Jack narrowed his eyes at Victus.
“Once you have visual confirmation of the Selkans, send a sensor scan to the Celestial Strider.”
Jack studied the itinerary Victus had prepared. He tapped on a thumbnail image of Randolph. The picture of a young man filled the screen. He had sad eyes, long dark hair, and a close-cropped beard. Jack handed the tablet back to Victus. “Got it.”
“He has a picture of you as well,” Victus said.
“Hope it’s a good one.” Jack walked toward his cabin. He intended to eat in solitude.
“Do not fail.”
Jack answered with an offensive finger gesture as he shut the door behind him.
13
Moonlighter and Tinman
Acacia City’s distant skyscrapers formed a jagged skyline against red-tinged clouds. The evening sun cast abstract shadows through the stone canopy of the Waypoint gazebo. Two men in ornamental armor stood between the treelike columns of the gazebo with their backs to Jenny and Lin. Feather-like scales ran from their shoulders to the tips of their fingers. They each held long halberds, like the ones in Jenny’s vision with Astrea. Their helmets were styled in the likeness of a bird’s head. Shaded glass visors hid most of their faces. Plates of carbon fiber and a flexible Kevlar-like material covered the rest of their bodies.
One of the guards turned and saw Jenny and Lin in the obsidian bowl. He stumbled backward in surprise. His foot missed a step and he fell hard on his backside. The guard’s polearm clattered down the steps.
“Oh, Pat.” Lin rushed forward to assist the fallen guard. “Not again.”
Jenny and Lin pulled Pat to his feet.
The other guard stood statue-still and bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“Jenny”—Lin straightened the man’s shoulder piece—“this is Pat O’Brien.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jenny brushed at her dirt-caked clothing before offering her hand. His grip felt like carved wood. “I’m Jenny Tripper.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet a friend of Lin’s.” Pat removed his helmet and wiped at his brow. Wispy silver hair blew in the wind. He retrieved his halberd with a heavy sigh that wobbled his jowls and rosy cheeks.
“Pat’s worked here as a Songbird for…” Lin started.
“Forty-five years.” Pat smacked the butt of his polearm onto the steps as he climbed. “And this Waypoint has seen more use in the last week than in all those years combined.”
“Did you see anyone else go through today?”
“Besides you?” Pat stroked his stubbly chin in thought. “Yeah, one of yours. He wore a gray uniform.”
“Was he alone?”
“Yes.” Pat rubbed his chin and nodded to the other guard. “But Johnny might remember more.”
“It’s John,” the guard corrected. “I remember he had long black hair and a short black beard.”
“Sounds like Trey.” Lin sucked air through her teeth.
The temperature was dropping fast. Jenny shivered and hugged her arms around her chest. Lin put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulders.
“Johnny’s been working here for, what?”
“It’s been about—”
“Almost a year,” Pat interrupted. “He used to be a soldier, but he moved here to be close to his wife and little girl. Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah, and it’s John.” He sighed in frustration.
“Back in my day, things were different,” Pat continued. “People looked up to us. We meant something.”
“Thank you, Pat, but we have to get Jenny some new clothes.” Without another word, Lin led Jenny down the eastern walkway.
“Pat’s a sweet man,” Lin whispered, “but once he gets started, he’ll never stop.”
Jenny looked back at the gazebo. “Why are they wearing bird armor?”
“Oh.” Lin grew animated as they walked down a path that took them next to a tree with pink flowers. “It’s ceremonial. But, back in the fifteenth century, it used to be dangerous to travel. People hired armed guards to protect themselves and their goods. It was common for Waypoint cities, like this one, to provide guards to protect their patrons. The four Waypoint cities styled their gazebos after different trees. And the guards began calling themselves Songbirds.
“Their armor is for more than just looks. It’s designed to fight the Risi.”
The giants from my vision, Jenny thought. She shivered as a sunbeam snaked its way through the tall buildings and warmed Jenny’s skin and she realized how cold she was. “Can we sit in the sun for a minute?”
“Sure.” Lin walked over to a black cast-iron bench. “How about here?”
They sat down on the bench. Jenny looked around at the people and the landscaped plaza.
“Now, where was I?” Lin asked.
“You said that the Songbirds fought the Risi.”
“Oh yes.” Lin smiled. “The Risi made travel to the Nimue Realm, where you arrived in the cabin, quite a risk.”
“Did they know it was another universe back then?”
“Oh no.” Lin shook her head. “It took almost a hundred years before the first theory of an alternate universe surfaced. Then another hundred before it could be proved. Before that, the Catholic Church considered it a crime against God to acknowledge another Earth and burned heretics at the stake.”
“Oh!” Jenny gasped. “That’s awful. So, what did the Church have to say about the Risi?”
“Actually, the Bible mentions giants. They’re called Nephilim, and I’m sure you’ve heard of David and Goliath.”
Jenny nodded. “Oh yeah, that’s right.”
“The existence of giants helped to strengthen the faithful’s convictions. Others even converted to Catholicism. Still, the Risi were a liability to Waypoint travelers, so the cities offered a considerable bounty for every Risi’s head. Even an ear or a scalp would fetch a price. In those days, a skilled warrior could become wealthy. Even today, people refer to any large sum of money as a ‘killingsworth.’ These days, the Songbird’s role is mostly ceremonial, as are the Waypoints themselves.”
“But…the Waypoints work? We just traveled across universes.”
Lin nodded. “Yes, in the fifteenth century, the Waypoints were an amazing method of travel. They were safer and faster than ships, and invaluable for the transfer of goods and information. They connected the world in a time before ships circumnavigated the planet. But they’re not needed anymore, now that we have airplanes to deliver goods and satellites to send information.”
“But a jet can’t beat instant travel.”
“It’s a matter of convenience.” Lin held out her tuning-fork-shaped Waypoint key. “You need one of these to use a Waypoint. As one of the few key holders, I’m not willing to spend my day ferrying people back and forth through a Waypoint.”
“Then why not give it to someone who will?”
“This key is thousands of years old and has been in my family for generations. I’m not about to loan it out.”
Jenny traced her mother’s amulet through her shirt. She understood how sentimental a family heirloom could be. “Okay, then make more.”
Lin shook her head. “It’s not that easy. They’re not made of any material you can mine from the Earth. The only person who knows how to make one is the Selkan, Kett’l. According to him, it’s terribly expensive and time-consuming. One day, we may lend these keys to Waypoint operators, but not until we have a surplus.”
The scents from restaurants and bakeries were making Jenny’s mouth water. Outdoor lights blinked to life, and the sun dropped below a building. A sudden chill made Jenny shiver.
“Shall we?” Lin asked.
Jenny nodded and stood up from the bench. She felt worse than ever. Maybe taking a rest was a bad idea, she thought. Even her skin seemed to drag her down, and her stomach rumbled its dissatisfaction at not being fed.
“Sounds like you’re ready for some food.” Lin chuckled as she looked Jenny up and down. “But first, we’ve got to
get you clean and dry.”
Lin led Jenny down the sidewalk to a cobblestone road that circled the plaza. Five streets radiated outward like the spokes of a wheel, and brightly painted buildings bordered each spoke.
“Where is Acacia City? I mean, where would it be on my Earth, the Astrea realm?” It still felt weird to think that there were parallel universes. It was even stranger to think that her universe was named after her ghost, Sally.
Lin chewed her lip in thought. “In your world, this would be Sydney, Australia.”
Jenny’s eyes went wide. She looked around to find some similarities between this city and Sydney. It looked like an old European city, but the trees, shrubs, and flowers were thoroughly Australian. A panoply of tourists browsed merchant booths around the circular pedestrian street of the plaza and ate delicious-smelling food while listening to live folk music.
“Lin!” a man called out. He was bald and wore a gray uniform. A young woman and a young man were with him. They all sat at a white-painted outdoor table with a yellow-and-black umbrella blooming out of the center. A big yellow sign spelled out “The Buzz” in black letters.
As Jenny followed Lin across the street, she brushed at her hair and, to her horror, pulled out a clump of mud and a spiderweb. She sidestepped a waiter wearing a yellow polo shirt and black pants and hid behind Lin.
“These are Lance’s aides,” Lin said, pulling Jenny forward. “Cassadi Stevens and Aindriu Ward. Everyone, this is Jenny Tripper.” A young, dark-skinned man also sat at the table, but he kept his eyes down, so Lin didn’t introduce him.
“Some call me Moonlighter,” Cassadi said in a very British accent, “but you can call me Sadi.” The corners of her lips turned up. Cassadi tilted her head to the side, and a bush of light-brown hair tumbled past her shoulders. She adjusted a pair of thick black glasses and stared straight through Jenny, as if looking at something behind her. The look gave Jenny the chills.
“Hi, Sadi.”
“Hey, Jenny,” said Aindriu Ward in a thick Irish accent. He cocked his head, and the sunlight glinted on an enormous scar that wrapped around his neck. Ropelike muscles rippled along Aindriu’s forearm as he flipped a coin across the back of his fingers. “I’m also known as Tinman.”
“Hey, Tinman.”
“Nicknames?” said the third member of their group, a young man wearing a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses. His bright white uniform contrasted against his dark skin. “Can I get one too?”
Aindriu raised a blond eyebrow. “You have to earn your nickname, newbie.”
The newbie pulled the bill of a purple Lakers hat over his eyes and slumped back in his chair.
“It’s nice to meet you all.” Jenny nodded toward the table.
“Sadi and Aindriu are taking part in the testing,” Lin said, “but right now they’re helping me onboard our other new recruit, Kensei Drake. He arrived a couple of hours before you did, that’s why I was a bit late in meeting you.”
“Hi,” Jenny said.
“Hey,” Kensei answered.
“Did you say, Drake?” Jenny looked at Kensei. “Like the hip-hop star?”
“Yeah.” Kensei pulled the bill of his hat lower.
“What’s hip-hop?” Aindriu asked.
“Who’s Drake?” Sadi asked.
“We really are in another universe,” Jenny said.
“No kidding.” Kensei grabbed a slice of bread from a plate at the center of the table and added whipped butter and a dollop of honey. Jenny’s mouth watered.
“Are any more of them coming over here?” Sadi made a face like she smelled something foul.
“No,” Lin said. “Jenny is our last one and she arrived just under the deadline.”
“Good, can we head back to the Endeavor now?”
“As soon as we get their keys.”
Sadi sighed and leaned back in her chair.
Kensei pulled out a strange gray tablet device and tapped at its screen.
Aindriu studied Jenny. “What happened to you?”
“I fell through a hole and crawled out through a dr—” Jenny sneezed.
“Bless you,” Aindriu said.
“You know why people say ‘bless you’?” Kensei asked without looking up from his tablet.
“No, why?” Jenny rubbed her itchy nose.
“People used to believe that sneezing expelled your soul from your body.” Kensei set the tablet down. “They would say ‘bless you’ like some magical charm until your soul could return.” He picked up his glass of milk and swallowed several gulps.
Sadi turned to Jenny. “Do you believe your soul can escape?”
“Uh, no.” Jenny laughed awkwardly. “It’s just a silly superstition.”
“It’s an involuntary reflex to bronchial irritation,” Aindriu said.
“Actually”—Jenny rubbed her nose—“I think I caught a cold.”
“That explains it.” Lin rubbed her hands together.
Sadi reached for the platter of bread.
Jenny licked her lips unconsciously.
“Are you hungry?” Aindriu picked up the plate and offered it to Jenny.
“Yeah.” Jenny grabbed a thick slice of crusty bread. “Thank you.”
She slathered it with layers of butter and gobs of honey. As she tore a chunk off with her teeth, she winced and held her face as the crust scraped her injured tongue. Jenny pushed the bite to the less painful side of her mouth and sighed. I’m going to be miserable until this heals. Jenny caught Sadi looking at her with a sly smile on her thin lips and turned away.
“Are you joining us?” Aindriu reached back to pull an empty chair from a neighboring table.
“Not yet, Tinman,” Lin said. “I need to get our recruit cleaned up and in uniform. Will you still be here in about half an hour?” Lin looked up at the tall clock tower, which read 4:41.
“Yeah, we’ll be here.” Aindriu sipped at something that looked like beer. “When you get back, can you take Kensei to get his key? I’ve got to run an errand for Trey.”
“Of course.” Lin turned her smile to Kensei. “The more, the merrier.”
Lin led Jenny clockwise around the plaza and took a street that angled to the southwest. Tinges of pink and yellow painted the sky. Live music echoed off the colorful buildings. A small parade passed by them, on its way to the plaza. Jenny backed against a wall as characters in papier-mâché heads walked by on stilts. Musicians followed close behind, playing trumpets, drums, and other parade instruments. More people in Songbird costumes brought up the rear.
“What’s the big celebration?”
“It’s like your…”
“Queenstown Winter Festival?” Jenny offered.
“Sure. In truth, I can’t keep track of all the holidays. It seems like there’s a parade almost every week. There’s a lot of history and culture to celebrate.”
“That sounds incredible.”
Lin nodded. “This city relies on tourism, and the history behind the Waypoints is a big part of it.”
The buildings here were all two or three stories tall, with storefronts on the bottom and apartments up top. Hand-painted signs—advertising makeup and perfumes, sweets, records, and books—extended down the street.
They stopped in front of a brick building with three mannequins modeling beautiful dresses in a large picture window. The sign on the forest-green door read “Mary Ann’s Fine Custom Tailoring.”
“A tailor?”
Lin looked Jenny up and down. “Well, we need to do something about this.”
“You just indicated all of me.”
“Well…” Lin smiled at her.
A brass bell dinged as Lin opened the door. Dresses, suits, and uniforms were on display around the shop. The sweet scent of cloth and well-oiled sewing machines filled Jenny’s nostrils. It reminded her of the vintage natural fabrics of thrift shops and her sewing machine back home. She made most of her clothing, and always sought out black linen, cotton, and silk from thrift shops.
&
nbsp; A stunning emerald-green dress caught her eye. Jenny wanted to run her hands over the beautiful fabric, but she resisted and instead carefully lifted it by its hanger and admired its shape.
A plethora of antique mirrors hung along one wall. Jenny caught sight of herself, and her face grew pale, then red with embarrassment. She looked like a zombie. Black makeup had run down her cheeks. Her hair was full of dirt and debris from the storm drain. Her black clothes had become brown with dirt.
The people at The Buzz must have thought I was a vagrant.
From the back of the shop, the sound of a sewing machine stopped, and a middle-aged woman with curly blond hair joined them. “Lin,” the woman said with a smile.
“Hello, Mary Ann.” Lin smiled back. “Do you have time for us?”
Mary Ann looked like her bones were too large for her skin. Her cheeks, collar, and wrists protruded, and her arms and legs seemed out of proportion to her body.
I bet she became a tailor because she couldn’t find clothes that fit, Jenny thought.
“For you? Always.” Mary Ann looked Jenny up and down, then shook her head at Lin. “Looks like she’ll need the works.” She turned to Jenny. “Do you want to keep the clothes you’re wearing?”
Jenny gave her once-black clothes a glance and probed the rip in the back of her shirt. “Um, I guess not.”
“Good.” Mary Ann perched her hands on top of her bony hips. “What’s your name?”
“Jenny Tripper.”
“Stand up straight,” she barked. “Hold up your chin.”
Jenny clapped her arms to her sides, straightened her spine, and lifted her head.
“Now step up here.” Mary Ann pointed at a platform surrounded by three floor-to-ceiling mirrors.
Jenny stepped onto the platform. The mirrors reflected her horrendous appearance from every angle.
Mary Ann held measuring tape up to Jenny’s arm. “By the time you’re clean, your new clothes will be ready.”
“Clean?”
“Yes, we have bathing facilities here.” Mary Ann tutted as she examined Jenny from head to toe. “How did you get so filthy anyway?”
“It’s a long story,” Lin said, “and I’m afraid we need to rush.”
The Key of Astrea Page 14