by Davis Ashura
Selene noticed. “You look silly, smiling like that,” she said.
Serena rubbed her sister’s hair affectionately. “You know Jake returns today, right? I imagine you’ll look every bit as silly when you see him.”
Selene’s eyes widened in surprised joy, and she promptly broke into a broad grin.
Serena laughed. “See what I mean? Every bit as silly, and he isn’t even here yet.”
Selene stuck out her tongue.
Serena chuckled, and they continued their way up the Main Stairs of Cliff Spirit.
“William wasn’t as angry with you today,” Selene noted when they reached Clifftop.
“I apologized to him,” Serena said.
“For what?”
“For what I did that made him angry with me,” Serena said, not wanting to explain all the details of how she’d hurt William. She feared Selene’s reaction when she learned the truth.
“What did you do?” Selene asked.
“None of your business,” Serena said, running her finger over Selene’s nose. “We’re here.”
Selene became crestfallen. “School,” she said, her tone despondent.
“After classes, we can hike through Janaki Valley if you want,” Serena offered.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Selene’s face brightened. “See you later,” she called out as she trotted into a three-story building facing the Village Green and serving as the island’s school.
From there Serena headed toward the enrune fields.
She paused when she spied Deidre Mason, a blacksmith with whom she hoped to apprentice. It only seemed natural given Serena’s talents were in Fire and Earth.
“Pardon me, Mrs. Mason,” Serena said with a smile as she stepped in front of Deidre. “Have you had time to give thought to my request?”
Deidre pulled up short and appeared startled. “Serena. I was meaning to talk to you,” the other woman said. “I’m afraid I can’t take you on as an apprentice right now.” She hesitated. “It’s not because I don’t want to, but because of your reputation.”
Serena’s good mood faded along with her smile. “You mean because I was a mahavan.”
Deidre grew flustered. “They say you kidnapped the new raha’asras, allowed them to be tortured. Some promise not to barter with me if I take you on. You understand.”
Serena managed a courteous nod even while she seethed. “I understand.”
She pressed past Deidre, leaning on her mahavan training and making her face flat and unreadable. While she walked on toward the enrune fields, she couldn’t determine with whom she was the angriest: the people of Lilith or with herself. Why did she keep letting her hopes rise only to see them dashed?
Serena reached the enrune fields, and her mind still roiled with anger and frustration.
Several games were underway, and players called out to one another. Threads of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water filled the grounds—pulsing, rustling, crackling, and rushing in riotous energy.
Lien was also there. She sat on a bench in the warm sunshine while a quarter-mile behind her, River Namaste rushed and curled toward the escarpment’s edge. The shadow of Lakshman’s Bow fell over the water.
“I wasn’t sure you’d show up,” Lien said when Serena arrived.
“I had to drop Selene off at school first,” Serena replied, her voice flat and unreadable.
Lien took in Serena’s features. “Should I ask what happened?” she asked after a moment of consideration.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” Serena said, sourness tinging her tone.
Lien appeared to study her a moment longer before she shrugged and reached into a bag set by her feet. She withdrew an enrune glove—similar to a tan, baseball mitt—and surprised Serena by offering it to her. “You’re always borrowing someone else’s,” Lien said. “I thought you might like having your own.”
Serena turned the glove in her hands before slipping it on. It fit perfectly, and flexed and opened with only the barest of resistance. Serena blinked back tears and grew freshly annoyed with herself. One present and suddenly she was an emotional idiot.
Lien noticed. “It’s only a glove,” she said, sounding bemused.
“I know, but it means a lot to me and …” Serena halted and took a deep breath to settle her feelings. Serena did her best to set aside the recent conversation with Deidre Mason and focus instead on the joy of surfing, and Lien’s kindness. Maybe there was hope for her here after all. “Thank you,” she said. “Let’s play some enrune.”
Lien grinned. “Your first real game. No more practicing. Don’t let me down. I hate losing.”
“We won’t lose,” Serena said. “I have a good feeling about today.”
After a few minutes, enough players showed up for a new game to get underway.
Serena played defense, right-back safety. Two others stood nearby, the center-back safety and the left-back safety. Along with the goalie, they patrolled the area in front of the full goal.
One of the halfbacks—someone who played both offense and defense—signaled the game’s start with a shout.
The woda shot down the pitch. It shifted in midair, and an opposing forward snatched it in her glove. She raced downfield. Lien, a halfback, attempted to strip the woda, but an opposition forward pushed her aside.
The forward with the woda kept churning down the field. She bypassed the half goal. Serena moved to intercept. She smelled ivy and heard the rustling of Earth. A braid meant to trip. Serena leapt over it. She sourced her lorethasra, and the oncoming forward dropped the woda with a shouted curse. Serena smiled. She’d snapped the girl’s wrist with a whiplash of Air. Not entirely legal, but no one had ever told her it was illegal.
One of the other halfbacks on Serena’s team picked up the woda and raced off in the other direction. Serena wanted to move upfield with the members of offense, but she held her position. She was expected to defend.
The woda flitted about from one player to another, racing along the ground and flicking through the air. It twisted, changing directions at odd angles as braids shifted its motion.
Lien scored a full goal and Serena whooped. Maybe this was what William felt like when playing football.
The game continued, and the opposition team attacked the half goal. Serena edged forward to help.
“Hold your line,” her center-back yelled. “It’s a feint.”
Serena disregarded her teammate’s advice and continued to drift upfield. The woda shot overhead, and she cursed. An opposition forward, already at full speed, raced past her. A sulfur stench and a crackling noise sounded. A braid of Fire. Serena tried to slow. Too late! A stab of heat flicked at her feet.
Serena yipped in pain and tumbled to the ground. She rolled over in time to see the center-back on her team shift to cover the void where she should have been. The left-back had moved right as well. Three opposition players ran downfield in a line stretching from left to right. The woda flicked amongst them from center to left to center again. The defenders moved with the ball, trying to guess where the attack would come from.
They guessed wrong. An opposition player had a clean shot at the full goal and scored.
“Pay attention next time!” Lien shouted at her. “You’re defense. Stay back and defend.”
Serena scowled, but nodded understanding. The rest of the game she stayed in her zone and didn’t fall for any more feints. She defended.
In the end they won, and Serena shouted with joy.
“I guess someone liked their first game of enrune,” Lien said with a grin.
“I loved it,” Serena replied. She’d always been competitive, and she had finally found a sport in which she could let loose her desire to win and feel no guilt in the victory. In Sinskrill, victory often carried a terrible burden for the loser.
“So what’s it going to be?” Lien asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Surfing or enrune?”
“Both,”
Serena said with a laugh. The disappointment of Deidre’s attitude toward her had faded, and for the second time in as many days she hummed “Gloria.”
During his pilgrimage, Jake had only been able to wash off with a few splashes of water now and then. Apparently the elves and dwarves couldn’t smell, or they didn’t bathe as regularly as a human did. As a result, Jake stank. He smelled awful, and even Selene had pulled away and wrinkled her nose when he went to give her a hug.
“You stink,” she’d said, when he’d seen her earlier in the day.
“Oh, yeah.” He’d grinned and made a move to hug her again, knowing she’d shriek in horror. She hadn’t let him down. She’d run for safety, hiding behind Serena.
Jake had laughed, but he’d taken the hint and headed home to take a long shower. He scrubbed every inch of his body until the water no longer ran brown. After toweling off, he luxuriated in the sense of being clean and decided to take a nap.
“Hurry up!” William yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
Jake sat up with a start.
“We’re leaving for the Karllsons in ten minutes,” William added.
Jake shot a glance outside. Twilight. Shit. He’d overslept. He got dressed and headed downstairs, where he found Jason, William, and Mr. Zeus waiting for him in the kitchen.
“It’s good to have you home,” Mr. Zeus said with a warm smile.
Jake grinned. “It’s good to be home.”
William lifted his nose as if testing the air. “He smells all right,” he said.
“I don’t know. I think I still smell jackass,” Jason said.
“You’re sniffing your butt again,” Jake said.
Mr. Zeus laughed. “Come on. The Karllsons are hosting a potluck dinner. They’re probably waiting on us, and you know how Mrs. Karllson is about promptness.” He passed William a dish. “Hold this. It’s gumbo.”
“Who else is going to be there?” Jake asked.
“Other than the Karllsons, there should be four other people,” said Jason as they left Mr. Zeus’ house. “One couple. You haven’t met them. Jean-Paul Bernard and ThuDuc Thu. They’re both Far Beyonders like us and the Karllsons.”
Jake frowned. “I thought ThuDuc Thu was a guy.” He held the front gate for the others.
“He is,” Jason said.
“But you said …” Jake’s eyes widened in realization. “Jean-Paul and ThuDuc—”
“Just Thu,” Jason corrected. “That’s what he goes by.”
“Whatever,” Jake said. “You’re saying two guys are a couple?”
“Is that a problem?” Mr. Zeus asked.
“No.” Jake shook his head. “I’ve just never known people like that before.”
“Yes, you did,” Mr. Zeus said. “You simply didn’t realize it.”
William laughed. “Serena’s going to be so mad when she finds out Jean-Paul is gay,” he said. “I think she might have a bit of a crush on her new surfing instructor.”
Jake eyed him in question, and William explained what they’d all been up to while he’d been gone on his pilgrimage.
He whistled after they finished. “You guys have been busy.”
“I heard Jean-Paul also invited Serena and Selene to the Karllsons. They’re the other two people,” Jason said in a scandalized tone. He sounded like Jake’s old Aunt Beatrice, who loved to gossip.
Jake chuckled at the comparison.
“What?” Jason asked, eyeing him in suspicion.
“Nothing,” Jake replied, still grinning.
“Enough,” Mr. Zeus said. “Tell us about your time with the Memories. Everyone experiences them differently.”
Jake’s amusement fell away. “The elves made me sad, but the dwarves broke my heart. I almost wish I hadn’t gone on the pilgrimage.”
“Same here,” William said. “But one good thing came out of it. After our pilgrimage, Serena actually apologized for what she did to us.”
Jason snorted in derision. “She’s probably lying.”
“I don’t know,” William said. “She was pretty emotional about it.”
“Who cares?” Jason asked. “Liars lie. It’s what they do.”
Jake felt the same as Jason. “Even if Serena really was sorry, it doesn’t matter. Remember what they say. Keep your friends close …”
“And your enemies closer,” Jason finished.
“But not your enemas,” William added.
Jake groaned at the terrible pun.
They ascended the Main Stairs, cut across Tamboor Crossing, a crystalline bridge carved with images of unicorns and centaurs that stretched from Terrace Twelve on Cliff Spirit to Terrace Ten on Cliff Fire. From there, they hiked down a secondary stair to Terrace Seven and traveled the cobblestone lane that snaked along the edge of the cliff. To their left stood the houses and their front yards, and to their right, a drop-off guarded by a waist-high, wrought-iron fence.
All terraces were similarly organized.
Soon after, they reached the Karllson’s home. A tall hedgerow marched along the perimeter of the front yard, while an arched, wooden gate provided access to a small lawn edged by mandevilla vines, hibiscus, and tall canna. From there, a white, gravel path led to a two-story, high-peaked house that would have fit perfectly in a German village.
Mrs. Karllson greeted them at the front door with a ready smile and ushered them inside. Jake’s hackles rose when he noticed Serena talking to Mr. Karllson, Selene, Jean-Paul, and Thu—a small, nondescript Vietnamese man. Serena hadn’t apologized to him.
“Now your true instruction begins,” Jake heard Mr. Karllson declare to Serena.
“But she’s already trained,” Selene said.
“She is skilled in many uses of her Elements,” Mr. Karllson said, “but not in the ways of Arylyn. She is powerful, but she lacks precision.”
Jake drifted over to their conversation, curious what they were discussing. William came with him.
“We didn’t have to have such fine control because the lorasra of Sinskrill is richer than it is here,” Serena said.
“Truly?” Mrs. Karllson asked, joining the conversation as well.
“It is,” William confirmed.
“Why is that, I wonder?” Jean-Paul asked. “We have two raha’asras, and soon we will have four. I was under the impression Sinskrill only had one.”
“Yes, my grandmother,” Serena said.
“Grandmother?” Thu asked in a soft-spoken, Vietnamese-tinged accent. “I thought your family consisted of Selene, Sinskrill’s Servitor, and this Isha of yours.”
“I only found out that Fiona is my grandmother a few weeks before we escaped,” Serena said.
Mrs. Karllson frowned in confusion. “How could you not know?”
“I am the daughter of Sinskrill’s Servitor,” Serena said, “but that connection was only confirmed after I passed a test and became what we call a shill, an apprentice mahavan. Until then, I lived with my birth mother, Cinnamon, as a drone, and she and Fiona never spoke of their relationship.”
“What are drones?” Jean-Paul asked.
Jake wished they would talk about something else. He wanted to forget everything about Sinskrill.
“Drones are slaves,” William said.
“They practice slavery?” Thu asked, his voice filled with shock and outrage.
“I was a drone,” Selene said. “Only Serena would treat me like a person. She shouldn’t have. It was dangerous, but she did it anyway.”
“It’s because we’re sisters,” Serena said to Selene, the fondness and love evident on her face. “Sisters watch out for each other.”
“What about your mother?” Mrs. Karllson asked. “Does she still live?”
Jake mentally groaned. He really wished they’d talk about something else.
“My birth mother died,” Serena said. “My adopted mother didn’t like how much I still loved her.”
“You’re not telling the whole truth,” William said with a frown.
Jake hoped he�
�d keep quiet. Thinking about what happened to Cinnamon turned his stomach.
Unfortunately, William pressed on. “Her birth mother was whipped to death. Serena had to watch.”
“Good Lord,” Jean-Paul gasped in horror.
“I remember that,” Selene said, her matter-of-fact tone at war with her innocent features.
“Surely you didn’t see it, too,” Mr. Zeus said.
“No,” Selene replied, “but Serena cried that night. It was the last time I ever saw her do that.”
The story about Serena’s past cast a shadow over the party, and it took some time for any sense of joy to return to the Karllson’s home.
October 1987
william walked beside Jake with a sense of trepidation. In the four months since their arrival on Arylyn, all they’d done was rest and recover, learn a bunch of history, and spend a month with the Memories. Today they’d finally start their lessons from Arylyn’s raha’asras. They’d start with Sioned O’Sullivan, a woman originally from Ireland.
“This way,” Jake said. He pointed at Chimera Seed, a blocky bridge several terraces above them that led off Cliff Spirit’s Main Stairs. “We’ll save five levels if we take it,” Jake said.
“How do you figure?” William asked. “If we take Singlestroke Bridge we go straight to Cliff Earth.”
“Because Chimera Seed goes to Cliff Water, and from there all we have to do is drop down a level and take Haven’s Heart over to Cliff Earth. We’ll be one terrace down from where we need to be.”
William shrugged, not really caring how they got there.
He let Jake lead the way to Chimera Seed, so-named because of its decorations of minotaurs wielding tridents and whips of fire, giant cats walking upright with swords in hand, beasts that were a strange amalgamation of an elephant and a baboon, and others resembling snakes with legs.
They crossed the bridge. To their right, a torrent of water fell fifty feet to a rocky pool. A cool mist wafted upward from where water struck stone. William slowed when the footing grew slick. He paused at the crest, wondering what it would be like to fly amongst the water and swirling air. In times past, magi were said to have been able to do so.