“I understand, Honey,” Nica said. “It’s a question I ask myself, so I can’t blame you for asking it too. But so far, nothing’s changed.”
“You’ve tried it. You’ve taken the ring off.”
“Yes, I have,” Nica admitted. “A couple of times.”
Honey nodded. She had a hundred questions, not least of which was why she hadn’t told her she’d tried to take the ring off before. She reminded herself that her baby sister was an adult now, and that she couldn’t force a confidence from her. “From now on I’ll leave you alone on the subject of the ring, Nica, and I’ll tell everyone else around here to do the same. I promise. Just come home, please. I haven’t seen you in almost two years and I miss you.”
“I miss you too, Mana,” Nica said, using her old word for sister. “You, and the Vulpies, and all my nieces and nephews, and everyone else, too. I’ll come home soon, I promise. I need to take this little detour to Apedra first, visit with Bree, and do some long, hard thinking.”
“All right,” Honey said. “I actually think you’re doing the right thing, believe it or not. But Nica, don’t make any decisions based on what Christoff said to you.”
“No?” Nica asked in surprise.
“No,” Honey said. “Like I said, nobody’s happy about what he did, or the self-righteous way he announced it to us. Prince Garen called the Clan Council together to discuss it, and the Dracons are already talking about going to New Ugaztun to confront General Christoff directly. You’re the best student in the history of the Academy, so what he did to you is suspicious at best. Which reminds me of the main reason I called you. Do you have any idea who told Christoff about the ring and your psychic ability to begin with?”
“No, I don’t,” Nica said. “I’ve thought about it, but the only conclusion I came to was that it wasn’t anyone who loves me.”
Honey smiled. “Thank you for that, kiddo. The Dracons wanted to speak with you about what happened before going to New Ugaztun. They may want to stop at Apedra on the way since you’re not coming home. Will that be a problem?”
“No, of course not,” Nica replied. “I’ll forward Bree’s contact information to you and them so they can reach me.”
“All right,” Honey said. “Have fun with Bree, and take care of yourself.”
“I will,” Nica replied. “I love you, Mana.”
“I love you too, Nica,” Honey replied, smiling into the vid camera. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to hold the tears back until the connection was closed and the vid screen went dark. Then she slumped over her desk and gave in to them.
Chapter 3
“Weak,” Luagh mumbled to himself from within his ride. “Why is Udari so weak?”
It had been dangerous to rise so close to the surface in that first moment when his ride had stepped off the shuttle and onto Apedra. One never knew where Eibhleann’s spies might be, and he was extremely wary of her. Outside the Iron Gate, she alone had the ability to see him no matter how deeply he hid. And once she saw him, all she had to do was whisper a single word and he’d be caught like a fly in a web, helpless to do anything but wait for her to toss him back into the Thorn King’s icy realm.
But he’d risen anyway. He just hadn’t been able to help himself. Maybe because he’d been free for so long that it was hard to remember what it felt like to be afraid. Or maybe it was because he’d spent years dreaming of this day. Of returning to the only place where he could bask in the sensation of true power filling him once again. He’d tried other worlds, dozens and dozens of them over the years. Most had enough natural power for him to stay alive and hidden, though he generally had to wait days, or even weeks, for his body to absorb enough to allow him to alter his appearance enough that he could walk among humans, or other sentient beings that populated the Thousand Worlds. But no matter how long he waited, how patient he tried to be, he could never collect more power than that. Never enough for him to be truly powerful, to rule the lesser beings who surrounded him as he, the most gifted Changeling of the Unseelie, was meant to do.
It had taken decades of travelling from world to world before finally accepting that he’d never taste true power again unless he returned to Apedra. It had taken nearly as long to work his way back, and over a year to select a human with a dark enough heart to allow him residence. Now, at long last, here he was. But after all his effort, all of his careful planning, all the risk and worry, his reward wasn’t the flood of power racing through his veins that he’d dreamed of for so long. It was, instead, the same slow trickle he’d grown accustomed to finding on every other world he’d visited. Why? What had happened? Had Eibhleann left Apedra and taken Udari with her?
But no. Udari was here. Weak as it was, he recognized the feel of Udari in his blood and bones. There could be no mistake about that. So, what had happened? What could have caused Udari to give off so little power that Apedra was now nearly as weak as the puniest of human worlds?
For one brief moment he considered leaving his human and returning to the shuttle he’d just left. But, if he did that, the humans would see his true physical appearance since he didn’t have enough power to disguise himself, and his appearance was such that he would not go unnoticed. Eibhleann would surely hear of it, and that would signal an end to his precious freedom.
No, he decided. He would remain hidden inside this human and do nothing to draw attention to himself. Unlike other worlds he’d tried, he knew that a trickle from Udari would eventually fill him up if he gave it enough time. Now that he was finally here, he would wait no matter how long it took, or how difficult it became. As soon as he regained his full power, he would leave just as quietly as he’d come and no Tuatha De would ever even know he’d been here.
In the meantime, he’d listen to the humans’ chatter just in case someone said something about Eibhleann or the Tuatha De. And, he would keep watch for Eibhleann’s pet sprites, too. They were tiny little insects, hard to spot and harder to catch, but if they got even the slightest whiff of him they would report right back to Eibhleann.
The very thought caused Luagh to retreat deep inside his human ride, where not even a sprite could scent him, surrendering control of the human’s mind and body back to its owner. For the time being.
***
“Look Min! Look look look!” Nim squeaked excitedly, his wings moving so fast they were a large blur of green behind him. “The Bright Lady has come! Do you see? Do you? Do you see?”
“No, Nim, I see no Bright Lady, you’ve been sipping poppy nectar again!” Min scolded. “Shame on you!”
“I have not! Look Min! She’s right there! Open your eyes!”
“My eyes are open, Nim, and…,” the tiny blue sprite froze for a long moment, then tilted her sharply pointed nose into the air and sniffed twice. “A Changeling!” she gasped, so shocked she nearly flew into the side of the flower pot they were hiding in.
“A Changeling?” Nim asked, so surprised he forgot to flap his wings for a moment and crashed into one of the broad leaves of the plant that grew in the pot. His skin blushed a pale yellowish shade of green as he rose back up to where Min still hovered. “Did you really say Changeling?” he asked, trying to pretend he hadn’t just lost control of himself and crashed like a spriteling.
“Yes Nim, that’s what I said,” Min replied, ignoring his antics. “The Changeling has returned! We must go tell Queen Eibhleann right now!”
“You’re the one sipping poppy nectar, Min. You can’t see the difference between a real human and a Changeling in disguise. You should know that.”
“Of course I know that! I didn’t say I saw it, I smelled it. Use your nose!”
Nim started to roll his eyes but thought better of it when he saw the way Min was glaring at him. Instead, he pointed his nose in the air and sniffed dramatically. Then he crossed his arms in front of his narrow green chest and raised one slanted green brow. “I smell nothing but humans and this disgusting banana fern. You picked it on purpose because you know how much
I hate banana ferns.”
“That’s not true,” Min retorted hotly. “I picked this pot because it has the best view of the arrival gate. And, for your information, this is not a banana fern.”
“It’s not?” Nim asked, looking at the leaves overhead.
“No, it’s not,” Min retorted. “It’s a banana bush.”
Nim opened his mouth, then closed it. Right or wrong, Min would argue until the world turned to dust around them or he gave up, whichever came first. He’d learned long ago to choose his arguments with her carefully, and the banana plant was irrelevant. “We will go tell Queen Eibhleann that the Bright Lady has come,” he announced. “And you will not mention a Changeling!”
“Yes I will too,” Min said, lifting her chin as she turned back toward the arrival gate. “I smelled it a moment ago, and…oh my! I think you might be right, Nim! I think that is the Bright Lady! Her glow is very small and faint, though. Are you sure it’s her?”
“Of course I am!” Nim replied huffily. “Do you see any other glowing humans?”
“We should warn her about the Changeling.”
“There is no Changeling!” Nim screeched loudly. Min turned her large blue eyes on him and he suddenly felt very tiny, even for a sprite. He cleared his throat and continued more calmly. “Even if there was a Changeling, how do you expect to warn her? She’s human, which means she can’t see us. We will tell the Queen that the Bright Lady has arrived and you will say nothing about a Changeling!”
“Yes I will, Nim!” Min said hotly. “You are not the boss of me so stop trying to tell me what to do. I’m going right now to warn the Queen! If you want to tell her about the Bright Lady you better come too or I’ll tell her myself.” Then she spread her wings and shot toward the ceiling, skifted through the glass, and was gone.
“Hey, I’m the one that saw her first!” Nim squeaked as he leapt into the air and flew after her.
***
Nica took two steps away from the shuttle and slapped one hand to her temple, gasping as a sudden sharp pain lanced through her head. A few seconds later the pain vanished almost as quickly as it had come, leaving her pale and breathless. She stood unmoving for a few moments, taking deep, controlled breaths, but the pain didn’t return. She cautiously hefted the strap of her favorite old tote bag a bit higher on her shoulder and began walking again, following the line of passengers heading toward the baggage claim area. Even though she had no baggage aside from her tote bag, that’s where she’d agreed to meet Bree.
The Apedra skyport was easily the smallest she’d ever seen, and decorated with an inordinately large number of potted plants. The more she looked, the more she saw. There were bushes, ferns, vines, and even trees, some of them reaching all the way up to the very high tinted glass ceiling. Some were familiar to her, but most of them she’d never seen before.
The plants didn’t seem all that healthy when she took a closer look at them. Some drooped, some had yellow or curled leaves, and some had brown spots on them, as though they were diseased. There were even a few that looked bare, as though they’d shed their leaves and flowers even though spring had just ended here. Since Apedra was an agricultural world, she thought it strange that they’d fill their one and only skyport, which all visitors passed through, with plants that weren’t properly tended to.
Just before entering the baggage area she caught a flash of colored light out of the corner of her eye and turned toward it. There was yellow sunlight streaming through a window on the far wall, and just below it a bushy plant with large, curved yellow leaves, but the light she’d seen had been green. Or blue. Maybe both. She shrugged lightly in dismissal and turned around, scanning the crowd for Bree’s bright reddish-orange hair.
She was startled out of her search when a low, deep voice reached her ears. The world around her seemed to lurch sharply and a wave of heat raced through her body. A few seconds later the strange sensation passed, leaving her feeling a little dizzy but otherwise fine. She looked up, wondering if there’d been an earthquake. When she saw that all the people around her were calmly going about their business, she understood that whatever had happened, she was the only one effected by it. She wondered for a moment if she might be allergic to one of the plants that were everywhere she looked, then decided it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she’d be spending much time in the skyport.
She heard the same low voice speaking again, and turned around, searching for its source. Goose bumps rose along her arms and the back of her neck when her gaze fell on a tall, broad shouldered man talking quietly with Bree. His hair was short, straight, and black as night, his features bold and stern, as though chiseled from granite, and he was so tall that Nica doubted the top of her head would reach past the middle of his chest. Even Bree, who had always seemed quite tall to Nica, looked almost short beside him.
Suddenly the man turned to stare at her as though she’d called out to him, his dark green eyes so mesmerizing that she couldn’t seem to drag her gaze away from them. Time slowed as they stared at each other, stretching out for so long that Nica had time to wonder if they would stand there looking at each other forever. Then Bree called out to her, the moment ended, and they both looked quickly away, breaking the strange connection.
“Nica!” Bree yelled, leaving her companion behind as she ran forward and threw her arms around her, squeezing tightly. Nica hugged Bree in return even though she wasn’t comfortable with physical expressions of affection. Knowing this, Bree kept the hug brief, then stepped back, beaming happily. “I’m so glad you’re here, Nica. We’re going to have a wonderful time this summer, I promise.”
“I’m glad to be here, Bree,” Nica said. “Thank you for inviting me, or maybe I should say thank you for letting me invite myself.”
“I’m just happy you’re finally here, no matter how it came about,” Bree said. Nica sensed the tall man’s approach and her heart skipped a beat, a reaction that surprised and troubled her.
“Nica, please meet my brother, Ian. Ian, this is Nica Vinia.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Fadden,” Nica said politely. She started to reach out with one hand to shake, a common custom for most humans, but stopped herself just in time. Men and women on this world did not touch each other without permission unless they were closely related. They didn’t bow, either, like the Jasani did. She nodded deeply instead as was custom, but her momentary confusion prevented her from realizing that Bree’s brother had not responded to the introduction at all. After a long, tense silence, she looked up at him and was momentarily stunned.
His green eyes, which had seemed warm a moment earlier, were now so cold she nearly shivered to look at them. The expression on his face, the set of his lips, the tightening in his shoulders all said clearly that he wasn’t in the least bit happy to meet her.
Nica frowned. Having only just set eyes on the man for the first time, she was at a complete loss as to why he’d taken such a strong dislike to her. Even with the ring dulling her emotions, it hurt her feelings. When she thought about her reaction to the sound of his voice, she felt embarrassed, which added to her growing confusion.
“Brother,” Bree said, nudging him lightly. The word was whispered, but there was nothing wrong with Nica’s hearing.
“Welcome, Miss Vinia,” Ian said in a tone of voice that was anything but welcoming. Nica glanced at Bree, who sighed and shook her head.
“Come on, Nica, let’s get out of here,” she said, taking hold of Nica’s arm and turning toward the exit without another look at her brother. Nica walked beside Bree with some misgiving. How was she supposed to stay as a guest in a house where one of the two people who lived there didn’t want her?
Bree chattered nonstop as they crossed the skyport, but the sensation of Ian’s eyes boring into her back was so intense that she barely heard a word. She was relieved when they finally stepped outside, and she inhaled deeply, savoring her first breath of fresh air in two weeks. Distracted by both Ian and the fresh air, they were h
alf way down a short set of wide steps before Nica stopped in her tracks, shocked by the sight before her.
Nica had learned a lot about Apedra just from listening to Bree talk during the six years they’d roomed together, first at Ptolemy Preparatory Academy on EDU-6, and then at New Oxford on EDU-12. Since it had been two years since she’d seen Bree, she’d used the passenger liner’s library to refresh her memory during the last leg of her trip. Therefore, she was fully aware that Apedrans preferred horses, carts, and hand delivered messages over ground cars, vid terminals, and voxes. But reading about something and seeing it were two different things.
Even if she hadn’t been distracted, Nica wouldn’t have been prepared for the sight of dozens of strange, horse drawn, two and four wheeled conveyances that travelled slowly along the street in place of the sleek, speeding ground cars she was used to. After giving her a moment to take in the sight, Bree led her toward a black one that sat parked at the curb with a gray haired man sitting on top of it in dark red livery. It looked like a box on wheels with two doors, one on each side, and four windows. It was connected via a complicated conglomeration of leather straps, brass buckles, and wooden poles to four large black horses with sturdy legs and enormous hooves.
Nica's Legacy (Hearts of ICARUS Book 1) Page 3