by Lisa Daniels
They drifted lower and lower through the forest, until the light orbs finally skimmed the bottom of the forest. They searched desperately until, at last, they found a small rocky overhang, just about big enough for them to all huddle up with their backs to the rock. They settled here, tucking their feet in so they didn’t get soaked further, huddling into a shivering bundle of people, waiting for the storm to abate.
They would have been more sheltered in the Mausoleum, but they also didn’t want to be trapped in there with a known enemy outside, with the bodies of people they knew, and a chance for people to be taken by the wild magic again.
Unfortunately, the storm was too strong for the air witches, despite their best efforts, and too strong for the dragons. Janus’ aching wings had transferred instead into cramping, bruised shoulders. No one could conjure up heat, but the air witches were able to create the bubble around their little overhang to leave them in a more serene setting than before, even if they heard the wind beyond moaning as it cut between trees and rocks. They could also now have shouting conversations with one another and be heard.
“Do you think those people who were outside might have conjured the storm themselves?” Rukia yelled at Marthen, their blond guide for the trip, who had also succumbed somewhat to the lunacy the others endured.
“It could be possible. We do get localized storms in the center of the wild lands. You’ll probably find once we leave the forest, there won’t be a storm at all.”
“Our own special storm,” Evelyn said with a thin smile. “Just what we’ve always wanted.” Alex and Meridas cuddled together, and it prompted Janus to want to do the same with Evelyn. He edged up to her, shivering slightly, and placed his arms around her body. She relaxed into his touch with a soft sigh. “I think we overestimated our abilities with the storm.”
“I think you did amazing,” he said in her ear. She rested her head against his chest. Rukia now sent wind into them in an attempt to dry them off, and they were all significantly less dripping after some moments of this, leaving them to wait out the worst of the storm in their reduced group, and a solemn, less-than-satisfied mood wedged between them. They listened as well for the whispers of madness to start in their ears. Janus heard nothing, but the other humans were less lucky in that area.
Absently, Janus looked over to Alex and Meridas, where they stared at their purple flowers. Such unassuming little things, to cure such a tremendous illness. Even then, he didn’t quite understand what they were supposed to do when it came to the healing of an island core. Just… press the flower against the rock, or something? Or did they need to make a concoction out of it, for them to be able to heal with it?
This was the difference in saving his parents’ lives?
“Once we make it back to our island and tell them we found the magic flowers that will save everyone, I can’t wait to hear some of the reactions that will come.”
Janus chuckled at those words. He didn’t voice the concern that maybe these small flowers weren’t actually a cure at all, and smiled with her instead, wanting to enjoy the idea that once they made it back home, all their worries would be over.
Or at least, these worries.
“I’d like to travel with you,” he said to her, taking the time to run his hands through her damp curls. “Take some breaks from the business, and just… see more of the world from up high. I’d like to take you on my back and we could go and visit some of those distant islands in the skies.”
Who would begrudge them some dreams of the future?
“I can see myself doing that. Air witch riding a dragon… sounds excellent.” She grinned. “Though I miss the basic trades we used to do. I could still do that if I ended up working for you?”
“Honestly,” he said, “I’d prefer you not working for me, and just living with me instead. But I also know that… it’d be stupid to lock up an air witch when she happens to be one of the best long-distance travelers in the Six Isles.”
“That’s right. No locking me up,” she said, lightly punching his already sore shoulder. He winced at that. His shoulders still needed time to recover, and he wasn’t about to ask Alex to heal them, because the pain seemed so minor compared to what might happen in their attempts to shelter.
He peered up into the darkness, thoughts tumbling, but none of them leaving the slightest hint of meaning behind.
“This place really is as cursed as they say,” Evelyn said. “It’s awful.”
All Janus did was hug her tighter in return. As if he alone could protect her against anything that flew into their pathetic shelter. He noticed then how exhausted both Evelyn and Rukia appeared to look. With the time they’d spent bracing against the storm, no wonder. So he did the only thing he could think of.
He took himself out of contact with Evelyn, ignoring her protests, and morphed into a dragon in front of them. Then, he settled himself down, using his wings as a barrier along with his body against the storm—both for himself and for them. Sheltering the people huddled up in a less-than-adequate overhang, but better than being fully exposed to the elements. His feathers and internal heat helped prevent the worst of the cold.
The air witches let go of their magic. And he made sure not to let go of them.
Chapter Eleven – Evelyn
It was a bedraggled group of people that made it back into Leavenport. The place itself seemed to have suffered no impact from the storm, and they soon found out that the storm had affected nothing but the forest it came from. Which confirmed their suspicion that it’d been aimed at them, somehow.
Discussion about the purpose of the wildstorm varied from whether it was there so they’d think about staying in the Mausoleum until it was over, to it destroying them because it was so powerful. People thanked Evelyn and Rukia, but she didn’t feel like she did as much as they heaped credit on her for. Fighting the storm made her realize just how weak she was, how kittenish her strength compared to something as primal and magically charged as what hit them.
And all of it for those stupid little flowers. So many things they could have done differently. Waited for the people to come back to their camp and ambush them. Only sending a small group into the Mausoleum at a time, and leaving the entrance heavily guarded.
But then, the wild magic might have gotten into them anyway, and infected their thoughts, their bodies, turning them into the wild magic’s puppets.
Now, Evelyn nuzzled into Janus’ chest, draped over his warmth in bed, though her mind buzzed with possibilities. With the end of their journey starting later today, the Elegant had been repaired to perfection. With the ship laden with Zamorkan specialties, they at last dared to imagine life after all of this.
“To think, traveling and trading in exotic animals was what I was doing before all this. And I didn’t want to go with you people to Zamorka. I hated you for taking me from what I loved.”
Janus, although not expecting this to come from Evelyn, nevertheless rose to the occasion. “We did take you away from everything. But we needed you. And the Six Isles needed us—though it was easy not to consider that at the time.”
“The Six Isles needed us for magic flowers. Found across the sea in the middle of a place no one wants to admit exists. I’m half convinced when we make it back over there, they’ll kill us after declaring we’re bringing back a curse or something.”
“Oh, I don’t think that will happen,” Janus said, giving her a few lazy kisses on her hair. It felt like he was attempting to eat said hair. “We’ll just announce it as a successful and pioneering trip. We’ll show all the goods we collected, and then watch the fight that happens over who will get them.”
“It’s not like their fears of Zamorka are entirely unfounded...” Evelyn said. “I mean, it is cursed.”
“Just little parts. That’s nothing, really,” Janus said, sounding as if he was grinning. She thumped his chest a few times.
“Come on, we have to get ready to leave. Leave Leavenport. You know, do you think they call it L
eavenport because people are always leaving?”
A faint groan came from Janus. “I’m going to hurt you.”
“No, you won’t,” she said, laughing as he flipped them over, so the white bedsheets fell off. He pinned her wrists down, and for a moment, desire flitted across his dark eyes, and the tension between them winnowed into an expectant silence.
“We need to go,” he said with a regretful exhale.
“Yes. Yes, we do.” She kissed him anyway, wanting to test his patience, to see if she could distract him enough from their duties. It worked for a minute or two, before they finally threw themselves apart, and got dressed for travel.
They left the hotel, heading towards the landing docks, again besieged by Zamorkan onlookers with mixed reactions. Mostly, they were happy. Their specialist hospitals were already treating victims of the Creeping Rot, and a kind of liquid serum had been devised from the flowers. They were a little dubious about whether the mixture would be enough to heal an infected core, and all the people currently being quarantined in an attempt to isolate them from infecting the general populace.
Their biggest fear came from wondering how much further the Creeping Rot had spread since, and if they were too late to save other people they loved. Slight horror images of her mother and father lying in their beds, with their veins popping out and inked with black as the Rot took them entered her mind. It shouldn’t happen—her parents weren’t magical—but if non-magical people could create someone magical… then perhaps one day, they’d find out the Creeping Rot affected more than just those blessed with powers.
Reaching the docks, they stepped onto the platforms where the Elegant was tied, and onto the gangway leading to the deck. Captain Eswick bullied one of his crew down into the Elegant’s belly to deposit additional supplies, and bowed to them as they walked over.
“Excellent, excellent. We’re just waiting for Rukia and Alex, now, and then we’ll be good to go. We better hurry, though—the Zamorkans are expecting a big wave of traders in an hour, and they’ll want space on these docks.”
“Good to see you, too, Eswick,” Janus said. He and Evelyn weaved their way through some high-strung deckhands to get a good view of the bustling city below, and the ships streaming to and fro.
Eswick had proudly mounted a wildstorm chart next to his compass, which depicted the next storm occurring in one and a half weeks’ time, and its predicted area of influence. Evelyn suspected that Janus would make a tidy profit from selling the storm charts, until the others caught on to how easy it was to obtain one. Just ask a Zamorkan, and they’d practically trip over themselves to give it for a decent price.
Will be interesting for sure, opening up trade routes with this place. And there’s other cities we haven’t visited yet. Not that they had time. They’d already spent enough.
Alex and Rukia returned within twenty minutes, both having gone on some sort of shopping spree, staggering onto the ship with bags of food too heavy for them to carry, and Alex some local Zamorkan games that she wanted to try out at the first opportunity. The Elegant soared into action once Evelyn sat herself within the air witch alcove and began directing the winds to lift them off and sail them into open sky. She loved the familiar lurch of travel just before coating them with the protective pressure bubble to ease their journey back.
Janus and Meridas watched carefully for a while to make sure no one followed them, since they hadn’t fully dealt with the Conclave members intent on sabotaging relations.
Meanwhile, Evelyn daydreamed of the Six Isles as she steered the ship, magic flowing through her in a blissful caress, before Alex stomped over to ask what kind of games she’d be interested in. Evelyn didn’t play games much, other than gambling with cards, so she absently pointed out all the cards Alex had collected, and avoided the games that seemed to have maps with them.
Strange now, to know what they left behind. Not a formless island filled with shadows and demons, but a fully functioning society of people, who traded with others—just not really anyone across the seas. Seemed the world was a lot bigger than Evelyn had previously imagined, if the Zamorkans traded with other nations beyond Jarithas and the Undercity.
The Undercity, though, was at least three times as big as Leavenport. Just a huge mess of buildings and traders and slums that lived in the shadows of the Six Isles.
When night fell upon them, Rukia came to relieve her so she could get some rest. Or join the crew down in the Rec room. “They’re playing several of Alex’s games now. You should try them out, they’re fun.”
Evelyn smiled at Rukia. “Maybe. You know, I wonder which one of us would be the better air witch at the academy.”
“I don’t think it would be a competition,” Rukia said simply. “We’re both good at different things. But, hey, maybe I could take you on.”
Evelyn nodded thoughtfully to herself. One thing she noticed about Rukia was that the woman seemed able to endure utter magical exhaustion better than anyone she’d ever seen. Most people went unconscious once they ran out. This woman, however, seemed able to cling onto wakefulness, and continue pushing out magic, far beyond when she should. She’d sensed Rukia running out during the first wildstorm—and when they were stuck in the wild forest, she’d been sure Rukia had run out.
Yet somehow, the woman kept going. Like she had an exceptionally high tolerance of pain.
I hope we’ll be able to work together some more once we return. I think I’ll quite enjoy it. “Maybe you will.” She patted Rukia on the shoulder, before heading downstairs—and straight for Janus.
All it took was one look from her, a little bit of suggestive posing, and Janus quickly made his excuses to leave the Rec room. Barely had they made it past his bedroom door before he scrabbled at her clothes, determined to yank them off and consume every part of her in passion. His strength comforted and thrilled her. She loved seeing the gleam of the dragon behind his eyes, as he pinned her onto the bed and kissed her deeply, as their bodies joined together in shuddering pleasure.
She feasted herself upon his naked form, from the curving, well-toned muscles to the almost elegant shape of his entire body. She liked seeing how aroused he was for her, but most of her attention was taken by everything else about him. His short, dark hair glistening at the temples with sweat. His eyes hazing over, his breaths coming hot and fast, and the way his arms tensed as he braced himself against her body and used his own legs to nudge hers apart. She let herself sink into him, let him enter her, from body to mind to soul, and dug her fingers tight into his back as they rode the desire to its conclusion.
It sometimes scared her, how quickly the lust took over. It mostly fascinated her, to feel such pull for another person, to want them close in every possible way.
They finished the act and surfaced from the emotions as if they’d been underwater the whole time, gasping for air, trying to function rationally past the licking pleasure in their limbs and the glow of post-coitus. They didn’t talk much. Just lay in each other’s arms, and let sleep take them.
Which happened rather a lot over the course of the journey back to their lands.
Games, steering the ship. Eating, attending to her bodily needs, and sex. Lots of it. Something about being in the air affected them, made them eager to embrace one another so high up. Perhaps because he was a dragon that could fly, and she controlled the winds. The air and open sky was a part of them.
Their calling.
The Undercity and the Six Isles came into sight in just under two weeks of their journey. Their home. Evelyn saw the Isles with new eyes, marveling at their beauty, and the vast labyrinthine sprawl of the Undercity.
“We’re home,” Janus said, wrapping an arm around her as they looked out upon the familiar sights of their country. “And it still seems to be standing.”
For now, anyway.
Meridas directed the ship to dock at the almost abandoned Isle, sending his people with a tiny bottle of the cure into the core, in a hope to heal the hoverstone be
fore it gave out and the entire island plummeted into the Undercity below. They’d already managed the evacuations above and below. Evelyn knew Janus was impatient to get back to Ruthen Isle—but they had to make sure the cure worked.
She waited with him on the ship, talking about introducing him to her family, about what his plans were.
“Aside from healing everyone on Ruthen Isle before it’s too late… I’m thinking about setting up a regular trade route to Zamorka. I know I said I wanted to travel with you around, but I was thinking it would make sense to keep you on this route. Since it’ll take a while for other people to shrug off their superstition. I was wondering if you and Rukia would like to be the air witches to do so,” he said, giving her a few kisses on the cheek, though Evelyn sensed his anxiety, his impatience to be back on Ruthen Isle.
“Only if you pay me obscene amounts of money, because it’s a long journey either way, being stuck on a ship.”
“That can be arranged. I’ll come with you on some of them, if that makes it any better.”
“Oh, it does,” she said with a light purr in her voice. “You better ask Rukia if she wants to keep it up, though.”
Janus glanced discreetly at Rukia, who was reading a book in the alcove. “Maybe later.”
Evelyn smiled, thinking about how her family would react if she told them she was now sending trade ships to Zamorka. Probably not well. And that made her all the more eager to mention it. Along with the fact that she happened to be dating a Ruthe family member, and one that transformed into a huge, biting dragon.
Should be a very interesting family reunion.
Meridas and Alex returned around an hour later, flushed but beaming.
“It works,” they said.
“Great!” Evelyn clapped her hands together. “Did it go… smoothly?”
“About as smooth as it could go,” Alex replied, narrowing her eyes at Janus’ now agitated pacing. “We used almost all our bottle, but it didn’t take as much as we thought. This cure is good. We can stop the disease.”
