hour, the place was still mostly asleep. Only one person, the cook, was up. She was kind enough to give Mei Li tea and biscuits when asked. Mei Li took her bounty with her to the front, choosing a table near the window. The tea failed to wake her up or energize her.
Maybe more sugar would help.
It was a lie, of course, but Mei Li was willing to try it anyway.
A noise brought her head around, the step of someone coming down the slightly creaking stairs. Rone didn’t look any more awake than she was, and she eyed Mei Li for a long moment before speaking, the words fuzzy around the edges.
“You got tea. Where?”
“Cook in the kitchen,” Mei Li answered promptly. “Get me more sugar.”
Rone grunted acknowledgement before shuffling toward the kitchen. She was back a minute later, juggling things with both hands. She dropped everything on the table with a noisy clatter before plopping herself into the chair opposite Mei Li’s.
Mei Li used half the container of sugar without care for the consequences. It made the tea cloyingly sweet, of course.
She didn’t care about that, either.
“Is the extra sugar helping?” Rone eyed her own cup with cross-eyed contemplation.
“Not so far.”
The dragoness grumbled wordlessly.
An easy, comfortable silence fell between them. Mei Li was a little surprised by it, as she hadn’t thought Rone had entirely forgiven her yet. And they hadn’t had any one-on-one time since their last talk. But, well, maybe they were both too foggy to really be anything but peaceable just then.
“You’re different,” Rone said without segue.
Mei Li blinked at her. “What?”
“You’re different. I didn’t realize it at first. You look just the same as when you left. But you’re different. It’s like you’re more…confident? Assured in yourself. You no longer second-guess yourself, or…you’re just different.”
Rone paused, staring hard at her half-drunk tea as if it held all of the answers. Or maybe she couldn’t face Mei Li’s eyes just then.
“I was mad at you, at first, when I realized you’d married Shunlei despite knowing what he would go through. And I was only mollified when I discovered that you’d found a way to stay with him. Because he missed you, so much. You’ve always been his heart’s desire. I couldn’t be upset that you finally returned to him.
“But I was still uneasy. Because you’re so young, I couldn’t see how you’d be a good match for him. Turns out I was the one who was blind.” Rone snorted, amused at herself. “I’ve watched for days how you interact with him. You tease him without mercy. He gives it back just as good. You stand as his equal; there’s no imbalance there. Is he really the same man you married?”
Mei Li was glad she’d seen that for herself.
“In truth, yes. And no. I’m still adjusting a little to the Shunlei of now. The man I married was more impulsive, more open in his expressions, and not quite so jaded with the world. But at his core, Shunlei hasn’t changed one whit. And the more I react to him like I did to Shunlei the Red, the more he remembers those early days of our marriage and responds accordingly. It’s been interesting to see him do that.”
“That makes sense to me. Of course he’d mature after so many years.” Rone paused, staring blindly out the window. “I never knew him until he was a Purple. He’d lost much of his naivety by then. And he’d lost you. I never fully understood how much that had changed him until I saw the two of you back together. I’ve had to relearn who my friend is.”
Ahhh. That made her unease make more sense. Mei Li had wondered why Rone was so combative with her. But if she was facing multiple changes at the same time, not understanding where this different Shunlei had come from, of course it would throw her off stride.
“But you like the changes you see.” Mei Li had no doubt about that.
Rone’s eyes finally came to meet hers, a smile curving up the corners of her mouth. “How can I not? He’s so much happier. I’m still a little upset with you, Mei Li. Because you left him alone for so long. That was not without cost.”
“It’s not like I wanted to do that,” Mei Li pointed out. “And I regret it far more than you ever could.”
“I know.” Rone sighed. “And he’s already talked me around once, saying it was as much his choice as yours. And that you warned him. But I need a little more time to truly work my way around my anger.”
“That’s fair.” Mei Li didn’t expect an overnight change, not when Rone had hated her for millennia.
A somewhat tense silence fell. They weren’t comfortable with each other—not yet. But at least she could sit with Rone without ending up fighting.
Rone finally broke the silence. “Is that sugar kicking in at all?”
“Not one bit. I can nap while Shunlei flies, so I’m not too concerned about myself, but what are you going to do? You have to fly.”
Rone groaned. “And it’s a long flight. Give me that sugar, anyway. I have to try something.”
“It’s sweet, though.” Mei Li handed it over with misgiving. Rone was notoriously bad with sweet things.
She dumped the entirety of the remaining sugar into her tea, gave it three perfunctory stirs, and swallowed a mouthful.
And promptly gagged.
“I did warn you.” Mei Li shook her head in pity.
Rone raced for the kitchen, gagging as she went.
Well, maybe the too-sweet taste in her mouth would keep her awake.
Even though Mei Li basically had a private army following her around, she still didn’t feel like she had enough people to manage Kovel Below. Between the mages and the dragons, there was a full platoon of twenty-four. With all the equipment, people, and camping gear they had to haul around, the poor dragons probably felt like overworked mules. It was a sad state of affairs.
Mei Li mentioned her concerns to Bai at their next stop. They’d left mid-morning in hopes of making it most of the way to Odom that day, but a storm forced them to stop again five hours later and seek shelter at another inn. They relaxed, now, in front of the main room’s hearth, enjoying the fire and anticipating dinner.
“Do you feel like a beast of burden yet?” she teased him.
Bai snorted, eyes not leaving the dancing flames of the hearth.
“At moments, I do. But Master Shunlei has said many a time that no one is too important for any type of work. And watching him haul things around for you, and take care of babies, and all the rest really hammers that point home. He means it. Was he always like this?”
“Always,” Mei Li confirmed easily.
She was glad Bai finally felt comfortable enough with her to ask such questions. They’d come a long way, indeed.
“From the day I met him, he was willing to pitch in to help complete strangers. Did he ever say how he met me?”
“Only that you were working with the group that would become the first Tomes.”
“Ah, well, true. Although it wouldn’t happen for years yet. But when I travelled back into the past, I had little information to go on. He told me only
to follow the road, that I would run into the right people if I did that. I did, and discovered them battling Red Lantern. At the time, it was just Kiyo, Nord, Hawes, and Melchior. They clearly had no idea how to subdue Red Lantern.”
Bai’s head turned to meet her eyes, and he looked invested in the tale.
“Ooh, are you telling your love story?” Huan skipped over to plop herself down on the bench next to Bai. “I love those! Keep going.”
This amused Mei Li to no end.
“I didn’t really intend to tell that story, no. Bai wanted to know if Shunlei has always been like this. When I met him in the past, I was battling Red Lantern with the group that would become the first Tomes party. But doing the sealing for Red Lantern requires a specific orientation, not just on the ground but also support with one above, and I couldn’t manage that without a dragon. As if my thoughts had summoned him, Shunlei flew overhead. Everyone else panicked, of course—in those days, humans and dragons didn’t get along at all. But I recognized him.”
“Even as a Red?” Huan demanded, dark green eyebrows shooting straight up.
“Even then. Shunlei’s always had a very distinctive look to him, and his current dragon form is only a more mature, larger version of what I saw that day. His looks really haven’t changed much.
“I called out to him and asked for help. He immediately dropped down, asked what he could do, listened to my directions, and then followed them. The party was so flabbergasted by this that they asked a million questions.”
Mei Li paused, remembering those days with a nostalgic warmth in her chest.
“Hawes immediately took to Shunlei. He was delighted to have one dragon he didn’t have to fight. The others warmed up to him more gradually. But from that first day, he was like that. If anyone needed help, he offered it. We lived in very uncertain times, but we were all certain of him. His attitude has infected the rest of the dragons, fortunately. I’d be in trouble without your help.”
Master of Tomes Page 11