by Jay Boyce
Bolt zagged by long enough to declare, “Electrocute and paralyze.” So there were some overlaps, even if she figured how they accomplished it was most likely different.
Cosmo danced in front of her, and she watched in fascination as he seemed to blink step from one spot to another as he proudly proclaimed, “Teleport what’s touched to different location. Only parts.” She looked at her pretty little man, holding in a shudder as she thought of people’s body parts suddenly teleported to a few feet away without the rest of them. It was a good way to lose your head. Or arm, or…anything, really.
Carl was the last to come, and he fluttered before her, squeaking in his little voice, “Heal my kind and draw blood to surface in others.” She nodded, smiling at him. He was her tiny healer, after all.
She was pondering these new revelations when Ren piped up, “Were you just talking to them?”
Jade smiled back at her, nodding. “Yes, it’s only been a day for me, but I believe our bond is strong enough that there’s quite a flow between us, and they’ve started speaking in full sentences. They keep amazing me. They were just telling me what their pollen does.”
Ren smiled. “That’s…amazing.”
Jade looked at her as she glanced wistfully at the fellacai on her arms, then inquired, “Would you like to try bonding to them?”
She looked confused. “Bonding to them? I’m not a contractual mage.”
Jade laughed softly. “I know, but I figured, if I can create contracts between two unrelated people, why can’t I do it between creature and human? I don’t think I could do a domination bond, but I believe I could do a mutual bond. I’ve never tried it before, though, so I’m not sure it would work.”
Looking thoughtful, Ren studied her little friends before she finally nodded. “Yes, I think I would like that. What do you need me to do?”
“One moment.” Jade held up a finger as she mentally called Willow and Andy back over. Looking at her babies, she pointed to the fellacai on Ren. “Willow, Andy, please pick out a pair who are willing to contract to Ren.” She figured she should let her queens choose, as they’d know what to look for best, now that they were bonded to her. Meanwhile, she mentally asked her queens, “Do the others have the same pollen as you?”
Ramoth responded first, as was her usual, “Same, but not as powerful.” Jade nodded absently, since this made sense. Her queens were the best, after all! Willow and Andy seemed to be inspecting all the other fellacai surrounding Ren, and finally two of them lifted off to follow them back to Jade. She held out her hands as all four landed, and Ren was startled as the rest of them took flight, moving towards either the garden or food, leaving her bare of any for now. Jade smiled and moved closer, holding her two babies in one hand and the two she would bond with Ren in the other.
“Ren, by creating a bond with these fellacai, you agree to watch over them, care for them, and communicate with them. They will be a part of you and you of them. If they are mistreated, they are free to return to me and my queens. In return, they will be your loyal companions, your eyes and ears. They will never attack you or other humans, save in self defence. They will not try to escape. They will help you however they can. Will you bond with them?” She almost felt like she was giving them away in marriage.
Ren was staring in rapt excitement at her potential bonded, and she nodded, swallowing as she spoke with conviction, “I will cherish them as my own.”
Jade smiled, then held the two new babies up as she looked them in the eye. “Will you bond with Ren and share your life with her?” Yep, definitely marriage, or adoption, she supposed.
“Yes!” The two little squeaks echoed in her mind, and she felt her magic wrapping around both them and Ren. As she glanced over, she realized Ren had heard them because there were tears of happiness glittering in her eyes.
Willow and Andy took flight so that she could use her free hand to grab some more juice. She took Ren’s hand, pouring a little juice in as she said solemnly, “Then drink and be together.” She wasn’t sure why the drink was important, or even if it was, but it seemed like a nice gesture at the very least. She watched the two quickly alight on Ren’s hand, bending to drink as she cried silently with a huge smile. Jade could feel the bond settle with a final snap into place as it became binding.
She was glad they finished when they did, for the next moment there was a knock at the door, startling her. She was relieved it hadn’t happened moments before. She hated to think what might’ve happened if she’d been so startled while trying to create the bond. Smiling, she mentally reminded the fellacai to stay back from the door as she walked towards it, leaving Ren to have a moment with her new bonded. She cracked open the door, peeking out with a smile until she realized who was there.
“King Derrick! Queen Ashanna! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d be coming here! I uhm… Hi! I need a moment to uhm…clear the room up.”
The rest of the royal family was behind them, seemingly having made this a family outing, as was Brodie and several servants carrying large baskets of food and several with chairs, since Camille and Tisha obviously knew how many chairs she had in there.
Ashanna smiled benignly at her. “Nonsense, there’s no need for that. We don’t mind a little clutter.”
Jade hesitated before saying hesitantly, “Well, it’s not really clutter…” At their confused looks, she sighed and opened the door. They gasped as they saw the swirling clouds of fellacai around the room, and Ashanna and Derrick took a step back. She smiled and reassured them, “They’re completely harmless right now. My queens have got them under control. If you don’t mind, I’d like to give them a little more time to fly, but let me clear a space first.”
Turning back to the room of fellacai, she smiled and ordered gently, “Little ones, I need you to stay between the garden or the table with your food for now, and you can stay out a bit longer.” A tiny squeak from Ramoth emphasized her order, and they quickly removed themselves from the rest of the room, limiting themselves to the garden and table like she’d asked. She turned around, grinning at the rest of them as she opened the door wider. “Please, come in.”
Ashanna and Derrick still looked amazed and a little bit startled, but Ashanna recovered fastest. She couldn’t tell Brodie’s reaction from the back, but Tisha just looked like she wanted to explore the butterflies, having been told about them from Camille and now seeing how docile they were being. “Of course, dear. That was quite…something.” One of the servants came forward, taking the door from her as they walked into the room behind her. She could see Brodie more clearly now, and he was looking sullen, surrounded by all four of the Ri’Cloch princes. The royal family stepped to the side as the servants expertly moved the wood from her nature table which she indicated for them, piling it neatly on a shelf and setting the chairs, tablecloth, and then food down. One of them also left a small sheaf of papers, ink, and a quill at the end of the table.
It was then that Ren stood, having realized who had entered. “I’m sorry for the late greeting, your majesties.” She had swept into a deep curtsy, her two little fellacai now clinging to her hair.
Camille was the first one to chime in. “Hi, Ren! Are you making friends with Willow and Andy?” She walked closer, then frowned. “Wait, those aren’t…”
Ren smiled at her. “No, these are my new bonded.”
Ashanna asked the pertinent question, “Bonded? Ren, I didn’t think you were a contractual mage.”
Ren smiled sheepishly. “I’m not, but I feel the bond all the same. Jade did it for me, and it’s the most marvelous thing. I can hear them and feel their emotions. I know we’re connected.” She was smiling in wonder now as they left her hair, flapping happily around her.
“That’s quite interesting. Thank you for telling me.” Ashanna smiled back at her, obviously deep in thought.
Ren nodded, curtsying again. “I’ll take my leave then, if there’s nothing else.”
Ashanna smiled. “No, you’re fine to go.
Have a good day, Ren.” Ren quickly left and the rest of the servants filed out with her, shutting the door behind them and leaving Jade alone with the royal family once more, though she was sure there were guards outside. Ashanna looked at Jade and pointed out, “It seems you have done a great deal of good for her.” At Jade’s quizzical look, Ashanna continued, “Ren has been trying to have a child for years, unsuccessfully. Having something, or someone, else to take care of will probably do wonders for her. I haven’t seen her smile that brightly in a long time.” She was looking at the corner filled with butterflies thoughtfully.
Jade smiled, shrugging. “I wasn’t aware of her circumstances, but if it helps her, I’m glad.” She also mentally made a note to check Ren’s health the next time she saw her. Perhaps she had a thyroid issue, as that was one of the most common reasons women couldn’t get pregnant and threw off the whole system, but it would appear as if nothing was wrong if you didn’t know what to look for.
With a cough, Brodie stumbled a bit as he was nudged forward by Victor. He turned his cornflower blue eyes on her, studying her, before he finally asked, “Did you really kill three mesmer last night?”
Jade studied him in return. She noticed the dark bags beneath his eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. His eyes were also bloodshot and his complexion was pale. Finally, she nodded. “Mostly. I killed one and knocked out the other two, but I wasn’t the one to strike the final blow.”
He nodded, taking in a deep breath, before saying in a somewhat sorry voice, “I’m sorry for yesterday. I…” he looked at the ground as if trying to find his words, “I’ve just been so angry for so long. I’m sorry.”
Jade smiled gently at him as she nodded. “I know, and it’s okay. I’m still going to put you under contract to make sure that it doesn’t happen again, but I do understand, and I forgive you. It…isn’t easy to lose people you love, especially to something like the mesmer, but I promise you, I will do everything I can to hunt them down.”
He looked up at her, barely concealed hope warring with something else, which if she had to name, she would say was a burning desire for revenge. “You’re going to hunt them?”
She nodded. “Let’s get the contract signed, and then I’ll tell you about it as we eat.”
He nodded. They both walked over to where the contract had been laid out and Jade quickly read over it. It was basically exactly what she’d told the royals, only put in prettier terms. Brodie reached out, taking the quill and signing his name to both copies, handing it to her afterwards. She scratched out her name with a few blobs, mentally reminding herself that she needed to either finish her pens or practice with the quill. When they had both signed, she intoned officiously, “Brodie Ri’cloch, do you agree to abide by the terms of this contract?”
She could feel the magic moving through her, creating a string to Brodie as he met her gaze and spoke, “I, Brodie Ri’Cloch, do hereby agree to these terms. I will do my utmost to uphold them and atone for the mistakes I have made. In return, I ask that you do your best to avenge my father and rid us of the mesmer plague.”
Jade smiled at him as she said in return, “I, Jade Winward, accept your terms.” So mote it be, she added mentally as she felt the binding fall into place. Smiling, she proclaimed, “It’s done. Now, let’s eat and I’ll tell you about my hunt this Sunday.” She didn’t even mind that Brodie had slipped his revenge request in there too. It made it a bit more formal, but she’d already realized she couldn’t get out of going after them.
“Sunday!? But that’s the ball!” Tisha wailed from the side, breaking the solemnity that had pervaded the room.
Oops.
Chapter Twenty-Four – Promises
Jade’s face became one of ‘oh crap I totally spaced,’ and Tisha pounced on it. She pouted accusingly at Jade. “You forgot about the ball, didn’t you! You promised me you’d go. You’ll just have to reschedule your hunt!” Jade’s face had become a stony stare, and a vein was twitching in her face.
She’s still a child. She doesn’t realize what she’s suggesting. You will not explode at her. She is just a child. A child. Jade repeated this mantra in her head a few times, trying to calm herself as dead silence reigned over the room. Tisha finally seemed to realize something was not right, and she asked defensively, “What? She promised!”
Jade clenched her fist, closing her eyes and counting to five silently before she opened them and looked at the defensive and confused Tisha. With her voice as calm and patient as she could make it, she deadpanned, “Tisha. You are asking me to give up looking for my friend who has been taken by those monsters, who is being tortured and eaten by those monsters daily, all so that I can put on a pretty dress and dance around—something which I still don’t have a clue how to do. Please tell me why you think dancing is more important than my friend’s life.” She had tried to remain calm, but her voice had taken on a hard edge by the end.
Tisha seemed to deflate before she finally muttered, “I didn’t think of it that way.”
Jade nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I know. It’s okay, but this isn’t something I can put off. Leaving it until Sunday is already too long for me, but I need to make sure I’m prepared to find them before I leave.”
At this point, Derrick cleared his throat. “Right, why don’t we sit down and eat, and we can talk some more. Why haven’t I heard that a mesmer hunt had been called?”
Everyone took their seats as Jade explained, “I didn’t realize it was a thing. I was just talking to Countess D’Ard this morning and asked her to help me. I would have set out this morning if I thought it would have worked, but I still need to raise my skills before I’m confident I can accomplish what I need to, so I gave myself five days to learn and upgrade as much as I can.” She absently considered the food on the table, then started piling it onto her plate and eating with gusto. She’d used quite a bit of magic with Ren and there was a whole afternoon of magic to come, so she couldn’t afford to skimp.
The whole family seemed to be considering this, Derrick nodding as if her explanation made sense, so there was that at least. To her surprise, it was Brodie who spoke up next. “I want to come with you.” When everyone turned to look at him with quizzical expressions, he continued, “You do things no one thinks are possible all the time. If anyone can find them, it’s you. There may not be much left, but if there’s anything, I want to be the one to bring my father back.”
Those who had been about to voice objections to his going swallowed them back down after he finished talking. Derrick and Ashanna both looked like they’d swallowed sour lemons, but finally Ashanna nodded. “Alright.” She looked at him, then back at Jade as she spoke decisively, “We’ll speak to Countess D’Ard. You’ll be accompanied by the best we have to offer.”
“Then I’ll go too.” Victor’s voice surprised her, and Jade glanced at him. He was looking between her and Brodie, seeming quite determined until Derrick spoke.
“No.” Just one word, but it held the weight of the world. Victor seemed to deflate a little, turning to look at his father. Derrick sighed and continued, “I honestly don’t want to let any of you go. Jade I cannot stop; she’s the best hope of success we’ve seen in decades.” He paused, looking at Brodie. “Today is the first day I’ve seen you act like yourself since your father was taken. I understand that you need this for closure, and you owe Jade a great debt. So I will allow it, albeit reluctantly.” Looking at Victor, his voice was low as he stated, “Son, this is not your battle.”
Victor looked furious. “Yes it is! I lost him too!”
Jade sighed, chiming in, “Your father is right.” He whirled on her, confused as she smiled sadly. “Victor, you’re the crown prince. It comes with certain responsibilities. This is going to be a very small strike force. No offense to Brodie, but I’m also not as attached to him. If you were to come, I would prioritize protecting you above everyone else. I can’t afford that kind of distraction. You’ve all become my friends, but I, ” she p
aused, staring down at her plate, “I’m going out there to kill. I’m not happy about it. I wish this place was peaceful and I could just use my magic to create beautiful things, but wishes are not a currency that life accepts. I’ll do what I have to in order to protect what I have found here.”
She paused, taking in a deep breath, then met Victor’s gaze. “I need to compartmentalize. If anything happened to you out there, I would probably lose it and go on a crazy magic rampage. So you can’t come. Sorry.”
He stared into her eyes for a moment, then finally nodded, looking down at his plate. Jade sighed in relief until Camille interjected her opinion, “If we can’t come, then by heaven, you had better come back in one piece, do you understand me?” Her voice was emotional, and Jade smiled at her, blinking back tears that suddenly threatened to fall. She reached over and Camille grabbed her hand, holding on.
She nodded. “I will do everything in my power. I intend on coming back with all of us.”
Tisha had jumped up out of her chair and was now half sitting on Jade as she hugged her. “I’ll never forgive you if you don’t come back. You promised me you’d go to the ball with me.” Jade was just hugging her back one handed and patting her hair as if trying to sooth a small child.
Ashanna smiled at her daughters a little sadly, then looked at Derrick and suggested, “Perhaps we should move the ball back a week.”
Derrick nodded his assent, then added as he looked at Tisha, “I believe that would be for the best. We’ll celebrate your safe return.” He smiled at Jade, and she smiled back through tears at him. It was just words, but they still meant the world to her. He was choosing to trust her to come back safely.
Jade smiled, patting Tisha as she said, “Hear that? I’ll go to that ball with you after all. You can help Will teach me how to dance when I get back.” Sniffling, Tisha nodded and finally let go, returning to her seat as the atmosphere seemed to relax a little bit and people started eating again. Talk about an emotional roller coaster.
