With those words and a wave she was gone, jogging down the road in the opposite direction Kimi took. She passed the rest of her walk in silence, ending near the main arches of the town. She was about to turn and head home when she spied two figures off in the distance heading her way. After a moment the shadowy figures resolved themselves into two men. One of them was Jeremy, and the other was a boy she didn’t recognize.
Jeremy looked good without a mask on. He had dyed his hair a soft golden blond, which went well with his hazel eyes. He vaguely reminded her of another Jeremy, one from another lifetime ago. Kimi wondered what had happened to that Jeremy, had he finally finished college? She hoped he had. The scar running down the right side of Jeremy’s face made him look older than he actually was. A remnant of that battle against the Unnamed he said he wanted to keep.
The boy with him looked to be about seventeen, a bit taller than her but with well muscled arms. He walked with a slouch, as if trying to make himself shorter than he was. And his ears were a little too large for his face. Brownish blond hair and brown eyes along with the way he sucked on his lower lip reminded her of a mouse. When they got close, Kimi shook hands with the once Sage of Manipulation.
“Didn’t expect to see you around these parts for a while. What do you want?”
“You wound me Kimberly! Why do you think I want something?”
“Because that is the only time you come around here personally. If it were just a pleasantry visit, I’d have to go to Atlantis to see you. Being advisor to the new Council of Seven is not such a laid back job. Especially not when there is still so much to do concerning the merging of Atlantis and Aerth. We might have gotten things settled down pretty well on our end, but your end is still a mess and will be for years I bet. I normally have to be content with a note passed on through one of your people stationed in Portsmouth.”
“You caught me. I had not thought you would catch on to my insidiously deceptive plans so fast.”
“Please, I know you can be more deceptive than that. Otherwise you must have been a horrible Sage of Manipulation. First though, can you tell me how Milly is doing? I sent a note the other day, but haven’t got an answer back yet. Frank is sick with worry.”
“In my estimates she will make a full recovery. I’m glad you talked her in to returning to Atlantis for treatment. Another six months and I doubt we could have done anything. I hated seeing her go when we knew her primal nature wasn’t under control, but it is not our place to deny any who wish to become Mediators. Our scientists have figured out a drug that can suppress her lapses, and she has been on it the last two months. Her vitals and brain waves have been showing improvement and the degradation has even begun to repair itself. We want to keep her another two weeks to be on the safe side. If her numbers keep improving, we will send her back with some medication. The doctors will then send over new pills as needed. They hope to further refine it into a shot she needs only take once a year.”
“Frank will be pleased to hear that. Now, what can I do for you?”
Jeremy held out his hand to showcase the boy. “Kimberly Changa, I’d like you to meet Vesuvius Vert, a Phaser. He comes from a dead line, though he too has the paradoxical ability. He also has another unique ability I think you might be interested in. Vesuvius, why don’t you show her?”
The boy blushed and ducked his head even lower, but in the end he nodded and closed his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath, and as he pulled in his breath, he stood taller, confidence entering ever fiber of his being. His clothes shimmered into a suit of chain mail and a sword and shield appeared in his hands.
“I am Sir Vert, verily it is a pleasure to meet you madam. Mighten you truly be the one I have heardest so much about? The maiden called Kimi of a Thousand Faces?”
The transformation ended almost as suddenly as it had begun, the boy hiding his eyes once more.
“He has the same Power to Imagine as you do, though not as strong. As far as we can tell, he only has three transformations. They don’t seem to last long, I think because he is fighting them subconsciously. I thought maybe you could teach him better than I could, you know-- since you are the only other person with such an ability. When I told him about you, he was the one who insisted he wanted to meet you and have you teach him.”
“Yeah, fine. I can see what I can do. You able to stay for dinner? Or even a late lunch?”
“I wish I could, but I have to get back. As you said, I’m still a busy man. Plus, I promised Marrion I would watch the kids while she went out with some of her friends.”
“You could leave that to some nurse-nanny bots you know.”
“I know, but I’ve been given another chance at life. Despite the low odds of survival, I’m still here after breaking down the veil. I don’t want to waste it. It might not seem like much to you, but it means something to me. Next time though, I promise. And we won’t talk about business either. I’ll set aside my advisor cap and you set aside your emissary of Yandor hat.”
“Deal. I’ll hold you to that too. Don’t make me turn into Millenia and force that time on you.”
“I’d actually welcome it. There is so much to do I don’t have enough time in the day it seems. Still, no worries. I’ll manage somehow, I always do.”
With that he was gone, stepping backwards into a rift he created with a thought. Kimi turned her attention on the boy who still refused to look at her.
“Proper introductions are in order. As Jeremy said, I’m Kimberly Changa. And yes, I am also called Kimi of a Thousand Faces. Though, to be honest I only have twenty-five of them. But Kimi of the Twenty-five Faces doesn’t have the same heroic ring to it. So, you insisted that I teach you huh?”
He nodded, his eyes glued to the ground.
“Well, I’m not going to do so unless you at least look at me. You had no problem meeting my eyes when you were walking up to the gates.”
He lifted his head slowly, mumbling words she couldn’t quite hear.
“What? You need to speak a little louder, I couldn’t hear you. I think your lips were stapled shut for a moment.”
“I said, I didn’t think you would be so young and pretty. No one told me what you looked like.”
“Oh so you were expecting me to be old and ugly? You only wanted me to teach you if I was hideous?”
“No, that’s not it! It’s just that I-- I mean you-- that is--”
Kimberly chuckled at the way the boy floundered with his words. Holding out her hand for him to shake.
“I’m teasing you Vesuvius. Just trying to break the ice a little. Come on, lets get something to eat and I will show you the town.”
Vesuvius smiled slowly, reaching out to take her hand. When their palms met it felt like an electric shock ran through her. With that single touch, Kimi knew the future would be a lot more interesting.
Out of Time the Grand Quest Page 53
