Vortex Visions: Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles

by Kova, Elise

  “Do you have your own bag, or will you need one?”

  “I shall need one.”

  The woman took a metal scoop from a small bucket at her side and filled a tightly woven satchel with Vi’s selection. The bag plumped and their nostrils were assaulted with the tangy aroma. She tied it off at the top with a short length of twine.

  “How much?” Vi fished out a few coins from the pouch at her side.

  “For the Crown Princess, nothing.” The woman handed her the bag and sat back in her chair, a thin smile on her weathered lips.

  Vi continued to ignore the slightly unnerving feeling she was getting from the merchant, focusing instead on extending out a thin silver coin. “I can’t possibly take something without payment.”

  “Seeing you is payment enough.” The woman’s beady black eyes looked her over from top to toes. Vi’s arm went slack. “I heard the stories, but had to see it with my own two eyes. You really do look just like her, our dear, late princess Fiera.”

  “My grandmother?”

  The woman nodded. “You have her hair, her voice, her blood, and her fire, too, from what I hear.”

  Vi bit back a correction. One of the reasons she needed to learn the magic of light from Sehra and Taavin was to keep that illusion alive—that she was a Firebearer like her predecessors. It gained her far too much favor in the West to allow the perception to slip.

  Still holding out the coin, Vi tightened her elbow and extended it further. “Truly, I insist.”

  “Very well. I shall consider it a boon from our princess returned.” The woman leaned forward and took the coin from between her fingers. “Do you have her tastes as well? Do you like Western spices?”

  “I enjoy cuisine from all across the Empire.” Romulin would be proud of that response, Vi decided. She’d have to tell him about it in her next letter—but no, there would not be a next letter. She would merely tell him in person. An odd rush overtook her.

  The woman hummed and Vi got the distinct feeling that she saw the response for the politically approved statement that it was. “Well, perhaps when you are in the West enjoying our cuisine, you will enjoy other aspects of our culture.”

  “I am sure I will.” Vi made a motion to leave.

  “Perhaps a curiosity shop.”

  “A what?” It was Ellene who paused now, clearly intrigued.

  “A curiosity shop,” the woman repeated, answering Ellene but continuing to stare directly at Vi. Her eyes felt like they would never leave her for the rest of her days. “In the West, the Firebearers among us with the power to peer among the Mother’s lines of fate and look into the future will sell this ability to those who seek them out. The places they use their future sight for profit are called curiosity shops.”

  “Can you see the future?” Ellene asked eagerly.

  “We should go. Darrus is waiting.” Vi stopped the conversation there. She’d had enough talk about future sight. She still hadn’t told her friends, or Uncle Jax, about her visions. Vi was juggling too many things—too many secrets—for her taste, and didn’t want to stand here and be reminded of them.

  “Right, right.” Ellene gave a small wave to the elderly woman, clearly not as unnerved as Vi was. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Her black eyes stayed stuck on Vi. “Should you ever decide to go West, seek me out at my curiosity shop in the Crossroads. It has been passed down in my caravan for generations, the key to it said to have been gifted from Lady Fiera herself. You may find it enlightening, princess. The lines of fate are wound so tightly around you that they could strangle you if you’re not careful.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper, but Vi heard perfectly. The day suddenly felt far, far colder.

  “What is it, Vi?”

  “Nothing.” If she insisted it firmly enough to Ellene, perhaps she’d believe it as well. Vi plastered a smile on her face. “Nothing at all. Let’s get to the noru races. We don’t want to keep them waiting, and there’s only so much talking up Jayme can do.”

  Just as they were leaving the stall, so too was Andru leaving his. He also had a small satchel in his hands, though it was canvas, not leather. Whatever he had purchased was concealed within.

  “What did you buy?” he asked.

  “Some spices for Jax. What about you?”

  “A little gift as well, for when I return home.” A gift for whom? Vi wondered, but didn’t get the chance to ask. “Shall we continue to these races?”

  Without another word on fate, future seers, or gifts, they did.

  Chapter Twenty

  Expectedly, they were the last to arrive at the noru races, and Ellene seemed to relish in it because it meant all eyes were on her for her grand entrance.

  “I wasn’t sure if you were really going to come.” Darrus wasted no time in crossing over to them.

  “I would never abandon you,” Ellene said smoothly.

  His emerald eyes drifted over to Vi. She braced herself, remembering him in his mask from the night before. Would he out her now? A tiny, knowing smile crossed his lips, and then he carried on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “I heard you were racing?”

  “Well, I’d fully planned on it.” Vi rested a hand on her stomach, hunching slightly. “But I think I ate something in the market that didn’t agree with me. It’s coming on quickly.”

  “What, no!” Ellene gasped, bringing her hands to Vi’s cheeks.

  Jayme rushed over to Vi’s side, resting a hand on her back. “The same thing happened to me last night. Was it something from the cheese stall? The wheel with all the bright colors marbled underneath the wax?”

  “Yes, that one!” Vi leaned into her friend.

  “I do not remember you stopping at a cheese stall,” Andru murmured.

  “We must have gone when you were distracted,” Ellene said with a glare.

  “I only remember the spice stall.” He shrugged.

  Vi gave a loud groan of mock pain, trying to bring the attention back to her. “And after I’ve saddled my noru and everything.”

  Did this sound as fake to everyone else? Vi couldn’t help but wonder. It was a good thing they were all born nobility or in service to nobility, for none of them were about to win any acting awards. Even still, Darrus seemed to be believing it, and that was all that mattered. Then again, he hadn’t taken his eyes off Ellene for more than a minute and the two gravitated closer together with every second.

  “Should we get a cleric for you?” Darrus asked, concern coating his words. “I may have some potions on hand. One of my friends is a Groundbreaker with a gift for healing and I think they—”

  “No, no. I’m fine, or I will be.” Vi made a show of wincing.

  “It passed quickly for me as well,” Jayme affirmed. “But, as your sworn guard, and in the interest of your safety, I must insist you do not race. Doing so could agitate things, and the unsightliness of being sick astride a noru…”

  “But Jayme, my noru is all saddled and ready to ride.” As Vi finished, she glanced at Ellene from the corners of her eyes, waiting for the girl to jump in and be the hero she wanted to be… any second… But Ellene was too busy making looks of adoration at Darrus. Looks he was returning, so at least he didn’t consciously hear the conversation running head-first past awkward. “If only someone could—”

  “I could ride the noru for you!” Ellene returned to the realm of the present at the last possible moment. “If you do not mind, that is, princess.”

  Vi fought a blurt of laughter at Ellene’s display. “Are you certain you don’t mind?”

  “Princess, for you, anything.” Ellene gave a low bow.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to try?” Andru asked.

  Vi looked at him sideways. They’d all but settled the matter. This was overkill even by the most histrionic standards. Unless he was that dense and hadn’t figured out what they were doing?

  “No, I think it is best I don’t.” Vi straightened, trying to make sure she still looked appropria
tely ill in the process, as though standing tall was a struggle she was willing to endure for the sake of her station.

  “But you have given your word, princess,” Andru continued to press. “Prince Romulin has said that a royal should always keep to their word.”

  “It is very unfortunate, yes,” Vi ground out. “But I think I must sit out.”

  “But—”

  Vi outright interrupted him this time. “Ellene, if you are to race for me, then I must command you to win.”

  “It would be my honor.” She turned to Darrus. “If this last-minute substitution is accepted…”

  “Of course it would be.” Darrus didn’t miss the chance to take Ellene’s hands. Vi couldn’t fight a smile—a smile that quickly vanished when she remembered Taavin’s nearly identical motions the night before. As though he too hadn’t wanted to miss a chance to… Focus. Vi forced her mind only on the present. “For the Chieftain’s daughter, for you, anything.”

  “Thank you, Darrus. I really don’t know what I’d do without you…” Ellene was saying, as the two walked off toward the noru along a starting line drawn with gravel in the barren dirt.

  “They are so cute, it is a little disgusting, is it not?” Vi murmured.

  “He is certainly cute,” Andru said so softly under his breath that Vi wasn’t certain she’d heard it. She looked in his direction, but her thoughts were near instantly diverted when Jayme let out a large snort.

  “We’ll see if it lasts a season this time.”

  “Must you be so cynical?” Vi laughed at Jayme’s remark. “Let the girl have her romance.”

  “I’m being reasonable. Is he of a good family? Will her mother approve? What marriage must she make for the sake of alliances?”

  “The North is not as concerned with such things as the South,” Vi reminded her. Jayme might look Eastern, but she’d grown up in the South. Her concerns and sensibilities were distinctly Southern as a result.

  “They must not be,” she murmured.

  “Are you concerned with such things?” Andru asked.

  “I know that when it comes to my romantic life, it is best if I am not concerned. My opinion of my match will be the lowest rung on the ladder of considerations when the time comes.”

  “Spoken like Prince Romulin,” he said softly. Vi turned, catching his icy blue eyes. It was spoken like her brother, because he was the one to have given her those words. “Do you find your brother’s counsel wise, princess?”

  “More than any other’s.”

  “He would make a fine ruler, had he been born first.” The words were said like agreement… but there was something that felt akin to a knife twisting in her.

  A similar sensation to the one in the market returned, sweeping across new corners of her. Andru clearly thought Romulin was more fit to lead. He knew Romulin better—the whole of the South would. Romulin was their darling child and she was…

  Vi swallowed.

  She was the faraway heir no one knew anything about and likely no one wanted. Vi opened her mouth to speak again, though she didn’t know what she wanted to say. Did she want to confront him about the sentiment surrounding her and her brother? Did she want to somehow try to see if the Senate was keeping tabs on Romulin as they were her? Was the Senate trying to pit them against each other?

  Whatever she might have asked was cut short by a man walking along the center line. He stared up at the different noru, all shoulder to shoulder.

  “This preliminary heat will be one lap around the outer circle,” the man boomed. “The first two will advance to the finals to be held during the winter solstice festivities. There is no attacking, or intentionally bumping into other noru. Claws to anything but the ground equals immediate disqualification. Are there any questions?”

  The riders shook their heads.

  “Good luck, Ellene!” Vi cupped her hands around her mouth and called.

  “You’re sick, remember?” Jayme mumbled.

  “I’m sick, not mute.” Vi rolled her eyes.

  Ellene gave them a small wave, then settled further into her saddle. She looked like a proper racer. Everything Vi would expect for someone who’d grown up in the North. It was almost comical to imagine her sitting on a saddle even half as confidently.

  “Get ready.” The man who had outlined the rules lifted a small green flag. “Mark… Go!”

  He dropped the flag, and they all moved at once.

  There was a unified rallying cry from all the riders. Some yelled the word “go” at their massive cats. Others cried out their own, unique words. Most said nothing at all, a wordless shout that could easily be interpreted as a mix of excitement and exhilaration filling the air.

  The noru lunged forward; dust kicked up off their hind legs, pluming in the air like smoke. They charged forward, alight with the crackle of magic. Vi realized, then, that the leader had never specified any rules about magic for the race.

  Beneath Gormon’s feet, two large pillars of stone emerged at a forward angle. Vi was forced to give all the credit to the animal that he was not unnerved by it, and merely adapted to the new terrain. Gormon crouched, and the noru leapt forward, capitalizing on the momentum Ellene’s magic had bought him.

  He soared through the air in a massive leap, gaining a lead on the pack quickly.

  “Go, go!” Vi couldn’t help but cheer, even though Ellene likely couldn’t hear.

  Ellene was making headway, a solid lead. Perhaps Gormon was faster than Vi had given him credit for and she just didn’t know how best to ride the animal. But he was pulling ahead with nothing but open track before him.

  Vi began to run alongside, hoping for a vantage to see the finish.

  “You’re supposed to be sick!” Jayme repeated.

  “I want a better view!” Vi retorted.

  “Do you think you can keep up with the noru?” The question was a half laugh as Jayme was already running behind her.

  Vi knew she couldn’t. The track was long, and she could only see the noru for just a bit longer, even with the time running would buy her. But she wanted to see Ellene for as long as she could.

  And see she did, as the straps on Gormon’s saddle broke all at once; as the leathers flapped limply in the wind; as the small silhouette of her friend was airborne. Time seemed to suspend. Leather and girl alike hovered mid-air.

  If Vi had been a Windwalker like her mother, she could’ve caught Ellene before she even neared the ground. But she was useless as a Firebearer and as a Lightspinner. All Vi could do was watch in horror as Ellene’s body met the ground with a sickening bounce.

  “Get up!” Vi screamed. “Ellene!” Excitement turned to panic. “Stop, stop!” The other noru were coming in fast. Surely they’d seen what had happened? Surely they’d see Ellene on the ground through the dust cloud?

  The riders were struggling to swerve. The heat had too many noru, and the pack was confused between riders who saw and those who didn’t, bunched together with shoulders bumping—no one could coordinate who was going left and who was going right.

  Ellene was going to be trampled.

  Vi lifted a hand, debating with the precious few seconds she had. Did she try to make a fire and spook the giant cats, divert them into the woods? Could she trust herself not to burn Ellene and everyone else alive? She hadn’t learned enough of Yargen’s magic yet to use that confidently.

  At the last second, Ellene raised her head.

  There was a scream before Ellene curled in on herself, face to the ground, hands over her head; once again, her magic reacted on instinct. Large curls of stone rose from the ground, creating a cocoon of rock around Ellene.

  The other noru bounded over top of it. Vi watched as they leapt off of it, continuing forward until their momentum was spent and the riders could get a better handle on the beasts. Vi ran, crossing the distance.

  “Ellene! Ellene!” Vi cried out, even though she knew, logically, that her friend was all right. If she could survive the inferno Vi had made in th
e jungle, her rocks could hold up against some noru weight.

  The rocks retreated, like an egg cracking, revealing the precious girl within. Vi only ran faster toward her dazed friend as Ellene straightened. She slid to a stop, wrapping her arms around the girl’s shoulders.

  “Ellene, are you all right?” Vi held her fiercely.

  “I’m fine…” she muttered. “Not so loud… I think I hit a rock… or something. My head feels funny.”

  Vi straightened away. Sure enough, a river of blood ran down the side of Ellene’s face. Vi looked over her shoulder in a panic. Jayme was on her way, but slower in her military garb. She turned in the opposite direction, to the riders that stared on in shock and horror.

  “Darrus!” Vi stood and called. He was there in a second. “Take Ellene back to the stronghold. Summon Sehra and Ginger. And try not to jostle her too much.”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine…” Ellene’s mutterings faded when she was solidly in Darrus’s arms.

  “She’s not. Don’t let her say otherwise and avoid being checked out,” Vi commanded.

  “Yes, princess.” There was not one mention of the mysterious disappearance of Vi’s aforementioned sickness. Darrus shifted his weight in his saddle, making sure Ellene was situated. In a tone that he clearly only meant for the girl to hear, he whispered, “I’ll take care of you, I swear.”

  With that, the noru was off.

  “What, what happened?” Jayme panted.

  “I sent Ellene back.” Vi turned to Gormon. He was off walking as though nothing had happened. Then, she looked down to the saddle. “What in the Mother’s name happened here?”

  “A terrible or brilliant stroke of luck.” Jayme frowned at it. “If you had been on that saddle, as we’d said was the intent… then you would’ve been the one trampled.”

  It was true.

  If the riders couldn’t stop for the daughter of the Chieftain, Vi didn’t think they could’ve for her. Even if Vi technically outranked Ellene, in the eyes of most Northerners, she was merely the daughter of the man and woman who had brought them to heel. Disliked in the North, disliked in the South, the day’s realizations compounded. Knowledge she’d always had, on some level, of her position made real.