The Lightning Conjurer

by Rachel Rener

  “Oh, thank God,” I muttered, eyes skyward. “We can have a legal do-over for your family and mine.”

  Aspen nodded solemnly. “After all, I’d be gutted if my grandmother were to kill you before our official honeymoon.”

  “It’s settled then!” Ori clapped his hands together. “So, where are your rings?”

  Aspen looked flustered. “I was just thinking we’d choose them when we got home...”

  “Aren’t you, you know, a Level-three Terramancer?” Savannah demanded.

  “Well, yes, but—”

  Savannah gestured widely around her. “You’ve got about ten thousand tons of iron right here!”

  “But…” Aspen’s voice sounded small. “If I took some, wouldn’t they miss it? And what about rust?”

  “Rust!” Savannah let out an overdramatic sigh. “Eileen, haven’t you taught this girl anything in four years?”

  “I’ve taught her plenty!” came a shout from the other side of the platform

  “Look, all I’m saying is that raw talent doesn’t make up for a woeful lack of training. Your parents really should have kept you in the Order instead of whatever paltry homeschool courses they employed. You’d be a hell of a lot more competent than you are now. I mean, what if another Pentamancer were to come along—”

  A ball of Fire flew from the lighter in my hand, stopping to hover an inch from Savannah’s nose. “One more word, Savannah, and I’m escorting you off this platform. Vertically.”

  She made a small pout as she waved the flame away. “Fine. I’m sorry.”

  Beside me, Aspen stiffened. I knew exactly what she was thinking: Savannah was actually apologizing, full stop? No snarky aside or anything?

  Eileen scurried back over with a handful of screws, which earned her a pretty severe eyebrow raise from me. “I don’t think the engineers of this tower will appreciate that,” I warned. “Nor the people standing at the top when steel – sorry, iron – beams start to collapse on their skulls.”

  “Don’t worry, I borrowed them from structurally sound areas and re-melded the connection points,” Eileen grinned. “Aspen, my love, with a bit of heat and restructuring, plus this—” she pulled a small, thick book out of her pocket and withdrew what appeared to be a nickel-sized disk of bluish-gray metal from one of its laminated pages, “—we can make you a custom, unrustable, one-of-a-kind set of rings made from the very tower you’re about to exchange vows on. Just don’t tell the French government.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Aspen grinned.

  “All you have to do, once you’ve heated the core of these screws to, oh, say, 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit, is use this zinc to galvanize the surface of the iron…”

  I gave Aspen a quick kiss on the cheek, flashed Eileen a grateful smile, and then left them to their ring-forging so I could quietly approach Savannah.

  “Ça va?” she greeted me over the top of her compact as she fixed a stray bang.

  “This is Aspen’s night,” I replied, just loudly enough for her to hear. “You and I might be even after you saved me in Shirakawa-go, but I’d like to remind you of something.”

  Her compact snapped shut. “Which is?”

  “You remember how Mei was going to reinstate your position at Denver?” I asked. “Take you off of house arrest and allow you to Aggregate again, pending your good performance?”

  “Yes…?”

  “Well, Aspen is now Mei’s superior and can override just about any damn thing she wants to. Do I need to elaborate further?”

  Savannah’s narrowed eyes abruptly grew to wide orbs, white showing all around her green irises. “She wouldn’t.”

  “Ruin this night and I guarantee she will.”

  She opened her mouth to retort, thought the better of it, then pressed her lips into a thin line. A moment later, she brushed past me, calling, “Oh, Aspen! Yoo-hoo! I know how to do this gorgeous French braid you might like – wait ‘til I show you!” She trotted across the platform to where the other three women were regarding her warily. “Oh, and a helpful tip about galvanization that Eileen probably won’t know…”

  I shook my head dubiously, then strode over to Ori, our group’s odd man out. He’d walked to the far side of the platform, his good elbow propped on the railing, chin resting on his arm. He appeared to be surveying the city below, as silent and inconspicuous as I’d ever seen him. I took a deep breath to steady my tongue. Apart from the hostile debate practice, he and I had barely said a word to one another in days. Not since I nearly sucker-punched him on our way back to Narita Airport. It was probably time to rectify that.

  “You know,” I remarked as I stood beside him, “you’ve already saved Aspen’s life. You don’t need to injure yourself further by doing this… Not that I’m telling you not to,” I added, almost begrudgingly.

  “Aiden.” He straightened as he looked at me, his eyes looking old and tired as though they’d seen so much more than any of us had ever given him credit for. “I… I really can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Ori. It’s in the past. And we have to find a way to move forward. For her sake.” I jerked my head in Aspen’s direction.

  He gave me a long look before replying. When he finally did, his words caught me off-guard. “You know, my mother… she died when I was seven. Very suddenly. When I turned nine, my father left with his new wife and only called on my birthday. Or, you know, the day he thought was my birthday. My aunt – well, she allowed me to live with her, but only if I paid her, uh…”

  “Rent?” I supplied, aghast.

  “Yes. Rent. And then you of course know my dating history. Many women, all in and quickly out of my life. Sometimes… I just have to wonder.”

  “Wonder what?”

  He didn’t answer. As an uncomfortable silence ensued, I dropped my gaze to survey the illuminated roads below, extending from the nearby Arc de Triomphe like the glowing spokes of a wagon wheel.

  “Is there a woman out there who won’t leave me?” Ori eventually whispered, the edges of his voice cracking with emotion.

  I stared at him for a long moment, recognizing the pain he carried, raw and real, for the first time. My father was a piece of work growing up, but at least he was there. My mother, too – she was distracted but around. I didn’t lose them until I was an adult, and even then, it was my choice to leave. How would my life have been different if they were just… gone?

  Without thinking, I pulled Ori in for a one-armed hug. He stiffened, then threw a tight arm around my shoulders.

  “She’s out there,” I said firmly. “And when you meet her, you’ll know. Trust me on that.”

  “Guess I’ll have to,” he replied, quickly dragging a sleeve across his face. A moment later, he reached into his jacket pocket, took a drink from a small flask, and then offered it to me. “You know,” he grimaced as he swallowed, “you are exactly what Aspen needs. And deserves. I mean it from my heart – I’m happy that she has someone like you to take care of her.”

  “Thanks, man.” I took a liberal swig of something that tasted like licorice-flavored gasoline before hastily returning the flask back to him. “But to be honest, I feel like a failure in that department. So, thank you for watching over her as well. I feel like it’s going to take an army of stubborn and devoted compatriots just to keep that woman in one piece.”

  “L'chaim,” he muttered before taking another big gulp from his flask. “It means, ‘To life.’ In this case, to hers,” he nodded toward Aspen. “I promise to always help you keep her safe.”

  “Thanks, achi,” I replied, remembering the Hebrew word he’d long ago taught me for ‘brother.’ “That means more than you know.”

  “Achi!” He promptly pulled me in for what I thought was going to be another hug, but turned out instead to be a headlock and an undignified noogie. “My brother! Let’s get married!”

  I wrestled free of his arm, gave him a playful slug, and
then turned around. My breath was knocked out of my lungs like a sucker punch.

  Aspen stood in front of me, as stunning and resplendent as I’d ever seen her. Tiny floating orbs of Fire danced around her face like summer fireflies. Her hair had been twisted into a long elegant braid on one side and was emblazoned with tiny sparkling ice crystals. I was still working to get air back to my lungs when she took off her wool coal to reveal a gorgeous, low-cut white dress that fell just above her knees. It reminded me of that famous dress Marilyn Monroe once donned above a blowing storm grate, and my God, I gawked at her like a fool.

  “Do you like it?” she gave me a shy smile. “I packed it just in case.”

  “That… was weeks ago,” I managed to choke out. “When did you buy this?”

  She shrugged one bare shoulder, her coy smile widening. “You ready?”

  I nodded wordlessly as she handed me something small and warm, then gasped as I turned the freshly forged ring over in my palm. It was smooth and dense, perfectly rounded and brightly gleaming under the light of the rising moon. “Aspen,” I murmured. “This is amazing.”

  As she took my free hand in hers, Eileen, Sophia, and, yes, Savannah, formed a small semi-circle behind us, while Ori came to stand in front. With a graceful twirl of her wrist, Sophia warmed the surrounding air, creating a reverse snow globe effect. Inside, we were toasty and dry; outside, the snow softly fell on a silent, twinkling city. Meanwhile, tiny orbs of Fire hovered all around us, illuminating the smiles on everyone’s faces.

  “Okay, you two lovebirds,” Ori said, rubbing his palms together. “I have only ever seen this done in movies, so I make no promises about quality. But I was thinking we would begin with a ‘recitement’ of a poem, all in Hebrew of course, because I can’t remember any poems about love in English—”

  “Maybe we could just exchange our own vows?” I offered, glancing at Aspen. She vigorously nodded her agreement.

  “Good call,” Eileen whispered from behind me. “Otherwise, he’d probably be reciting something about a man from Nantucket.”

  “Shut up,” Savannah hissed, casting Aspen and me a significant look. “This is their wedding day.”

  Shockingly uncharacteristic as her comment was, I barely heard or noticed. As I gazed at Aspen, something hot had lodged itself in my chest, filling my body with warmth from my very core.

  “Aiden,” she started, her voice soft but steady, “years ago, I worried that reclaiming my past memories might somehow affect the feelings I’d come to have for you, maybe even weakening them. I’ll admit, the thought terrified me because we’d grown so close in such a short amount of time. When that moment finally arrived, I’d been right to wonder because my feelings did change. All of those memories – every hug, every tear, every touch I’d ever felt prior to meeting you – made me realize…” She swallowed, taking a moment to find her voice again. “It made me realize that any glimpse I’d ever had of love only paled in comparison to the love I’d come to feel for you.”

  “Oh, Aspen,” I whispered, brushing a tear from her wet lashes.

  She cupped my hand against her cheek. “Your face was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. And it was in that moment that I knew I’d be your wife one day. For that, I want to thank you. Thank you for finding me when I was lost. Thank you for guiding me home. And thank you for being here with me now. Because no matter how far from the cabin we may stray, I will always be home when I’m with you. I love you, Aiden. More than I could ever say.”

  As she slipped the ring she made onto my finger, I gazed into those gorgeous eyes, the same color as the sky the moment the sun dips beneath the horizon. The tears in her lashes framed them like stars. When one trickled down my own cheek, I didn’t bother to wipe it away. It was only when her fingers tightened around mine that I realized my hands were trembling. I hadn’t had time to prepare the words I was about to utter, but my heart knew them, nevertheless.

  “Aspen… I never truly knew what love was until I met you. Everything about you is love. You exude it in everything you do, every choice you make, every interaction you have.” I cleared my throat, my voice hoarse with the emotion I was struggling to contain. “You are the kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever known. And not a single day goes by that I don’t marvel at the extraordinary fact that you chose me to be your partner. It’s the greatest gift you could ever give me, one that I’ll cherish every day of my life.”

  I tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear, taking in every facet, every freckle of her radiant face.

  “I’m yours, completely,” I continued, feeling tears stain my cheeks for the first time since I was a child. “No matter what comes our way, no matter the obstacle, I’ll be by your side…” I swallowed tightly. “I love you, Aspen. Until my dying day.”

  “And until mine,” she whispered.

  I gently removed the tanzanite ring I had given her years ago and placed it on her right hand. Then I slipped the wedding band into its place, its delicate band of metal encircling her slender finger just right. “A perfect fit,” I smiled. “Like us.”

  Ori cleared his throat loudly. “Well, you guys just made my job really easy,” he sniffled as he wiped his own tears away. “Aspen, do you take this guy right here to be your husband through thick and thin and sickness and health and every other state of existing?”

  “I do,” Aspen smiled widely at me.

  “And do you, Aiden, take this gorgeous lady to be your wife through all the same stuff, but also do you promise to protect and cherish and be good to her forever?”

  “Sexist,” one of the women muttered under her breath.

  “I do!” I was beaming so hard, my cheeks hurt.

  “Really? Like, to the very end, even when you’re old and senile and stuff? Or if a hot brunette like Gal Gadot audits your class? Because you should know—”

  “Ori?” Aspen asked sweetly.

  “Yes?” his head snapped to attention.

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  We all stared at her in shock. None of us had ever heard that word come out of her mouth before. Ever. And, I had to personally admit, it somehow sounded incredibly sexy coming from her sweet lips. Or maybe that was just because it was directed at Ori.

  “M’kay, I might have deserved that,” he conceded with an impish grin. “Well, in that case, by the power invested in me by Get-Yourself-Ordained.com, I now announce the two of you husband and wife. Go ahead and kiss your bride, you lucky dog!”

  As our friends erupted into cheers and applause, I scooped my bride off the ground and into my arms. Not paying a moment’s heed to our rowdy guests, I kissed her deeply and triumphantly, tasting the alluring sweetness of her lips and the saltiness of our commingled tears. She clasped her hands behind my neck, pulling our mouths closer. When we finally broke the kiss, she was beaming up at me, fresh tears streaming down her beautiful face. Even then, I couldn’t believe she was mine. “I love you so much,” I whispered as I kissed her tears away.

  She took my face in her hands and pressed her forehead against mine. “And I love you, Aiden Lawson.”

  As I set her back down, purple Lightning crackled across the winter sky, compliments of our enthusiastic officiant. The jagged letters read, “Per ardua ad astra.”

  “What does it mean?” Aspen asked, scrubbing the moisture from her cheeks. She’d been wholly enveloped by arms while Eileen and Sophia rushed in for congratulatory hugs and Savannah reached forward to give her an awkward-but-well-intentioned pat on the back.

  I put my hand on Ori’s shoulder, clasping it gratefully. “Through difficulties to the stars.”

  Chapter 22

  t was nearly three in the morning when we finally returned to our apartment. I carried Aspen to the bed where I gently laid her across the lace duvet and proceeded to kiss every inch of her body, from her sweet, parting lips to her adorable, curling toes. We made love until dawn, our bodies and breaths melding together in ways they’d never entwined before. I’d never
felt so close to her. And yet it still wasn’t enough. She was my cool spring in a hot barren desert, a hallowed well for the deep, never-ending thirst that raked at my throat every time I looked at her.

  It was a damn good thing she had a knack for creating sound-proof barriers.

  We hadn’t been sleeping long when a knock sounded at the door. Still curled around one another like trellis vines, I eased out of bed as quietly as I could, but couldn’t resist brushing my lips across hers once more. Making my way to the next room, I glanced at my watch in agitation, then tossed on a t-shirt and jeans as the knocking persisted. When I opened the door, Gauthier, Ori, and Mei were all standing there, fully dressed. Behind them, several members of security – the minister’s security – were waiting.

  “We’re really sorry, man,” Ori said, his rueful expression glued to the carpet.

  “We couldn’t wait a moment longer,” Mei added, equally apologetic. “We urgently need the minister, as well as the rest of your team.”

  “Can’t this wait until after breakfast?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “Or a shower, at least?”

  “Obsidian is planning a worldwide catastrophe, the gravity of which cannot be overstated,” Gauthier replied gruffly.

  My mouth opened in response but the words didn’t come.

  “It’s really bad this time,” Ori muttered, glancing past me.

  I felt Aspen’s presence before she even spoke. “What’s wrong?”

  During the brief pause in which the three of them exchanged anxious looks, I squeezed my eyes shut. No amount of time with Aspen would ever be enough… If only we could ever be granted such a luxury.

  “Minister-sama, Parliament has convened in the auditorium,” Mei finally answered, not really answering at all. “If you could please come right away, we don’t have a moment to lose.”

  “Then we won’t waste another moment,” Aspen sighed, tugging her leather jacket over her t-shirt and jeans before twisting her tousled hair into a knot.

  The selfish animal in me wanted to slam the door in their faces and take her back to bed where I could make love to her all over again.