Elf Mastery

by Bryant Reil

  “Wait!” Kyla said.

  The boy stopped. Kyla pulled out one of her pieces of money. “Can I buy that from you?”

  The boy’s eyes widened when he saw it. Humans loved their money!

  “Sure!” he said and excitedly swapped the disc with the paper in her hand. He ran off to join his friends.

  “That guy just gave me a hundred bucks for my yo-yo!” he said. They all looked back at her and cheered excitedly.

  “I'm a girl!” she shouted after them as they ran off. She gave a forlorn glance at her chest. Well, at least now she knew what the disc was called.

  It didn't take Kyla long to figure out the down part of the yo-yo. There was a little loop on the end of the string for your finger and then you could drop the disc to the ground without fear of losing it. The up, however, was not as simple, and she wondered if this might be the fault of someone in the Gravity Well pulling down too hard. Yet the boy had done it. She tried several times to no avail.

  “Need help?” came a voice. The young man from the ice cream shop had come up behind her. “I just got off work. You've never used a yo-yo before?”

  Kyla shook her head. The boy took it and let it drop, then spun it around and around to wind the string.

  “This is how I do it. It gives it a little more spring. I do it backhand on the way down, then forehand on the way back up, like this!”

  The yo-yo dropped almost to the ground and came back up, just as he had intended. It looked so easy. Kyla gave it another try, and it came up about an inch before sadly wobbling back down.

  “You'll get it. Just keep practicing. Say, where do you live?”

  She now wished she had established a back story.

  “Pretty far,” she finally said. “I'm here to visit my uncle. Denny.”

  “Oh! Denny Wilkinson? Ok, that makes sense. I've never had tips like that before.”

  She was inclined to ask 'tips of what', but only smiled. “My name's Kyla.”

  “Kyle.”

  “No, Kyl-A.”

  “I know. My name's Kyle.”

  She stared at him. “Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that.”

  He laughed. “Why? What's wrong with Kyle?”

  She wasn't sorry to hear his name was Kyle. She was sorry to realize she might have been given a human name. She would need to ask her parents about this. She shook her head. “Nothing. It's just so close to my own name. It threw me off.”

  “You've never met anyone named Kyle before?”

  She shook her head again.

  “Well, there were three in my graduating class. Hey, do you want to come grab some lunch with me?”

  “No. Look, I really need to go find my uncle.”

  “Yeah, sure. Hey, are you going to be in town for Halloween? I'm having a party at my house. 1113 Elm Way. You should come! We'll be starting around six. I'll have ice cream. And a lot of napkins.”

  The boy waved and walked off. Kyla watched him for a few seconds before turning to seek out Denzig. She wondered if it would be alright to keep a human as a pet.

  Chapter Thirteen

  We Make the World Go Round

  Taxiarch Bremnos Aviremn could make a child cry with a glance. Sometimes even adults. He was big as an ogre and his body hair only grew in scraggly patches due to his many battle scars. One eye was cut out and he didn't cover it as a gentleman would, so the empty socket drew the attention of those with whom he conversed. He found this advantageous as more than one opponent had fallen in battle because of their preoccupation with his eye. His weapon of choice was an axe, though not because of its weight and power; he found it a most useful tool should he need to chop wood. He was adorned in a crisp military uniform covered in medals, including three Golden Roses from Queen Titania and the Eternal Soul of the Empire conferred by King Oberon. Yet his prim appearance was due only to the attention of his central support team, as Bremnos would rather work in the traditional minotaur attire of 'nothing at all'.

  Though he looked the part of a savage, he was no fool. He knew the rock Elial had brought him was important. He had the stone examined and was told its composition was unknown and the markings on the surface didn't match any known alphabet. This, coupled by Dunkin's mad ravings and unnatural strength, convinced Bremnos there was some terrible secret that needed to be uncovered.

  “What would you like me to do next?” Elial asked after a moment of waiting for Bremnos to speak.

  “Dunkin will not talk except in threats. Linkin is unaccounted for. His Majesty has sent a team from the Royal Guard to manage Sulafat Station and keep watch. Chaos seems to be in place, but as you know it is near impossible to get a fix on Nyx or Erebus. I fear Linkin brought one or both of them in, and they are laying low. They learned not to pound on our front door after Tunguska.”

  Bremnos pulled a box of silage from his desk drawer and plopped a finger full in his mouth. He offered some to Elial, who declined. “I think,” Bremnos continued, “we need to track down someone who can tell us what language is written on the stone. It doesn't look to be anything modern. Contact your colleagues and any historical linguists you can track down. I've already exhausted my own resources. The military has a wonderful program for living languages but not much for dead ones.”

  “It may not be a real language,” Elial pointed out. “It could be code.”

  “Not unlikely. Still, we need to make every effort. Meanwhile we'll continue to bore into Dunkin's mind and see if we can learn anything, but he's somehow shielded his thoughts and our psychics and empaths are having little success. Some have begun having nightmares. Also, keep an eye on that elf girl. I doubt she's in league with the dwarves or she wouldn't have been so open with you, but best be careful. And Linkin could come after her if he thinks she still has the stone.”

  “Director Anh-Bul has been informed of the situation and has been very supportive. We know someone at Equinox probably corrupted the filament, and he has opened an official inquiry.”

  “Glad to hear, but forgive me if I don't put much stock in him.”

  “Both Nyx and Erebus are most powerful in the dark. I'd like to set wards around Equinox to detect their disciples and protect Kyla, but it will take several days and any unfinished work could easily be undone at night.”

  Bremnos sat back in his chair and thought a moment. “I may be able to help you there. I'm meeting Minister Jax for lunch.”

  “The Minister of Public Works? What can he do?”

  “What a bureaucrat does best. He can upset people. I just need to make sure it's the right people.”

  ***

  “If it doesn't get dark tonight I'm gonna rip my eyes out!”

  Kyla was exhausted. The sun hadn't moved in the sky for four days, so not only was it unseasonably warm but the constant sunshine was making it too light to fall asleep. This alone didn't affect Aspen, who couldn't see from inside her tree, but the unceasing daylight was killing the plants. Aspen and her classmates spent much of their time singing to the trees and flowers around campus to keep them healthy. Kyla liked that part. The campus was so musical now.

  An assembly had been called to explain the situation. There was a worker's strike at the center of the earth. This meant King Oberon had to send Damage Control units all over the world, and almost everyone was working overtime because the animals were getting confused. The local bat population was starving, and on the other side of the world (where it was dark all day) they were getting too fat from overeating. The laborers at the center of the earth shouldn't be allowed to strike, for all the trouble it caused. The humans were a big problem because apparently they might consider the sun not moving a sign of global disaster, so fairies scattered sleeping dust over their cities and towns and wound the humans' clocks back so they wouldn't notice the time change. Even Aura was getting stressed because without the earth turning the wind patterns were disrupted. Kyla went to Lug's house a few times to ask what was going on but she hadn't been able to catch him home. Where was he if not worki
ng?

  “Why don't they just re-route the Steeds of Light?” Saul whined. “You know they could just stop delivering the light and it would get dark.”

  “It would take a long time to retrain them. There must be thousands of Steeds,” Eunoe said as she spread her blanket on the grass. Aspen's tree was one of the best places for shade so they had been meeting here for lunch the past couple days. Lili, who didn't mind the constant daylight, sat on the grass and sparked her fingers, which made Aspen shift nervously. Eunoe shouted at Lili. “Stop that! The grass is too dry. You'll start a fire.”

  Lili shot her a look but stopped sparking.

  Kyla yawned. “I've been trying to track down Lug but he's never home, and there's a bunch of people guarding the elevator so I can't get down to the center of the earth. They won't tell me anything either. I'm thinking of moving underground. Except I hate underground.”

  “Do you know what might solve it? Your whining,” Lili said. Kyla ignored her.

  Aura, who was kindly sending a gentle breeze from above, drifted closer to the ground. “I can get you down.”

  “Oh, please! That would be great. You'd be the best roommate ever!”

  “It will be my pleasure. The world's weather patterns are being threatened. All of Aeolis is on high alert and everyone is working double shifts to manage. They'll make me go home to help if it gets any worse.”

  Aura seemed more agitated about going home than about the weather.

  “Alright, let's go!” Kyla jumped to her feet.

  “Now?”

  Kyla rubbed her eyes. “I haven't had a good sleep in four days. If we don't fix this right now I'm going to murder the next person that looks at me funny.”

  “That's dark,” Saul yawned. “Good for you.”

  ***

  There was an ogre and a gnome guarding the elevator. The gnome marched up as soon as Aura and Kyla approached, though the ogre was captivated by a bug crawling up the wall. He squished it with his finger, licked it off, and continued staring at the splotch.

  “Passes?” the gnome demanded. “Only Gravity Well employees may use the elevator!”

  “Elevator,” the ogre repeated without turning his head.

  Kyla opened her mouth but a gust of wind precluded her speech. Aura was opaque which indicated she meant business.

  “I am Aura, Daughter of the Air, ninth child of Duke Ukko. My family has long borne the duty of carrying the winds and clouds, from the freezing mistrals of the north to the heavy rains of the tropical monsoons. We are wind, we are storm, we are thunder, we are rain. We are the hot winds that dry the desert sands, yet we are also the gentle breeze that soothes the farmer’s brow. We carry both life and death, for without air the living would not bear breath, yet our terrible storms bring death on their wings.”

  The gnome tapped his finger on his chest. “I'm Izz'lqintisflt. And you aren't getting on this elevator.”

  Kyla giggled. His name sounded like a sneeze.

  Aura was less amused. “Do you wish to incur the wrath of Aeolis?”

  The gnome stood to his full height. “I work for the Ministry of Public Affairs. I don't care who your daddy is. My job is to make sure no one goes down to—”

  “Elevator go down.” The ogre was now looking at the gnome.

  The gnome turned his head to shout at the ogre. “Would you stay out of this? Now look, you two, this is a restricted area until we get this dispute sorted out.”

  “Can you at least tell us what's going on?” Kyla pleaded. Aura was less patient.

  “My father is ruler of Aeolis and lord of the world's weather. You will let me pass!”

  A gale blasted through the corridor. The gnome stepped back a few paces.

  “Elevator down,” the ogre said.

  “No!” the gnome shouted at the ogre. “Your job is to stop people from going down!”

  The ogre looked perplexed. He scratched his head, then scratched his bottom. Then he scratched his head again. He seemed unusually dim, even for an ogre.

  “Button.” The ogre pointed at the button for summoning the elevator.

  “Yes. Yes. But they aren't allowed to press the button.”

  “I press.” The ogre sauntered to the elevator door and pressed the button and the door slid open. “Down?” it asked the gnome.

  “No! No one's supposed to go down!”

  “No one. Two.”

  “I told them I didn't need an ogre,” the gnome grumbled.

  Aura, meanwhile, was not happy about being turned away. For all her efforts to live a common life she had a hard time abandoning her noble sense of entitlement. She flew past the gnome and ogre into the elevator.

  “Are you coming with me?” she asked. Kyla hesitated. The gnome was flummoxed, looking back and forth between her, Aura, and the ogre. But she was tired. She wasn't going to get a good night's sleep until this was resolved. She darted into the elevator and hit the button that sent her and Aura hurtling to the earth's center.

  It was a long ride. An uncomfortable ride. It wasn't as hot with the stiff breeze emanating from Aura, but lack of sleep made Kyla edgier than usual. And Aura was not a conversationalist. She hovered a few inches off the ground and stared at the wall as they descended. Kyla decided this might be a good time to get to know her roommate a little better. At least it would keep her mind off the confining elevator.

  “So... tell me about yourself, Aura!”

  Aura did not even turn her head. “I am Aura, Daughter of the Air, ninth child of Duke Ukko. My family has long borne the duty of carrying the winds and clouds, from the freezing mistrals of the north to the heavy rains of the tropical monsoons. We are wind, we are storm, we are thunder, we are rain. We are the hot winds that dry the desert sands, yet we are also the gentle breeze that soothes the farmer’s brow. We carry both life and death, for without the living would not bear breath, yet our terrible storms bring death on their wings.”

  Kyla shrugged. “Okay. I mean, that's nothing new. That's how you introduce yourself to everyone.”

  “It was not my intent to tell you anything new. That is all anyone needs to know.”

  Kyla still didn't know what to make of her roommate. She was polite enough, even kind. Yet she was so distant. “Um...do you like to do stuff? Besides the wind, I mean?”

  Aura finally looked at her. “I like to write. You've seen the writing discs on my desk.”

  “Yeah. Solid gold. Your family must be pretty rich to write on gold, huh? Did you know humans give lots of money for gold? When Denzig and I—”

  “Paper does not fare well in Aeolis because of the wind. We write on slabs of stone or metal.”

  “Interesting. And, uh, what do you write? Poetry? Stories?”

  “My writing is my concern. I'm sorry, Kyla, but this is not the right time.”

  “Oh. Well, it's a really long ride down. It'll go by a lot faster if we talk about something.”

  “I can manage.”

  “Oh.”

  Unable to gain any ground with Aura and feeling suffocated in the confinement of the elevator, Kyla decided to take a quick nap.

  ***

  Aura blasted Kyla with a cold breeze to wake her up. The elf grumbled, curled up in a ball and tried to go back to sleep. Aura grabbed her by the arm and pulled but she yanked it away and placed her hand in her opposing armpit. Aura understood Kyla was exhausted but didn't want to be caught on the elevator should someone on the surface call it up again. She blasted a gale which shot a panel in the elevator's ceiling into the empty shaft above. Kyla rolled over, peeled her eyes open, and yawned.

  “Come on.” Aura opened the door. She did not care for the underground. The sylphs and spirits of the air seldom came to these parts of the world, save to pop into shallow caves to have a look around. Kyla didn't look too pleased, either. The elf rubbed her eyes and stepped off the elevator with a frown.

  The cavern was dimly lit and the stale air stank. Aura fought the urge to turn invisible. She cast a light
breeze to help circulate the air and followed Kyla into a long tunnel which led to another large room, though not so cavernous as the first. It was lined with metal lockers and stone benches and tables. There were four earth elementals inside who were rumbling in their native language. They glared at Kyla and Aura as they entered but soon lost interest and resumed their conversation.

  Kyla grabbed a helmet from a hook on the wall and strapped it on. She handed one to Aura.

  “I don't need this. I cannot be harmed by dirt.”

  “It's the rule,” Kyla insisted.

  Commoners were obsessed with following rules. Aristocrats often made rules and then disobeyed them, believing themselves to be above their own edicts. However, Aristocrats also invented a myriad of their own regulations and taboos that they must follow to protect their status and name. The local lord must be addressed as such-and-such. You couldn't be seen with so-and-so in public. And a million other stupid things for which Aura had abandoned her post on Aeolis.

  Though Aura despised aristocratic protocols she wasn't ready to adopt the simple obedience of a commoner either. She declined the helmet and followed Kyla into the next corridor.

  ***

  Sounds of talking and shouting echoed through the chamber that led to the great wheel. Kyla also heard what sounded like a rock slide, which she knew by now was the language of the earth elementals. The source of the hullabaloo was outside the wheel chamber. A ruddy-skinned goblin was facing off against Heff, who was snorting and rooting a hoof into the ground. Kyla spotted Lug inside the doorway to the wheel chamber behind a pair of larger elementals who were animatedly discussing something in their native tongue. Kyla earned a glare from Heff as she excused herself to pass by, though he immediately resumed his shouting match with the goblin as she slipped into the crowd. It was scary business, as Kyla was much smaller than the elementals and she feared an errant step might end her time in Equinox as a smear on the floor. Aura wisely drifted overhead.