The Cypher Wheel

by Alison Pensy

  “Good idea,” Etyran said, turning on his heel, thankful for the excuse to go. “I'll leave this for you to sort out then.” He gave his friend a cheeky grin before making his exit.

  “Thank you, my friend!” Faen called after him.

  Etyran smirked; it wasn't like Faen to be sarcastic. Maybe he was rubbing off on his friend after all.

  “Etyran, wait!” Faen shouted down the corridor a second later. Etyran stopped and turned. “Talk to the girl, see if she will tell you what she said to make Faedra this angry.”

  “Are you sure? We didn't exactly hit it off the first time we met, I was kind of hoping for an introduction.”

  Faen gave him a pointed look. “Just try. What have you got to lose? If she refuses to talk to you, we are no worse off than we are now.”

  “Good point.” Etyran turned to leave again.

  “Oh, and Etyran,” Faen continued.

  Etyran stopped and gave him a questioning look.

  “Be nice.”

  Etyran gave his friend a mock-affronted look. “Me? I'll be as charming as ever.”

  “Hmm...That’s what I am afraid of.”

  Etyran gestured a stab to the heart before continuing down the corridor. Faen raised his eyes heavenward and shook his head before turning back to continue watching his charge excavate the cave.

  ***

  Etyran paused in front of the heavy wooden door that stood between him and the only other Lightbender left in the seven realms. His heart was pounding. He looked down at his hands and wiggled his fingers, he couldn't remember the last time his hands felt clammy. He straightened out his tunic, smoothed down his hair, and scrubbed his palms over his face. Then he looked at the door some more. A moment later he leaned forward, took hold of the door handle, paused, and let it go again. A step back and a walk in a small circle saw him back in the same position; staring at the heavy wooden door. This is what he'd been waiting for since last night but now that he was actually about to step into the room with her, he couldn't do it.

  What was Faen thinking, asking him to go in and talk to her? She wouldn't show herself to him let alone talk to him after what he did the night before. She was the only other of his kind and how did he treat her? He wrestled her to the ground and threatened her. His shoulders slumped and he looked at the floor.

  I was protecting my friends he told himself. She is a spy for Arawn and she's upset the Custodian. He straightened up and pushed his shoulders back. A moment more of door-staring and his shoulders slumped again. Why did she have to be a spy? Why couldn't we have met under better circumstances? Where did she come from, anyway, and how did she end up working for Arawn?

  “That door will not open itself.”

  A female voice startled him from his thoughts. Was he still staring at the door? How long had he been staring at the door? He turned towards the voice.

  “Jocelyn. How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough to know that whatever happens when you open that door, we will always be friends.”

  Etyran pinched his brow.

  Jocelyn answered his confused expression with a wistful smile. “Go on, open it. Your destiny lies behind that door, you shouldn't keep it waiting.”

  “But...I...what about us?”

  Jocelyn lowered her eyes for a moment, then returned her gaze as she moved towards the Lightbender, her fluid grace matching that of her brother's. She stopped in front of him and looked up. His face was wracked with indecision and doubt.

  “Us, only happened recently,” she said, reaching up and placing a dainty hand to his cheek. “Things have changed now; you should be with your own kind. What is it that humans say? If you love someone, set them free.”

  Etyran puffed out a heavy sigh. “But she hates me, why would she want anything to do with me after what I did last night?” He tore his gaze away from Jocelyn and looked down at his feet, ashamed.

  “Just introduce yourself; she will not stay angry with you forever. Once she has had the time to calm down, she will realize you were doing it to protect those you love. It is a very noble trait to possess; she will see that, too.” Jocelyn put her fingers under his chin and encouraged him to look at her. When he did, she continued. “Now open up that door, walk through it and meet your destiny.” She rose up on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before turning around to walk away. She only got a few paces when she turned back to look at him. “Though I would try and get to know her a little before wrestling her to the ground again.”

  Etyran raised his eyebrows at Jocelyn's innuendo. “I'll try and remember that.”

  Jocelyn started towards the main cave again, unable to stop the tear that was now sliding down her cheek.

  “Jocelyn.”

  Jocelyn stopped. She closed her eyes before taking a deep breath and cast the tear away with a quick graze of her hand. She opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder.

  “Thank you. You are a wonderful friend.”

  Jocelyn smiled, but it did little to hide the sorrow she felt for what she'd just given away.

  Etyran's eyes saddened as he watched the young fairy walk away. He took a step towards her, held his arm out and opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again. He took another step, then stopped, lowered his arm and sucked in a deep breath before turning to look back at the door again. He turned his head, shot another wistful glance down the corridor, which was now empty.

  “Aw, Hell,” Etyran said, as he straightened up and brought his focus back to the door and what lay beyond it. “Try not to screw this up.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Etyran gave a gentle rap on the door and pushed it open. He stopped dead and his eyes widened when they fell on the girl inside the room. She had her back to him and his gaze lingered on the long golden waves of silk that fell down her back.

  The girl turned upon hearing the door. “Faedra, I...”

  The instant her eyes fell upon the person who had entered the room, she wrapped the light around herself and disappeared.

  Etyran's heart sank. For the split second he had seen her face, her beautiful warm eyes turned to steel, and hatred lined her features. He clicked the door shut and leaned against it, giving the girl as much space as possible in the tiny room. He hung his head. How on earth was he going to pull this off? The girl hated him; he could see it in her eyes. There was no way she'd give him a chance after what he did. At times like this he wished he had a more eloquent way about him like his good friend Faen. Instead, he felt more like an awkward teenager than anything else.

  Etyran heard a scrape and lifted his head just in time to see a chair lift off the ground and float in midair, legs pointing towards him.

  “I warn you, stay back!” a nervous voice demanded.

  Etyran put his hands up. “Look, I'm sorry about last night.” Etyran took a step forward only to have the chair legs thrust at him. He took a step back and decided it was probably a better idea if he stayed still. He didn't want to do anything else to scare the girl. “I'm not here to hurt you.”

  “Like I'm supposed to believe that after what you did to me.”

  “It's the truth.”

  “Why are you here, then?” the voice snapped.

  “I wanted to apologize. I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

  His statement garnered him a scoffing laugh.

  “Yes, well, anyway,” Etyran blustered, trying to continue his apology. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. “I was hoping we could...”

  “We could what, Lightbender?” Alyssa cut him off, her voice condescending.

  “Um, we could...err...start over, perhaps?” Etyran realized at this point he wasn't very good at this apologizing malarkey; he hadn't found the need to do it very often and was feeling just a tad rusty. Truth be told, he wasn't very good at communicating with women at all.

  Another scoffing laugh came from the vicinity of the floating chair.

  “Why would I want to have anything to do w
ith you?” Alyssa asked, her voice still hard and unfeeling.

  Etyran looked down at his feet for a second, took in a deep breath and huffed it out before looking up again. “Because until last night, I thought I was all alone and, well, I don't want to feel that way anymore. I really am sorry for what I did, but in my defense, I was only protecting the people I love, and I thought you had a spell on you to make you invisible. I never dreamed you were another Lightbender.”

  Etyran focused his eyes just above the floating chair, hoping he was looking into those of the girl holding it. A silent moment passed, then he heard a soft sigh as the chair was lowered back to the ground. The chair scraped along the floor until it was placed back against the wall next to the table.

  What happened next surprised even him. Alyssa unwrapped herself.

  Etyran tried his hardest not to stare but he lost the battle, she was just too beautiful.

  Alyssa looked up at him through her long lashes and offered a shy smile. Etyran's heart melted.

  “I don't want to feel that way anymore, either,” she said.

  Etyran, realizing he was still staring, cleared his throat and started speaking. “Well, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Etyran.” Etyran copied the graceful head nod that Faen always did in these situations.

  “Alyssa.” Alyssa inclined her head in greeting also.

  Alyssa sat down on the bed and scooted herself back so she could lean against the wall. She gestured for Etyran to take the chair opposite her. He took a tentative step forwards, half afraid that she would disappear again if he made any sudden movements.

  Alyssa, sensing his hesitation, let slip a muffled giggle. “Sit down, you told me you are not here to hurt me, and I believe you. Actually, I'm glad you came.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes, I was angry and more than a little scared of you at first, but you made a good point; you were only protecting your friends. I hope one day we can be friends enough that I would garner that kind of loyalty.”

  Etyran's cheeks flushed and he scooted over to take a seat opposite the other Lightbender, concentrating on his hands until he got his emotions under control. At that moment, he truly sympathized with Faedra. If he couldn't control a simple blush, he couldn't imagine how unbearable it would be not be able to control feelings that were any stronger.

  After taking a moment to compose himself, he looked up at the girl who was watching him with interest from across the tiny room.

  “Is Faedra okay?” she asked, breaking the silence.

  Etyran's eyes widened with realization. Of course, that was the reason he was in the room with Alyssa in the first place. He was supposed to be finding out what she had said to the Custodian to make her lose control in such a bad way. He inwardly cursed himself for allowing a pretty girl to turn his head to mush and forget the reason he was there. Was he really that easily distracted? He decided not to answer that.

  “She should be, soon.” Then he added, after a pause. “I hope.”

  “I like her. She's been very nice to me. I was worried when she got so upset.”

  “Yeah, we worry when she gets that upset, too. Things have a tendency to get blown up, or since absorbing Savu's power, melted. Neither of which I ever want to be on the receiving end of.” He gave Alyssa a cheeky grin. “Which brings me to the reason I'm here. What exactly did you tell her?”

  “I told her how Arawn was planning to lure Lord Todmus back here so he could get rid of him for good.”

  “Well, I admit that's pretty crappy, but I can't see Faedra losing it over that. She'd just get us all together and figure out a way to stop him,” Etyran mused, resting his chin on a fist. He admired that about the Custodian, she always tried to figure out a way to solve a problem with the least amount of harm, even if her ideas seemed a little hare-brained at times.

  “No, that didn't seem to upset her too much. It was when I told her that he had swapped Lady Allora's essence for some princess's that she lost it. Her eyes started glowing and these purple balls erupted in her hands. I have to admit she looked a little scary at that point.”

  Etyran sat bolt upright. “You didn't happen to know the name of this princess did you?”

  Alyssa nodded. “Vivianna, I think that was the name he used.”

  “Oh, for the love of Kernunnos!” Etyran shot out of his chair and bolted for the door. He turned to Alyssa and held his palm up. “You stay right here. I'll be back later.”

  “Well, I'm not going anywhere,” Alyssa said, but she was talking to the door. Etyran had already exited the room and locked it behind him.

  When Etyran reached Faen, Faedra was still sending chunks of rock flying into the corridor. Etyran peeked his head around the corner to see that Faedra was making good progress with the room she was carving out. He dodged back quickly as a chunk of rock narrowly missed his ear.

  “You found out something?” Faen asked when he saw the look on Etyran's face.

  “Did I ever. Oh, mate, you're not going to like this. Arawn somehow switched Vivianna into Allora's body.”

  “What?!” Faen's eyes widened. He looked around the corner at his charge, the anger still carving lines across her face. “No wonder Faedra wants to pummel her power into the rock.”

  “Yeah, but what do we do? It's obviously a trap. Arawn is getting Allora, or rather Vivianna, to lure Todmus back here. When she does, he has plans to finish him off once and for all. We can't let that happen.”

  “We will not let it happen, but first we have to get Faedra to calm down enough for us to plan our course of action without raising Vivianna's suspicion that she has been discovered.”

  “How are we going to do that? She's this mad just hearing about Vivianna being here. How's she possibly going to keep it together when she's face to face with her? Let alone, pull off an act that she thinks Vivianna is still Lady Allora.”

  Faen paused. “Good question. I am sure we'll think of something.”

  Etyran held his arm up, gesturing towards where Faedra was still blasting bits of rock out of the cave. “Off you go then, mate,” he said with a wry smile and a small shove.

  Faen gave him an uncomfortable look before edging his way towards the Custodian. As he got closer, he could hear Faedra's angry mumbling.

  “When will I ever be free of that woman?” she spat before throwing a purple orb at the wall. “I'll kill her this time, I swear I will!” Another orb blasted the wall. “Well, she's not going to get to Todmus, not on my watch.”

  She was about to throw another orb at the wall just as Faen cleared his throat to get her attention. She swung around distracted and hit the roof, shattering rock which rained down large chunks over the two of them.

  To Faen's amazement, Faedra put her hands up defensively and all the chunks of rock floated harmlessly in midair. She gave him a look of surprise. Then she gave her shoulders a nonchalant hitch and moved her hands to one side, the rocks followed until they were clear of her and Faen, and then fell to the floor.

  “Another manifestation?” Faen asked.

  “I guess so,” Faedra said with a smile, before realizing why she was blowing holes in the wall in the first place and her face turned to thunder. “I bet you're wondering why I'm blowing up the cave,” Faedra said.

  Faen opened his mouth to speak but Faedra carried on before he could get a word in.

  “She's here, Faen.” Faedra paced back and forth. “Bloody Vivianna. She's right here in this compound.” When Faen didn't react, Faedra stopped pacing and turned to her Guardian. “You know.”

  Faen nodded.

  Faedra closed her eyes and huffed out a breath. Then losing the wind from her sails, she leaned up against the wall and slid down it, bringing her knees up to her chest. “When will I ever be rid of that woman?”

  Faen couldn't think of anything to say, so remained silent. Instead, he joined his charge on the floor and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “How do you know?” Faedra asked, leaning her head o
n his shoulder.

  “Etyran went to see Alyssa.”

  Faedra lifted her head, eyebrows raised. “He did? How did that go?”

  “I do not know, but it must have gone well because she told him what she had divulged to you that made you so angry.”

  “Is the coast clear?”

  Faedra and Faen both turned towards the entrance of the dug-out to see a sheepish looking Lightbender poking his head around the corner.

  Faedra managed a smile, then looked at her Guardian, and, for some reason, couldn't help but giggle. She wasn't quite sure where she was finding the humor in all of this, but the fact that her two friends cared about her so much warmed her heart.

  “Come on in.” She beckoned with her arm. “I'm done blowing things up for a while.”

  Etyran gave her a nervous smile and edged his way into the hole.

  “We need to figure out a way for Arawn's plan to backfire on him and send Vivianna away once and for all,” Faedra said.

  “Any ideas?” Etyran asked as he joined his two friends and sat cross-legged on the floor.

  “Honestly? Not a sausage.” Faedra sighed.

  “Where is Jocelyn?” Faen asked, noticing his sister's absence.

  “She knows I went to see Alyssa.”

  “Ahh,” Faedra said, sensing the guilt from her friend. “How did she take it?”

  “Actually, she was very understanding.”

  “Well, if fae girls are anything like human girls, she's probably feeling a bit crappy right now.”

  Etyran hung his head. “Yeah, I know. It's not something I feel good about but she kind of pushed me towards Alyssa.”

  “That's my sister for you,” Faen chimed in. “Always thinking of everyone else before herself.”

  “Etyran, can you go and find her? We need the gang together so we can brainstorm what to do,” Faedra asked. “Oh, and get Carina, too. She will have to give me reverse coordinates for the cypher wheel so we can get back to the World of Men.

  Etyran jumped up. “On it,” he said before heading out of the dug-out towards the main chamber.