Luminosity

by Annabelle Jay

  The incubi don’t really come out until dusk.

  “What?”

  They hate light. An attack in sunlight is very rare, and quite risky for an incubus. Those demons exist in the shadows, and forming during daylight is both tiresome and draining on them.

  “And you decide to tell me that little fact now, when we’re already most of the way to the Igreefee camp?” I practically shouted. My nerves were not helped by my exhaustion.

  I like seeing you on high alert. You’re a warrior, that much is clear, though with what weapons, I have yet to decipher.

  “Only one weapon over here, and it’s a pencil—unless you count style as a weapon.”

  It certainly can be. Some of the greatest men and women have been brought down by just such a strategy.

  Was he referring to himself? All of this attention from a man was confusing, but I liked it at the same time. Not because I was attracted to Prince Jeremy—I had never found the male body beautiful, and I never would—but because his attentions gave me the confidence I so desperately needed. To Prince Jeremy, I was someone to be attracted to and even one day love. I was Lumi; Luke, now just the name of the body I’d been trapped in like a Halloween costume with no zipper, was gone forever.

  “So your dad.” I wanted to change the subject. “He seems pretty incredible.”

  More than you know. In addition to being the fated leader of all dragons, he saved our world from Shull, and his people love him. He’s a great dad. My other father, King Philip, is incredible too, but for entirely different reasons.

  “You have two biological fathers?”

  Right, I keep forgetting that you don’t know any of this. All Dramanians have the parts of both sexes, so all of us are capable of having children.

  Now I was even more interested—and confused. Prince Jeremy had parts I was attracted to hidden beneath parts I wasn’t? Did that mean that I could be attracted to him after all?

  Because of my grandmothers, two incredible women named Nimue and Sara Lee, we are no longer forced to choose a gender at the traditional Naming Ceremony. And they paved the way for same-gender relationships as well, which my fathers followed. But some of us still find the more traditional model fits us, including me—I’m about as masculine as they come.

  Nope, I was never going to fall for Prince Jeremy.

  “And your sisters?”

  Two of them, both who chose to be girls.

  “Draman sounds like a pretty progressive place.”

  In some ways, I guess. But keep in mind that it took us until about two generations ago to get running water in our towns, so in other ways… not.

  We neared the Igreefee camp, or the place where I knew the camp to be. Prince Jeremy coasted into one of the forest clearings where Blair and King Grian waited for us to join them. Each had carried one or two Council members on their backs, but had still beaten us by an hour. Chova and Chima had already discovered their arrival, and the two leaders had brought a scout party with them. From high above, I recognized a familiar face among the crowd.

  “—and that’s when we realized that Lumi hadn’t really tried to release Shayla during her last visit. Perhaps King Grian can guide her.”

  Blair must have sent Chova a thought message about my change, but none of the other Igreefee were in the loop. They stared at me blankly; all except Egret, who couldn’t stop smiling in a way I really didn’t like. I avoided her gaze, finding instead the glare of Grace’s dagger eyes. Had her date been postponed because of my arrival? Did that mean maybe Egret would come to the ball after all?

  “Of course, the girl must try.” Chova nodded at me knowingly, and I nodded back. “Follow us. But be warned: nothing has stirred the great Shayla since her disappearance years ago. Not even a strong wind can bend those thick branches.”

  We followed the trail to the Igreefee camp, where things were much as I’d left them. Chova’s people seemed steady and patient, taking pleasure from the small tasks that made up their daily routine—unlike the world outside the camp, where nothing was ever enough.

  “This is Shayla.” Chova waved his hand to indicate the large sequoia I already knew to be the Maker.

  “Just as I left her.” King Grian moved through the crowd of people sewing or sharpening arrows and put his palm against the bark of the tree. “Come, Lumi. It’s you she wants to see.”

  The tree’s exterior was surprisingly warm to the touch, as though veins pumped blood to every branch. Perhaps they did; almost nothing was known about how the Maker could survive in such a state.

  “What must I do?” I asked King Grian.

  “I don’t know.”

  In response to the pressure of my fingers, a seam opened in the side of the tree to form a hollow place. After glancing at King Grian for his approval, I sent my hand to explore the crevice. Like the mouth of a fly trap, the gap closed suddenly, ensnaring my hand inside. The space felt even warmer, like I had plunged my hand into a human chest instead of foliage.

  “Don’t move,” King Grian advised. He had taken a step back from the tree.

  “But—”

  “Now use your powers.”

  The Igreefee had stopped their work to watch, and those who had stepped forward to help moved back at Grian’s order. In the back I spotted the familiar face of Egret among her people, but she did not seem to recognize me.

  Hello, Lumi. The voice was like a whisper among rustling leaves, or the sound of the leaves themselves that only I could decipher.

  Shayla?

  I have waited many years for you, my daughter. Over a decade, or is it two? Time does funny things these days. It moves, like diverted water. But you are here now.

  What must I do to release you?

  Release me? Shayla laughed, and the sound was like the patter of a woodpecker on a trunk. I am not trapped in this form; in fact, quite the opposite. Before there were humans, or Igreefee, or dragons, or even planets, there was this tree.

  “From you we were born, and for you we will die.” You’re the Tree of Life, aren’t you?

  Shayla rustled her leaves in agreement.

  So why wait for me to find you? Why not find me?

  Oh, Lumi, you have a lot to learn. As I said, time is like water, diverting or running straight but always moving forward, always progressing. I knew that you would find me before the largest storm of them all. This form was just a bridge to keep me safe during the first flood; now the water has receded, and I will become just another leaf floating on the surface.

  None of this made any sense to me, and I wondered if Shayla had gone loopy during her solitary confinement.

  The tree began to move, released me from its grip, and then, like a climber through the gap between two boulders, Shayla split the seam of her tree form and stepped out, barefoot, onto the ashes left from the Igreefee’s last fire. The Maker looked like the closest thing to an angel I had ever seen, with her pale skin and blonde hair and golden crown. Every living thing—from grass to branch to human body—bent slightly toward her, as though she was the magnet and they the other attracted magnetic poles.

  “You’ve done well, my daughter,” Shayla said. “Turn, so I can take a look at you.”

  So Shayla did know that I’d used my powers to change. I twirled, embarrassed but pleased by the attention.

  “Beautiful.”

  “From you we were born, and for you we will die,” I recited.

  “Indeed.” She bent closer and whispered in my ear, “but even Makers get things wrong the first time.”

  Shayla clapped, and suddenly our crowd stood in the middle of the Mansion’s open field. Around us were the half dragons who had amassed from all over Earth, as well as additional ships of Bone Dragons from Draman and the rest of the Ice Dragons. As soon as they spotted Shayla, the entire yard of people went silent and everyone sank to their knees.

  Directing her voice to the crowd, not yelling but still managing to reach every listener, Shayla said, “The incubi are coming for t
he last Artist, and then, once she has been consumed, the greedy demons will come for me. If I fall, no one will be safe. Magic will be useless against them, and they will prey on wizard and human life alike. We cannot wait for them to attack; we cannot give the advantage of surprise. Tomorrow night, we must attack Devil’s Valley—once a legend that hikers whispered about but now, again, the stronghold of the incubus uprising. All dragons must fight alongside their magical brothers and sisters; all Igreefee must bring their bows and bird claws.”

  “Will we win?” a brave soul piped up from the distance.

  “I cannot see the outcome of this battle,” Shayla admitted, “but I do know this: the war between the incubi and the protectors of Earth will be the greatest this world has ever seen. We will fight valiantly, and if we fall, it will be with a sword in our hand or fire on our breath.”

  “With sword in our hand or fire on our breath!” roared the whole crowd, the voice of Earth no longer distinguishing between wizards, dragons, and Igreefee.

  Shayla began her walk through her people, and they parted before her. “From you we were born, and for you we will die,” they said as they bowed their heads.

  “Come.” She stretched out her hand for me. “Come, my daughter.”

  Again I took her hand, and she led me through the garden of planted bodies as she admired all she and her Artists had drawn into life. Beautiful, I imagined her thinking as she stared into the face of every single person on that lawn. Beautiful, like the turned leaf that does not yet know it will fall.

  Chapter Eight

  “LUMI, WAIT up.” Egret had followed me to the other end of the field, and as soon as Shayla had been distracted by a loyal subject, Egret had pounced. Back at camp she must have changed into a more traditional dress to impress Grace, and the leaf skirt was anachronistic on my punk friend. “You look so familiar. Have we met before?”

  “I don’t believe so.” I hadn’t intended to lie, but the words came out anyway.

  “The others said you’d already made a trip to the Igreefee camp to wake Shayla. How could such a beautiful girl have been around without me noticing?”

  So this was what being the focal point of Egret’s attention felt like. Unlike her usual straying gaze, Egret’s green eyes focused only on me. She stood closer than usual, and her body angled toward mine.

  “Perhaps you weren’t looking hard enough?”

  Now I was flirting with her? I took a step away to sever the attraction between us, but the longing I’d felt since the moment I met Egret just intensified.

  “Apparently. Well, now that I’ve found you, trust me, I won’t let you out of my sights.”

  Grace appeared out of nowhere and slung her arm possessively around Egret’s waist. She wore a matching outfit, though her curves made the traditional garb seem sexy instead of solemn.

  “Egret, I thought we were going on a date tonight?” Grace pouted. “Shouldn’t we fly back now?”

  Egret stepped out of Grace’s grasp. “Didn’t you hear what Shayla said? If we attack tomorrow, there’s no time to go home.”

  “But Egret—”

  “Go away, Grace. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a serious talk with the woman who woke the great Shayla? How am I ever going to follow in my father’s footsteps if I can’t have a discussion with another leader without your pouty lip getting in the way?”

  Grace’s mouth made a shocked O shape, but then without another word she turned and ran back to the other Igreefee women who’d been inadvertently brought to the Mansion with Shayla.

  “That seemed harsh.” Grace annoyed me, but that didn’t mean I wanted to watch her self-esteem shatter under the battering ram of Egret’s scorn.

  Egret shrugged. “She’s been driving me crazy for weeks. Honestly, I’d planned on dumping her after tonight anyway, so it’s no big loss.”

  She was lying, I realized. She wanted to convince me that she was unattached so that I’d turn into her next groupie.

  “I thought she seemed nice,” I lied. “Maybe if she comes to the ball I’ll ask her for a dance.”

  Egret’s eyebrows rose so high I could barely see them under her side swept green bangs.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she said finally.

  “And why not?”

  Before Egret could feed me her next line—something about her wanting to dance with me instead, I assumed—another girl interrupted us.

  “Egret, have you seen Luke?”

  Poor Rochelle. Her eyes had dark circles under them from a full day without sleep, and the lids drooped every time her gaze dropped. She’d probably left work to find me, and here I was, flirting with someone else.

  “Luke?” At least Egret seemed concerned. “I assumed he was with you. When they mentioned the last Artist and then they didn’t mention him, I started to worry, but I thought maybe he just turned out not to be….”

  Egret trailed off. Rochelle’s face had transitioned from worried to mad.

  “Artist? Luke is an Artist?”

  “He didn’t tell you?” Egret seemed very interested in the fringe and feathers on her leather shoes.

  “No, he didn’t tell me.”

  I had stayed quiet, but now I intervened. “Maybe he didn’t want you to worry? After all, the Council seems to want me to lead everyone in battle, and honestly, probably die in battle too. If Luke thought they would pick him for the job instead of me, he probably thought lying to you was the only way to protect you.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Rochelle seemed desperate for any explanation, and because I couldn’t watch her suffer, I would give her anything she wanted. “Do you know why they didn’t pick him?”

  “I believe that Artists have levels too, and mine happened to be higher than his. He’s really on the border between human and Artist, and that wouldn’t cut it against an army of incubi.”

  I knew Rochelle would buy this, because she herself was only a Level Three. Against the power of a Council member, she would never stand a chance.

  “But why didn’t he say goodbye?” Rochelle asked. “At least he could have said—”

  “Think about it. What happens to people who are no longer useful to the Council?”

  Rochelle’s eyes widened. “They wouldn’t!”

  I nodded knowingly. “Oh yes they would. All his memories wiped—no more thoughts of the Mansion, or the Igreefee, or even of you, Rochelle.”

  Rochelle ate my explanations up like a woman starved. She would have believed any plausible justification, as long as it involved her perfect Luke caring about her instead of abandoning her.

  “Thank you, Lumi.” Rochelle squeezed my hand the way I’d seen other girls in school do. “Now I can go back to work and prepare for the ball without wondering every second if Luke is all right. I’m sad that he’s gone, but at least out there in the real world he’ll be safe.”

  Rochelle took a few steps toward the Mansion. Even though I’d comforted her, I still felt guilty for lying, and before I could help myself, I called out her name.

  “Can you give me a minute?” I asked Egret.

  “Sure. I’ll just be over there.” She pointed to a large rock about fifty feet away.

  “Thanks.”

  I caught up to Rochelle and put my hand on her arm. Then I took a deep breath.

  “Rochelle, there’s something I need to tell you—”

  “Lumi, you’ve already told me everything. I thought Luke didn’t care about me, but I know that if he had a choice, he would be here, by my side.”

  “Actually, the truth is—”

  “He loved me, Lumi,” she said. Her eyes were so sincere that I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from speaking. “That’s all I need to know.”

  Before I could say another word, Rochelle slipped out of my grasp and made her way toward the Mansion. I was tempted to follow her, but something stopped me. The truth would make me feel less guilty, but would it hurt Rochelle more?

  I walked back
to where Egret stood, and as soon as I got within hearing distance, she let out a groan. “That was rough,” she said. “Good thing you’re such a good liar.”

  “Liar? What do you mean?” Had she heard what I’d said to Rochelle?

  “All that stuff about Luke being safe at his house? Are you kidding me? The minute the incubi wake up tonight, they’re going right for our little stargazing friend. You didn’t know him like I did, but that boy will not hold his own in a fight. I’m shocked the Council let him go, especially because of the attack tomorrow, but I also doubt they put up a protection spell on his house or told him to stay in his room for the weekend or any of that stuff. Those old folks in robes can be pretty harsh. If we don’t find him today before the ball and throw a few protection spells on him, the incubi will eat that boy alive.”

  “We?” I didn’t know what Egret and I would find at my apartment, but I knew it wouldn’t be her friend Luke.

  “Of course we.” Egret had already begun the transition into bird form. “I’m no match for the incubi on my own. And besides, I think you’ll like him. You two have a lot in common.”

  More than you know, I thought as I slung one leg over Egret’s back.

  Oh, and I should warn you. Egret’s thoughts interrupted my own.

  “Warn me what?”

  I think Luke has a little crush on me.

  I blushed, but luckily Egret couldn’t see my face. All she could see was the Mansion yard, and then the top of the Mansion, and then the cloudless blue sky as she flew me toward home.

  THOUGH SHE should have been at NASA’s satellite station, my mom’s car was parked in our spot in front of the Moon Valley Apartments’ C building. Helen Hawthorne was a woman who never got sick, and on those rare occasions when she had a fever above 100 degrees, went to work anyway.

  “I think something’s wrong,” I said as Egret used an ivy strand as a lock pick. Suddenly I was imagining all of the horrible things that could have happened to my mother. How could I have gotten so distracted by everyone else that I’d forgotten the person who was the most important to me? If anything had happened to her, I was responsible. “I think my mo—uh—Mrs. Hawthorne might be in danger.”