Black and the Djinn Ranger shared a look that Jackson didn’t quite understand. A silent question passed between them and Black gave the ranger a slight nod.
“Jackson, you ride back with me,” Black said. “I want to know exactly what happened with your Lyote. As long as she’s in stasis, she’ll be okay. As soon as we get back to the mainland, I’ll see what I can do.”
Jackson must have seemed hesitant, because the ranger placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Trust me. Black’s the best person in the world to help your Lyote.”
“Let’s get going.” Black raised a weathered hand and released her Valcorus with a flick of her hand. “The sooner we get back, the better.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
When they reached Lula, Black fired up the ferry’s engines in a matter of moments. Soon they were skipping over the water, with Samu the Orcys cutting a wake in front of them to quicken their journey back to the shore. Nobody had much to say. Black was so focused on steering the boat at the white-knuckle speed that she did nothing but stare ahead at the open water. Fiona promptly returned to her spot downstairs near the bathroom as seasickness overtook her. In spite of the bumpy ride, Kay was soon snoring on one of the couches.
That left Jackson alone with his thoughts. He sat on the top deck of the ferry, fingers curled around Asena’s ring on the index finger of his left hand. The faint vibrations continued, interspersed every now and then with an extra powerful one. What could it indicate? Were it not for his obsession with kicking himself for falling into such an obvious trap, he’d have given it a bit more thought.
Jackson pored over the last month, cursing himself for every sign he missed hinting at Vega’s ulterior motives. At the time, Vega had seemed like an innocent, if overzealous, researcher. Was it Jackson’s pride at Vega’s early fanboy attitude that had blinded him?
Perhaps it was his stubbornness toward Asena evolving. Now, having narrowly escaped being injured by wild Djinn, having fought off three criminals, and having seen Asena in a state of near coma, Jackson wasn’t so sure of his earlier decisions. On the plus side, he felt the tournament — if by some miracle he could find out what was wrong with Asena and get back in time to compete — would be nothing compared to the adventures of the past few days. Even the roughest days during the season hadn’t compared to the emotionally-taxing adventures on Lombardia Archipelago.
They made the trip in a little more than half the time it had taken them to boat out to the archipelago. Black wasted no time docking the ferry and all four of them hurried off at once. Fiona, still green, excused herself to Black’s dockside house while Kay and Jackson waited with Black.
“Follow me,” Black said.
Jackson hesitated.
“Shouldn’t we head somewhere to help Asena?”
“Why do you think we’re here?” Black said.
It’s on our way back home, Jackson thought, but knew that wasn’t the answer he should give her.
“I need you to trust me,” Black said. “Come on, there’s something I want you to see. Ms. Watts, I’d appreciate it if you stayed here.”
Kay looked ready to protest, and for good reason. She’d known Asena only a few days less than Jackson, and although she wasn’t Asena’s tamer, Jackson knew Kay cared for the Lyote as much as he did. Jackson wanted her to come but shook his head — there wasn’t time to argue. He’d just have to trust that Black knew what she was doing.
The woman limped her way over to the south-facing cliffs surrounding the little bay and started up a steep, narrow trail cut into the rock. Jackson followed behind, exerting himself more than he would have thought he should have to in order to keep up with Black. He then realized he’d kept his pack on in his scrambling to follow her.
He looked back to where Kay and the others were but knew it would take too long to run back and put it down. He shrugged to himself and jogged to catch up too Black.
When they reached the top, the cliff opened into a little grass-covered bluff, the long reeds blowing in the sea breeze. Black somehow wasn’t even breathing hard as she motioned to a stone that came to Jackson’s knee and sat in the middle of the bluff.
Confused, Jackson drew closer and soon realized the stone was in fact a grave marker. When he got close enough to read the name carved on it, he froze in place. The stone bore one word.
ASENA
“What?” Jackson said, not fully understanding.
“This here is the eternal resting place of my closest teammate. I tamed her many, many years ago, and trained her all the way up to her final form.”
“Lycanris,” Jackson whispered.
Black nodded. “She served me well in my time in the DBL.”
DBL? “Th-that would mean,” Jackson stuttered. “Wait, so you had a Lycanris in the Djinn Battle League?”
Again, Black nodded.
“But the only person who’s ever had one is…” Jackson trailed off, and if he had the energy to smack his face with the palm of his hand, he would have done so there.
“Erin Black,” Black said. She didn’t seem to be proud or reticent to reveal herself but rather sounded like she was stating the weather or time of day. “And yes, that’s my Asena’s grave. She died some years ago. I miss her every day.”
“I…” Jackson’s mind raced as he tried to piece everything together. He’d been traveling to Lombardia Archipelago with the legendary Erin Black? The very tamer whose Djinn he named Asena after? His mind went back to the night where he’d sat up watching an old match with his own Asena, where a young and vibrant Erin Black commanded her Djinn with such grace and precision. And then a pit returned to his stomach. “I…I don’t really see how this helps my Asena,” he confessed.
“There’s nothing wrong with your Djinn, Jackson,” she said, staring at the grave of one of the world’s most famous Djinn. “At least, nothing you can’t fix yourself.”
Jackson turned sharply to look at Black. “What do you mean? I saw her collapse. I can feel her presence in the ring on my hand and through our connection. It feels like she’s —”
“Like she’s being torn in two?” Black suggested. “That’s because she is. Asena answered the call of her kind to evolve. For wild Djinn, there’s nothing in their DNA that can keep them from answering the call. Not without a reason. Her love and concern for you stopped her. When you showed up during the event, she was literally pulled in opposite directions. Now, you’ve got a choice to make.”
Jackson swallowed hard and felt a pit growing in his stomach. “I have to let her evolve, don’t I?”
“No!” Black said, but then immediately reined in her frustration. “If your feelings didn’t matter to Asena, she would have done that on her own. You’re a team — I don’t need to tell you that. The decision is one both of you have to come to terms with. First things first, you have to ask yourself why you want to keep her as a Lyote.”
Jackson fell silent and looked out over the bluffs at the ocean. Somewhere out there, the pack of Lyotes was roaming Mount Ahina island at that very moment. He realized how incredibly lucky he was to be able to call Asena his, not only because of what a special Djinn she was, but because of the legacy she represented.
“Your Lyote was a gift from your mother, yes?”
Jackson nodded, but after a few seconds, furrowed his eyebrow. When had he told her about his mother?
“So, why don’t you want her to evolve?”
“Is that so bad?” Jackson asked.
“It’s not bad. But it is nonsensical. You’re a tamer.”
“But Asena’s special.”
“Every Djinn is special. But even if she is more special than every other Djinn out there, is allowing her to live up to her full potential somehow going to diminish that?”
“I…Like you said, she was the last gift from my mother,” Jackson said. “I just don’t want to ruin her.”
“You don’t really think that,” Black said. It wasn’t a question. “You’re a smart kid and a solid
tamer. Tell me what’s really bothering you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, you do,” Black said. “I was a kid once too. And I can tell you from personal experience that going from normal life to taming is one hell of a change.”
“Especially from Bronze to Silver,” Jackson said, almost involuntarily. He paused for a long moment, as if waiting to see if Black reacted one way or another.
She didn’t.
“I’m afraid because I know I have what it takes,” Jackson continued. “I know that sounds conceited, and I shouldn’t be saying it, but I’m never more alive than when I’m in the ring. When it’s just me, my Djinn, and the opposing team. But the world of taming…it’s a non-stop marathon, and the more time I spend in it, the more I can’t help but wonder what life would be like back at home. In Tyle, with my grandmother. And I think maybe it would be easier if I just…”
“Failed out?”
Jackson nodded.
“Humans are creatures of habit,” Black said. “It’s natural for us to resist change, but if you had truly wanted this, your Asena wouldn’t be where she is now. She would have stayed a Lyote, and you’d be heading home.”
“I get it,” Jackson said. “She needs to evolve.”
“No!” Black said, frustration clearly mounting.
“Then what are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying you have to search yourself for the answer. What do you want? Instead of waffling between one choice and another, just commit. You need to ask yourself what it is you truly want. What do you want from Asena and what do you want from yourself? All that stuff about your mother and her legacy? That’s just an excuse.”
Jackson looked down at the ground. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but couldn’t. And then, for some unknown reason, his mind went to the very start of their conversation. “I didn’t tell you about my mother,” Jackson said.
“What?”
“Earlier, you mentioned her, but I never told you about her. You met her, didn’t you? Jessica Hunt?”
Black gave a soft smile. “Sounds familiar.”
Jackson stared at Black for a moment, wanting to ask more questions. He opened his mouth to speak when he remembered the task at hand. He gazed down at the weakly-flickering light of his ring.
Jackson smiled sadly. “What I want…I think I understand. I know.” he whispered.
In one fluid motion, he raised his left hand like he’d done so many times before. A bolt of vermilion light shot from his ring and a moment later, a glowing Asena materialized in the sand and grass. When she saw Jackson, she whined but raised her head and wagged her tail weakly.
Jackson knelt down beside her and cupped his Lyote’s head between his hands. He scratched behind her ears, just the way she liked and remembered when they’d flopped over in puppy-like fashion.
“Do you trust me, girl? Do you trust me to choose the right path for the two of us?” Jackson bowed his head and pressed it against the top of Asena’s nose. He could feel Asena’s affirmative response through their Bond. He may not have trusted in himself fully, but she was all-in on his judgment. He had to make the decision.
Jackson nodded, giving himself a self-assured smile.
“It won’t be easy,” Black said, noticing his resolve. “The League will kick you in the teeth again and again if you let it.”
“And we’ll be there to roll with the punches,” Jackson said. “What do you say, Asena? Are you ready to evolve?”
Asena jumped to her feet and barked. As she did, the same familiar vermilion light grew all around her, forcing Jackson to take a step back and shade his eyes. When he could finally see enough to put them down several seconds later, a larger, leaner Djinn stood before him.
Asena’s fur had turned from orange to crimson. Her tail and muzzle were longer and, when she threw back her head and howled, Jackson could see sharp canines twice as long filling her mouth. Where before, she’d only come to just past his knee, now Asena’s muscled shoulders rose to more than halfway to his hip. But when she put her head down, Jackson saw the same bright blue eyes and knew: nothing would change between them.
Black stood to the side, nodding in appreciation. Jackson grinned and, at the same time, his holo-watch buzzed and projected a notification.
Congratulations, your Lyote has evolved into a Lobolf!
Chapter Thirty-Three
“So let me get this straight,” Briggs said for the third time. He, Jackson, and Kay were rising steadily in a glass elevator toward the top floor of the Bronze League headquarters. The skyscraper’s exterior was almost entirely “bronzed glass” — a sort of treatment that made the whole building reflect its trademark color on the outside. From the inside, the enormous high rise provided an unparalleled view of Alloy City.
To their left, the Silver and Gold League Towers could just barely be seen if Jackson pressed his face against the glass. The Bronze League Tower was the third tallest in the city, naturally after the Silver and the Gold. There was no doubt what industry drove the capital.
“You’re telling me that Vega was actually a Djinn poacher? And you just happened to get hooked up with Black — the Erin Black — on a trip that was nothing but a cover to poach a bunch of Lyotes?”
“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid,” Jackson said. By the time they’d returned from Cuscoru, Jackson and Fiona hadn’t had time to fly home and then to the capital. Jackson had explained things to Jane over holo-call, but Briggs hadn’t been — and still wasn’t — able to grasp everything. In the coach’s defense, it made Jackson’s head a little fuzzy trying to piece it all together. If he was being honest, a part of him was even more ashamed each time he had to recount Vega’s betrayal. It all seemed so obvious in retrospect.
They’d only met that morning, Briggs arriving by monorail train just in time for them to make the meeting with Walton Belmont, the Bronze League Commissioner, along with the other tamers, coaches, and support staff for the tournament. When Fiona finally activated her new holo-watch, she’d been greeted by a dozen concerned and irritated messages from Vance, and Jackson hadn’t seen her since the plane landed. The petty side of him hoped McAllister had ripped her a new one, even if it was partly Jackson’s fault.
“And you caught yourself an Aquestria,” Briggs said, rubbing his beard. Jackson spotted that old familiar glint in his mentor’s eye. Briggs was strategizing. “That’s good. Aside from almost getting killed, it seems like the whole trip put you in a pretty good position for the tournament.”
“Fiona upgraded her team too,” Kay added. “That Trollava is nothing to write off.”
Jackson saw his reflection grow sour in the windows of the glass elevator. He just hoped his cumulative efforts on their adventure outweighed Fiona’s. It still annoyed him to be taken advantage of like that. Especially by her. Especially after —
“I’ve told you, don’t just focus on Fiona,” Briggs said. “Don’t focus on any one tamer. We both want to beat that pair, but you’ve still got to deal with Akamu and Danai. Plus, you can never discount any tamer and their team if they’re good enough to make it to the finals. We’ve got to look at the big picture. Fiona is just one tiny fraction of the whole thing.”
Before Briggs could continue his lecture, the elevator dinged and the glass doors slid open with a soft whisking sound. They were on the very top level of the tower in what appeared to be a reception area. Fountains decorated both walls leading to a long desk. As soon as the receptionist, a young man with thick black glasses, saw them, he beamed and gestured to a pair of double doors off to one side.
The doors led to a sort of amphitheater auditorium that wrapped around three quarters of the entire top floor and focused on a podium at the bottom. Numerous trainers and their support folks were already seated, talking quietly to one another or flipping through their Djinncyclopedias, no doubt trying to cram some last bit of information to give them an edge in the coming battles.
Jackson tried to quell his nervousness while he looked around the room at the other tamers. There were a lot of talented teams in the room. Briggs was right — they had to look at everyone, not just the other top dogs. At this stage, everyone had a chance. Anything could happen.
And I’ve earned my spot here just as much as anyone else, Jackson told himself. He’d beaten every tamer in the room at one point or another — Akamu, Danai, Fiona and himself had all swapped victories and losses in the past, and he’d fought every other team at least twice as well. I belong here.
Before Jackson could dwell on his insecurities any further, a blast of music and a flash of lights rose from the stage below and Bronze League Commissioner Walton Belmont appeared. He grinned and waved as a light applause filled the amphitheater. When it died own, he adjusted his pinstripe suit a bit and placed his hands on both sides of the lectern.
“Greetings and congratulations, Bronze League finalists!”
The crowd applauded again, this time a little louder and more enthused. Commissioner Belmont waited for it to fade once more and a gigantic holo-projector appeared on the wall above and behind him. Jackson’s heart pounded a little faster. It was a map of the Battle Royale field.
“We’re extremely excited to unveil the new format of the Bronze League Championships this year,” Belmont said. As he spoke, the holo-projector panned around the island, showcasing a variety of different climates and features for every Djinn Element. There were volcanic fire areas, thick forests, a lake and streams, and snow-capped mountains along with high canyons.
Djinn Tamer - The Complete Bronze League Trilogy Page 78