Save Aether (The Trinity Key Trilogy Book 3)

by L. M. Fry

  “I am, because I think Eli is cute.”

  “Oh, is he?” Theo asked Julia.

  Julia huffed and ignored both of them. Valera sat next to Theo and winked. Julia paced the room. Her face hardened, then softened several times over, and Valera deduced that Eli had something to do with it. Although, she was surprised that someone could affect Julia in such a way. Theo elbowed Valera in the ribs, and they both giggled.

  “Will you two stop acting like children. This isn’t a sweet sixteen slumber party you know. We’re in a serious situation,” Julia ranted.

  Valera’s cheeks hurt from forcing the smile off her face. Julia was right. They were in a precarious predicament, albeit an amusing one. She clasped her hands around her knees. Julia stopped pacing.

  “So… I found out that the Elders have the artifacts from my father’s vault,” she spouted.

  Valera figured it was a tactic to change the conversation. She would go along with it – for now. It was nice to see Julia so befuddled for once.

  “That means they have Danu’s relics. I’d love to get my hands on Aeda’s Sextant.”

  Julia seemed to ease up. Valera grinned.

  “Dr. Lawless said he’d let us take a look at them after he assessed our abilities.”

  “I’m guessing it’s my turn tomorrow,” Valera mused.

  “Put on a good show.” Julia rubbed the back of her neck and muttered, “I… uh, struggled today.”

  Valera stood up and stretched. “I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks,” she yawned. “If I’m going to make an impression on the doc then I need rest. Night, Theo… and sweet dreams, Julia.” Valera waggled her brows. Of Eli, she said in their telepathic link.

  Julia threw a chair pillow at her, hitting Theo instead. Theo screeched and threw it back at Julia before slipping out of the room. Valera could hear Julia ranting behind the closed door. Served her right for all the times, she teased Valera. Crawling under her covers, she luxuriated in the soft, warm bed. Within minutes, she drifted to sleep.

  *

  Daughter… help me…

  Valera sat up and peered into the pitch black of night. The hour hand of the alarm clock inched past three. She’d been asleep for hours, and yet she felt like she’d just lain down. She swore she’d just heard her mother’s voice. For a second, she thought her mother had come back for her.

  “Hello? Mom is that you?”

  She waited for a response. The clock ticked. Water rushed through pipes in the walls. Prowling night owls echoed through the halls. Her mother wasn’t there. She lay back down and pulled the covers under her chin. The room felt cold and lonely. Closing her eyes, she tried to find sleep.

  A woman screamed, and Valera’s head erupted in pain. She grabbed her temples and curled into a ball. Behind her eyelids, she saw a woman suspended in air. Metallic snakes wrapped around her and squeezed the life from her. Something moved at the end of Valera’s bed. Her blanket rippled, and she felt the cold, scaly beast wrap itself around her legs. Every muscle in Valera’s body trembled. She slipped free, and threw her legs over the side of her bed. The floor writhed in the darkness, hissing. Hovering above the pit of snakes, a woman reached out to her.

  Daughter, help me. Please. Hurry.

  Valera screamed. The vision disappeared. Her headache ebbed. She threw her blankets back and found the bed empty. The floor was clear. She stood up, but the movement made her queasy. Her legs shook beneath her weight. The image had made her feel as if she’d just run a marathon. Her heart thumped in her chest and her muscles burned, leaving her breathless. She stumbled down the hall to the bathroom. After splashing water on her face, she reached out for the only people who would understand her strange vision.

  Theo, Julia, are you there? Even in her mind, she sounded breathless.

  I just had the worst nightmare, Theo responded.

  I did too, only I wasn’t sleeping. Valera sucked back the tears in her eyes. It was Danu.

  I have the same dream every night, and they’re getting worse, Julia added.

  Should we tell Dr. Lawless about them? Valera asked.

  Theo sighed. It couldn’t hurt.

  I don’t care one way or the other, Julia said. I’d just like to get a good night’s sleep.

  Valera slunk back to her room. In the back of her mind, she could still see the snakes on her floor. She took a deep breath and hopped across her room, leaping onto her bed. Pulling the covers over her face, she closed her eyes. Sleep evaded her. All night long the distant cries of Danu haunted her. Even the warmth of aether couldn’t drown out the goddess’ torment. Valera spent the night churning under her blankets.

  The morning came with a knock at her door. An Elder servant brought in a fresh white robe and slippers. Valera groaned and begrudgingly got out of bed. Shortly after dressing, Dr. Lawless appeared.

  “Good morning,” he chirped.

  “Ugh.”

  The man was far too chipper for Valera’s liking. He led her to the ballroom that Theo and Julia had described from the day before. She plopped into the chair and put her forehead on the table.

  “Is everything all right, Valera. You seem fatigued,” he asked.

  She groaned, “Bad dreams.”

  “I see. Could you describe these dreams?” He pulled out a notebook and quill.

  She looked up at him and yawned. “Danu is surrounded by snakes, begging for help. Last night was the worst one yet, though.”

  “She comes to all of you?”

  “Yes, Julia, Theo, and I have the same nightmares. She calls out to us for help, but there’s nothing we can do.”

  His face morphed into a twisted smile that alarmed Valera. He’d always seemed so composed, but the way his teeth gleamed made her think of a wolf baring his fangs. The grin disappeared, and he cleared his throat. Valera wondered if she imagined it all.

  “Interesting, she actually speaks to you.” He scribbled in his book. “We will delve into these dreams another day. Right now, I’d like to see your abilities.”

  Valera shrugged and pulled on aether. Tired as she was, controlling it was difficult. She formed flames on her palms and held them up. Dr. Lawless oohed and put the tip of the quill in the flame. The end of the feather shriveled, and a burnt hair smell wafted up to Valera’s nose. She merged the two flames in her hands together. Julia said to create a show, so she did. The fire curled into a ring and swooshed around in a circle above his head. His eyes widened, and he shrunk away.

  She extinguished the flame. “Sorry. I got carried away.”

  “No, no. It’s just a little overwhelming. I should have known since you melted those shackles without much effort. Are there any other… powers that you’ve discovered?”

  Valera wasn’t sure what exactly the other two had told him. They had agreed to trust him, so she figured he may as well know all of it.

  “The three of us can talk to each other… telepathically. We can also use aether as a kind of shield. Theo and I once combined our powers and it created a barrier. That’s all I know… so far.”

  Dr. Lawless’ hand flew across his page. “This is amazing… absolutely amazing. And you can hear Danu herself!”

  “I don’t know if it’s Danu. We just have vivid dreams about her.”

  He looked up from his writing. His eyes ripped into her. His lips again split into that twisted grin. He lifted a finger and pointed between her eyes. He licked his lips. She surrounded herself in aether, wishing she could leave.

  “Danu is inside of you. You are a very lucky girl, Valera.” He inhaled sharply. “What I would give to bathe in her essence.”

  Valera flinched. The way he looked at her made her think he wanted to crack her open like a melon. He smoothed down his hair and tugged on his collar. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if his change was all in her head. She was exhausted, so maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. When she opened her eyes, he was back to normal.

  “I think it’s time for you three to meet Professor Scrod.
I know she’s been looking forward to speaking with you. Shall we?”

  He held his arm out. She reluctantly took it. They went back to the chambers tower and found Theo and Julia in the lobby. Eli lingered nearby, and Julia watched him from the corner of her eye. When he moved, she moved away. Theo was in the middle of this dance and seemed amused by it.

  “Good morning, girls. I’ve got something rather exciting to show you.” Dr. Lawless frowned when he saw Eli paying close attention. “Excuse me young man, but who are you?”

  Valera frowned. Dr. Lawless didn’t know about Eli, which meant Dr. Lawless hadn’t spoken to Parmelia. Eli looked the doctor up and down. He smirked and put an arm on a startled Julia.

  “Hey, Doc. I’m a friend of the girls.” He winked.

  Julia shrugged him off and brushed her arm as if an insect had been on her. Eli chuckled. Dr. Lawless’ eye twitched. He cleared his throat.

  “Well, I suggest you find something else to do. The girls have an important and busy day ahead of them.” He stepped between Eli and the girls. “Follow me, ladies.”

  They left Eli in the lobby. As they neared a stairwell, Eli called back to them.

  “See you later.”

  Theo giggled. I don’t know why you don’t like him Julia. I think he’s charming.

  Julia rolled her eyes.

  Dr. Lawless is taking us to the relics. Guys, I am not sure about him. He kind of scares me. He was acting… weird earlier, Valera blurted.

  He is a little weird. But he got us out of the cells, and he’s helping us. Don’t be such a yellow belly, Valera, Julia hissed.

  Valera huffed at her. She crossed her arms and sulked all the way to the basement. On the lowest level of the building, they walked down a long dark corridor to a swinging double door that opened into a massive room. Dark splotches covered the peeling paint where water seeped through deep cracks. Puddles of water dotted the floors. A musty, briny smell filled the space. Rows of tables held equipment and the artifacts from the Vault. Several lab-coated researchers looked up from their work as the group entered. From the very back of the room a crazy-haired petite woman in a stained lab coat that was five sizes too large shuffled toward them. She pulled bright red glasses over her aqua-colored eyes. They covered half her face.

  “Professor Scrod, I’m pleased to introduce you to the three sisters of the Trinity- Theo, Julia, and Valera,” Dr. Lawless gushed and bowed to the woman.

  “Oh, my, we weren’t expecting you till much later. Ellwood, you naughty boy. You should have told me they were coming.” The woman performed an awkward curtsy. “Welcome to our labs, oh, wondrous descendants of Danu. I am Professor Rowan Darmody Scrod, lead director of archeology.”

  She pulled her glasses to the edge of her nose. Her bright aqua eyes shone. A block of curled hair fell in front of her face, and she blew it out of the way. Her outstretched hand peeked out from under her ink blotched lab coat. Valera took it and the tiny woman shook the life out of Valera’s arm.

  “I’m honored to meet you girls. There’s so much I’d like to ask. As you can see we’ve been archiving these items.” She continued to shake Valera’s hand, but turned to speak to Julia. “I assure you we are giving them the utmost respect that they deserve. Your father had quite an impressive collection.”

  Valera’s arm ached. Using a little force, she pulled it away from Professor Scrod. The woman seemed surprised, and then jumped.

  “Of course, you want to get right to work.”

  She spun around and scuttled back toward a room encased by filthy, cracked, glass walls. The girls followed her. At the entrance, Professor Scrod turned four dials and pulled a lever, and the rusted door creaked open.

  With an excited grin, she proclaimed, “Behold the relics of Danu.”

  Chapter Six

  Julia

  The three relics were displayed on a table. Now that she had her power, Julia hoped that the Sword of Ealga would respond to her. The crazy professor ushered them into the room. She reminded Julia of a nutty squirrel. Julia’s eyes flicked over to Lawly, who seemed even more intense today. Valera was right, he was acting oddly. He gazed at the relics with a longing in his eyes that gave Julia an unsettled feeling.

  “So far we’ve only examined the markings and materials of the relics. Unlike the other artifacts, they’ve been dormant. Unfortunately, we’ve had no luck activating them. According to legend, they hold great power. We’re hoping perhaps you three can provide some insight.” Professor Scrod tugged on a mass of curls.

  “Julia, as the descendant of Ealga, why don’t you try the sword,” Dr. Lawless offered.

  A twinge of nervousness niggled at Julia. Valera nudged her in the side and smiled.

  Go ahead. You’ll do great!

  Julia stepped to the table edge and went to reach for Ealga’s Sword of Ice.

  “WAIT!” Professor Scrod yelled.

  Everyone in the room jumped.

  “What’s wrong?” Julia yanked her hand away as if she were about to touch a porcupine.

  The professor patted her lab coat and looked around the room franticly. “I need my notebook. I must notate everything!”

  Julia shook her head. The woman was kooky. A notebook sat on the table in front of her. Julia cleared her throat and pointed to the book. Professor Scrod picked it up and hugged it like an old friend. She felt around her head of wild curls and pulled out a long pencil. Julia couldn’t help but wonder what else she was hiding in that nest atop her head. Professor Scrod opened her book and flattened out a smudged page. She held her pencil at the ready. Everyone seemed to stop breathing, Julia included. Picking up the sword, Julia held it out in front of her. Everyone waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing happened. Julia swung the sword a couple of times. Nothing.

  “I don’t understand. I thought for sure…” Professor Scrod scribble in her notebook.

  “What am I doing wrong?” Julia whined.

  A crowd of watchers gathered outside the glass walls. She held it like a warrior about to strike, but nothing happened. The only thing that changed was the metal cooling in her hand. She put it back on the table and shrunk to the back of the room.

  “According to the lore, Ealga’s sword froze an entire lake with one touch.” Professor Scrod frowned. “Perhaps one of the others might work.”

  Valera reached out for Aeda’s Sextant. Julia felt the aether pull away from her. Valera held the Sextant up to her eye and looked through the eyepiece. However, without the sun or stars, all she saw was the dark. Once again, the room deflated with disappointment.

  Dr. Lawless grew agitated. “Theo, why don’t you try. You seem to be the strongest.”

  The barb incensed Julia. Theo wasn’t the strongest, she’d just had more practice. Without realizing it, she’d gathered aether and cooled the room. Theo looked at her and smiled.

  Don’t listen to him, Julia. You’ve just turned the room into a freezer. She winked.

  He better watch out. One more insult and I swear…

  Ignore him. We’re a team, Valera chimed in.

  Julia’s nerves calmed, but she glared at Dr. Lawless. She would show him. Theo touched Maera’s Scepter with one finger. Julia startled at the loss of aether. Theo looked at the scepter as if it were a sleeping cobra. When nothing happened, she picked it up. At first, it seemed that the experiment was a failure. Julia felt vindicated, but then the scepter flickered. Theo seemed to concentrate on it even harder, and a spark erupted from the Aquamarine jewel.

  “Don’t stop! It’s working! Look, how beautiful.” Professor Scrod perked up and reached out to touch the jewel, and then seemed to pull back.

  “Good job, Theo!” Valera cheered.

  “Focus harder,” Julia shouted. The excitement overpowered her resentment.

  Theo bit her lip and squinted her eyes. Gripping it with both hands, she forced aether into the metal. Julia’s hair lifted off her shoulders as did everyone else’s. A static charge built up in the air. Theo let the staff
touch the floor. The air sizzled and filled with bright white light.

  Theo closed her eyes. The glass crackled all around them. Julia thought the walls were about to shatter. When Theo opened her eyes, the old cracks in the glass melded together and the filth burned away. The scientists outside the panes of crystalline glass gasped. Their hair began to rise as well. Julia felt Theo push the energy of the scepter beyond them. The massive room buzzed with life. All of the other artifacts in the larger room switched on at once. The room buzzed with noise and lights. When Theo’s light touched the walls of the room, the stains disappeared and the fractures closed. The puddles on the floor boiled away.

  Then all at once, Theo collapsed on the floor. Professor Scrod picked up the Scepter and placed it back on the table, muttering her amazement. Julia and Valera ran to Theo’s side. Julia patted her cheek.

  “Hey there, you still with us?”

  Theo’s eyes fluttered open. Julia smiled.

  “I’m here. Just feel a little drained.”

  No wonder… You just had to show off. Julia laughed.

  “Well you know me,” Theo coughed.

  The girls helped Theo get to her feet. They seemed to be the only ones concerned for Theo’s wellbeing. Dr. Lawless and Professor Scrod jabbered to each other, smiling and laughing excitedly. The crowd outside cheered and examined the fixed walls.

  “That’s enough for today, Lawly. Theo’s exhausted,” Julia commanded.

  Dr. Lawless frowned and grumbled. His anger frustrated Julia. Clearly, Theo needed to stop. Any trust she had for him disintegrated. Professor Scrod touched Lawly’s back. Her brows furrowed, and she at least appeared concerned for Theo.

  “Ellwood, they are young. We don’t want to burn them out.” She turned to the girls. “Get some rest. It was an honor to meet you, and please come see me anytime. I’ve so much to ask.”

  Julia ushered Theo and Valera toward the door. She wouldn’t risk giving Lawly a chance to stop them. Professor Scrod opened the relic room door, and the crowd of technicians parted to let the girls through. Each of them bowed as the girls passed them. It was a strange feeling – to be acknowledged, to be given respect, to be adored. Most of her life had been a struggle for her father’s attention, which he never gave her. Even though she hadn’t performed like Theo, the people didn’t discriminate between the three girls. Theo, Valera, and Julia were one.