by Sarah Noffke
The Pilates instructor trotted through the thicket of women crowding the lobby of the studio, smiling at them as she made her way to the back. She led them to the room next to a spin class. The wall shook from the loud music on the other side. “I know you want to quit. That’s not an option! Come on! Push it!” a microphone-amplified voice said from the other side of wall.
Azure eyed the wall with quiet speculation before shaking off the weirdness. “Hi, Seraphina,” she said extending a hand. “I’m—”
“Azure Vladar.” Seraphina cut her off with a clever grin. “The rumors are true, aren’t they?” She eyed the blue soul stone hanging around Azure’s neck.
“Rumors?” Azure asked.
“That the kingdom of Virgo has a half-witch, half-human queen ruling it,” Seraphina supplied.
“Well, yes. How did you know?” she asked.
“The Silver Griffins pride themselves on knowing everything of importance on Oriceran. I heard the rumor from one of them who visited me recently,” the other witch said.
“Oh, well, I hope you won’t be reporting my presence on Earth to one of the Silver Griffins. I really couldn’t risk it,” Azure stated at once.
Seraphina opened a white package that sat on the countertop. The studio was bright and clean, and the surfaces were all straight lines. She pulled a sandwich that had mushroom caps in place of a bun and sprouts spilling around its edges from the box. “Vegan burger?” she offered, holding it out. “I have a knife and can cut you off a piece.”
“No, thanks. I couldn’t.” Azure waved her hand, holding up her own plastic container. “I just had this salad, and I’m stuffed.”
Ever flicked his eyes at her, offering a sly smile. She tossed her hardly eaten salad into a trash bin against one wall. The salad had been more of a curiosity than a fulfilling experience. Who the fuck puts quinoa in a salad? she’d wondered. That was grain they fed to their chickens on Oriceran. Earthlings ate the strangest things.
“So, Everett, what brings you to me in the company of royalty?” Seraphina asked as she chewed.
Ever held his hand out to Azure. Knowing what he wanted, she set her pack down and pulled the crystal ball from inside.
“Shut up!” Seraphina said, dropping her burger into the white container and sliding her hand across her mouth. “That’s not…”
“It’s definitely not a crappy souvenir I picked up in Topanga Canyon, no,” Ever said, suppressing a grin.
“Shush it, Ever. You know what I mean.” Seraphina extended her hand, waiting for Ever to place the crystal ball in it. When he did, her eyes dropped closed and a brilliant smile lit her face. The purple amethyst illuminated, smoke swirling inside the orb. Her eyes sprang open again. “I can’t believe it. This is Mage Lenore’s crystal ball.”
“Oh, that’s what you were referring to,” Ever joked.
“How did you get this?” Seraphina asked, testing the balance in her hand.
“My gran, Sari Vladar, gave it to me,” Azure informed her, now realizing how strange it was that her gran had had it in her possession.
“Well, well, well, Queen Azure, you’re just full of surprises. The rumors about you might actually be true.” Seraphina stared deep into the crystal ball.
“What other rumors?” Ever asked the burning question first, beating Azure to it.
“Oh, it’s not polite to gossip, but suffice it to say, there are many prophecies that involve this young witch. I guess I didn’t want to believe them because they also involved one of my favorite Light Elves.” Seraphina held the crystal ball up to the light, eyeing it with her head tilted to the side.
“No. Would you be serious?” Ever said, shaking his head at the witch.
“I am being serious. It’s no secret that I still pine for your affection.” Seraphina darted her eyes to Ever, batting her eyelashes.
“I have no idea what this is all about, but it’s definitely off topic.” Azure pulled the long stick of Howling Willow from her bag. It had made the organization of the pack quite clumsy. “We are here to ask you if you’ll forge the crystal ball into a staff, using this.”
A gasp fell from Seraphina’s mouth. “Queen Azure, if you pull another remarkable object from that bag I’ll faint.”
Azure stared down at the bag at her feet, her face screwed up in thought. “Unless an Orc knife will make you pass out, I think I’m out of surprises.”
“Orc knife, sure, sure. Good one,” Seraphina said, shaking her head in disbelief. She handed the crystal ball to Ever and reached for the stick of Howling Willow wood. “How did you get this?” She ran her eyes over the notches on the stick, which was a golden-brownish color like Azure’s wand.
“Mage Lenore gave it to us—” Ever lied.
“Actually, this prevaricating jerk fucking stole it from the Howling Willow,” Azure cut in.
Seraphina raised an eyebrow at the Light Elf. “You know she’d kill you for less than that.”
“I was prepared for that to happen in order to help my friend,” Ever said, his pink lips pursing and a dimple surfacing on his cheek.
Azure, knowing he’d stolen the stick for his own selfish purposes, shook her head but remained tightlipped.
“So you want me to forge a staff using these?” Seraphina held the Howling Willow stick out and peered at it with one eye. “Yeah, I can do that. It’s going to hold incredible power, like more than almost any staff I’ve ever heard of.” She lowered the stick and looked at Azure. “May I ask you what you want such a staff for?”
“I need to heal the Dark Forest from every single abuse it’s suffered,” she said.
Seraphina shook her head. “She’s a Good Samaritan, too. I just can’t compete with this one.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but her family is freaking crazy, she blindly trusts to a fault, and her best friend is an idiot,” Ever said with a roguish smile.
“Will you do it?” Azure asked, ignoring Ever. He was trying, really trying to earn back her favor, but she wasn’t sure that would be possible.
“I can, but it will take some time. I have a class starting in a few minutes.” Seraphina eyed the fancy watch on her wrist. “I doubt I’ll have it done today.”
“What? No, I need it right away. Can’t you squeeze it in? Please, it’s important,” Azure begged.
Seraphina studied Azure for a long moment. She pulled her mouth to the side, thinking. “Okay, I’ll have someone cover my class. Come back after sunset, and I should have it ready.”
“Thank you!” Azure exclaimed, surprised to find herself jumping up and down on her toes.
The loud bass of the music next door cranked up and someone yelled, “Hit it, people! Get those butts in the air!”
Azure settled down and pointed to the vibrating wall. “What exactly is going on over there?”
“Spin class,” Seraphina chirped.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Okay, let me get this straight. In this ‘spin class,’ there are people on bicycles that don’t go anywhere—”
“Stationary bikes,” Ever cut in, supplying the right term.
“Okay, and humans pedal these bikes as fast as they can, knowing that they aren’t going anywhere?” Azure continued as they walked into the bar on the other side of the parking lot from the Pilates studio.
“Correct!”
“And they are okay with not going anywhere because they are doing it for exercise, is that right?”
“Yep, you totally understand this.”
“No, I totally don’t.” Azure pulled herself up onto a bar stool. “I know this is probably a dumb question, but why don’t they just ride bikes wherever they go? It seems like a win-win.”
“Well, firstly, that’s not as much fun as attending a spin class. Some do ride bikes, but it’s hard to do that in heels, and helmets mess up one’s hair. So instead, many people simulate activities in order to be healthy,” Ever said, waving to get the bartender’s attention. “Two margaritas on the rocks.”
&n
bsp; “Earth really confuses me.” Azure stared around the bar, which was full of business men and women in suits laughing or talking on their phones. “But also, there’s something innately compelling about this planet that I can’t put my finger on. I get a strange feeling every time I’m here, like there’s something I’m looking for here, or something I know without knowing it.”
“It sounds like you might have business here on Earth. Makes sense to me. Our human side does tend to draw us to the planet,” Ever stated, taking the first drink from the bartender and sliding it over to Azure.
“Is that why the humans of Terran are obsessed with Earth?”
“That’s definitely one reason. They’ve maybe taken it to extremes, but I do believe that most of them are well-intentioned.” Ever took a sip of the margarita, his face puckering from the sourness.
“Why do you think that Oriceran and Earth are connected?” Azure asked, taking a sip of the drink and then sputtering out a cough. “What the hell is this?”
“Specifically, it’s a margarita. But you should know that it has tequila, which has assorted effects on drinkers.”
“No, thanks,” Azure stated, sliding the drink away.
“Oh, come on. Tequila can be a lot of fun, although there were nights when I would have disagreed with that statement.” A fond smile grew on Ever’s mouth. “You asked why Oriceran and Earth are connected. There are a few theories, but I have my own. I think that the two planets complement each other. One is full of magic, and one isn’t. One is unpredictable, and the other has unbreakable laws. Each on its own is incredible, but mix the two and you have something truly extraordinary.”
“I don’t know. Lately I have wished I was only witch, minus the human part. I feel it would simplify my life,” Azure said.
“It might simplify it, but I daresay you wouldn’t be as powerful.”
“I’m not any more powerful than Gran or my mum, or most witches from Virgo.”
“No?” Ever challenged. “I’d venture to say that you have a strange magic, one that doesn’t come from your wand or an incantation, but rather lives in your intuition. You act differently than the other witches. I know of no one who has the diplomatic skills you possess, and I’d say that’s because you’re a mix of two incredible species.”
“My power comes from my two sides, not because of one,” Azure said, repeating words that Gran had said to her many times lately.
“You don’t want to believe it because you don’t see the specialness of being human yet, but you will.” Ever drained his drink, blinking his eyes from the rush of the alcohol. “Remember the werewolves we met in Lancothy?”
“Of course,” Azure said.
“Remember that Laurel said they were cursed when they lost their humanity, which turned them into monsters.”
She nodded, taking a small sip of her drink. The sweet-and-sour flavor of the margarita was starting to grow on her.
“Some believe that Earth came before Oriceran, and that the humans on our planet came from humans on Earth.” Ever held up his hand, ordering two more drinks from the bartender.
“You think that the part of us that makes us thoughtful, cooperative and civilized originated with humans?” Azure asked.
“That’s one theory. I’m full of theories, if you get me going.” Ever leaned his forearms on the bar. “Humans are brilliant in their capacity to hate and their foolish willingness to love. They are beautiful and flawed. Cursed, but also gifted in so many different ways. But honestly, it’s when you stop looking for the difference between you and humans, or humans and elves, or whatever, that you see we’re all really the same.”
Azure leaned forward, closing the few inches separating her and Ever. “I need to know something.”
“What?” he breathed, his eyes on her chin.
“Are you drunk?”
A loud laugh exploded from his mouth, and he sat backward. “No, not yet, but tequila does have a way with me unlike any other alcohol. There was this one time that I went to the bathroom at a club… I’d been out all night, but I thought it was still pretty early. When I came out of the bathroom the club had shut down, because it was two in the morning. I thought the owner had just run everyone off with bad music. I launched into a long lecture about better business practices with the bartender, who called me a cab and told me tequila was both my friend and my worst enemy. The next morning, I knew what he had meant.”
Azure laughed, shaking her drink, making the ice cubes clink together. “Sounds like you’ve enjoyed your time on Earth.”
“I have, but I’m most at home on Oriceran. I’d rather not have to choose, but living between the two worlds is getting increasingly more dangerous.”
“Will you stay on one planet if we rescue your father?” Azure asked.
“You mean when we rescue him,” Ever corrected. “And I think that I should spend most of my time on Oriceran. I know I messed up big-time, but I’m hoping that a spot on your cabinet still belongs to me.”
He was being bold. Maybe a bit stupid, Azure thought. “I’m not sure it would be wise for me to give you a second chance.”
“I get it. Kick me once, shame on you. Kick me twice…”
“I don’t know about this kicking business, but I can’t put my kingdom in danger by allowing a traitor inside its borders,” Azure said, Ever’s reference once again soaring over her head as so many others had before it.
“As a queen committed to her people and loyal only to their welfare, I can completely appreciate that. But please remember that I brought you here.” Ever waved his arm at the bar.
“Yes, if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have ever been to a hipster bar or tried fondue,” Azure joked.
“I meant that I brought you to Earth to receive help from people like Seraphina. I’m well connected, and could prove to be a valuable resource.”
Azure gave him a measured glare. “You’re useful, I’ll admit. However, I’m not sure your usefulness outweighs how much I loathe you.”
“Oh, don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment, Queen Azure. This is about what’s good for your people, not about you.” Ever pressed the glass to his mouth and drank to cover his sly expression.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sufficiently buzzed and cheeks red from laughing, Azure and Ever trotted across the darkening parking lot. “So how do you know Seraphina? Is there a network of magical people who have relocated to Earth who keep in contact?”
“Seraphina is an old friend of the family, and she works so close to my mom that I suspect I’ll always be in touch with her,” Ever said, and then hesitated. The smile on his face dropped. “We were engaged to be married at one point.”
“What happened?” Azure asked, the tequila having taken away her usual manners in a sensitive conversation such as this.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ever stopped and regarded Azure for a long moment.
“I don’t think it is, but it’s cute that you think tequila lets me read minds.”
“I want a life between the two worlds. If anything, I’m married to Oriceran and want a fling with Earth, like we discussed. Seraphina didn’t want to go back and forth. And then the thing happened with my father, and she put her foot down. Told me not to travel back and forth, afraid the same thing would happen to me.”
“Oh, so she also doesn’t know the truth,” Azure guessed.
The Light Elf nodded. “I know the risks. I realize I’m putting myself in danger by going back and forth, but I won’t give up the world of Oriceran, not even for a person I love.”
“So you called it off?”
“Yes, and we were both heartbroken for a while. It’s hard when two people both want something, but they can’t agree on a deal-breaker. Actually it would have been better for her if I’d cheated, and I would have preferred it if she had been an unreasonable bitch. However, that wasn’t the case. Instead, we just couldn’t agree on a single matter and that's what tore us apart.” Ever stared at the front of the Pi
lates studio, from which the inside lights were spilling onto the outside sidewalk.
“Yeah. I can’t relate, but that’s tough.” Azure chewed on her bottom lip, ideas churning in her head. “Strange, I never considered you as the marrying type.”
“That’s because you know me as the Light Elf who spies on you from the treetops and creates trouble with Monet,” Ever said, his face full of amusement.
“And Seraphina never saw you on Oriceran like that?” Azure asked.
“Seraphina, like my mom, has never been to Oriceran. It’s not a trip that some want to risk.” Ever started for the studio.
“Whoa, whoa, what’s that supposed to mean? You never told me there were dangers besides being caught.” Confused outrage spilled across Azure’s face.
“Well, you know that my first portal blew up a chunk of the Dark Forest, so you should have deduced that there are dangers. However, yes—portals go wrong in other ways all the time. Travelers get stuck and become ghosts in the in-between.”
“Dude, on the list of things you could have told me before…” Flabbergasted, Azure shook her head at Ever.
“Ok, now it will just make you tense when you travel back and forth. Try and forget about it.” Ever grabbed Azure’s arm and pulled her forward.
“Who said I was traveling back and forth ever again?” Azure asked incredulously.
“Well, you have to get home, so I’m guessing you’ll be traveling at least once more. And I have a feeling that this won’t be your last time on Earth. You said, in so many words, that you feel you have business here.”
***
Seraphina pushed sweat from her brow as she opened the door to the back. “I had it locked so none of the other instructors could walk in. Try explaining that I’m forging a staff for a witch queen on another planet. Rumors would fly.”
“Did you finish?” Ever asked.
“Hey, tequila! Looks like you found a way to kill a couple hours. Did you tell the bartender how to do his job or offer unsolicited advice to unsuspecting strangers?” Seraphina teased.