Amid Wind and Stone

by Nicole Luiken

  Exhaustion tugged at her, as if all her clothes had weights sewn into them. She lay down on the pallet. Sleep claimed her the moment she closed her eyes but didn’t bring her the peace she needed.

  She dreamed she was being burned alive. First her clothes charred and flaked away; then her skin began to burn.

  Except it wasn’t skin; it was scales. Black dragon scales. The dragon floated before her in a sea of orange.

  “Save me,” the dragon pleaded with Gideon’s voice. “Save me. It burns.”

  Pain licked at her skin, and they screamed together—

  Leah woke up sobbing. The nightmare was nonsense—the dragon had died of an arrow wound, not in fire—but daylight didn’t banish it. Because Gideon was dead, and she had failed to save him. She should never have let Qeturah near him, and she should have kept him far from the army.

  She threw back the covers and began to pace. Up and down the Mirrorhall, her regrets keeping pace with her—

  (look in the mirror)

  Leah blinked. A slow pulse of curiosity induced her to approach the Four Worlds mirror. Her gaze connected with her reflection in the ice mirror. “Holly?”

  Her otherself on the Water World wore Leah’s face, but her hair was shorter, only shoulder-length, and had a streak of pink mixed into the brown. And then there were her strange clothes—a thin shirt and snug blue trousers called “jeans.”

  (hi, Leah. just checking in. you hungry? I brought you some stuff.) Holly held up a bottle and wiggled it enticingly.

  Leah swallowed. Water was difficult to come by in Fire World, especially since the cataclysm. What water remained in the village well was covered with a scum of ash.

  Holly licked her fingers and wet the bottle cap. Leah fumbled for her belt knife and nicked her thumb. She pressed the bleeding digit to the mirror, melting through a small circle until she could grasp the water bottle and pull it through.

  Holly pushed through four more bottles and several plastic-wrapped packages: two sandwiches and a chocolate bar.

  Leah uncapped the bottle and drank half the contents in great, delicious gulps. The parched tissues of her throat soaked in the sensation.

  “Thank you.” Without the supplies, especially the water, Leah would have had to leave Qeturah’s tower and the Four Worlds mirror in search of sustenance. Not only would Leah be at risk in the war-torn land, but away from the Mirrorhall, she would’ve been unable to keep watch on Stone World and Air World. Qeturah would have been free to wreak havoc.

  (no problem. it’s the least I can do. I remember how isolated you are from when I was trapped in your body.) Holly settled into a cross-legged position. (go ahead and eat,) she urged. (you must be hungry.)

  Was Leah hungry? When was the last time she’d eaten? Her stomach growled, the sound shockingly loud. How long had she stood sentinel in front of the mirror? She’d lost track of time.

  She opened some of the plastic-wrapped food Holly had generously provided. In her time on Water World, Leah had eaten sandwiches, but they still tasted peculiar to her—bread, cheese, salad greens, and shaved meat all together in one mouthful—but she methodically chewed and swallowed, alternating bites with glorious pulls of pure water.

  (so how’s the search going? have you found out where Her Evilness is hiding yet?)

  Leah shook her head. “I haven’t seen any sign of Qeturah or her otherself. But Stone has few reflective surfaces. It takes hours to make a connection, and then it’s swiftly lost.”

  (well, be sure to Call if you need help. I want to stop Qeturah just as much as you do.)

  Leah nodded, but inside, she doubted her otherself’s commitment. Not that she blamed her. Holly had Ryan; her soul mate had survived. Holly had less to avenge and more to lose. Other than the drive to stop Qeturah and save Gideon’s otherselves, Leah had nothing.

  Without the spur of revenge, she might lay down and wait for death. Leah pushed away the memory of just how close she’d come to doing that.

  (so what’s she like? our Stone self?)

  Leah tried to think of how to answer. “I don’t know. She seems very purposeful and angry, but I’m not sure what she means to accomplish or why she feels that way.”

  (did you see Ryan and Gideon’s otherself? have they met yet? our otherselves on Stone and Air, and their soul mates, I mean.)

  “Yes, I’m almost certain she was with him.”

  (almost certain? don’t they look alike?) Holly tilted her head, puzzled.

  “He wasn’t in his human form.”

  (ohhh… so what was he? if Ryan’s a siren and Gideon was a dragon, what’s Stone’s mythological creature?)

  “She called him a gargoyle.”

  Holly’s brows lifted. (huh. I guess that makes sense.)

  “Do you know of gargoyles?” Leah asked eagerly. “What can you tell me?” She’d never heard of them.

  Holly made a face. (not much. here on Earth—I mean, Water—they’re ugly stone statues that perch on old buildings. they sometimes have wings. we have stories of them coming to life, but they’re supposedly just fantasies.)

  “He didn’t have wings,” Leah said, then lapsed back into silence, thinking. What little she’d seen on Stone disturbed her. What was her otherself up to? Unease itched at her. Gideon’s otherself had almost drowned because of her otherself’s stubbornness. Leah didn’t understand why he hadn’t just changed into a boy and floated.

  Why had he entered the water, if it was so dangerous and he so clearly didn’t want to? It had almost seemed as if her otherself were forcing him. Hurting him.

  That couldn’t be right, could it?

  After the debacle with Holly, Leah had sworn not to use her ability to take over her otherselves’ bodies—just to watch and warn if need be, but that vow had limits. She would not tolerate Dorotea abusing Gideon’s otherself.

  (I should get going.) Holly stood up. (take care, okay? don’t get so caught up in revenge you forget to eat.)

  Resentment burned in Leah’s belly. Easy for Holly to say. She was probably on her way to meet Ryan right now. He was alive for her to touch and talk to and kiss.

  Holly’s image vanished.

  Determined, Leah stood and Called on her reflection in the mirror of beaten gold, but Dorotea didn’t answer. She’d probably moved away from the water’s reflective surface and thus out of mirror range.

  Restlessness clawed at Leah, and she began to pace. She knew Holly was right, that days might pass before she even located Qeturah, and she needed to sleep, but she just couldn’t right now. Not yet.

  She’d lie down soon, but first, she wanted to quickly check in on her Air otherself, the one who had hair as short as a boy’s.

  Leah put her hand on the glass pane and Called again.

  “Find a mirror. Look into a mirror.”

  Chapter Six

  The Phantom Returns—

  In Which Audrey Meets First The Phantom and Later Her Otherself

  Air World

  “Hey! What’s this?” The Phantom lifted his blurry arm, bringing her own arm up too since they were chained at the wrist.

  As his expression switched from bafflement to anger, Audrey wished she’d had enough time to shackle the second bracelet-carabiner to the balcony railing instead.

  Her heart pounded. “You’re a thief and a spy. I’m detaining you. My father will have some questions for you.”

  “Open it,” he demanded, rattling the bracelet.

  He’d figure out the hidden latch soon. “Help!” she yelled. With luck, Franklin or Piers or a footman would be near enough to hear.

  Cursing, The Phantom tugged once more on the carabiner, then gave up. He bared his teeth and grasped her around the waist.

  Audrey gave a startled scream as he slung her head-down over his shoulder. She shrieked again as he flew under the balcony.

  “Will you shut it?” he asked fiercely.

  Audrey could hear the balcony door opening. Rescue! Before she could call out, The Phantom
manhandled her off his shoulder. Her lungs seized up as she saw only air beneath her feet.

  “Hello?” a voice called above.

  Alarm flashed across The Phantom’s face. He yanked her into his arms, sealing her lips shut by kissing her.

  It wasn’t a true kiss. He was keeping her silent, not feeling romantic.

  Other than The Phantom’s brief stolen kiss on the airship, Audrey had been kissed exactly once before, behind a potted plant during a vigorous dance. The boy had pressed a quick kiss on her, mostly missing her lips and landing on the corner of her mouth, then whisked her back onto the dance floor before Audrey’s mother saw. She’d been thirteen then and not at all sure that she wanted that particular boy kissing her. The next time he’d tried it, she’d stomped on his foot.

  This kiss should have outraged her. Instead, Audrey felt…disappointed? She shoved at his chest.

  Footsteps rang out above. “Audrey?” Franklin called. “Where’d she go?”

  Audrey struggled harder, twisting her head. The Phantom pressed her back against the outer wall, hiding them in the shadows in case Franklin looked down. She pounded on The Phantom’s shoulder with her free hand, but instead of responding with more force, his lips softened on hers. Apologizing and coaxing.

  Everything inside her seemed to go still. Her pulse sped up. He might look barely there, a phantom, but he felt very solid and real under her fingers. Her free hand was trapped between them and pressed against his chest.

  For one crazy moment, she didn’t care that he was a thief. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.

  A moment later, she sensed them slowly rising in the air. Her eyelids fluttered open as he gently deposited her on the now empty balcony. Was that surprise on his face? It was so hard to tell, his features barely visible beneath a blurry wrapping of wind.

  “I have to go now,” he said softly.

  And then he held up his wrist, sans carabiner, and she realized he’d freed himself while she’d been distracted, kissing him.

  Embarrassment, then rage, snapped her head up, and she shook off the lingering weakness in her limbs. “Help!” she called, lunging for his arm. She couldn’t let him escape.

  He jumped over the balcony rail, breaking her grip. The wind rose in a column to support him in a powerful rush. Audrey’s skirts billowed around her legs.

  “Come back here!” she yelled uselessly.

  He grinned at her from five feet away. “Nice try. Here, a consolation prize.” He tossed her the sapphire earrings.

  Fuming, she caught them and watched him swoop away. He vanished from sight within seconds.

  Which was, of course, the moment Franklin barged through the door. “Audrey? Where were you?” he asked.

  Her father hadn’t believed her about The Phantom, so she didn’t even try. Thinking quickly, she held out the sapphire earrings. “Your sister dropped these. I was retrieving them.”

  His brown eyes widened. “You climbed over the rail?”

  She bit her lip. “Please don’t tell.”

  Manners won out over astonishment. “I would never damage a lady’s reputation.” He offered her his arm, and they strolled back to the others, who were now gathered around the refreshment tables.

  The next hour of the garden party limped past. Frederica kept up a barrage of barbs, forcing Franklin to play peacemaker. Katie and Jane alternately giggled and exchanged uncomfortable glances. Piers joked with Franklin and gently teased Katie.

  Distracted, Audrey ate three little cakes, until her mother’s gimlet eye fell on her.

  She swallowed the last mouthful of white cake and pink icing, then dutifully exerted herself to be a better hostess.

  Her mother scolded her at supper. “I thought you liked Franklin. If you wish to pursue an alliance there, you must make a better effort to get on with his sister. What were you two quarreling about?”

  Audrey mumbled a non-answer. She liked Franklin as a friend, but she didn’t want to kiss him, nor had he ever shown the least interest in kissing her. Her mother sighed.

  The Admiral looked up from his soup. “There will be no alliance with the Konig boy. Her dowry would be gone in two years, poured out on their ridiculous campaign to win back Princess Neomi’s throne.”

  “If they succeed, Audrey would be a princess,” her mother pointed out.

  “I’m not interested in Franklin,” Audrey said firmly, in a vain attempt to quash the argument. She endured the rest of the meal and was glad when her father adjourned to his study for the evening.

  However, she and her mother had barely settled into their chairs in the parlor when a roar of rage came from the study. Her father stomped down the hall, holding an empty lockbox. “My papers are missing. Who’s been in my study?”

  Ice filled Audrey’s stomach.

  The Phantom hadn’t come for a paltry pair of earrings or to see her. He’d come to steal papers from her father.

  Much hullabaloo followed. Her father paced up and down, raging. He wanted to have the servants’ quarters searched. Her mother’s nostrils flared, offended that he should question her judgment in the hiring of the staff. “We’ll lose good people. I won’t have it. My staff is loyal.”

  “Well, somebody took the papers. Who else has been in and out of the house today? I want a list.”

  “And now you’re accusing my guests?” Lady Bethany pinched the bridge of her nose. “Next you’ll want to call the constables and have their homes searched.”

  “I just might at that.” His fist smacked down on the spindle-legged end table.

  Audrey jumped, drawing his attention.

  “Audrey,” her father said sharply. “Do you know anything about this?” His black brows slashed down over his eyes.

  No use trying to lie. He would see the guilt on her face. “He took it,” she said dully.

  “Who?” Her mother frowned. “Franklin’s down-at-heel friend?”

  “No. Not Piers. The Phantom.”

  Her father snorted. “Not this again.”

  “Again? What are you two talking about?” Lady Bethany demanded. She’d only heard the edited version of Audrey’s courier adventure.

  “Audrey claims some will o’ the wisp stole the document tube she was transporting.” Her father waved his hand dismissively. “I’m sure she just dropped it.”

  In one of those stunning reversals that drove Audrey round the bend, her mother immediately took her side. “Just because you’ve never seen a phantom doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Audrey, tell me everything.”

  Audrey complied, stumbling a little in the telling, but getting the whole story out. Well, except for the kissing bits. She prudently kept those to herself.

  “See? It’s balderdash,” her father complained.

  Two frown lines appeared between her mother’s brows, but because he’d dismissed Audrey’s story, she, perforce, had to take it seriously. “He stole the earrings right out of Frederica’s ears, and she didn’t notice? Nobody else saw him at all?”

  Audrey shook her head, stomach sinking. “He’s very difficult to perceive. The wind blurs his outline, and the light seems to bend around him. Maybe only people with a strong long-winded ability can see him.” Except Frederica was long-winded. Audrey hurried on, “I’ve met him twice, and I can barely describe him.”

  “Try, dear,” her mother urged.

  “He’s taller than me.” His head had bent towards hers during their kiss. “He has short hair. He’s perhaps a year or two older than me. Other than that…” She shook her head. His eyes and skin had been completely colorless. She had a vague impression of plain clothes: shirt, trousers, boots. Nothing distinctive.

  “Preposterous.” Her father snorted again.

  “More preposterous than our guests and long-time staff turning to thievery?” her mother said tartly. “What if the Siparese have a phantom on their payroll? Can we afford to ignore the possibility?”

  His accent had been lower-tier but still Donlonese, and he’d claimed
to get his assignments through a middleman, but Audrey kept silent because her father seemed to be actually considering the idea.

  “And Audrey doesn’t lie,” her mother added. “She’s terrible at it.”

  Was that a compliment or a criticism? It didn’t matter. Her mother believed her. Warmth bloomed in Audrey’s chest.

  “I’ll put out feelers and see if the War Office has heard any rumors of mysterious thefts,” her father said. “But that’s as far as I’m willing to go. I won’t make a fool of myself bleating about phantoms. As for you, young lady, I don’t want to hear any loose gossip about a phantom. Don’t mention him again without proof.” His expression was stern.

  Her cheeks burned. “Yes, Father.”

  “I’ll have to report the theft to the War Office, and there will be an investigation.” He headed for the door.

  Her mother’s voice caught him in the doorway. “Were the two thefts related? Did the courier message and your papers both concern the same thing?”

  A tight nod. “Yes.”

  Her mother raised an eyebrow.

  The Admiral just pressed his lips together.

  Audrey’s ears perked up. “I heard a rumor the Siparese have a new type of airship.”

  Her father scowled. “Who told you this?”

  Was it true then? Audrey floundered. “The lieutenant on the Artemis, but I heard whispers of war on board the flagship before that.”

  “And I had it from Lady Cosgrove that the Siparese are purchasing silk by the bale,” her mother interrupted. “She joked that they must be building their own fleet.” Silk was used to make the balloon envelopes.

  “The Sipar Empire can build all the airships they want; without long-winded pilots, they can’t reach us,” her father said confidently. “The Grand Current will protect us.” The huge river of air flowed in one direction, from Donlon to the mainland. Without long-winded pilots, the Siparese couldn’t fly outside the Grand Current either. Airships had starved to death, stuck in the deadly doldrums, where there was little wind beyond a few errant breezes and no true land below, only poisonous fog and marshes.

  “So it has been for years.” Her mother frowned. “The Siparese are so clever with their clockwork. I worry they’ve found a way to travel without the aid of the Grand Current or other winds.”