by S. G. Rogers
****
Mrs. Hansen marched him into her office and shut the door, but Jon didn't wait for the hammer to fall. “Dorsit and Kira are from Yden,” he blurted out. “They came to help me rescue Dad.”
She gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Dorsit is a wizard. He knows where Efysian is keeping Dad, but he passed out before he could tell me.”
Mrs. Hansen dropped into her chair, stunned. “I still can't believe all this stuff about Yden is real. I mean, your father tried to tell me, of course, but I always wanted to think it was allegorical.”
“I haven't talked to Kira yet. She might be able to help.”
“Is she magical, too?”
“Not that I know of,” Jon replied. “She’s a Nomad. Anyway, she’ll need a place to stay until we can pinpoint Dad's location. Can she stay with us?”
Mrs. Hansen gave him a shrewd look. “Is there anything romantic between the two of you?”
“No!” Jon said, turning an interesting shade of red. “No, Mom. She's older than me.”
“Dr. Wallace examined her. Kira wasn't talking much, but he says she's probably sixteen.”
“Well, even so, I don’t think I'm her type. And anyway, there's a girl at school I kind of...” Jon took a deep breath as he tried to stop babbling. “No, there's nothing going on,” he finished.
“Hmm. Well, I'll see what I can do for her.”
“What’re we going to tell Chaz?” Jon asked.
Mrs. Hansen winced. “Um...let me handle him.”
He rose from his chair.
“And, Jon, I need this job,” his mother said. “No more sneaking around.”
****
When Jon located Kira’s room, he found her dressed in her street clothes and sitting on her hospital bed, cross-legged. Although she was watching a television program with rapt attention, she managed to glance up when Jon arrived. She pointed at the flat screen. “It’s wonderful magic, Jon! How do you imprison minstrels in there?”
“No, Kira, it's only a television.”
A faint bruise had appeared on her forehead, but Jon was relieved to see her color was better. In her jeans and hoodie, the girl did seem sixteen. She ran over to the light switch and toggled it up and down. “Look! This is amazing wizardry. Illumination whenever you want it!”
“You're not on Yden, Kira. Electricity powers the lights here. There's no magic on Earth.”
Kira drew back, appalled. “Yrth? The place without magic? Elders have long threatened to send small children to Yrth to punish their mischief. We also call it Hell.” She paused. “I thought it was a myth.”
Jon suppressed a grin. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” she replied. “I think I was more sick from riding in the metal conveyance than anything else.”
“Kira, how did you and Dorsit know where to find me?”
“That part was easy. I told Dorsit to take us to Pacific-eye…I mean Pacific High…in California Territory. After we transported to your city, we traded a few diamonds for the conveyance and suitable garments.” She dug some of the raw stones out of her pocket and showed them to Jon.
“Wow,” he said, impressed. “Where did you get those?”
“Dorsit brought them from a cavern in Wolf Mountain, when he escaped from Efysian. He believed they would have some value here.”
Jon flashed back to his dream, when he cut his hands on the crystals littering the cavern floor. “Efysian is holding Dad in that cavern. If Dorsit knows how to find it, he can help me.”
“I’m sure he can.”
Kira glanced out the window. “So many vehicles of conveyance,” she observed. “This is a busy village. Are there no cygards?”
“No cygards. Just regular police.”
“I would have liked to see more. But we must find Dorsit now and transport back to Yden.”
“Dorsit isn't doing very well, Kira. He has to stay in the hospital for a little while. My mom is working to bust you out, though. She's got some influence around here.”
Kira's smile faded. “Dorsit is worse?”
“I don't know how it happened, but Dorsit is...drained,” Jon said, with a shudder. “He said he used the last of his magic to transport to Earth.”
She frowned. “This is my fault. I knew Dorsit had been drained, but he insisted he could transport us here without damaging himself.”
“How do you know him?”
“Dorsit is a Leopard Clan wizard and friend to the Nomads. Four turns ago, he was to marry my older sister, Kysandra. Before the wedding could take place, he disappeared. Efysian had captured him, but nobody realized it at the time.”
“But Dorsit is so old! How could your sister want to marry him?”
“Dorsit has only twenty-five turns. When Efysian drained him of his magic, he took his youth as well.”
Jon was speechless.
“After you rescued me, I found Dorsit in Mandral Village,” she continued. “Efysian had left him for dead earlier in the turn, and he's been wandering ever since. I told him of our escape from Warlord Mandral, and Dorsit was eager to find you.”
“Why would Efysian be draining wizards? That's evil.”
As Kira stared at Jon, he sensed something close to pity in her expression. “Efysian embodies evil. If he has captured your father, then I fear the worst.”
“Dad’s okay. I feel it somehow. He's the wizard Greggoran of the Dragon Clan.” When Jon held up his right fist in a gesture of defiance, Ophelia glowed with pride. “After Dorsit tells us where my father is, we’ll go back to Yden to rescue him. And then we're going to kick Efysian's tail.”
****
While his mother negotiated with the doctors to authorize Kira’s release from the hospital, Jon left to get some homework done. Although he found it difficult to concentrate after the afternoon’s events, the appearance of Kira and Dorsit had given him renewed optimism. As Efysian's last victim, Dorsit could pinpoint the location of Efysian's cave. Of course, Jon still hadn’t figured out how he was going to defeat Efysian. Certainly the Wolf Clan wizard would be expecting him to show up. Dorsit had advised him to find “kicksoran,” but Jon didn't know yet where or what that was. In many ways, he now had more questions than he did before talking to Dorsit. But at least Jon knew what to ask him when the Leopard Clan wizard woke.
Mrs. Hansen arrived home with Kira and Sela a bit later than usual. From the way Sela stared at Kira, Jon could tell his sister was intimidated. He didn't blame her; it took a lot for him not to be intimidated by Kira, too. Even Mrs. Hansen was atypically formal. None of them knew how to act around a beautiful girl from another dimension.
Jon ushered Kira into the guest suite on the first floor. She wandered around, touching everything she saw. She ran her hand over the countertop in the adjoining bathroom. “On Yden you would be incredibly wealthy,” she exclaimed. “I’ve never seen so much tile.”
“Tile is pretty common on Earth,” Jon said. “Why is it so valuable on Yden?”
“Actually, it’s only precious in Mandral Territory,” she replied. “The warlord keeps the gold largely for himself and requires citizens to use tile for transactions instead.”
“That’s funny. You can’t spend tile on Earth, but those diamonds make you and Dorsit rich.”
“Yes, we traded a few diamonds for these peculiar green-etched parchments,” she replied. She pulled a wad of cash out of her sweatshirt pocket. “I don’t understand how you can receive something of value in exchange for this parchment.”
Jon’s mouth fell open. “Dorsit must have had a lot of diamonds.”
Mrs. Hansen appeared in the doorway with an armful of clothes and a bag of toiletries. “Nurse Patton just called,” she said. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Dorsit has slipped into a coma.”
“Oh, no,” Jon groaned.
Kira didn’t know what a coma was, but from Jon’s reaction she gathered it wasn’t good news. Her expression was somber.
“Don’t l
ose hope; he may come out of it at any time,” Mrs. Hansen said. “Kira, I've brought you some things to make your stay more comfortable. I even found you an extra toothbrush.”
“You’re very kind,” Kira said.
****
Mrs. Hansen agreed it might be fun for Kira go to school with Jon the next day. When he walked into the kitchen the following morning, Kira was drinking a glass of orange juice. Wearing the jeans and polo shirt Jon’s mother had given her, she was indistinguishable from any other teenager—except she was exceptionally beautiful.
“Your mother already departed with Sela,” Kira told him. “This is a wonderful beverage. Could I have more?”
After Jon refilled her glass, he offered Kira a toasted bagel from the plate Mrs. Hansen had left on the counter. She examined the bagel and sniffed it. Puzzled, she pushed her finger through the hole and began to nibble at the edges. When Jon showed her how to eat it, she was perplexed.
“Why is there an opening in the center if it’s useless to the eating process?”
“Good question,” he replied. “I don’t know, to be honest with you.”
Jon took Ophelia off her chain and put her on his finger.
“Why don’t you wear your ring all the time?” Kira asked. “Aren’t you proud of your clan?”
“My mother isn’t exactly thrilled about this Yden stuff. I don't want to worry her, so I don't wear it when she's around.”
Kira nodded. “It’s good to respect the wishes of your parents. I’ve not always done so.”
“Me neither,” Jon said. “We should get going if we don’t want to be late.”
“I can’t leave this dwelling without a proper head covering. My hooded jacket is dirty, and my cloak burned in the crash of Dorsit's conveyance. I require another, but any color will do, under the circumstances.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, perplexed.
Time to improvise.
Kira left the Hansen residence wearing a black baseball cap. When Jon walked onto campus with Kira by his side, several male students stopped to greet him. One boy gave Jon a thumbs-up sign as his eyes slid over to Kira. “Dude,” he said in admiration.
Rachel and Heather paused as they walked past.
“We hear you're a real hero, Jon, pulling those people to safety yesterday,” Heather said.
Jon flushed pink. “Not even.”
“Brett's looking for you,” Rachel added, staring pointedly at Kira.
She and Heather burst into giggles as they walked away, but fortunately Kira was oblivious.
“No one wears a head covering here on Yrth,” she observed. “How can you tell their occupation?”
“On Yrth—I mean Earth, certain people wear hats when they’re at work, like firefighters and construction workers. But with most people, you have to get to know them before you find out what they do for a living.”
“That must be confusing,” Kira said.
“No. Just a little more personal.”
A thoughtful expression came over her face. She took the baseball cap off, shook out her hair, and handed the cap to Jon. “I can adapt.”
Brett spotted Jon and hastened over. “Morning!” Her bright smile dimmed slightly as she noticed the beautiful girl at Jon’s side.
“Uh...this is my cousin, Kira. She's visiting from, um, Romania,” Jon said.
“Your cousin?” Brett's smile sprang back. She put her hand out to Kira. “Hi. My name is Brett. Nice to meet you.”
Kira gave Brett a thumbs-up sign. “Dude. Jon Hansen is the real hero you’re looking for.”
Brett drew her hand back, puzzled.
“Kira’s from a small village,” Jon said. “She doesn't speak much English. They've got different customs. In fact, they've barely got running water.”
“Hmm. Your accent is very good, Kira,” Brett observed. “Well, I'll see you later.”
Brett headed for her homeroom and Jon steered Kira toward the library. He was startled when a pair of meaty hands descended on his shoulders from behind and spun him around.
“How're ya doing, Hansen?” Fred said.
Fred doubled over with an “oof” when Kira's roundhouse kick landed in his stomach. She struck the back of his neck with a lethal karate chop, and he dropped to the grass, stunned.
Jon winced. “Sorry, Fred. My cousin is with the Romanian Special Forces.”
He hustled Kira off.
“Where are we going now?” Kira asked.
“We're going to stash you in the library until lunch,” he explained. “And try not to hit anyone the rest of the day, okay?”
“Your friend Brat is very pretty. Is she your intended?”
“My intended?” Jon echoed. “If you are asking whether Brett is my girlfriend, the answer is no.”
Not yet, anyway, he thought to himself.
They entered the library and located the librarian.
“Hello, Mrs. Reed,” Jon said. “This is my cousin—”
“Nice to meet you!” Kira interrupted, speaking in a wooden but cheerful fashion. “My name is Kira, and I’m a special Romanian force.”
“It's lovely to meet you too, dear,” Mrs. Reed replied.
“Kira is visiting me for a couple of days. Could she stay in the library this morning while I go to class?” Jon asked.
Mrs. Reed couldn’t have been more delighted. “Don't you worry, Jon. I have the perfect thing to keep your cousin occupied. Last week we got in a fascinating four-part documentary on the founding of this country. It’s a lesson in democracy. Kira can watch it on the computer in my office.”
“Watch television?” Kira asked, a glint in her eye.
“Sort of. You'll be okay,” Jon told her. “I'll see you in a couple of hours.”
“Dude,” Kira said. She gave him a thumbs-up.
Chapter Thirteen
The Wolf Clan Wizard Goes on the Hunt
The morning dragged. Jon worried about Dorsit and how Kira was getting along in the library. His English teacher handed out a pop quiz he wasn’t entirely prepared to ace. When he saw Casey’s friendly face in science class, it came as a welcome relief. They had a few minutes to talk before class began. Casey gave him back his sketchbook. “Here you go. I have to say, Nurse Patton is a tough interview.”
“Thanks for helping me out.”
“You got caught. I didn't help very much, and I felt like a snake abandoning you that way.”
“No, actually it worked out fine. I got some important information from Dorsit, but the poor guy’s not doing too well right now,” Jon said.
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Mom asked his nurses to keep her posted on his condition.”
Casey paused. “When do I get to hear the real story?”
By then several classmates were flocking into the classroom.
“Later. I promise,” Jon said.
Casey changed the subject. “I heard you brought your Romanian cousin to school today. She sounds like a tough cookie.”
Jon laughed. “She has her moments.”
****
When the lunch bell rang, Jon rushed to the library to rescue Kira from Mrs. Reed's office. “Gosh, I'm so sorry, Kira,” he said. “When Mrs. Reed told me she was sticking you in here with some history DVDs, I thought I was going to die.”
Kira’s face was shining. “Freedom. Independence. Democracy. These concepts are not familiar to me. You’re lucky to live under such a system of government.”
Jon was caught off guard. “Yes, you're right. I suppose I take it for granted.”
“My people were not prepared when Mandral rose to power and claimed our territory as his own. We did not stand against him. My father believed if we appeased Mandral he would leave the Nomads alone. He was wrong.”
Jon could hear the bitterness in her words. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We'll find a way to make it right.”
****
Activity swirled around the Pacific High cafeteria as students laughed, talked
, and ate lunch. Kira peered at the wiggly green gelatin salad mold in front of her. She used a fork to poke at it. “Is this a living creature?” she asked.
Jon laughed. “Only if you leave it in the refrigerator for a very long time.”