by T. G. Ayer
“Brilliant plan as usual,” said Logan with a smile in his voice.
“Thank me later, when we all get out of this alive.”
Chapter 24
While we had been discussing the details of the plan, I had been so focused that I had forgotten the pain in my muscles. But, from one look around at the team, it was easy enough to see from their expressions that they too were suddenly immersed within our agony that was the result of our jump.
Still, it wasn’t as though we had any time right now to think about the fiery agony that was sparking through our limbs. We would have to wait to survive this before we gave in to the pain. Once we got past this particular obstacle, it was highly unlikely that we would have a moment to take a breath or even wallow in our pain.
Logan gave a final sober nod before glancing around at each member of the team. I held tightly to Kai’s hand and with my left I maintained a loose hold on Aisha’s fingers, well prepared for the moment that I would have to let go.
Across from me, Logan was ready to fly off, hands already outstretched as though he was about to flap his wings and surge up into the sky. On either side of him, Darcy and Drake both wore expressions of severe sobriety though I could still see the creases at their eyes as they attempted to suppress the pain.
Then, Logan began to count down from three, each word twisting within me, stirring up my anxiety even more. I forced myself to ignore the rush of worry and focused on surviving for now.
Logan reached one and the next second, his form shimmered in the blast of golden flames. Then he was surging into the air taking Darcy with him. On cue, the rest of the team moved. Holding on to Aisha, I jumped to the nearest bank, my heart in my throat as I watched Drake and Kai shimmer away leaving the rock bobbing along the surface of the acid river, minus its passengers.
And in that moment I was very glad we’d left the rest of our friends behind. No telling what would’ve happened had we had all those extra bodies on the rock. The added weight would’ve tipped the platform over and we all would have died before we’d even begun.
My knees shook as the rest of the team landed beside me, exchanging looks of relief as they sank to the ground. I followed suit and regretted it the moment my body met the hardpacked soil of the riverbank.
But we barely had time to take a breath before Logan got to his feet and waved at us. “Perhaps it’s best we get moving. We can’t be sure that we didn’t set off any alarms.”
Though I was glad Logan had taken point, it annoyed me that I had been so focused on my pain that I’d forgotten the mission. But the pain I was experiencing wasn’t something I could easily push to the side of my mind. Was everyone else also experiencing the same level of agony as I was? Or were my previous electric shocks only making things more painful for me?
The thought of the shadowmens’ torture turned my attention directly to Kai. I wasn’t surprised to see her face twisted in pain as her hand crept slowly to her head. Then the direction of her hand changed and she merely touched the back of her neck, pretending she experienced nothing more than a twinge.
Her gaze met mine and she lifted her eyebrows in warning before rising to her feet as though nothing was wrong. Not that I was about to let it go. Something was wrong and I was determined to find a moment to get the truth out of her.
For now, I straightened and checked my pack, making sure all my weapons and rations had made it through the Veil intact. Happy that everything was all in order, I looked around for the queen and met her eyes.
“Where to from here?” I asked, keeping an eye on Logan as he circled above us scanning the terrain.
“It’s about an eight-hour-walk from here, but considering we have wings and jumpers, I’m pretty sure we can make it there in under an hour and a handful of minutes, respectively. It’s just on midnight now so we’d still arrive with darkness to give us some camouflage.”
Logan swooped down and landed beside us almost as though he had heard Aisha’s words. “I can pretty much carry up to four people, so how about I take the team members who are the most in pain. Especially if we have any jumpers who need rest because we’re going to need them in the next few days.” His words held a warning I knew was aimed directly at me. There really was no pulling the wool over his eyes.
With a soft sigh, I walked over to him. “I will admit that I need a ride. I could do with the rest. Even the short jump from the river to here has kicked me in the ass.”
Moments later, we were flying high above the plains, making our way toward the city. All the while I pretended that sitting on the back of a real live dragon was something I did every day.
Chapter 25
We reached the city walls still under cover of night, for which we were all most grateful, the eight-hour trip in the end a mere hour in duration for those who were flying. The darkness hid our approach on the back of our dragon and he set down in a small valley hidden by a line of hillocks which provided a safe place to land.
Logan touched ground with barely a jolt and then I was sliding down the golden scales of his back and landing lightly on my feet—or as lightly as my heavily-laden backpack would allow me to.
Kai alighted beside me in silence as Logan transformed and Drake, Darcy and Aisha—who’d arrived earlier and had to wait for us—emerged from the shadows, all expressions sober.
I glanced over at Aisha, and then at the team. “Our meeting point is a village to the east of the city walls. Sentinel has their arrival location at the western wall where they will be divided amongst the rebels to act as scouts and lookouts.”
“They’re not going to be happy with that.” Logan smirked.
“Not my problem. And I’m happier still to not be around when they find out. The rebels are running things here, something we didn’t expect until they made contact. There’s little point to mess with what they’ve already worked on.”
“And it is their land,” said Drake, giving a shrug.
Aisha took a step closer to the group making me all too aware of how much I’d kept from her. She nodded, scanning each face and then giving a twisted smile. “I must take this moment to thank you all. I’m most grateful that you have joined the mission despite the knowledge of the dangers involved.” She glanced over at Logan for a moment as though to give him some sort of unspoken instruction. Then she faced us again. “As such, I’d like to provide the team with the best protection I know of. These suits are produced with Mithrasian technology that to my knowledge has never been revealed to any species other than those of our own realm.”
Huh?
I had to wonder what the queen was now up to. She’d certainly been keeping her own secrets and it appeared despite my suspicions, that she’d been concerned for us rather than on a more self-serving mission.
Darcy had given me a few tips on corralling my thoughts to protect them from Aisha and maybe I’d learned enough as Aisha didn’t appear in the least to have heard my doubts of her loyalty.
Drake smirked. “I suspected there was more going on in that cave than ward magic.”
Aisha smiled. “I was reluctant to say anything in advance in case I wasn’t able to create them without the help of other djinn.” She reached into the satchel which hung across her body, and retrieved a small case, which to me appeared to be rather tiny to contain a bunch of suits, let alone one.
Aisha set the little box on the somewhat-flat surface of a nearby rock. She snapped the single lock open and lifted away the lid. A dark purple foam cushioned a dozen bronze, flame-shaped pieces of metal. When she lifted the first one, I glimpsed the back for a moment, understanding that she was holding some sort of brooch.
Protective jewelry?
I was curious though, and still impressed because the brooches did appear to have been made with beauty and elegance in mind. Would be a good statement jewelry piece if the magic crapped out.
Aisha held the first piece out to me, her features stony, though I didn’t miss the flicker of something—perhaps excitement?�
�in her eyes, as though she couldn’t wait to see my reaction.
I took the flat warm metal from her and turned it over in my palm. Looked even nicer up close.
“The suit will initiate once you have the Kelan against your body. Its power is initiated with the energy of the user’s aura.”
“And what if the user is dead? Does your brooch-thingie stop working?” asked Drake, an eyebrow quirking.
I smiled at him and chuckled. “I’d guess it won’t stop working if the user dies. I’m assuming the suit kinda hacks into a person’s life-thread in some way.”
“And of course, life-threads won’t die when a person’s physical form dies.” Darcy added.
Aisha’s eyebrows rose as she glanced over at me saying, “Perhaps I should have roped the tracker in to help as the demon suggested.”
Though I was tempted to suggest that she shouldn’t underestimate me, I kept silent, merely unzipping my jacket and attaching the brooch-thingie to the fabric of my shirt. Then I straightened and met the djinn queen’s eyes.
She nodded. “Melisande, if you would be so kind as to tap the Kelan and then relax your body. The armor will filter along the exterior surface of your body and will remain in place until you cancel it by tapping it again. And just so you know, the initiation and cancelation works in tandem with your mind.”
“So when I touch it, I have to mentally request it to start or it won’t work.”
She nodded. “And the same for when you want to cancel it.”
I straightened and raised my hand, then before I could make contact with the Kelan, I scanned the faces of the team. “So guys, if this thing blows me up or something, it was nice knowing ya.”
The team laughed softly while Aisha simply shook her head and widened her eyes in an impatient get-on-with-it look.
I did.
Tapping my fingers to the Kelan, I sent a mental instruction for it to start, realizing too late that I didn’t know the magic word. Start, begin, initiate?
Abracadabra?
Apparently, it didn’t matter as within seconds the surface of my entire body began to shimmer with an orange glow.
“Eh, she better not get incinerated,” muttered Drake, his eyes not moving from me even though his growled words were no doubt directed at the djinn queen.
She didn’t reply though her eyes began to grow a tad bit larger which to me wasn’t a very good sign. Power surged around me, giving off sparks of heat enough for the team to shift away from me a step or two.
“Er, Your Majesty, Ma’am,” said Kai, her tone a little high-pitched. “Maybe we need to stop this now?”
Aisha shook her head and merely fluttered a hand in Kai’s direction. “She is perfectly safe, it’s just that we’d need to tweak Melisande’s power level as it appears she’s channeling far too much power into the armor.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Of course, it is. It means she is able to amp up her protective power should the need arise. That, unfortunately is a power none of you will have access to.”
“How come Mel does then?”
“Guys, I’m right here.”
“It’s something I’m wondering myself but I am assuming it has to do with the fact that SoulTrackers have a very similar power to the djinn in terms of their astral abilities.”
“That’s all very interesting, but can someone tell me what I’m supposed to do next?” I asked, voice raised to be heard above the discussion.
All eyes shifted in my direction and Aisha said, “For now, you will have to instruct the power level to decrease. The ability to command the energy is something you will need to take time to fine-tune though. While you tackle that, let me hand the rest of the Kelans out.”
Just great, leave me to incinerate myself while I figure this out.
Still, as worried as I was that the armor wouldn’t obey my instructions, I didn’t do much other than calm my thoughts and reach out with my ethereal senses. Once I touched the network of energy of the armor, I pulled the pulsing power toward me in much the same way you’d direct the aroma from a steaming bowl of soup toward you.
It took surprisingly little effort to dial down the power until the glow had faded. While I’d worked, Kai had received her Kelan and a pulsing of fear filled me as she initiated the Kelan. What if her previous experiences with electrical blasts were to affect her now?
Without thinking, I shifted into the ether and watched her energy levels as the Kelan initiated itself, filtering along both her physical and ethereal forms. Like with me, the armor pulsed around her, and though it didn’t reach the same energy levels as mine had, my throat tightened with fear.
The energy coiling around her head seemed to focus on a pooling darkness within her brain. The brain of a living being sparks energy every second of their lives, energy that simmers or pulses or even explodes depending on what species they were and what powers they possessed.
But for Kai, a shadowed area within her brain seemed to contain no energy, and now, the power of the Kelan appeared to want to fill the void. Fingers of electrical energy reached out for the dark spot and without a thought I reached over and blocked the power.
I wasn’t fast enough though and a few tendrils got past me—even before I realized I’d erected a magical cage to protect her mind. Still, the energy that had eluded me simmered within the void, a worry filling my heart that I’d been too late to help protect her.
A glance over to her physical form showed Kai holding her head, an expression of confusion on her face, and Aisha, staring at me with both physical and ethereal forms, utter shock in her eyes—shock and something that looked like recognition.
Oh crap. Now what did that mean?
With Kai still in what appeared to be a healthy and alive condition, I shifted back into my physical form and gave the queen a we-have-something-to-talk-about-and-let’s-make-that-ASAP look.
She didn’t appear to want to decline, and I let her be as she rounded the team and gave instructions, watching in silence as the Kelan was initiated for each team member.
Everyone else appeared to have had little problem, even Logan who I knew would have an abundance of energy stored within his magical mind. Darcy appeared to falter for a moment, which made sense since she too delved within minds, and her own would likely be sensitive to mind-controlled energies.
But she inhaled calmly and relaxed and I took it as a good sign. Moments later the entire team was armored and a glimpse into the ether confirmed everyone active and functioning without problems.
I sighed. “Now that we’re all up and running, what next?” I looked over at Aisha. “Considering this power is energy that’s attached to the ethereal form of a person, would other djinn not see this? Djinn travel the ether all the time, if I’m not mistaken.”
Aisha and Darcy were both nodding, and the queen said, “Yes and no. This particular form of astral energy will not be detected by your average djinn.” Though the team around me nodded with satisfaction at the answer, the queen continued, this time in the astral plane. “The ether is multi-dimensional, if that’s the best word for it. The astral plane and the ether are two planes, though it’s far more intricate than our current understanding of the realms within the DarkWorld. Djinn—and other demons—have powers of varying levels and within the djinn realm, such power undergoes training and guidance as the individual grows and matures. This particular energy combination would only be visible to senior members of our military forces as well as the trained members of the royal houses.”
“Can I assume by that you mean Riz won’t detect it?”
“You assume correctly. Saleem will, of course, but thankfully his brother won’t be able to see this armor. He isn’t even aware the technology exists.”
“And what if some of those senior military people are now working for the other side?”
“That’s a question we will need to ask of the rebels who meet us. There are protocols to cancel access to certain levels of our ethereal planes.
”
“You’re making my head hurt. Are you telling me that you have the ability to switch another djinn’s access to various ethereal levels on and off because you want to?”
She nodded. “It’s highly unethical and I would go before a board of inquiry after all is said and done, but such an action is only ever taken in desperate times. The danger to our realm and those aiding in its protections will always be a justification of such a break of protocol.”
“Okay that’s fine. Maybe we need to get a move on. And we need to talk once we’re settled in the safe house. You have some explaining to do.”
Aisha chuckled.
I frowned and watched as the team began moving off in single file up the hillside, shadows in the darkness.
As I followed, her voice filtered back again, her words adding even more to my current state of confusion.
“And so do you, my dear.”
Chapter 26
Hidden within the magical armor created by the djinn queen, the team gathered in preparation to jump. Drake, myself, and Logan did a quick recon to ensure we knew where we were meant to arrive.
Fathima’s message had been clear enough. The wheat farms along the eastern walls, the stone farmhouse with two chimneys, one of which was a heap of crumbling stones, and to make doubly sure, a pitchfork and a shovel leaning against the front wall between the entrance and the window to the left—both with the business ends reaching for the sky.
We’d jumped over the wall of the city, the shadows keeping Drake and Logan hidden as he arrived while I remained projected just in case.
“If only we had comms. I hate not being able to know what recon is facing,” said Kai as she paced back and forth beside me.
“That’s why I’m here,” I said, shifting my voice to the physical plane. “Wall breached, all clear so far.”
Kai’s eyes had widened as I spoke but she just thanked me in a low voice.