by D N Meinster
When Rikki had had enough, she thrust her arm toward Eloise and knocked the clump out of her hand with her magic.
Eloise didn’t resume the practice assault and instead took the time to catch her breath.
Rikki was rather pleased with herself, having proved that she could create a barrier during a stressful situation. Not many mages were capable of making one at all, but now she knew she could match her great-grandmother in at least one area.
There was no need for further training today. She was satisfied with what she could do already and did not want to spend any additional time on it. “I’m heading back,” she relayed to Eloise. There was much more to be done.
Eloise accompanied her on the short journey back, peppering her with questions about the other kingdoms until they were back at the campfire.
Doren and Aros had both woken up and they looked exceptionally glad to see her.
It was Doren’s armor that caught her eye, though, and not simply because of the glint the sun was causing. In the light, she could see just how much damage the frost urchins had done to the Bellish metal. Deep scratches had set into the material, as had a pattern of circular punctures that were likely teeth marks.
“I think you might want to leave that armor behind,” Rikki said as she squatted into the sand next to her boyfriend.
“But it’s the only weapon I have right now.”
Rikki couldn’t argue with that. But she noted, “Compare our outfits.” Her cloak had not sustained any damage.
“Not enchanted,” he said, tapping on the armor.
“Exactly,” Rikki replied.
Eloise held out a coconut for her. “Here.”
Rikki sipped from it and then offered it to Doren.
“Already had,” he said, eyeing M’hadder.
After finishing it and tossing it into the flames, she stood back up and held out a hand for Aros. “It’s time.”
Aros was almost unable to contain his glee as she pulled him up.
“Do you want to watch?” she asked Doren.
Doren couldn’t turn down the invitation. “Without a doubt.”
After he grabbed her free hand, Rikki began shifting them immediately. The warm beaches faded away and were replaced with snow.
“Why are we back here?” Aros whined.
The snow wasn’t deep, but Rikki hadn’t expected it at all. The previous day, there hadn’t been any. “This is Noon, where we met Hunner,” she told them.
The palm trees were merely coated with ice, and patches of sand were still visible in the area. But the winds had grown fierce and specks of white decorated the air.
“The frost urchins are on the move,” Doren noted.
“We’ll have to be quick about this,” Rikki stated, though she worried that it might take Aros hours to understand how to shift, or perhaps longer. The day might end with him still depending on her to shift him.
“The cloak will do most of the work for you,” Doren stated. “You only have to focus.”
Rikki cleared her throat. “Who’s supposed to be the teacher?” Both of them shouting instructions at Aros wouldn’t help him.
Doren unconsciously stepped back and kept quiet.
“The first thing I’ll tell you about shifting is what Grace told me,” Rikki began. “It’s about being two places at once. Wherever you want to go, you’re already there.”
Aros scratched the back of his head. “Can you say that again?”
Rikki repeated herself and then added, “Doren was right. Amelia enchanted these cloaks for non-mages. All you should have to do is see the destination in your mind and spin in place. The cloak does the shifting for you.”
“Let’s try it,” Aros said, eager to begin.
Rikki pointed to the closest palm tree. “You see that palm tree over there? I want you to shift to it. Picture it in your mind. Will yourself to be there. And then spin. Got it?”
“I think,” Aros said. He closed his eyes and after nearly a minute, he spun in place, disturbing some of the powdery snow before disappearing.
Rikki turned from him to the palm tree, but he didn’t show up where she had hoped. Instead of appearing by the tree, he’d appeared on top of the tree.
“Rikki!” Aros cried out as he held onto the highest leaves.
Doren couldn’t hold in his laughter.
Rikki ran over to the tree and stared up at Aros. “Shift down!”
“How?” Aros asked.
“Spin!” she shouted back.
Aros tried to spin in place, but he wound up slipping down the trunk as soon as he let go of the trees.
Rikki used her magic to move some of the snow to cushion his fall. He crashed into it and sent a white cloud into the air.
“At least you shifted,” she muttered. “We’ll try again, but remember, we can’t dawdle.”
Chapter Nine
Hunner’s Call
It took Aros nearly twenty attempts for him to shift adjacent to the palm tree and not on top of it. But once he’d made the slight accomplishment, his confidence in his abilities rose, and he was able to shift to each target that Rikki demanded he go to. The only snag was that he would end up inches above the ground each time.
When Rikki insisted they return to Set, he did so on his own, spinning in the snow on Noon and ending up atop the sand by the campfire where they’d spent the night.
Aros was giddy upon their return to the last warm island. Now that he could shift on his own, all of Ghumai was open to him. He could return to any place he’d previously been with merely a spin, but the only kingdom he wanted to go back to was Terrastream. Loraya consumed his thoughts, and if it wasn’t for his friends and his lost clawblades, he probably would have shifted to her right then.
Loraya wasn’t the only one in Terrastream, either. M’dalla was there, and if she hadn’t given him her cloak, he wouldn’t be able to shift. She’d intentionally given away her ability to return to her home kingdom. The Twilight Islands were where she was from, and she couldn’t go back without magic. He needed to thank her again.
But he could go home too. His mother and Ratch were there waiting for him. So were the Kerus. One spin and he could see them all.
The possibilities were overwhelming Aros, and he plopped down into the sand in case his excitement got the better of him and he accidently spun.
“Getting dizzy?” Doren asked, taking a seat next to him.
“Trying not to spin to Loraya,” Aros replied.
Doren smiled at his friend. “You’ll see her soon, I’m sure.”
“What are you two doing?” Rikki demanded to know. “Have you forgotten the Goddess’ words? We have no time to waste.”
Aros hadn’t forgotten, though he wondered why She hadn’t spoken to him in over a day. Were events proceeding as She’d planned? Did She know he would lose his clawblades? He wanted to ask Her but figured She wasn’t likely to answer. Magenine spoke when She chose.
Rikki used her magic to compel Aros and Doren back onto their feet.
“Where are you going?” M’hadder asked, having not left his spot by the flames.
“To find the Acting Mayor,” Rikki answered. “Any idea where he may be?”
“On the other side of the island,” M’hadder replied. “He won’t let Noon out of his sights.”
“Then that’s where we’re going.” Rikki held out her hand for Doren to grab.
Aros reached for Rikki as well. He was concerned that he might not shift to the right place if he was left to do so on his own.
“Really, Aros?” Rikki asked.
“I’ll end up in Terrastream,” he replied, certain that would be the most likely outcome.
“Alright then.” Rikki took both her friends’ hands and they shifted to the other side of Set.
The beach was identical to the one they’d left, packed with refugees and dotted with campfires. Only the frosty chill in the air differentiated it.
Aros shuddered as the bitter winds smacked his face
and climbed up his cloak. He hadn’t fully recovered from the cold on Noon and they’d already departed the warmer weather. “Do you see him?” he asked, eager to get back to where they’d been.
“No,” Rikki said as she and Doren scanned the faces in the vicinity.
Aros looked out to the seas and was able to clearly make out Noon across the waters. If Hunner wasn’t here, it was possible he’d never made it. But what did that mean for their pets? And why did Rikki want to speak with him to begin with?
“Kwee!”
Aros fell face-first into the sand as something slammed into his back. As he tried to get up, he noticed purple tendrils wrapping around his chest and waist. “Mr. Kwee?”
The purple fuzzball slid around to his chest as Aros managed to get into a kneeling position. Aros cuddled with his pet and rubbed his cheek into its soft fur.
“So that’s where this one was going.” Hunner Galath walked up to the trio, surveying each of their appearances and lingering the most on Doren. “I see you’ve met the frost urchins.”
“And it’s a good thing we didn’t bring you,” Aros said to Mr. Kwee. If the urchins were willing to eat Zeniri, they would’ve certainly eaten their pets.
“That’s why we’re here,” Rikki said. “There’s too many of them. We can’t take them on alone.”
Aros finally gazed up from Mr. Kwee. So that’s why they’d come for the Acting Mayor? To ask for reinforcements? It did seem like they needed them. When they took on armies in Faunli and Terrastream, they didn’t do it alone. They had help. Rikki had apparently realized this sooner than Aros.
“Almost every soul I’ve sent to face them has died,” Hunner sorrowfully stated.
“We didn’t,” Doren replied earnestly.
“It looks like you barely made it,” Hunner said. “And I did warn you, didn’t I?”
“You didn’t tell us about the Cartographer,” Rikki stated, clearly indignant. “You didn’t tell us about Zeniri. You didn’t tell us about Hatswick.”
Hunner raised both hands in surrender. “You got me there. But you won’t get my help. Do you feel the ice in the air? That’s them. They’ve sucked all the heat from two of our islands and now they’re on their way here. This is where we make our last stand. You can join us but that’s the only offer you’ll get.”
Rikki balled her hand into a fist and, for a moment, Aros thought she might punch the Acting Mayor.
Doren grabbed her wrist, apparently foreseeing the same possibility as Aros. “We can’t do this without you.”
“Then you won’t.” Hunner turned his back on the trio and walked away from them.
“What now?” Aros asked. They’d have to return to the Cartographer without weapons and without aid.
“I know what I’d like to do,” Rikki grumbled.
“We’re on our own,” Doren stated.
Out of nowhere, Clayd ran up to Aros and poked Mr. Kwee. “Kwee!”
The fuzzball launched his tentacles onto the boy and they both took off along the shore.
Aros watched them disappear into the distance, suddenly more depressed than he’d been by Hunner’s rejection. “I know we couldn’t bring him, but that hurts.”
“So,” Doren said, preparing for their next step. “We’re going to have to be smart about this. Should I lose the armor?”
Aros’ sights lingered on the spot where he last saw Clayd before he returned them to Doren. His friend’s armor was far from the pristine condition it’d once been, but it still had a shine to it. “Shine,” he repeated aloud. “Keep it,” he said, getting an idea. But before he could explain why, a hair-raising shriek rang out from the shore.
Everyone looked to the seas, where blocks of ice were washing up onshore. The foam atop the waters appeared to have been frozen. And the temperature in the air dropped significantly.
“Evacuate!” the Acting Mayor shouted to his fellow Twileans.
Crawling out of the seas were familiar creatures with dark blue skin and vibrant red eyes. Their spikes were already on end as they clawed their way from the water and through the sand.
Aros felt helpless. All he could do was retreat by shifting. He couldn’t help any of the people that were running for their lives, and he deeply wanted to.
The gridlines on Doren’s armor were already lit up, but when he went to fire, no beams escaped from his arms. “I thought it just needed rest, but it might be dead.”
Most of the beach had emptied, but the urchins were already munching on the poor Twileans that hadn’t been wise enough to leave sooner or fast enough to get away.
“Rikki?” Doren asked, looking for guidance.
“Stand back.” Rikki’s eyes lit up to match her channeling crystal. She stared down the urchins that were climbing out from the Unending Seas but didn’t act against them. Instead, she raised a single hand high into the air.
Aros watched her, wondering if she was going to summon lighting or a storm to take them out. She was the only one that could while he and Doren remained unarmed.
Instead, Rikki took that hand and pounded it into the sand in front of her feet. There was a blinding green flash, and, suddenly, from the point where her hand touched the ground, a crack formed in the earth.
This crack spread out from the initial point of contact, running parallel with the shoreline as it widened across the island.
While more urchins made it to land, Rikki’s crack opened up, drawing in the sand and bits of ice that composed the beach.
With a mighty shove, Rikki ripped the patch of land from Set and sent it adrift into the seas.
Aros watched with amazement as his friend tore apart one island and created two. The newly created landmass was on its way back toward Noon, though how far it would make it was up to both Rikki and the current.
Rikki turned and saw Hunner watching her actions. He didn’t thank her for buying them time, or backtrack and offer them additional support. Instead, he walked away from them, heading towards the other side of the island.
“Ungrateful bastard,” Doren sneered. “We should’ve just left.”
“No, Doren,” Rikki sighed. “The Twilight Islands need us.”
Aros wasn’t sure about the “us,” but they definitely needed her.
Chapter Ten
Another Island
Doren always knew Rikki was not only amazing but incredibly powerful. Though she didn’t have complete control of her magic in their younger days, and would often end up in the Healer’s Sanctuary because of it, he was always impressed by the extent of what she could do. But never did he imagine that she was capable of this.
For all of Ghumaic history, there had been three Twilight Islands. Now, though it was small and populated by murderous creatures, there was a fourth.
The Twileans probably wouldn’t be pleased that Set had lost most of its southern beach, but they’d have likely all been urchin food already if it hadn’t. Is that why Hunner had left without a word? Would he have rather lost his life than his beach?
“We need to go,” Rikki said. “We’ll get the map and rid the Islands of these urchins before they make it back here.”
Doren almost felt that the Twileans deserved to face the frost urchins without Rikki’s intervention, especially Hunner. But he wasn’t going to say that out loud.
“What’s your plan?” Doren asked, expecting she had one. They needed to devise some way to retrieve their weapons or otherwise overtake the urchins.
“I want to burn the Cartographer,” Rikki stated. “But we have to find the map first.”
“What if it’s not even there?” Doren asked. It’d already been a day since Magenine had instructed them where to go. It was possible the Mayor, the map, or the urchin whose stomach contained them had left the ship.
“I haven’t heard differently,” Aros said, almost offended by Doren’s doubt. “Besides, I have an idea.” He grinned at them, apparently pleased with whatever plan he’d come up with.
Doren wanted to hear it,
expecting it to be as amusing and impractical as all of Aros’ schemes. His friend had skills, but they were mainly with a blade.
“Go on,” Rikki said when Aros didn’t elaborate.
“We have to drive them from the ship in order to search for the map and our weapons, right?” Aros asked,
“Ideally,” Doren replied, expecting whatever words would follow to be ridiculous.
“We can,” Aros told them. “With that,” he pointed at Doren’s armor. “And these.” Aros shook the arm of his cloak until a cylindrical container tumbled down his arm and into his hand. He opened it up to display the Ligold coins tightly stacked within. “Shiny.”
Doren listened as Aros explained exactly how they were going to trick the frost urchins to abandon their ship. Each step seemed to be carefully thought out, and Doren felt like it was Magenine that had to be whispering the plan into Aros’ ear. His friend had never been one for concocting and executing schemes. Then again, he had managed to pull off certain feats in Belliore and Terrastream, though with assistance. And here, he wouldn’t be doing this alone.
Had Doren been underestimating Aros this whole time? Or was Aros’ brilliance merely an occasional occurrence?
He looked into Aros’ eyes to try and see if there was someone reciting the words to him, but Aros was at the end of his briefing.
“But how do we get them back on the ship?” Rikki asked.
“Why would you want to do that?” Aros asked, scratching the back of his head.
“The best way to get them off these islands is to get them all on the ship and push it back out to sea.”
“Would they fit?” Aros responded.
“The nest,” Doren interrupted, picking up where Aros’ stratagem had ended. “If we disturb it enough, they’ll all come back to defend it.”
“We hold them off until enough come back and then we shift out,” Rikki completed the scenario.
Aros approved of his friends’ addendums. “Let’s go get our weapons back.”
Doren slid his finger along his leg until he hit the spot that opened up the narrow compartment. He pulled out the rolled-up black-and-white cloak but didn’t unfurl it.