Fusion Magic

by Lucia Ashta

  “We’ll figure it out together,” he promised. “Surely we can find a solution to the problem.”

  “We definitely will.” I nodded, working to convince myself.

  “Enough of the mushy crap already,” a tiny voice snapped from across the room. “I’m supposed to be resting and recovering here, not suffering through the latest installment in your tortured saga.”

  I knew from experience that Fianna the Crimson wasn’t nearly as cold-hearted as she often sounded.

  “Do you think we’ll be able to find the way to survive?” I asked her across the ten feet or so that separated our beds across the room, pushing myself up to study her reaction to my question.

  She sat in her tiny, hanging hammock bed, rubbing her hand over her face. Her messy red hair pointed in all directions. “Mulunu seems to think you won’t, and I don’t know of any witch more powerful than she. I do, however, know of wizards who might know more than she does, and they’re at the academy right now.”

  “What? Who?” Quinn and I spoke over each other, desperate to latch on to any tangible signs of hope.

  “The great wizards, Mordecai and Albacus,” Nessa contributed in a frail, tired voice while pushing up in her own hammock next to Fianna’s. “I saw Mulunu head out to speak with them earlier this morning.”

  “What, really?” I flung my legs over the edge of the bed, noticing the empty cot where Mulunu had rested. I also took in Liana for the first time, on the other side of us, sitting in a chair while she draped over the side of Brogan’s bunk. The polar bear slept soundly, and I arched a questioning brow at my best friend. Where had this dedication to him come from? Was it concern for a man who’d helped us at great cost to himself, or was there more?

  “Go,” Liana said. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up later.”

  I hesitated only for a second before deciding I could live with the curiosity of whatever was going on between the shapeshifter and her, but I couldn’t endure another moment without knowing whether these great wizards had discovered a solution to the problem of Quinn and me.

  “They’re the ones that founded the school, you know,” Nessa continued, as if unable to keep herself from sharing her evident admiration for the wizards. “They also set up the Academy Spell. They’re here to give it a bit of an upgrade. We had some problems with it this past semester at the school.”

  “A ton of problems,” Fianna said, “but that’s a story for another day. A lot went down this last term, but at least now it looks like the Voice is backing off.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Nessa added. “Sir Lancelot is sure the peace talks will be successful.”

  Quinn and I exchanged a look. None of the creatures we’d encountered had displayed a lick of interest in peace, that was for damn sure.

  “Go,” Fianna urged. “And no matter what they say, let me tell you something our Aunt Sosie always likes to say: With magic, anything is possible—”

  “You’ve just got to know which rules to follow, which ones to bend, and which ones to break entirely.” Nessa beamed, clearly a fan of their aunt.

  Fianna nodded, her crazy hair sliding across her diminutive shoulders. “You guys probably have more magic than the room of us put together. Listen to what they say—”

  “Yeah, definitely do, because they’re the best mages around—by far,” Nessa interjected.

  “But listen to what your hearts say just as much,” Fianna finished. “Now, get the hell out of here.” She flung her hands in the air. “I can’t believe you just made me go all mushy. What’s this world coming to? Hell in a hand basket, I tell you. The world is going to crap.”

  Before Fianna could continue her lament—about what exactly I wasn’t so sure anymore—Quinn and I slipped from the healing room. We walked as close as we possibly could without touching, but neither one of us would be able to resist the magnetic lure much longer. Some things were greater than us, greater even than magic. Our bond was precisely one of those things. Dangerous, explosive, and one hell of a ride totally worth going on.

  18

  While Melinda and Irving were immersed in conversation, Quinn and I slipped out without their notice. However, we were spotted the moment we emerged from the healing room. Several sets of fiercely intelligent eyes landed on us, and I sloughed off the raging desire to divert my gaze from theirs.

  “Are these the children you were telling us about?” one of the men asked of Sir Lancelot, who stood atop the fairies’ tree stump home, surrounded by Mulunu and who I assumed were the two wizards Nessa had just been gushing about.

  “They are, Lord Albacus,” Sir Lancelot answered. The petite owl was all big yellow eyes and somber expression. “Lady Selene, Lord Quinn, I’m honored to introduce you to Lords Albacus and Mordecai, formerly of Irele. They’re the founders of the Magical Arts Academy and all of her sister schools, including this one. They’re also the greatest wizards this world has ever known.”

  I anticipated at least one of the wizards to wave away Sir Lancelot’s praise, claiming it too great for their accomplishments, but neither did. Instead, the men, whose similarities confirmed they must be brothers, peered at us intently, as if the owl’s claims were merely fact.

  I swallowed, wondering what the brothers might be capable of.

  “Pleased to meet you both,” Quinn said while I stared. The wizards wore long, dark tunics that trailed the ground without disturbing it. They wore their hair—of their heads and their beards—long and braided, with a variety of beads woven into it. Since the hair of both men was a shocking white, the beads’ colorful patterns stood out, drawing the eye. Though their posture was strong enough, their fingers were knobby, and I suspected they might be nearly as old as Mulunu.

  Even so, none of that was the oddest thing about them. “You … you’re transparent,” I stuttered before I could question the wisdom of expressing my thought aloud.

  Sir Lancelot crossed his wings over his little chest and tsked. “Lady Selene, where are your manners?”

  “Oh, sorry.” I winced, though in reality I wasn’t sure I’d ever been taught the proper etiquette that would apply in this situation. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  Mulunu, who was draped in a loose-fitting tunic that exposed her shoulders and arms, grimaced at me, though she’d never been one to take offense easily. “Selene doesn’t mean to do half the things she does, and yet she does them just the same.”

  What the hell was that supposed to mean?

  I glared at the sea witch. My emotions were unstable as it was even without her unnecessary prodding. Ultra-conscious of Quinn standing so close to me, I pursed my lips and didn’t say anything.

  “You said the girl is a sirangel?” the second wizard asked, ignoring my comment entirely. I continued to stare at the men who were clearly there but not fully substantial. I wasn’t sure if they’d be solid to the touch or if my hand would pass right through them. What was this magic?

  “Yes,” Sir Lancelot said. “She’s the daughter of an angel and a siren. She was raised within Mulunu’s clan.”

  “I’m not a part of Mulunu’s clan anymore,” I clarified, again before thinking it through. But I didn’t like the way the sea witch sneered at me as if I were a barnacle that’d attached itself to her tail.

  “That’s right. She’s my responsibility now.”

  Quinn and I spun to see Irving stepping out of the healing room and approaching our gathering.

  “So was the boy,” Mulunu hissed at Irving, “and we see where that’s gotten us. You were supposed to kill him. You promised you’d do it.”

  “I remember the situation quite well, Mulunu, thank ya very much,” Irving said. “And before ya say it, I also recall the debt I owe ya. I’ve been working to square things away with you ever since ya sent the lass to me, I just didn’t realize it’d be such a chore to keep ‘er safe.”

  “Indeed.” Mulunu hissed some more. “You failed in keeping her safe just as you failed in keeping your word ten years ago. You shou
ld have—”

  “What exactly was he supposed to do ten years ago?” Quinn interrupted.

  Irving sighed. “That’s a long, long story, son. There’s a reason I haven’t told ya before.”

  “So it’s about me…”

  “Yes, lad, it is. It’s all about you.”

  “Well, don’t forget about Selene,” Mulunu added. “She’s the biggest of our problems. Her magic is even more unstable than Quinn’s. No being of the earth is supposed to contain the power of the angels. Their power is too great, too volatile, and too damn limitless.”

  “And yet I do have my father’s power,” I snapped, my patience worn brittle and thin. “If you’re about to suggest that I’m some big cosmic mistake, don’t bother. I’ve already thought it.”

  “Selene, no,” Quinn implored, reaching for me. At Mulunu’s gasp, he stopped just short of touching me. “Don’t think that. Please.”

  “Don’t worry, Q, I don’t. Not anymore at least. I just didn’t want to hear it.”

  “You shouldn’t have to hear it.” Quinn spun around to glare at Mulunu, who didn’t appear chagrined in the least. When she opened her mouth—to insult me some more, I guessed—Quinn shook his head. “No. I have some questions that need answering, and I’ve waited long enough.” Withdrawing his hand from where it hovered next to me, longing for contact, he crossed his arms and pinned that stare on his uncle. “Long story or not, I need to hear it. I deserve to hear it.”

  After some hesitation, Irving nodded, sighing, then plopped to the ground to take a seat. Quinn and I followed suit, as did the wizards, who seemed to hover as much as sit, and I couldn’t decide which of the two they did.

  “I guess ya do need to know now, son,” Irving started. “It’s not that I ever wanted to keep your history from ya, I just didn’t want Mulunu to find out you still lived. I didn’t figure ya could find out where ya really came from and not have questions that would set ya off in search of answers.”

  When Quinn pinned yet another glare on the sea witch, she didn’t react, suggesting she was comfortable with her actions. Knowing her, I’d guess she really was. Always she weighed the greater good of her clan against her actions. Even when her choices were unpopular, she still seemed to put the well-being of the clan first—or at least, her interpretation of it.

  “Where to start?” Irving agonized, and Mulunu scoffed.

  “You’re going to drag this out as much as you can, I can tell.” She turned to Quinn. “It’s simple enough, really. You’re the son of a dragon shifter and a mermaid of a neighboring clan to the Kunus. Fire and water obviously don’t mix, and so the elements brewing inside you are almost as dangerous as with Selene.”

  With sudden self-awareness, I discovered that my mouth was hanging open in exact imitation of Quinn’s. “Say what?” he said. “A … what?”

  Irving sighed and shot Mulunu a death glare. “What Mulunu is trying to say, with her usual lack of tact, is that your mother and father fell in love, but their love was forbidden. She was a young maiden from a merclan and he was the son of the alpha of the dragon shifters. There’s a reason merpeople and fire dragons don’t mix, and it’s the same reason the merpeople and dragon shifters don’t mix. Their magic is simply incompatible, combustive even. It just … doesn’t work.”

  “You’re telling me…” Quinn shook his head in disbelief. “You’re telling me that dragons are real, like real beyond legends?”

  “Of course dragons are real, child,” one of the wizards said. I still hadn’t figured out who was who.

  The other wizard nodded, the beads in his hair and beard clinking together melodically. “Dragons have been around longer than we have.”

  “Then where are they?” Quinn asked.

  “Hidden away up in the highest mountain ranges,” Irving replied. “After humans tried to hunt them to extinction a thousand years ago, they hid.”

  “We’re working on repairing the relations between dragons and people right now,” Wizard One said.

  “Absolutely,” Wizard Two said. “Our Magical Dragons Academy should achieve that nicely. The early results are incredibly encouraging.”

  “They absolutely are,” Wizard One added. “The fatality rate of the students is dropping steadily.”

  Again I discovered my mouth hanging open. Were two … ghosts … really discussing an academy of dragons?

  “Okay, that’s a biggie to come back around and process later,” Quinn said. “Tell me about the dragon shifters, Uncle Irving.”

  “About that, I’m not really your uncle.”

  “I know.” Quinn smiled gently at the man who’d raised him.

  Irving nodded gruffly and cleared his throat. As he launched into his tale, I had no doubt he wished Quinn had been his son. “I’ll start at the point where our worlds intersected. My father is the alpha of the biggest polar bear pack.”

  “Also of the only polar bear pack,” Mulunu interjected, and I almost laughed as Irving rolled his eyes.

  “There aren’t many polar bear shifters in the world, and so my father’s pack contains them all, except for some rogues. Even though some of the polar bears are spread across the globe, they all owe him allegiance. When I came of age—”

  Quinn gasped. “You were too powerful.”

  Irving nodded sadly. “Right you are, son. I was as powerful as my father, if not stronger, and there were some that wanted to see me challenge him for the rule of our kind. Rather than risk that, I ran.”

  “I take it the challenges are to the death?” Quinn asked.

  “Yes. If I’d fought my father, one of us would have died. And I didn’t care to rule anyway. The choice was easy, though the life that followed my departure wasn’t necessarily so.”

  “Limit the drama, Irving,” Mulunu cut in. “We still have to figure out what to do about these two.”

  It seemed that Mulunu hadn’t yet realized that neither Quinn nor I had any intention of letting her decide our fate. As for the strange see-through wizards, their attention was riveted to Irving.

  Irving smiled tightly and ignored the sea witch, speaking mostly to Quinn. “Shapeshifters do best in packs with others like them if they don’t have another avenue of socialization. I roamed the seas for many years, decades, searching for my place in the world, until I came across you. And your parents.”

  He rubbed an exhausted hand across his face, as if as tired of the injustices of the world as we were. “I never met your mother, lad. By the time I came across ‘er, she was already dead. Her clan killed her for breeding with a dragon shifter.”

  “And right they were in doing so,” Mulunu said. “It’s forbidden because of this…” She gestured with her staff at Quinn and me and we both flinched. I half feared she might just shoot us down and save herself some trouble.

  Irving scrunched up his forehead until wrinkles stretched across it. “Ya can see what your parents were dealing with, Q, ma boy. Anyway...” He sighed heavily. “When I came across your parents, your father was despondent, holding your mother’s body on a rocky outcropping at the edge of the sea. You were eight then, ma boy, old enough to understand that your mother was dead, but not all of who was after your family. I think the trauma also made ya forget some later.

  “When your father saw me, he begged me to take ya with me. He said that he and your mother had managed to hide ya from her clan and his people since your birth, but that his father had found out and tracked him down. Since his father was the leader of the dragon shifters, he said he’d be spared but that you wouldn’t. I’ll admit to ya, I didn’t want anything to do with this trouble at the start. I’d traveled the world alone for so long that I’d eventually grown used to the solitary nature of my life, grown to like it even.”

  “And who could blame you for some common sense?” Mulunu interjected. This time, Sir Lancelot scowled at her, clicking his tongue within a beak pressed tightly shut in disapproval.

  Irving shrugged, his gaze pinned on Quinn. “The more time I sp
ent with ya, the harder it was to say no. When your father said he’d return to his own to divert attention from you, I couldn’t say no. He was just so … devastated. And there was no one else willing to help him.”

  “That’s because the boy should’ve been killed then,” Mulunu commented.

  “Oh, shut it,” a tiny voice quipped, surprising me. I spotted Fianna hovering behind the sea witch, Nessa flying behind her. “No one wants to hear what you have to say.”

  “Fianna the Crimson,” Sir Lancelot exclaimed on an inhale. “Have you forgotten your manners entirely?”

  “No, Sir Lancelot. I’m just saying what everyone else was thinking.”

  I smiled at her, and even the wizards eyed her up and down with possible approval. With the barely-there wizards, it was hard to tell beneath their translucent bushy beards and wild eyebrows.

  “You forget how powerful I am, little fairy,” Mulunu said in a light voice that didn’t fool me. It was true, the sea witch was mighty dangerous.

  “No, Mulunu,” Fianna said. “I haven’t forgotten.”

  Nessa flew in front of her cousin, blushing timidly at her attentive audience. “Our Aunt Sosie likes to say that the sign of a person’s greatness is how they treat those less powerful than them.”

  “Is your Aunt Sosie also the size of a rat?” Mulunu asked.

  Nessa squared her tiny shoulders and nodded. “She sure is. And she raised us.”

  “I can tell,” Mulunu said under her breath.

  “Please go on,” Quinn urged Irving. “I need to know.”

  After Irving eyed our expanding group, he nodded. “Your father asked me to raise you as my own, but I told him I couldn’t. I agreed to find a safe home for ya though. I’d heard of Mulunu by then. It was impossible to navigate the seas and not have heard of the great sea witch who wielded enough power to make her clan invincible. Right away I thought she’d be your best bet to keep ya safe. No one would dare mess with her, probably not even the mighty king of the dragon shapeshifters.”