by T. G. Ayer
For a moment, her eyes filled with a sadness I couldn't define, and then her expression cleared and she threw the relic into the middle of the floor before grabbing tightly to my hand.
Aisha’s chanting continued to rise and fall, and I sent a prayer to Ailuros too, in case the goddess could send a few good vibes our way. Across from me, Logan appeared to be calmer than I expected. Was it a facade, or was he really this calm?
I didn’t have much more time to think about it as a pillar of bright light exploded from the middle of the Shairata, followed a fraction of a second later by Aisha’s shout of, “Go.”
As one, the entire team jumped and passed through the portal, emerging in a strange place that my mind couldn't give a semblance of order to. Aisha continued to chant her magical spell and then very slowly the space around us began to change, in color and dimension.
And a wall of light parted before us, the Veil at last revealing itself to my untrained eye, parting ever so slowly to allow us through. I don’t think I’d ever seen anything that beautiful before. Words weren’t enough to describe its beauty, and I hoped I’d committed it to memory well enough to revisit for a long time to come.
And then we arrived in Mithras.
The first thing I registered is the drain on my energy. My body felt as though it had been twisted inside out, and my brain had a squishy sensation to it, as though everything inside my skull had turned to mush.
I forced myself to focus and look around me to check on the rest of the team, glad to find that we were all still holding tightly onto each other’s hands. Fatigue was mirrored in everyone’s faces and I prayed we’d all have the strength to get through.
And then it hit me where we’d landed.
A bloody flat piece of rock that was floating precariously on the surface of a river of gold, the shimmering glow the only light available to guide us in the middle of the night.
“Hold on, everyone. We cannot allow anyone to fall into the river.” Aisha’s voice held a note of fear that had me glancing over in her direction. Logan too was staring at her, clearly off balance with the queen’s unadulterated fear on display for all of us to witness.
“Why exactly?” Mel yelled.
Thought the djinn matriarch hesitated when she looked over at Mel, she said, “It’s a type of acid, much prettier but just as deadly as anything found in the EarthWorld.”
Mel’s expression only mirrored mine and the rest of the team. Everyone wanted answers and the queen was hesitating.
At last Aisha called out over the rushing of the river, “If you really wish me to spell it out, the acid is deadly. The river runs for miles along the Zard-Kuh continent from north to south-west. The people of Mithras all know to keep as far away from it as possible because of its volatility and instability.”
The rock on which we stood began to tilt, golden liquid splashing onto the stone near our legs, and almost splattering Mel who yelled out, “Any idea how the Hel we ended up here?” Fear simmered in her voice.
“It could have been a problem with the key,” Logan said calmly.
“No. This portal hasn’t been used in such a long time that the path of the river must have changed enough to have the exit location now running through what would have been a safe arrival destination centuries ago.”
Logan looked at Mel and offered her a solution. “I can probably get us out of here easily, the hardest part would be having to balance this rock so that I can get in the air without tipping you all into the drink.”
I couldn't help snorting at the image Logan sent into my mind.
Aisha asked, “What will you want us to do?”
“It’s going to be tricky,” Logan replied. “Darcy, Drake, you two have to shift closer together at the same exact moment that I fly off. You’ll have to compensate for the absence of my weight.”
“Does that mean we are all going to have to shift, but in a way to compensate for the gargoyle’s mass?” Mel asked, eyes narrowed. “How much heavier are you all on your side of the rock compared to the rest of us over here?”
“Good point,” Logan conceded. “Drake is probably near enough to my weight which is likely what’s tilting us in the first place.”
Mel muttered a response though I didn’t catch her words.
“It really pains me to ask this question,” said Drake, “but which of you ladies weighs the most?”
I let out a low grunt at the audacity of the gargoyle. “No one here is going to care about revealing their weight—or cup size if you need that too—at this point in time, but I don’t think any one of us could equal your weight, Drake. It’s possible we might have to combine maybe two of the women to compensate for you.”
Drake’s response was an eye-roll. “I’ll have you know I’m deeply offended by that, but I think it’s likely the best option.” He stared across the platform at Aisha and Darcy and gave them a sober nod. “If you two can cuddle up on your end, I think we’ll be pretty much balanced.”
Though amused the queen and Darcy did as they were instructed, Then Logan said, “Right, now that we have Drake’s weight compensated, we need to balance me off.”
Mel let out a nervous laugh. “I’m not so sure you and I would weigh at all close to each other. But I may have another idea.” I hid a smile as everyone shifted their attention to the tracker who said, “We have a jumper or two in our midst. I think if we can time it well enough, each jumper can transport themselves and at least one other person away at the same moment Logan flies off with Darcy, we should be able to get off this rock safely.”
“Brilliant plan as usual,” said Logan
“Thank me later, when we all get out of this alive.”
38
Before long, we were being transported to land by a combination of jumpers and dragons. As soon as we landed, Logan said, “Perhaps it’s best we get moving. We can’t be sure that we didn’t set off any alarms.”
I barely heard his words though, as pain ripped into my skull, wincing, I reached up to press my head, but Mel looked over at me and I redirected my hand to the back of my neck. But she didn’t look like she fell for it. I gave a a warning look, hoping she wouldn’t mention anything in front of the rest of the team.
She appeared unfazed as she asked Aisha, “Where to from here?”
“It’s about an eight-hour-walk from here,” the queen replied, “but considering we have wings and jumpers, I’m pretty sure we can make it there in under an hour and a handful of minutes, respectively. It’s just on midnight now so we’d still arrive with darkness to give us some camouflage.”
After circling and then swooping toward us, Logan landed gracefully, then shifted back into human form effortlessly. “I can pretty much carry up to four people, so how about I take the team members who are the most in pain. Especially if we have any jumpers who need rest because we’re going to need them in the next few days.”
Mel heeded the warning in Logan’s tone and headed to his side. “I will admit that I need a ride. I could do with the rest. Even the short jump from the river to here has kicked me in the ass.”
After landing outside the city in a small valley, the rest of the team hid within the copse while Mel, Drake and Logan did surveillance. The ride over had shaken a mere two hours for Logan, and when he landed, I slid down his back to touch ground beside Mel who looked slightly dazed. Aisha, Darcy and Drake emerged from the darkness having arrived earlier.
“Our meeting point is a village to the east of the city walls,” said Mel. “Sentinel has their arrival location at the western wall where they will be divided amongst the rebels to act as scouts and lookouts.”
“They’re not going to be happy with that,” Logan said with a smile.
“Not my problem. And I’m happier still to not be around when they find out. The rebels are running things here, something we didn’t expect until they made contact. There’s little point to mess with what they’ve already worked on.”
“And it is their land,” added
Drake. His shrug was nonchalant but spoke volumes.
“I must take this moment to thank you all,” Aisha said, drawing the teams attention with her formality and her presence. “I’m most grateful that you have joined the mission despite the knowledge of the dangers involved. As such, I’d like to provide the team with the best protection I know of. These suits are produced with Mithrasian technology that to my knowledge has never been revealed to any species other than those of our own realm.”
“I suspected there was more going on in that cave than ward magic.” Darcy sounded triumphant.
Aisha only smiled in reply. “I was reluctant to say anything in advance in case I wasn’t able to create them without the help of other djinn.” The queen then drew a small case from the satchel slung across her torso, then place it on a nearby rock. She opened the case to reveal twelve bronze, flame-shaped brooches sitting on a bed of purple silk. She handed one to Mel, who studied it up close, appearing impressed.
“The suit will initiate once you have the Kelan against your body. Its power is initiated with the energy of the user’s aura.”
“And what if the user is dead? Does your brooch-thingie stop working?” Drake asked, raising an eyebrow
Mel chuckled. “I’d guess it won’t stop working if the user dies. I’m assuming the suit kinda hacks into a person’s life-thread in some way.”
“And of course, life-threads won’t die when a person’s physical form dies,” said the mindmelder.
“Perhaps I should have roped the tracker in to help as the demon suggested,” Aisha said with an amused glance at Mel who simply removed her jacket and fixed the brooch to her shirt.
Aisha gave a sober nod. “Melisande, if you would be so kind as to tap the Kelan and then relax your body. The armor will filter along the exterior surface of your body and will remain in place until you cancel it by tapping it again. And just so you know, the initiation and cancelation works in tandem with your mind.”
“So when I touch it, I have to mentally request it to start or it won’t work.”
She nodded. “And the same for when you want to cancel it.”
Mel paused just before she tapped the kelan. “So guys, if this thing blows me up or something, it was nice knowing ya.”
Laughter rang around the team, while Aisha simply urged Mel to get on with it. Mel obeyed, tapped the kelan, and seconds later the tracker began to glow and iridescent orange.
“Eh, she better not get incinerated,” Drake grumbled.
Aisha said nothing, even as Mel began to give off sparks.
Very soon, I’d reached my limit. “Er, Your Majesty, Ma’am. Maybe we need to stop this now?”
Aisha waved a hand dismissively. “She is perfectly safe, it’s just that we’d need to tweak Melisande’s power level as it appears she’s channeling far too much power into the armor.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Of course, it is. It means she is able to amp up her protective power should the need arise. That, unfortunately is a power none of you will have access to.”
“How come Mel does then?”
“Guys, I’m right here.”
“It’s something I’m wondering myself but I am assuming it has to do with the fact that SoulTrackers have a very similar power to the djinn in terms of their astral abilities.”
“That’s all very interesting, but can someone tell me what I’m supposed to do next?” Mel asked loudly, drawing my attention.
“For now,” Aisha replied serenely, “You will have to instruct the power level to decrease. The ability to command the energy is something you will need to take time to fine-tune though. While you tackle that, let me hand the rest of the kelans out.”
While Mel was doing her thing, Aisha handed me my kelan and I followed the tracker’s movements, initiating the kelan quickly. The armor throbbed around my body, energy swirling around me. But soon something felt wrong with the power.
Something strange had happened within my head, as though a power had pulsed and then had suddenly been cut off. Though confused, I didn’t complain, just watched as the rest of the team tested their devices.
At last, Mel sighed. “Now that we’re all up and running, what next?” I looked over at Aisha. “Considering this power is energy that’s attached to the ethereal form of a person, would other djinn not see this? Djinn travel the ether all the time, if I’m not mistaken.”
Both Darcy and the queen nodded. “Yes and no,” Aisha said. “This particular form of astral energy will not be detected by your average djinn. The ether is multi-dimensional, if that’s the best word for it. The astral plane and the ether are two planes, though it’s far more intricate than our current understanding of the realms within the DarkWorld. Djinn—and other demons—have powers of varying levels and within the djinn realm, such power undergoes training and guidance as the individual grows and matures. This particular energy combination would only be visible to senior members of our military forces as well as the trained members of the royal houses.”
“Can I assume by that you mean Riz won’t detect it?”
“You assume correctly. Saleem will, of course, but thankfully his brother won’t be able to see this armor. He isn’t even aware the technology exists.”
“And what if some of those senior military people are now working for the other side?”
“That’s a question we will need to ask of the rebels who meet us. There are protocols to cancel access to certain levels of our ethereal planes.”
“You’re making my head hurt. Are you telling me that you have the ability to switch another djinn’s access to various ethereal levels on and off because you want to?”
She nodded. “It’s highly unethical and I would go before a board of inquiry after all is said and done, but such an action is only ever taken in desperate times. The danger to our realm and those aiding in its protections will always be a justification of such a break of protocol.”
“Okay that’s fine. Maybe we need to get a move on. And we need to talk once we’re settled in the safe house. You have some explaining to do.”
The team moved into the darkness, walking a single line up the hillside. From there we waited outside the walls while Drake, Logan and Mel did recon. Very soon we’d made it all the way inside the first warehouse, hidden away by an old farmer who’d sworn allegiance to the rightful queen.
39
Hidden beneath the farmhouse, the team managed to relax for the first time in hours. Everyone had parted off to clean up, sleep, eat or take up their watch positions. Plus, everyone was needing to rest more than expected, the transition through the Veil taking its toll.
Rubi, the farmer, had been happy to pass on crucial info though he’d kept his distance from our team. Soon, with everyone distracted, I found Mel knocking on my door, wanting talk, her expression resigned, as though she’d lost some king of internal battle.
“I need to talk to you about something. I feel bad even thinking about it because it feels like such a traitorous thing to entertain, but if I don’t run the idea past someone else, I think I might explode.”
I gave her a reassuring smile, though I was a little worried now. I leaned toward her, reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Mel, you should know by now that I’m here for you whenever you need me. I think it’s time we started leaning on each other. In the trenches, things get distilled like we’ve never known. Very soon, we’re all going to be pretty much down to basic needs. Life needs will be our priority on the mission and if we don’t attend to our emotional health now, and also ensure we are a unified team, we’re going to go into battle with weak spots. Best to build on those connections of trust now, I think.”
Mel looked at me in silence for a long moment before simply nodding. “You’re only saying what I’ve been thinking for a while now.”
“And yet you are still hesitant to share?” I asked
“I think if it were something personal to me, like my family or my love life, then I wou
ldn’t have felt that hesitation.”
“So it’s not Ari or Drake or Steph?” When Mel shook her head, I gave one last guess. “Saleem then?”
I sighed. “Getting warmer.”
Eyes wide now, I blinked and gripped Mel’s shoulder a second time. “Okay, okay. Maybe sit and we can talk about what’s going on.” Mel’s hints were amusing to start off with, but she gave me the impression that it was far more serious than I’d expected. I beckoned for there to sit next to me and grabbed my backpack to pull out a neon-pink drink-bottle and a pair of expandable keep cups. Shaking them out, I clicked them in place and poured us each a small portion.
Mel sniffed her drink and asked, “What’s this? Bourbon?”
I was smirking as I whispered, “Something like it. This is a Fae moonshine. Grams sourced it from who-knows-where, and she gave me a couple bottles to hide away. Apparently, I have to make my stash last because it’s not easily available.”
Mel replied, with a smirk, “Of course, it isn’t. Looks like you also got something on your mind.”
“I sure do.” I replied.
“Is it Ivy? Is she recovering well after her injury?” Then Mel leaned toward me. “Or is something wrong with you? Please don’t tell me those zaps melted your brain? Or is it something to do with your new bling?”
I’d been expecting her questions on the armband. “That’s an interesting tale all by itself. Raincheck on the bling?” she asked. “How about we play swaps? You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine. Well, I might actually have two for the price of one.”
Then Mel replied, “Okay, what if we do two for two?”
“You have more?” I was curious now. “What in Ailuros’ name am I thinking? Of course, you have more. We seem to have more shit on our heads than we can handle, Mel. Seriously, I’m not sure how long we’re supposed to survive this way.”