by Rachel Rener
Mei rushed over at that moment, her face nearly as ashen as Gauthier’s. “Have you told her?” she asked breathlessly. He shook his head.
“Oh, my Aspen-chan,” Mei sighed, taking Aspen’s hand between hers in a highly uncharacteristic show of affection that actually made Eileen gasp out loud.
“Mei?” Aspen blinked in surprise. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
The older woman gazed up at the minister, her eyes creased with worry. “The man. This… Wilder. Kumiko says… she says he calls himself a Pentamancer.”
Chapter 23
oly forking shirtballs!” I shrieked. “You can’t be serious. Sophia,” I gripped my wife’s arm. “She’s not serious. Right? Right?” She squeezed my hand but didn’t respond. In fact, no one was speaking. No one even seemed to be breathing. We all looked from Mei to Aspen and back again, waiting for some punchline that none of us really expected to come.
In the ensuing silence, snippets of Daichi’s tactical briefing filtered into the empty space: “…all able-bodied Terra- and Pyromancers will be dispersed around the Yellowstone crater… the very oldest and youngest waiting just offsite in case urgent backup is needed… three teams of Auromancers in the air in case the ground team fails… suppressing air-borne sulfuric acid and ash…”
I scrubbed my hands across my eyes, furiously trying to rub the exhaustion from my blurry vision. Of course this wasn’t a joke. This was war.
With some effort, I cleared my throat. “Um, could you possibly clarify your use of the word “Pentamancer”? As in, there’s another Master of Five Elements in existence, and he just happens to be strolling around Washington, D.C.?”
“Gauthier-san?” Mei prompted.
“We did not believe it,” Archenbaud’s voice was low but urgent, “not at first. We thought he was just another false prophet, one that comes along every few decades or so.”
“And how do you know he’s not lying?” Aiden demanded. His hand was reaching for Aspen’s, but she had already sunk into a random folding chair, elbows propped on her knees, head hanging low. She stared at the floor, completely silent as the French Head of Security spoke.
“One of Kaylie’s self-identified lieutenants reached out to us shortly after Kumiko did,” he replied. “She’s frightened about what’s happening there. She told us that the Prime Representative from Cairo discovered the young Pentamancer and his tribe weeks ago, deep in the Australian outback.
“Rana,” Ori growled.
Oof, I winced. I was pretty sure that Rana was the one who’d been Kaylie’s down-low side chick, which Ori had been completely in the dark about until he saw the secret texts between them confirming that his girlfriend was not only a cheater but was also a whackadoodle Elemental supremacist. Poor guy. I patted his arm gently. It had not been a good year for Ori.
“Yes,” Archenbaud confirmed. “After Rana’s discovery, she and Kaylie have been hiding Lucas this whole time, hoping to exploit him at the debates – using him to garner excitement and leverage for their new organization, we presume. But he never arrived. The source who phoned us, who also refused to name herself, told us that Lucas betrayed Kaylie when she returned to Obsidian headquarters late last night. We do not know what this means – whether she fled or he captured or even killed her – only that she is presently unaccounted for.”
Savannah held up a finger. “Can I just… sorry,” she squeezed in-between myself and Sophia, who, like Aspen, still appeared too stunned to speak. “Can I just make sure I’m understanding this correctly? So, Kaylie – the ex-Parliament member who spent months, if not years, planning this coup, is now missing?”
Archenbaud nodded grimly.
“And in her place is a… an actual, bona fide Pentamancer?”
“We have reason to believe so.”
“And this Pentamancer, who maybe literally stabbed his boss in the back in order to seize control of Obsidian, could potentially have his hands on a homemade nuclear bomb?!”
“It would seem that way, Savannah-san,” Mei replied.
“Scoot over,” Savannah muttered, sinking onto the edge of the chair that Aspen had already collapsed in. I arched a bemused eyebrow as Aspen dutifully made room for her once-arch-nemesis. Butts squished together, they both sat with their hands clasped between their knees and stared straight ahead at nothing. If everything weren’t so tragic, the scene would have actually been kind of cute.
I scooted closer to Aspen and patted her shoulder. “Breathe,” I reminded her. She nodded and took a deep breath, bringing some of the color back to her cheeks. Aiden nodded at me appreciatively.
Archenbaud glanced at his watch. “We’ve wasted too much time. Eileen, Savannah, and Aiden, the three of you will be heading to Yellowstone with the first wave, which I will be heading—” Mei stood on her toes to whisper something in his ear. He nodded once, his eyes trailing to Savannah, then cleared his throat to continue. “Ori, we need you to head the Electromantic task force to intercede at the Global Summit. Madam Minister—”
“No,” Aiden and Ori both countered at the exact same moment.
“We’re not leaving Aspen’s side,” Aiden declared.
Ori was fervently shaking his head. “Nope, not a chance.”
Archenbaud’s expression turned dark as he surveyed the two cross-armed men. “At this exact moment, we’ll be lucky to gather half the Pyromantic force they’ve had months to prepare,” he stated, his level voice simmering at the edges with a distinct ‘God-help-me-I-don’t-have-time-for-this-shit’ gruffness. “And,” he added, “we’ll be countering their offense with perhaps a third of their Terramantic force after they secretly recruited an entire tribe of Earth-movers from South Africa last month.”
Aiden’s frown carved deeply between his brows. “Look, I understand the dilemma, but there’s no way—”
“Do you expect young children to fight?” Archenbaud erupted. “Or maybe you wish your retired mentor, the sub-level-one Electromancer, Robert Bornstein, to take up arms? Or Monsieur Levitan’s infirm aunt? Or perhaps Mademoiselle Dumont’s wheelchair-bound mother? Shall we send them to their likely deaths instead?”
“Hey!” I protested. “Leave my mom out of it.”
He rubbed a graying temple with his fingers. “Monsieur Lawson, if I don’t have every able-bodied fighter at my side down there, there will be no one left to protect – and that includes most of your family members, who will not be evacuated in time should a super volcanic eruption occur before Saturday!”
At that, everyone’s shoulders slumped.
“Goddammit, why isn’t she answering?” Savannah was muttering as she typed frantic messages into her phone.
“Fine!” Ori finally grumbled. “But you don’t need Electromancers at a volcano, so I go where the minister goes! I don’t give a damn what you say, I made a promise!” His gaze locked squarely on Aiden’s, who nodded with him in fierce agreement. At least their bromance appeared to be blossoming once more.
“Guys,” Aspen said weakly, her first word in ten minutes, “I don’t even know where I’m going yet.” As she rose from her chair unsteadily, Aiden put a supportive hand on the small of her back. With a relieved sigh, Savannah scooched into Aspen’s place and continued her furious texting.
Mei cast her a wan smile. “Where do you feel you would be of most service, Minister-sama?”
“Well…” She sucked in a deep breath, as though fighting an internal battle. Knowing Aspen, she would have wanted to stay with us no matter what. When she finally spoke again, she definitely didn’t look happy with her decision. “…I guess I have a rogue Pentamancer I’d better deal with.”
“Then you absolutely do need me,” Ori crossed his arms smugly. “On the off-chance Kaylie really was commissioning a nuke, you’d need an Electromancer, to, you know, disarm a fuse inside the… thing. Or, um, mess with the countdown clock, or… something.”
“Ori,” I smiled as I took his hand in mine. “You’re so full of shit.”
“You may join the minister – should she want you there – once our Electromancers have secured the Summit,” Gauthier stated. “Unless you have different orders, Madam?” he addressed Aspen directly.
“No,” she replied, her voice firming up. “We all need to go where we’re most useful. Ori, I need you at that Summit. Once that’s done, you – and anyone else who’s willing – can meet me at Obsidian if the situation requires more diplomatic intervention… and that’s final,” she eyed the two men.
“But—”
“The first wave is leaving now,” Archenbaud turned to Mei. “We’ll radio from the air. Monsieur Levitan, I need you to join the other Electromancers in the lobby. Given your present role in Parliament and your prior special-ops experience, we want you commanding that team.”
“Special ops?” I turned to Ori. “As in, special operations? In the military? Aren’t those guys, like… really hardcore and elite?”
“Yes,” he glared at me, skipping right past the part where he could have easily turned into a boastful twit. Instead, he and Aiden exchanged thwarted, helpless expressions. “I’ll go where you need me to go… Minister.”
“I’d like to be on the ground with Eileen and the others,” Sophia spoke up. “Being a Hydromancer as well as an Auromancer, I can offer some counter measures against Obsidian’s Pyromancers. And I can also help protect your teams from the potential fallout of burning ash and debris.”
“Granted,” Archenbaud replied gruffly.
“Oh, thank God,” I whispered, squeezing her fingers.
“I will be departing to our launch site via helicopter in exactly six minutes. You three,” he addressed Sophia, Aiden, and me, “need to meet me on the roof in five minutes’ time.” He clasped Mei’s hand in his, then gave Aspen a kiss on each cheek before adding, “Que Dieu vous protège, ma chérie.”
“And you as well,” she said, giving him a brief hug. His cheeks flushed red as she did, but he made no complaint.
“I will confer with Daichi, then we must go as well,” Mei said to Aspen. “Please, take a moment to say your goodbyes. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss details on the jet. To the rest of you,” she added, putting a hand to her heart, “I cannot thank you enough for your service. May the Elements guide and protect you.”
“Mei?” Savannah, who had been uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, rose from her stolen seat. “About my sister—”
“I have arranged for Emily to be transported to the Denver Chapter within two hours’ time,” Mei replied. “She will be perfectly safe there, as you are well aware.”
“I know,” Savannah bit her lip as she nodded. “But I should… I should really be there. With her.”
“I have a far more pressing matter that I need you, in particular, to attend to,” Mei replied, pitching her voice lower. “You must contact him, Savannah-san.”
Him? I mouthed to Sophia. She looked just as confused as me.
Savannah stiffened. “It’s that bad?”
“Worse. Please come with me. We have much to discuss ahead of that phone call,” Mei said, gesturing for her to follow.
“Yeah… I-I’ll be right there,” Savannah called. The older woman nodded and walked onstage to join Daichi, who was wrapping up his depressing logistics presentation.
“Who’s ‘him’?” Ori asked Savannah.
For the first time in perhaps ever, she remained mum. “Not your concern,” she snipped, pulling something from her pocket. “Now, I need something from all of you.”
“In a moment,” Aiden said, taking Aspen aside to speak with her in hushed tones.
“Whatever,” Savannah replied, her eyes following them as they disappeared deeper into the wings. “Anyway. Um, I’ve already mentioned this to Bl—er, Eileen. But if… if I were to get delayed or something, I need you to check in on Emily as soon as you get back to Denver. Here,” she added, brandishing a small photo of a pretty young woman with copper hair.
As soon as I saw it, I let out a small gasp. “Whoa.”
“No way.” Snatching the photo from Savannah’s hand, Ori’s eyes widened as he inspected it. “You do realize that your sister looks exactly like Aspen? I mean, like, really, really like her. But with lighter hair and green eyes…” He inspected the photo with renewed, borderline-creepy interest.
“I’m aware,” Savannah muttered darkly.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. As she did, a little switch in my head simultaneously clicked, triggering a realization so profound my breath caught. That was why Savannah had always hated Aspen, even in the beginning when she was just an orphaned amnesiac who worked at a diner. It wasn’t because Aspen was intrinsically more powerful than her, or because she was dating a guy Savannah had no chance with. It was because of her sister. The two women central to Savannah’s life were both similar in age, upbringing, and appearance. And yet one of them was born to be the most powerful Elementalist on the planet, while the other wasted away in Containment because of a mental impairment she had no control over.
“Are you okay?” Sophia asked, regarding me with concern.
I blinked hard. “Yeah… I’m, uh… I’m fine.”
She nodded kindly, obviously not believing me.
“We’ll take care of Emily,” Ori promised, his eyes still glued to the photo in his hands. “Not because we like you or owe you anything, but, you know, because it’s the right thing to do.”
“No funny business, Levitan,” Savannah snapped, yanking the picture from his grubby paws. “Emily’s… delicate,” she cleared her throat. It was then that I noticed her red-rimmed eyes. “Anyway, I, uh, better get going…” As she turned to leave, she quickly brushed away a tear before anyone could see.
But I saw.
Ugh, I hated myself for what I was about to do and yet I still did it, despite the churn in my insides. As Savannah passed me, my hand shot out and clasped her wrist.
“What the…?” she started, then froze.
Wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug, I muttered into her overly-perfumed shoulder, “Whatever you’re doing, be safe. And… thanks. For what you did in Shirakawa-go,” I added stiffly. “And for helping Aspen with her hair last night. That braid was sick.”
When I stepped away, she was staring at me in shock, borderline horror. Her mouth opened and closed, and then opened again. “Uh… thanks.”
“Had to be said,” I shrugged one shoulder sheepishly. “You’re part of the team.”
After a beat of stunned silence, Savannah’s face broke into a wide grin, the scar tissue on her left cheek crinkling against her dimples. It might have been the first genuine smile I’d ever seen from her.
“Definitely part of the team,” Sophia smiled in agreement.
“Uh-huh,” Ori replied distractedly.
“I guess it’s time to go,” Aspen said as she and Aiden emerged from the wings, both gripping one another’s hands. She was clearly doing her best to keep her composure. “Um, before I leave, I just want all of you to know…” she swallowed. “I just want you all to know that I love you. I appreciate your friendships more than any of you could ever know. And, um…” her eyes fell on Savannah, who was inching away from the group, acutely aware that the minister’s sentiments weren’t meant for her. “Sorry, one second,” Aspen said, releasing Aiden’s hand to trot after the hastily retreating woman.
We all watched in astonishment as Aspen tapped Savannah on the shoulder. Though she lowered her voice to keep the moment private, I distinctly heard her whisper, “Thank you for saving my husband’s life.”
To which Savannah actually replied, “Well… thank you for saving mine.” As the two women clasped one another’s shoulder for that brief moment of camaraderie, my chest tightened. Sophia put a comforting arm around my shoulders. When I glanced up at her, her eyes were wet, too.
“Well… Bye, everyone,” Savannah turned to flash us all a tight smile. “Whatever you do, just… don’t mess this up.” Then, with one last genuine smile that seemed to be di
rected at Aiden alone, she spun on her stiletto heels to leave.
“Savannah,” Aiden called. At the sound of his voice, she stopped but didn’t turn around. “Take care of yourself out there.”
After a pause, she flashed him a brief glance over her shoulder. “Hey – it’s what I do best.” Then, with a toss of her raven hair, she disappeared behind the curtain.
Chapter 24
ack in the privacy of my hotel room, I stared at the phone in my shaking hand, wishing for the first time in years that I’d taken a Valium or something for my nerves. Why couldn’t I have gone to Yellowstone with the other Terramancers? That would have been a hell of a lot less nerve-wracking than this. I sighed. It was really hard, sometimes, being so smart and capable. Always getting the most difficult missions while everyone else got to kick back and relax.
You wanted greatness, Savannah. I told myself glumly. Well, this is the price of that.
It took a few tries with my fingers trembling so hard, but I finally managed to punch in the correct numbers in the correct sequence. The line rang and rang. After the eighth ring, just as I was about to hang up in relief, a deep, gruff voice answered.
“I told you never to call this number.”
“B-But sir,” I tried to swallow the squeak in my voice. “That thing… that you said might happen one day? It’s happening.”
A long beat of silence. “Has the Pentamancer seized control?”
“Rowan? Yes.” Oh, crap! I suddenly remembered. “But sir, there’s another Pentamancer, whom their people apparently just discovered—”
He swore in a language I couldn’t understand. In the background, a girl’s voice rose above the sound of waves and bird calls. His muffled reply sounded something like, “One moment, yavrum.” Whatever that meant.
The phone crackled as he spoke into the receiver again. “Tell me everything. Quickly.”
I let out a relieved sigh. Talking? Now that was something I could certainly do.