When they got to the landing on the twentieth floor, the commotion stopped. Thalia's door was flung open, and the two Morphlings were dragged inside by an invisible force. Michael let out a high-pitched yowl, while Savannah growled and gnashed her pointy teeth. "Retract your claws!" she yelled at Michael, who kept getting stuck every time he would grab onto something.
"What's happening?" he yowled back in a panic.
"It's Thalia! She's impatient!" she growled in frustration. He retracted his claws, and they both furled themselves into little balls and let the Wizard take control. They flew through the air, tucking their heads in so they wouldn't get dizzy.
Thalia set them down gently on the floor. It took them a few seconds to realize that the telekinetic assault had ceased. Feeling disoriented, they both wobbled on their feet, and Savannah toppled over.
Michael tried to lick his sore claws. He knew that he was lucky not to have ripped any out. Eying the strangers around him, he suddenly felt nervous and tried to hide behind Savannah. She didn't look as though she was having much luck getting her head right again, but he knew that she would protect him if she could. Maybe Wizards and Dwarves in one day wasn't such a good idea.
Shaking her head out, Savannah felt Michael's little furry body pressed into her back. She felt a lot dizzier than she had the night before, possibly because she was in this form. Blinking her eyes and using her meditation techniques, she finally succeeded in clearing her head. She knew that she wouldn't be able to pull off the new animal skin outfit if she couldn't think straight.
"What are you waiting for?" Thalia asked.
Savannah gave her a small hiss to show that she still wasn't pleased with her transportation methods. Pulling herself up onto all fours, she morphed back into her Kite form, complete with her skin outfit. When she finished, she pushed herself up so that she was standing. Michael began to weave himself in between her legs.
"You can change now," she said, calmly. She could tell that he was nervous. "Just don't forget to cover yourself." She chuckled at the thought of how excited he was just moments before, and now he was a scared little kitten.
Looking up at Savannah, Michael firmly shook his head to tell her that he changed his mind. Bending over, she scooped him up into her arms, and he buried his head in the crook of her elbow.
Suddenly, Savannah felt that she was being rushed. People, surprisingly shorter than she was, came at her from all sides. They touched her hair and her skin, looking at every part of her! As soon as she felt someone lifting her peacock feathers, she held Michael a little tighter and flew into the air, using her Kite powers. Flicking a hand, she knocked them all over by manipulating the air. They wouldn't be hurt, but would hopefully back off.
Maybe she should have waited until Thalia was alone. She could feel Michael's claws tightening against her arm. Staying close to the ceiling, she surveyed the scene. Savannah counted six Dwarves and one Wizard. Thalia seemed to be amused by the Dwarves sprawled out on her apartment floor. Cautiously, Savannah descended.
As she was floating back down, she heard Thalia say, "Let the girl breathe! Most people do not take well to such closeness!"
"Why not?" said one of the short people. He had bright red curly hair, that looked as if it had been teased into an afro. He had a white jumpsuit on that seemed to be moving. In fact, all of their outfits seemed to be moving.
"Yeah! What does she have to hide?" another one said. She had such light blond hair that it almost looked white.
"Nothing, Opal. She has nothing to hide," Thalia said, before turning to Savannah. "These are my friends. They wanted to meet you. Since you came last night, I thought it was only fair that they were here today."
Eying the small troupe of Dwarves, Savannah nodded.
"They really are fantastic!" said Thalia, "Though they can be abrasive and have no boundaries, they mean well."
"Right," Savannah said. Then she turned to the Dwarves. "Don't touch me, and we will probably get along fine."
Opal walked a little closer but stopped when Thalia held her hand up. "I love your outfit! How did you do that?" she asked.
"Michael taught me how to morph my skin into clothes," said Savannah, looking closer at Opals moving clothes. It was like a shimmering silver.
"Of course! But I've never seen any Morphling use more than one type of skin at a time. Usually, they balk at cool clothes," Opal said. Then she sashayed back into the group of Dwarves and helped up a girl who had inky black hair and looked as though she was covered in crystals. As the crystals moved, it looked as if there was a kaleidoscope covering her dark skin.
"Amethy! Can I borrow some jewels?" Opal asked her.
Savannah felt Michael untuck his head and watch the Dwarves.
"What do you want?" asked Amethy, brushing her black hair out of her face.
"Let's try sapphire!" Opal said.
Amethy gazed at Savannah, and her green eyes lit up. "Loan me some silver, Ope?" she asked her friend.
"Of course!" Opal said, smiling.
Savannah and Michael stared at the two women unabashedly as they waved their arms around and drew parts of their outfits into the air in front of them. Opal had a large, round, silvery orb floating in front of her, while Amethy had a rough, dark, midnight blue ball. There were pointy ridges poking out of Amethy's ball. As the women exchanged the balls in midair, the excitement shone on their faces.
Amethy used one hand to extract long slivers of silver from the orb. Her own outfit seemed to be changing shape. The gems seemed to flatten themselves out, the chest area became a drop neck, and the bottom shortened and flared out into a knee-length skirt. The sleeves flared out at her wrists, all while she continued to extract the silver strands and hang them in the air. Her silver orb grew smaller with each strand extracted, and she began to form it into hundreds of tiny balls. When she was done and the orb was gone, she twitched her fingers, and the strands inserted themselves into her jeweled dress. It looked like beautiful lightning running through the many colors. Some of the strands wrapped themselves in various shapes around her legs, and the others wrapped her hair up into wondrous, delicate shapes. For a finishing touch, she waved the little balls towards her black hair, where they inserted themselves as accents. The end result was stunning! She spun around, and the jewels floated around her, as though they were really made of fabric.
Opal waved her hands and broke apart the many fragments of her borrowed sapphire ball. As she spun them in a circle in front of her face, the fragments began to take new shapes. Her silver outfit lengthened in the back to look like a long, flowing, silver ball gown. Gathering a green stone that looked like emerald, Amethy joined in, helping Opal. Soon, there were two spinning circles of blue and green that seemed to be merging.
Savannah let her gaze travel to Thalia. The Wizard stood there with her hands clasped in front of her with a contented smile on her face. She could tell that Thalia truly loved these Dwarves and wondered how they came to be so close.
Delicate strands of silver seemed to jump out from Opal's ball gown and grab the newly shaped jewels from the spinning circle. Other strands flew to her blond hair and loosely braided it behind her back. Sparkling jeweled specks inserted themselves into her braid.
When they were done, Savannah stared at them in awe, and Michael jumped out of her arms. Opal's dress had strings of blue flowers with green leaves, encircled in thin silver cages with winding vines.
Michael, who was back to his furry Human self, said, "Wow! How did you do that?" He jumped up and down in excitement. "I bet my mom would love to be able to do that!"
Savannah laughed at the little Morphling, who seemed to be over his scaredy-cat ways now.
Opal looked like she was about to answer, but was interrupted by an especially stout Dwarf saying, "How does that help us?"
Turning to the blond dwarf with a long braided beard and mohawk, she said, "Relax, Al! It is just as functional, just prettier!"
Al gave her a small grimace th
at relaxed into a smile when Amethy gave him a kiss on the cheek. Kissing her back, he told her how beautiful she looked.
Shaking her head and turning back to Michael, who was only slightly taller than she was, Opal said, "I guess maybe the same way you manipulate your cells."
Wrapping his arm around Amethy, Al said, "We may not be able to change into a kitten or a unicorn, but we can change the form of any mineral, ore, or gem."
"That's amazing!" Savannah said.
Stepping toward Savannah, Thalia said, "Now that the show is over, allow me to introduce you." Gesturing to the curly-haired redhead, she said, "This is Torite."
Tipping his hand away from his forehead, he said, "Most call me Tory."
"This is Opal and Amethyst, the two women you inspired to change their clothing," Thalia said with a small smile.
"Thank you! I love it!" Amethyst squealed, letting Al spin her around. Light glanced off her jewels onto the walls, making it seem as though a disco ball was in the room.
"I feel like a fancy Kite at a ball," giggled Opal.
Pointing to a Dwarf with light brown hair and eyes to match, Thalia said, "This is Chert. His preferred material is Polarstone. It helps hide your magic residue and smell from the Siphons." Savannah gazed at the purple stone that rolled over his skin. It looked like purple marble with darker and lighter shades swirled together. It reminded her of the statue up on the roof.
Chert nodded in her direction. He was clean-shaven with his hair smoothed back. Of all the Dwarves, he appeared to be the most serious. She noticed that as time went on, the Polarstone began to take on the appearance of a suit, complete with tie and vest.
"And this is Malachite. He prefers to work with the stronger metals. He likes to make steel and work with titanium, but his favorite is --," Thalia said.
"-- Chobrick Iron, from the depths of Cairn Mountain in the Dente Mountain Range," said a thinner Dwarf with long black hair going down the middle of his shaved head. He had thick black brows that shadowed his dark eyes. His outfit was a swirling of silver against black. Stepping forward, he held out his hand to Savannah.
Tentatively, she grasped his hand with her own and shook it.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Siphon Slayer," he said. "We are all looking forward to seeing what you are capable of."
Nervously, she removed her hand from his. "Call me Savannah."
"We should have your training grounds ready in about three days, Savannah," said Malachite. He tipped his head to the side, and his long black hair flopped over, hiding one of his shaved sides. "Call me Mal."
"Okay, Mal," said Savannah. "It is nice to meet you, too. I am excited to see this new building. Eamon hasn't taken me there yet, but it's probably because he's been busy."
"Oh! We could take you!" said Opal excitedly. The rest of the Dwarves chimed in, and the noise level grew in the room.
Michael covered his ears and backed up into Savannah. "They're louder than the pack on a full moon," he shouted up to her.
"Calm down, everyone!" Thalia said, in barely more than a whisper. Immediately the room grew quiet. "We must let Eamon take her to the new building," she said. "Now, I will prepare more of my Grog Elixir for you, and then we will meet at the training grounds. I still have some things to discuss with the Siphon Slayer."
There was a round of disappointed grumbles, but they followed Thalia to her table of tools and equipment. Waving her wand around, she gathered the necessary ingredients for the elixir and processed them. Each of the Dwarves made a large cup out of their preferred material, and she filled them to the brim with the special liquid. It was her own special potion that she concocted to boost their abilities, and they loved it. They said it tasted better than a whole cask of beer, and the loopy side effect lasted longer.
Thalia had been working with the Dwarves long before her husband, Panka, had been murdered. She used to be carefree and able to join in their camaraderie. For a while after Panka's death, they would come visit her, but she was buried in her research. Slowly, she had come around to having a little fun with them, but she couldn't bring herself to revel with her friends as she used to.
After draining their cups, the Dwarves grew louder and playfully punched each other as they made their way out the door. Savannah and Michael watched them as though they were watching a circus leave town.
**********
Turning back to Thalia, Savannah said, "This is Michael."
Bending down to his height, Thalia looked him over. "Hello Michael. It is nice to see you again. It has been too long."
Confused, Michael said, "I'm sorry, I don't remember you."
Thalia laughed, "Your parents used to bring you and your brother to visit me every year, before the attacks. They would take you to see your family in Malia, as well."
"Oh. Well, then, it's nice to see you again, too," he said.
"It is nice to see that you figured out who you truly are. Your mother would not believe me when I told her that you would choose to be a boy," she said. A small smile played on her lips.
Michael screwed up his little face. "That's because she always wanted a little girl."
Nodding, Thalia turned her attention to Savannah, "I know you have more questions, and we can talk for a little while, but I really do need to join my friends soon."
"You called Keystone a town. Mama always told me that it was the size of a country. I wish I could go to the Arc. I've heard about it my whole life, and it remains a mystery to me," Savannah said. "Eamon says that he wants to take me, but it's too dangerous. Lemaria said the same thing. What do you say?"
Thalia ushered them to the living room area and pulled up pillows with her wand so they could all sit comfortably. "I say that you will go to the Arc soon enough, but it remains more dangerous for you than anyone else. The mind of the Kites is not yet open enough for you. The Siphons, while still hunting for you here, are stronger in numbers there. It would be difficult to hide you. Otherwise, I would have insisted that you be brought to the Arc instead of all of us coming to you."
"Why did you tell me that I'm to blame for my friends when you all chose to come here?" Savannah asked her. "If I'm so dangerous to be around, why are you all here? And who is Fallon? Eamon said this was all Fallon's fault." Feeling her frustration rise at her own ignorance, she took a deep breath.
Closing her eyes, Thalia conjured a cup of tea. She was going to need it if they were going to talk about Fallon. After a couple of sips, she opened her eyes and peered at Savannah. "Yes! Ultimately, Fallon is to blame. I dream of days when I will find a way to time travel so that I can go back and kill him myself. Unfortunately, that would be selfish and unwise of me. I would have no knowledge of how it would change things." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Fallon messed with things that you should never mess with. He experimented on souls. Or rather, Human souls. That is how he created the monsters that killed my Panka." She felt a single tear escape and fall down her cheek. She raised her hand and quickly wiped it away. It wasn't time for sentiment yet. "Panka was my beloved husband and the best shielder at the Cairn Temple. I am here because you are the best bet at my own personal peace. I want those monsters eradicated, and you are the only one who can do it!" Taking another sip of the chamomile tea, she added, "In order to figure out how you do it, I must keep you alive. I cannot guarantee that in the Arc. I am sorry."
Savannah thought about what Thalia was saying and tried to understand. The information was doing nothing for her frustration level. "I don't know how I do it. Do you all realize that?"
Thalia waved her wand, and another cup of tea appeared in front of Savannah. "Drink. It should help," she said to the girl. Savannah took a couple of sips of the warm liquid and tried to relax her shoulders.
"Yes, we all know that you do not know how you defeat them. But the fact remains that you can. If you can remember anything about the incidents enough to tell me, maybe we can figure it out together. I will also tell you as much as I am able about the Arc, to he
lp you understand," said Thalia patiently.
Taking a few more sips of the clear amber liquid, Savannah forced herself to think back to the night she almost died a few weeks ago. She could feel her body tensing up as she remembered the blood pouring from Samuel's side, the acrid smell of her burning cabin, the red eyes of the horrifying Siphons, and the feel of their fingers spreading her ribs and climbing up her insides. "They were screaming," she said quietly, trying to hold back the pain and tears from her memories. "They were begging me to set them free!"
"The Siphons?" asked Thalia, in shock. "Could you actually understand what they screamed?"
"Yes! It was a jumble of screams, but they all wanted the same thing," said Savannah.
"That's incredible! Everyone can hear them screaming when they open their mouths, but no one can hear words! It's just the pained screaming of the captured souls!" said Thalia, leaning toward Savannah. "But you said that they were begging you? You heard words? You're certain?"
"Yes!" Savannah said. She opened her eyes and glared at Thalia. "You can't hear words?" she asked the Wizard.
"No! What did they say?" Thalia asked; her intrigue was palpable. Was this the key? The reason? How did it work?
"They all screamed, begging for release. But there were two of them that kept saying they were in pain and that it hurt!" said Savannah. She cleared her throat, trying to get past the memory.
"Interesting!" said Thalia.
Savannah could feel her anger rising, "Well, I'm glad you think so!"
"So how did you defeat them?" Thalia asked, hungry for the answer.
"I don't know! I just focused on the two loudest souls and tried to rip their energy apart!" she spat at the Wizard.
Disappointed, Thalia sat back on her pillow. "Well, that is your Kite side, then. I wonder why other Kites weren't able to do the same thing?"
"I don't know, but if they were, I'm sure there would be a lot more Kites and a lot fewer Siphons," grumbled Savannah.
"I'm going to have to do more research," said Thalia. "In the meantime, your mother was correct. Keystone is the size of a Human country. In fact, all of the separate lands are the size of their own countries. And, in their own right, they are in fact countries. There are hundreds of smaller colonies within each one, and they each have their own hierarchy. Even the Fae and the Elves have monarchies. Keystone, I believe, attempts a democracy; complete with their own senators and house of representatives, or at least the equivalent of. Each 'country' has a number of Arc Sanctum representatives. They also have liaisons that live in the Human world and report back to Arc Sanctum and their own people. This is how they are able to help those who have chosen to live among Humans. I am a little out of touch with Arc Sanctum itself. Wizards still hold a chair in there, but we don't sit in it very often anymore. Too busy, I suppose." She stopped to sip more of her tea. "I'm unsure why we refer to places like Keystone, Malia, and Coven as towns. Maybe to make the Arc sound more united than it is. While each land governs itself, Arc Sanctum makes the final decisions over everything."
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