by Viola Grace
"Gargoyles in the Round! Fantastic!” Happy chortling noises came from her end of the phone.
"So do you think you can sell it?"
"Honey, I think I already have a bidding war on my hands. This news cast is just what I needed to make my point."
"Doesn't the publisher for Gnomes get first crack at it?"
"Nope. We took it out of their contract when they wouldn't give you the advance that we needed."
"Nice.” She smiled. A relaxed smile for the first time in days. Tina would take care of her, her own money depended on it. It was a fair bargain.
"You leave this with me and I will be back to you in a few days. The first pictures of the gargoyles are going to net us a pretty penny."
The image of Tina rubbing her hands together with anticipatory greed had Abby laughing. “Night, Tina. Enjoy your dreams of money."
"Night, Abby. Think of more creatures to photograph."
"Aye aye, commander. Night.” Abby hung up. She sighed deeply. Perhaps selling out her critters wasn't the most horrible thing she could do. And they really didn't seem to mind.
Perhaps she could think of a few more creatures to make. But she was going to let her family settle in for now. Too many new additions would wreck the balance of her family. Nine kids in a month was too much. She was becoming a fan of planned parenthood.
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Chapter Forty-Two
To escape the stresses of the news, the gnomes and the gargoyles, not to mention the questions being asked by her neighbours, Abby needed a distraction.
With a bit of time on her hands, she went into her room and took out her big book. Upon careful examination and manipulation, she was able to open it. There was nothing on the pages and she sighed and flipped through the empty book as she imagined what it should have held. Tales of knights and ladies, dragons and fairies. Instead of those stories, this book held nothing.
She sighed and closed the book, drumming her fingers on the surface. A clatter from the kitchen sent a thrill of magic through her and, to her astonishment, the binding of the book answered her power surge. The book glowed, shimmered with a bright magic. Lemon, gold and pink swirled across Abby's inner eye. It was amazing.
Abby's hands trembled as she finally reopened the giant tome. At first she was confused, there was nothing on any of the pages. But she remembered the way that the mirror had worked for her and how the book responded to her so she sent a tiny burst of magic through the book.
It shivered in her hands and words swam to the surface of the page:
If you are reading this, then you are the new Nexus and I hope that this chronicle finds you free and happy. Not all with our talent have been so fortunate. If you are in custody, I hope that this chronicle gives you the key to freedom.
Do not fear for the safety of this book as it lives to protect itself and to come to the Nexus when they begin to master their powers. As there is only one of us at a time, it is only one place at a time. No one who does not generate magic can read it.
I had hoped that after me, each Nexus would add to the book, but perhaps that has not happened. It is with this in mind that I tell you of my life, my capture and my death, for if this book has left my side before I can change this sentence, I have fallen at the hands of my captor. I am hoping that that is not the case.
So I am thinking that I should begin with my story...
Abby almost dropped the book. Holy crap. This was something. She read the next line.
My name is Terranor and I was the Nexus of my time.
With trembling fingers, she punched in Seesee's number. When she picked up, Abby asked her, “What was the name of the first recorded Nexus?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I just do. Can you get me the name?"
"Sure. Just a minute.” Seesee put the phone down on something hard.
Abby could hear the faint opening of the bookcase in the background. The flipping of pages was coming closer to the phone.
"The first one was the only other female that we know of."
"And?"
"Her name was Terranor. Held in the custody of Mervyn Atur. There is no record of her after her twenty-sixth year."
"Thanks.” Abby was getting ready to hang up.
"Will you tell me why?"
Abby thought about it. “Eventually. This is a Nexus thing for now."
"Fair enough, have a good night."
"Night.” Abby hung up and turned back to the tome in her lap. My name is Terranor ... This was going to be a long night, but she was eager to start reading of the first of her kind.
My name is Terranor and I was the Nexus of my time.
I didn't know what I was, nor did my mother or father. We lived happily in a small village and my father made a tidy living as a scribe.
May I say at this point that my parents were in love. They delighted in telling me of their first meeting, my father, new in the village, and my mother, working for her father in the tavern. When she saw him, she dumped a tankard of ale into the lap of the man she was serving. He was laughing so hard that he walked into one of the support beams and so was one of the greatest loves I have ever seen born.
Against common practice, my father taught me to read and write. From an early age, I had a love of letters and my parents encouraged learning. Every book that my father copied was given to me to read after the work was completed. I looked for errors and helped him complete the details of embossing and finishing his work.
I was happy there, but when I turned sixteen, something changed. A magus came to our village and examined all the villagers under seventeen. When he looked at me, his eyes lit up and he immediately offered to buy me from my parents.
They were offended by the offer. They were going to wait until I had made a love match before allowing me to leave their home. I had never felt so grateful to have parents who loved me and held my happiness beyond their own, for the magus offered them much gold for me.
The mage left and we thought it was the end of it, but then he returned six months later with an army. He destroyed the village, killed my parents and took me as the spoils of war.
So began my trip into the world of magic, in tears and blood.
Abby gasped as she pulled her mind from the pages of the book. She felt Terranor's grief as her own. A tiny hand put a tissue in her fist and she blinked tearfully at Bitsy. “Thanks."
"You are welcome, Nexus. Would you care for some dinner?"
His lips barely moved, but she heard the words clearly. “Sure. What is on the menu?"
"Caesar salad, chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese. Your favourites.” He led the way to the kitchen and waited to hold out her chair for her to be seated.
"I still don't know how you guys all ended up with manners. I had always imagined gnomes as wild and impish.” As she sat, Ruffles brought her salad out. “And your grasp of modern sedatives is just amazing."
"Why, thank you. We are what you wanted for us, smart, quick witted and we love the internet."
She paused, her fork half way to her mouth. “You aren't kidding, are you? You guys are cruising the net?"
"We are. It is the most efficient way for us to get information. We can't ask you everything. If we chased you around asking why and what all the time, you would take your magic back."
She absorbed that and shrugged, then mumbled around her salad, “The magic is yours now, you have made it your own. I could take it back, but it would cost me more than I gained. I love you little guys."
The kitchen ceased all background activities. Abby looked up to see all of her gnomes looking at her with reciprocal affection in their eyes. “I mean it. I wouldn't even be around if you guys hadn't stopped me from driving the great exploding car or if you hadn't shown Xander where the bomb was, it could have gone off at any time. Really. I love you because you are friends, you don't have to stay, but you do. It is the best kind of friendship."
Dang. Now they were all crying.
She felt her self engulfed in a seven-way hug with tiny arms and limbs once again. After what she had read, it was a welcome comfort.
I cried for days. It took two weeks of a brutal ride on horseback to reach the magus’ home. I was immediately rushed to a set of rooms grander than anything I had ever been in before, but still. I mourned the fifty souls killed to take me prisoner. Each day I prayed, cried and railed against the mad man who had taken me from my home.
It took two weeks for one of the maids to get me to bathe and with my mind numbed by grief and exhaustion, I fell asleep in the bathing chamber.
When I woke, the magus was standing over me. He told me that I was a Nexus and that he had to train me. My parents’ interference could not stop my destiny, I would become the conduit of magic. Whether I willed it or no.
If the water hadn't been cloudy with soap, I would have been mortified, but I was decently covered until he left. Then I scrambled out of the tub and into a gown that one of the maids held out for me.
I trembled for days.
I had no interest in my destiny, I wanted my family back.
Damned right. Arrogant prick. How dare he take her from her home just so that he could keep her power for himself? Abby was furious on Terranor's behalf. If that magus was here, she would kick him in the balls. Twice. With steel toed boots that had been heated in a fire.
Bastard.
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Chapter Forty-Three
My education in the magical arts began at the full moon. I was taught the history of magic and the first stirrings of my talent began to show. It was when I was folding a doll together out of leaves that had blown in through the window. I had cradled her in my hand and concentrated all my love on her so that I would be able to release her to the winds in prayer for the souls of my parents. The little doll sat up and hugged one of my fingers.
I almost screamed, but at the same time I was fascinated with my creation. She shifted and changed under my watchful gaze until she was the perfect image of my mother. I placed her carefully on my desk and ran to get her one of my handkerchiefs to wear as a dress.
She dressed herself and smiled at me. I smiled back. I had made a friend.
I named her Terza, after my grandmother.
She became my constant companion, she hid in my hair when I had to meet with the magus for my lessons. After a few weeks, she began to speak. Tiny whispers in my ear, but I could understand her. It was just fortunate that others could not. She had very few complimentary things to say about my maids. One was the magus’ leman, the other his bastard daughter. Neither were happy to be waiting on a village girl with some as yet unknown talent.
I suppose they thought I was going to interfere with their lord's affections. I wish that they were wrong, but more of that later.
"He wouldn't! Not with all that power flying around.” Abby was seething. Xander had been cautious with messing around with her for exactly that reason. What kind of an idiot was this guy?
A cup of hot chocolate was pushed into her hand. Mitsy had carried it between her gloves and was watching Abby carefully. One of her creatures had turned on her reading lamp and placed a shawl around her shoulders. She hadn't even known she had a shawl.
It took months of training, but I finally grasped at what the magus wanted. Enchanted weaponry. He had me start on daggers and then slowly moved into larger items. This concerned me. At no time did he have me pour magic into a shield or even armour. He was going on the attack, but each item exhausted me.
The work was steady, but eventually I began to fail. My hands shook, arms trembled and I began to faint after each outpouring of magic. The magus had no choice but to let me rest. I was taken from his citadel and brought to a country estate, deep in the woods. Terza and I loved it.
Each day dawned bright and clear, even if it was storming outside. The guards brought me every thing I asked for and so I began to ask for materials to create more little beings.
Terza posed for the new little statues that I made out of sticks, yarn and leaves. I had always bemoaned not giving her wings so that was the first thing I added. After a few fairies flew from my hands, I learned to make them as close to what I wanted before I poured the magic in. It was easier.
Each time I sent the magic into them, I felt a spill of joy through me. It was only when fifty or more of the creatures were flitting about that I recognized the emotion as coming from them. My strength returned and my health.
Hagatha was the maid that was now my companion in exile, but she had an interest in one of the guards that kept her occupied much of the time. She was the one who had to tell me that I had been commanded to return to the house of Lord Magus Mervyn Atur. I cried for the loss of my fairies, but rejoiced that they would remain free in the forest. I sent them deep into the woods where the guards would not see them and got back on my horse to return to my monitored captivity.
I hated him so much.
To my surprise, the situation had changed. Someone had told a council of some sort of my existence and they demanded to have a say in my works. It had taken them two years, but now they wanted to watch what I could do.
"Yeah, I bet they did. Greedy bastards.” Abby blinked as her hot chocolate was refilled, she took a deep breath and a deeper sip. Oh, the gnomes had found her stash of Mexican hot chocolate. It was sweet, hot, cinnamon and chocolate. Delicious. Just the thing to calm her before she turned the light bulb into a floating ball of light.
I attended my first ball that night. The council members were elves and merfolk. They danced as if they were lighter than air. I wished that I had half the grace that they exhibited on that night. I still do to this day.
They dipped and swirled, spun and bowed, all to the most delicate music I have ever heard. When one of the men turned to me and asked me to dance, I blushed and confessed that I had never learned.
He told me that now was as good a time as any, that he was an excellent teacher and led me to the floor. I do not remember the dance, but I remember that every time our hands touched, an energy ran from his body to mine. It was magic, but magic that he was giving me. The knowledge of the dance and the ability to move with the music. It was heady. Beautiful.
It was the night I fell in love.
Each pass of our hands, each time I looked into his deep blue eyes, I knew that this was the one I was meant to find. This was the man that made me whole.
When the dance ended, he kissed my hand and I felt it right down to my toes. I returned to my place at the head table and studiously ignored the magus as he glared at me, then the elf, in turn.
I didn't even learn my love's name until the following day. Strykr Elofwel, curator of the council library. He lived for books and knowledge. He was my perfect match.
The magus knew it, too.
The instant that the council members took up residence, he pressed his suit, gifts of ribbon, fabric and sweets came in a constant stream to my quarters. I rejected them all.
My maids and I were allowed to walk in the gardens, with an escort of course. It was on one such excursion that Strykr joined us. He took my arm and asked me how I was treated. I told him that I had clothing and shelter.
He asked me, “What about love?"
I told him that love had died with my family. He nodded as if he understood.
He fascinated me. I had heard of elves in our area, but never seen one up close. The delicate points of his ears held his hair back, the blond waves tumbled almost to his hips. His lips were well sculpted and surprisingly full and sent a blush running through me when he caught me staring. Those blue eyes crinkled up at the corners.
I love his beauty so much, he makes me feel like a princess when he looks at me.
I love that feeling.
I wish it could last forever.
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Chapter Forty-Four
Wow. This was intense. Abby was hoping for the couple, even though they were centuries dead by now. It still didn'
t make it easier to read the pain and confusion that Terranor had gone through. She got up and stretched, working kinks out of her shoulders.
She wished that Xander was here, wished that he hadn't gone back to his house to tidy up after the Miranda disaster. But if he was here, she wouldn't be reading this book. They would probably be curled up on her bed together.
She couldn't know where her life as a Nexus was going, if she didn't know where others of her kind had been. She took a deep breath and jumped back into the emotional turmoil.
There were guards, my maids and everyone was watching as he leaned down to give me my first kiss. I didn't know why he was doing it, I just didn't want him to stop. He had no choice as the magus chose that moment to come around the corner and Strykr was thrown back by a blast of magic so powerful that my hair stood on end.
A member of the council's party rushed to him and started the process of healing the large smoking hole in Strykr's back.
It was an error in judgement on the magus’ part. The merfolk held him as he spewed venom for all to hear. I was his, no one was to touch me, he had murdered for me fair and square.
The elves were horrified and I was immediately removed to one of their deep forest villages. I held Strykr's hand every time he was awake enough to ask for me. The damage to his back was so severe that the healer told me he might never walk again. I knew that it wasn't so and when there was a group of healers convening in the elven village, I broke in and asked what they needed to heal him completely.
They answered me. Power. Magic. It was all that they needed, but none of them could reach beyond their limits to complete the healing. I offered them all the power that they wanted and they agreed, more humouring me than anything else I think.
They were rather surprised when I provided enough energy to power them all. It was my worry over Strykr, I think. He was the first creature to offer me kindness since the day I was taken from my village. Well, him and Terza.
His bones and flesh knit in two days. At that point, I firmly had the attention of the village leaders and council representatives. I explained what I had been told by the magus and demonstrated a few things that he had taught me to do. When I mentioned the weapons, they finally began to look concerned. It was about time.
