The Lightning Conjurer

by Rachel Rener

  I was just about to snap at Savannah to turn back around when her hand shot to her face. “Ow!” she wailed. “Something just flew in my eye!”

  Eileen leaned over Sophia to give me a thumbs up and a grin. I feigned a cough to stifle a laugh. I’d always thought that Hydro- and Auromancers made the worst villains… but now that I thought on it, Terramancers had the ability to hurl irritating flecks of dirt in their enemies’ eyes – something far more troublesome and aggravating than a quick blood boil.

  “Savannah’s right,” Aspen sighed, rising to her feet. That elicited a handful of gasps from our group in particular. Had she ever put those two words together in that order before? “I’ve been silent and more or less useless when what our people need, more than anything, is a strong, confident leader.” She let out a small chuckle. “Unfortunately, they’ll have to settle for me.”

  I squeezed her hand tightly.

  “What do you propose we do, Madam Minister?” Gauthier leaned forward.

  “First of all, I’ll probably need to give a televised speech to the Community that condemns any and all violence. Archenbaud, could you possibly help me arrange that?”

  “Of course.”

  “Try not to say words like ‘probably’ and ‘possibly,’ Minister-sama,” Mei whispered quietly. “You must be firm.”

  Aspen gave her a weary nod of acknowledgement. “And, um, Sophia, would you help me write the speech? You’re so good with words.”

  Sophia nodded. “Of course, Minister.”

  “Thank you. Of course, a speech won’t be enough,” Aspen chewed on her lip anxiously. “I need ideas – from all of you, from your Chapter members, friends, spouses, anyone – for how we can move forward and peacefully integrate with the rest of the world. Ten percent of our Community was angry and desperate enough to uproot and flee with a stranger. Who knows how many others might defect in the future?”

  Assenting murmurs filled the room.

  “I haven’t been very active in the Community for some time,” she continued, her tone rueful, “but even I can see the discontent that’s been simmering – all the frustration and anger. It would seem that hiding and sneaking is no longer a valid option for many of us… but I also don’t see how we can just show up at the White House and say, “Hello, Mr. President, here we are—”

  “It’s possible that he already knows,” I suggested. “Robert told me that it’s part of the top-secret security briefings all incoming U.S. presidents receive. Along with UFO’s and Martians at Area 51.”

  “I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking,” Aspen replied, squinting at me.

  “Aiden-san is correct,” Mei spoke up. “The late Magistrate was actively in touch with Reagan in the eighties. They were working on tentative plans for some sort of alliance between the United States government and the Asterian Order, but between Reaganomics and the Cold War, the president had become overwhelmed by his constituents. And then George H.W. Bush was elected and had a fiercely negative reaction to the news – so negative, in fact, Barish himself had to travel to Washington to wipe his memory. Since then, we haven’t approached another U.S. president, mostly for our own safety.”

  “I had no idea.” Aspen blinked in disbelief. “Well, that’s… good to know. I guess. Um… well, tabling that subject for now, I think a speech is in order, followed by a visit to Washington D.C., where we can open a diplomatic, face-to-face dialogue with Obsidian.”

  “If they have any interest in such a dialogue,” Gauthier replied. “Our sources tell us that they are operating at full speed, and the subsequent threat level is high.”

  “Threat level?” Aspen repeated.

  “We expect more attacks, Minister,” the Toronto Security Officer supplied. “And we expect them presently.”

  Aspen squeezed my hand so tightly it hurt. But I didn’t pull away. “Well, in that case,” she sighed, “we’d better move quickly.”

  Chapter 20

  t took quite a bit of convincing to keep Aspen from immediately jumping on a jet to Washington. On top of the fact that she’d been working nonstop and was doing the hollow-eyed, walking dead shuffle, I was personally determined to provide her security team with more time so they could do their due diligence. Who the hell knew how Obsidian might react to the Asterian minister herself (good God, would I ever get used to that title?) just marching up to their front door? At this point, all anyone could surmise was that their reaction would likely fall somewhere between serving stale bagels and spewing lethal fountains of lava. Which, Aspen eventually conceded, was a reasonable excuse not to rocket across the pond post haste. Because of that, and also the fortunate news that there had been no further attacks since Tokyo, I’d actually succeeded in convincing her to take a break after twenty straight hours of intense ministerial onboarding. Our rushed, impromptu night on the town wouldn’t be anything like the honeymoon I’d once envisioned, but at least I could say I took my fiancée out to dinner on our last night in Paris.

  And so, late that evening, after we’d both taken our first showers in days, we dined at the nicest restaurant I could Google, both of us adventurously opting for escargot – really, more of a rubbery butter-and-garlic delivery vehicle than a mollusk, I was pleased to discover. We then walked, hand-in-hand, through the quiet side streets outside the restaurant. We walked and walked, until those cobblestone streets eventually fed into the larger roads and avenues that brought us to the very center of Paris. It must have been miles, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to return underground, where darkness and uncertainty loomed.

  A light dusting of snow fluttered beneath the warm glow of the lampposts as we strolled along the Seine River, breathlessly taking in the historical and cultural sights of the city. Above us, the Eiffel Tower, draped in delicate twinkling lights, loomed ever closer, breathtaking and transcendent. Still, I couldn’t peel my eyes away from Aspen, who was marveling at every café, every statue, and every cobblestone, taking in as much beauty as possible. Snowflakes stuck to her long eyelashes and cascades of black hair, capped by an adorable blue hat that Evelyn had knit for her. Her sheer radiance made my heart stir, and before I knew what I was saying, the words tumbled out.

  “You know, I’d planned to take you here for our honeymoon.”

  She stopped in her tracks. “You did?”

  I felt my ears grow hot. Why had I just told her that? She already had enough on her plate without my starry-eyed ramblings. Turning away to “examine” something across the river and buy myself time, I cast a furtive glance in her direction. Sure enough, she was chewing on her bottom lip again, eyes far away as she, too, gazed upon the Seine.

  Yep. I’d blown it.

  “I didn’t mean that in a…” I started. “What I mean is, I wasn’t trying to—”

  “Do you want to get married?” she asked abruptly.

  “Of course, I do,” I blinked, caught off-guard. “If you recall, I was the one who asked you,” I added with an awkward chuckle. “So, do you… you know, still want to…?”

  She turned to stare at me, her mouth slightly agape.

  Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I just thought, after the whole thing with Ori, that maybe you needed some time to rethink, uh… things.”

  I winced as her eyes grew even wider. This really wasn’t the direction I wanted our conversation to be going this evening. Perhaps it was that second glass of champagne. Or the accruing sleepless nights. Whatever it was, I needed to drop this subject, now. Aspen felt terrible about what had happened between the two of them, and of course it wasn’t even remotely her fault… But some small part of me – that overly-critical, self-loathing voice that sounded remarkably like my father’s – wondered if she didn’t, in fact, have feelings for him. That maybe she wanted the opportunity to explore and get more experience before settling down—

  “Are you crazy?” Her words interrupted my angsty reverie, those fierce indigo eyes burning into mine. “No, I mean… do you want to get married? Like, tonight?�
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  “To…night?” My heart skipped a beat – and then came crashing down. I have no idea why, but the image of Evelyn, incensed and unhinged, popped into my head. She would kill me if we eloped. Literally, physically, squeeze-the-life-out-with-her-tiny-bare-hands, kill me. But that couldn’t have been what Aspen meant. No way. I shook my head to hasten the properly oxygenated blood back into my brain, where it was desperately lacking. “I mean, you’ve been saying that we need to wait, finish school, and, uh… you know – get our lives in order.” A smile was beginning to spread across Aspen’s face, and I couldn’t blame her for laughing. This was not one of my most articulate moments.

  She gripped my mittened hands in hers. “Aiden. Forget what I’ve been saying. Forget logic, all of that. I’ve been so stupid, constantly waiting for the perfect moment when, frankly, there won’t ever be a perfect moment. Life will always be throwing hurdles. And it’ll never be easy. I see that now. So, I’m asking you, Aiden Christopher Lawson, do you want to get married to me, Aspen-slash-Rowan Elizabeth Fulman? Tonight?”

  I gawked at her wordlessly, waiting for my mouth to catch up to my beleaguered, sleep-deprived brain. She wanted to marry me? Right now?

  I caught a glimpse of crimson-flushed cheeks right before she turned her face away. “I mean, I totally get it if you don’t want to—”

  “Hey.” I took her chin in my hand and gently turned those pretty eyes back to mine. “I’ve belonged to you from the moment you waved that ridiculous frying pan in my face. And I’ve been wanting to make you my wife every single day ever since. Don’t you know that?”

  Her eyes welled with tears.

  “Oh, Aspen.” I cupped her face in both hands and kissed her roughly. The sensual touch of her lips melding with mine erased all thoughts of pans and irate grandmothers. All thoughts in general. My right hand crept to the back of her head, fingers twisting into her hair. The other encircled her waist to pull her closer. As if I could ever hold her close enough.

  “Tonight, then?” she whispered against my lips.

  I didn’t even have to think. “Yes.”

  Aspen’s irises flashed as they caught the reflection of passing headlights, briefly calling to mind the smoldering hellfire that would be blazing behind Evelyn’s wrathful eyes when she found out. No matter. I’d figure something out. Probably.

  I rubbed my forehead. “Where would we go? How would we…?”

  She smiled widely. “Don’t worry. I know the perfect place.”

  Chapter 21

  wo hours later, after we returned to and from the hotel to change clothes, Aspen and I stood at the very top of the otherwise unoccupied Eiffel Tower, a feat only made possible by her Auromantic prowess as well as a healthy – albeit alarming – dose of pluckiness. I mean, I’d gone skydiving once before but to be carried a thousand feet up on a gust of rushing Wind and obscuring fog was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, hands down. Still clenching my knees, I let out an exhilarated whoop beside the railing as I worked to catch my breath.

  “That… was… incredible!”

  “We definitely need to do that more often!” she agreed with a laugh. She was standing next to me, taking in the joyful sight of the city stretched before us, a sea of twinkling lights and glowing threads of traffic. I’ll admit, it was breathtaking. But not as breathtaking as my soon-to-be wife. A warm smile spread across her face as I took her hand in mine.

  “Aspen, I—” My words were lost to a massive gust of Wind that tore across the platform. Goosebumps raced down my spine – this was no natural breeze.

  Aspen’s wide, stunned eyes flew to mine. “What was—”

  A loud series of grunts cut her off as an arm reached up over the side of the railing, hoisting a wheezing body along with it. Aspen – not me, definitely not me – let out a surprised yelp and jumped back.

  Okay, fine, it might have been me.

  But when Ori’s ruffled head appeared out of nowhere – well, let’s just say I wasn’t the spitting image of cool and collected. Not by a long shot.

  “What the actual fu—” I started, just as a wild tuft of platinum blonde hair appeared beside his.

  “Hey guys!” Eileen grunted as she hoisted herself over the railing. “Ori! Come on, push my butt! No, no – push it!”

  “How can someone so tiny be so heavy?” he gasped, his face contorting with obvious strain. “Did you eat bricks for breakfast?”

  Aspen was the first of us to recover from the shock of seeing two heads floating a thousand feet in the air. With a disbelieving shake of her head, she ran over to the railing to help the two of them up. A moment later, Sophia gracefully landed beside the three of them, not a single hair on her head out of place.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Aspen exclaimed.

  “Hold up,” Eileen replied, turning around to lean half of her body over the railing. I rushed forward to help her until she shouted, “Savannah! What the hell are you doing? Get up here before someone down there sees you!”

  My feet froze.

  “I’m coming!” came the distant shrill voice. “Give me a break, I haven’t flown in years!”

  As a hand with perfectly manicured red nails eventually shot up for Eileen and Ori to yank upwards, Aspen and I stared at one another in what can only be described as unbridled horror. Her jaw was dangling wide open and I honestly thought my eyes were going to fall out of their respective sockets.

  “What—” my voice cracked. “What is – how did you guys—”

  “Your room is right next to mine,” Savannah remarked as she pulled a comb out of the pocket of her red wool coat to fix her disheveled mane. “And voices carry, especially around gifted Auromancers like myself,” her eyes flashed impishly. “Naturally, I had to warn your friends in case Rowan here decided to flee her duties after running off and eloping. Since, you know, she is the minister. Supposedly.”

  Sophia flashed Aspen an apologetic grimace. “We asked Savannah to wait for us at the hotel but she insisted, saying we’d need another Auromancer to help track you.”

  “Fortunately, Aiden wears a very specific cologne,” Savannah chimed in.

  Aspen’s eyes flashed with hellfire. I inched closer on the off-chance she was calculating how much Windforce (X) it would take per pound of Savannah (Y) in order to equal (Z): satisfying splatter on concrete below. Luckily, Aspen had never been a huge fan of algebra. Or murder. As far as I knew, at least.

  “Were you guys really just gonna run off and elope?” Eileen demanded. “How could you not tell us?”

  “Seriously!” Ori groused, still smoothing his windswept mop. “I mean, I was hoping polygamy was still on the table, since I hear it’s legal in—”

  “Ori!” at least four people screamed at him.

  “…Sorry.”

  With a heavy sigh, I turned to Aspen, expecting to see anger and frustration scrawled across her face, particularly with Savannah standing two feet away on what was supposed to be the most momentous and romantic night of our lives. Instead, the second our eyes met she burst into laughter. Hysterical, snorting, clutching her ribs laughter. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but break into a wide smile myself. When was the last time she’d laughed like that?

  “I’m not so sure what’s so funny, but have the two of you even considered the fact that you’ll need a minister in order to get married?” Savannah demanded. “And not the Prime kind.”

  Aspen’s giggles abruptly cut off.

  “I was actually just doing some research on that very subject,” I swooped in. “And it turns out that in Colorado, you don’t actually need—”

  “But you’re not in Colorado, are you?” Savannah interrupted. “If you get married in France, it’s only legal in France. And you still need a minister.”

  “How do you know all of that?” Eileen cocked her head.

  “Because I was the officiant at my best friend’s wedding in Switzerland.”

  “You’re ordained?” I asked.

&nb
sp; “You have friends?” Eileen exclaimed.

  “Yes. And shut up,” Savannah flashed her a dirty look that somehow didn’t appear quite as severe as it used to. “Anyway, all the more reason you need me here! Since you won’t find another ordained officiant standing at the top of this tower.”

  At that, I burst out laughing. As an agnostic and a scholar, I’ve often spent my life pondering the meaning and manifestation of God. Is he or she a benevolent watchmaker? A reverse black hole? A supermassive alien holding a macrocosmic petri dish? But at that exact moment, it all became perfectly clear: God was the greatest, most ruthless comic in the universe. The sheer irony was so immense, so ridiculous, that all I could do was stand there and cackle. When I wiped my eyes and finally got a hold of myself, everyone was standing stock-still, staring at me with genuine concern. Except for Savannah, who looked very put out.

  “I’m sorry,” I chortled. “I was just thinking about God.”

  Ori cocked his head at me. “Why yes, I also have violent laughing fits when I think about the Almighty Adonai. Lucky for you, He has answered your prayers.” He flashed me the illuminated screen of his cellphone. “Look! I just got myself ordained!”

  “There is no way you could have done it that fast!” Savannah snapped, grabbing the phone from him. “It’s a really long, arduous—”

  “I just went to Get-Yourself-Ordained.com and got my certificate and everything,” he beamed, snatching his phone back. His eyes met mine, suddenly far more serious than the rest of his goofy expression. “I mean, you know… it’s the least I could do.”

  I considered him for a long moment, then turned to Aspen. “What do you think?”

  “Well…” she paused to consider. “I suppose if we do it this way, we can get married with our friends here to witness it. But best of all…”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Best of all?”

  She grinned. “Our marriage won’t be legally recognized in Colorado.”

  “How is that—” Eileen started.