The Merchant of Nevra Coil (Legends of Windemere Book 8)

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “A little over the top there,” Delvin says from where he is resting on Bessaria’s saddle. “I trust that Dariana and Catarina have a plan to make sure Sari isn’t permanently damaged. Hope they come back before the fight starts.”

  “Sorry, but you only get one of us for a minute or two,” Catarina announces as she enters the waiting room from a back door. Gasping for air after a long run, the gnome hurries to grab the Sari figurine and places her on a bench. “Dariana will be putting the essence of the others into this one. She’s hiding in the crowd, but she needs to hold our friend here to make it work. First, I have to make some alterations to the body. As the various auras gather into the single doll, she might feel an urge to leap into the battle. We do know that if every one of the Saris are destroyed, including this one, then there’s nothing we can do for her.”

  Flicking her goggles onto her head, Catarina searches her pocket for a thin hook and an X-shaped clamp that she attaches to the wall. One by one, the inventor pulls the figurine’s arms and legs to make an opening to the joint. Every time she gets a limb in position, she locks it into the cushioned mouth of the vise. Slipping the hook into the creases, the gnome carefully unhooks the internal cords and puts them in her pocket. Catarina leaves the arms and legs on the saddle for the other trapped champions to watch over. Wiping sweat from her brow, the inventor puts tape over Sari’s mouth and gives a friendly kiss on the head that puts the doll to sleep.

  “Good luck, Ms. Grasdon. The judge is about to make his speech,” the gnome says before racing out the door.

  Kira lets out a slow, relaxing breath as the gate rises into the ceiling. She proudly walks out to a barrage of boos and insults, the hate from the crowd more palpable than she could ever imagine. Sitting high above the ground is a bald nobleman dressed in a green tunic and black breeches. The heiress is happy to see Daniel Skyblade as he holds up a shimmering longsword to quiet the agitated spectators. Unlike the other citizens, his face is not a smiling mask of blind adoration. The famous Grand Counselor watches over the arena with a serious expression that gives Kira hope that he is not under the charm spell.

  “I, Daniel Skyblade, have the honor of presiding over this event. For the blessing of our mistresses, I will judge this challenge to the best of my ability. I will use fairness and compassion to most of those below me. My heart will be marred for eternity if I should fail our beautiful mistresses,” the nobleman announces, his praising words striking Kira’s heart like icy daggers. He stares down at the young woman with disgust before turning around and opening his arms towards the army of tiny Saris. “The challenged are our beloved mistresses who give all of our lives meaning. They fight for their freedom, their love, and their desire to spread happiness throughout our city. The challenger is this pathetic, hateful woman from a land of such heat that all of the people’s brains have been overcooked. Kira Grasdon is one of the selfish creatures in Windemere and she has sworn to take our mistresses’ love from them. Even worse, she wishes to destroy them like she did to her own brother.”

  “The moment you’re in your body, Sari, I’m punching you in the face,” Kira snarls, her blood boiling with renewed rage. She spins her weapon around her, the heat enchantment enveloping her in a blurry haze. “Right in your pretty, little, fragile nose.”

  “Combatants have agreed to the terms and this is to the death or destruction,” Daniel Skyblade continues as he comes to the end of his speech. Holding his sword over the arena, he waits a few seconds and lowers it to his side. “Begin!”

  A barrage of ice daggers flies at Kira and they burst into steam as they strike the wall of heat that she has been steadily creating. Charging out of the thick cloud, the heiress rapidly swings the blunt end of her kusari-gama. It is impossible to miss with so many enemies and her open aggression unnerves the Saris enough for her to drive the entire mob across the arena. Kira switches to the sickle to slash through their waterstone bodies, the weapon’s power melting the edges of the wounds. The crowd screams their hate and a few attempt to climb into the battle area, but they are knocked back by the wings of diving griffins.

  The tide turns when several of the figurines get around Kira and combine their powers to hurl chunks of ice. The projectiles are big enough to make it through the barrier and still have enough mass to cause pain. Cheering erupts from the crowd when the heiress is struck in the back and knocked to the ground, a bleeding gash on her forehead from landing on a rock. The Saris try to swarm over their opponent, but she activates her enchanted armor’s heat shield to drive them off. Those that are holding onto the heiress scream in agony while staring at their melted hands. Refusing to leave the battle, the injured toys grow watery daggers at the ends of their arms.

  The stalemate lasts for several minutes with the figurines failing to get through Kira’s protective shell of heat. Surrounded by her cautious opponents, the heiress can only defend herself and strike at any who dare to come within range. Now that half of the Saris have been destroyed, there is more room for them to dodge the strikes of the kusari-gama. Kira roars in frustration and charges through the swarm, letting the weapon’s heat do its damage. She laughs when one of the dolls bursts into flames and flails around to ignite several others. Before the fire can spread, a geyser bursts from beneath the arena and soaks everyone. The frigid eruption cools Kira’s enchanted gear and bathes the arena in thick fog that the griffins attempt to clear with their wings.

  “We’re going to win this,” one of the Saris declares. She whistles and all of them gather at the far side of the arena. “Let’s drown her!”

  “Oh this is going to be adorable,” Kira replies while wading through the knee-high pool that is becoming warmer by the second. Her eye twitches and she moves to the center of the battlefield, giving herself ample room to dodge an attack. “Do you want me to feign fear or can I laugh?”

  The roaring water swirls around the arena, leaving only a small circle of dry land around the heiress. Steam rises from the bubbling pool and a towering form emerges with all of the Saris inside. Chanting a spell to keep their aura away from Dariana, the toys melt and mix to form the bulky figure’s core. Some of the waterstone floats out of the center to create hardened plates and curved spikes that sit on cooled sections of the liquid body. As if the Saris are arguing, the head shifts and changes until settling on that of a horned lion. The arena shakes when the monstrous figure takes a slow, experimental step toward the heiress.

  “I was so focused on your use of ice, I forgot that you could create hot water,” Kira admits, wiping the sweat from her neck. She can only imagine what would happen if she touches the bubbling whirlpool that surrounds her. “I guess I’m trapped, so come on over and finish me off. After all, this is to the death. Everybody want to chant for me to die? I know you all hate me for destroying many of your precious mistresses.”

  The crowd yells for the death blow and the hulking form plays up the attention by lifting its arms and roaring. It is so busy enjoying the taste of victory that it never notices Kira slip a vile of red potion from her sleeve. She drops her weapon and pops the warm cork before drinking the searing liquid in one gulp. Doubling over in pain, her throat burns like she has swallowed acid and her skin becomes pockmarked with crimson blotches. People are shouting and pointing for the Saris to turn around when crackling sparks fly from Kira’s armor, the enchanted leather melting off her body. Wanting to end the fight immediately, the gypsies clap the giant’s hands and cause the boiling water swallows the heiress.

  The arena is still for seconds that feel like hours, the bubbling water showing no sign of Kira. The spectators scream when a slender woman of solid fire and magma appears behind the Saris. Hair of black flames whip through the air as the terrifying figure pounces and tears off one of the bulky giant’s armor plates. The waterstone melts in her hands and drips into the water that is draining into the sewers. With a sizzling battle cry, the fire elemental dives into her enemy and turns pieces of it into mist with every blow. Holes ap
pear around the massive construct, which helplessly flails and bellows. A savage kick to the stomach explodes the hot water beast and sends droplets of melted figurine into the booing crowd.

  “Using elemental blood is dangerous and cheating!” the last of the Saris yells as she slips out of a hole in the wall.

  Kira recognizes the yellow and blue dress, her burning arm stretching for the figurine. The toy throws a pair of harmless toy daggers and races toward the nearest gate, the fake weapons disappearing with a hiss. The gypsy tries to trip her fiery enemy with patches of ice, but the obstacles melt as soon as they touch Kira’s feet. The figurine dives between the bars of an iron gate and steps back to stick her tongue out at her opponent. She dances and teases from the other side of the barred doorway while the fire elemental crouches in wait.

  “Can’t get me now,” the figurine childishly gloats while making rude gestures at Kira. “I only have to wait for your potion to run out and then-”

  The metal bars melt away from the fire elemental’s hand as if they are nothing more than frail illusions. The doll is too surprised to escape and is snatched off the ground, her shriek echoing throughout the arena. She hurls ice and water at her enemy, but the projectiles puff into warm mist as soon as they strike the fiery skin. People are leaping over the barriers to help the last of their mistresses, but the Sari is a puddle of ooze before they can get near.

  The charm spell still active, the spectators move to attack Kira even though nobody can touch her fiery skin without receiving severe injuries. Not wanting to hurt anyone, the heiress becomes hotter and burns through the potion that is coursing through her veins. Without the elemental powers, the young woman is left naked and defenseless in front of the approaching mob. Steam wafts off a fiery streak that runs through the center of her ebony hair and continues down her spine, the mark ending just above her tailbone. When Kira opens her mouth to tell the crowd to stop, the only thing that comes out is a plume of ash and smoke. Backing up against the cooling remains of the bars, she searches for a weak point in the crowd and prepares to brawl her way to the nearest stairs.

  “Everybody stop!” shouts a booming voice from the top of the arena. The crowd turns as one to see the remaining Sari being held aloft by Dariana, the figurine’s mouth no longer bound by the tape. “All of you are freed from my power. I apologize for what I did and hope you can forgive me. Although, I’m trusting my friend to tweak your memories a bit because I want to be able to return to Gaia one day.” Lowering her voice, she turns her head backwards to smile at the telepath. “Best to make sure they don’t remember that last part, Dariana.”

  A wave of blue aura washes over the city, which erases the potent charm spell. The citizens slowly return to their senses with vague memories of what happened. All they know for a fact is that Kira Grasdon made a public challenge against a mischievous caster, used fire elemental blood to win, and lost her clothes in the process.

  *****

  “I guess saying that I’m only a delivery boy wouldn’t help,” Nyder says with his hands above his head. “I’d like to point out that I’m leaving one of my friends . . . allies . . . Trinity here. Consider it an act of good faith and let me go home.”

  The gnome impatiently taps his foot as he stares at the white, glowing staff aimed at his chest. He sighs and glances around the beautiful garden of Rainbow Tower, showing that he is more bored than scared. Not trusting the gnome, Willow and her apprentices keep their weapons aimed at the intruder while Dariana checks the unconscious channelers at his feet. Nyder sees her rub her temples in preparation for probing the minds of his deliveries, so he gently nudges the champion with his foot and shakes his head as a warning. The silver-haired woman eyes him suspiciously until he points at his own head, silently offering up his memories to her.

  “It will be faster this way, little Baroness,” Nyder points out, his attention falling on an orange bug crawling over his shoe. Unable to stop his curiosity, he snatches the insect and ducks the accidental blast of magic from Willow. “Hey! I don’t get off Shayd that often, so forgive me for grabbing a new specimen when I see one. That gnome working on her flying machine can vouch for my behavior or the telepath here can open her mouth on my behalf. Now can you hurry up because I have things to do?”

  Dariana enters the inventor’s mind and learns about the channelers landing in Shayd. It is a surprise to see her parents in the same room and she attempts to hear what they are saying. A pulse ripples through her mind and nearly drives her into unconsciousness, so she goes back to the gnome’s thoughts. She catches hints of what happened to Nyx and Trinity before their appearance, but it is evident that Nyder is working off educated guesses from their occasional mumbling. When she tries to probe further into his mind for information on her father’s current plans, she is struck with a sudden bout of maniacal laughter.

  “Don’t wander into places that you weren’t invited,” Nyder warns her. The hint of tension disappears from his body and he bows to the elegant mistress of Rainbow Tower before him. “I leave these two in your hands and hope that you rescue Yola Biggs. Your other half is an hour or two away from reaching her, so you best work quickly. Now I have a shopping list to attend to and a few hours of freedom before I’m yelled back to my factory. Good-bye.” He turns to leave and stops when his dark red eyes fall on the nearby flying vehicle. “Interesting invention you have there. Nothing like my pets, but I see that Voran has blessed you. I’ll be sure to keep you on my staff when my master gives me Nevra Coil.”

  “You’ll never take the city,” Catarina states, her grease-covered head poking out of the belly of her ship. “Gnomes don’t fall without a fight. Go back to the shadows like the rest of your family, Lord Fortune.”

  The older gnome grins and puts his hands in the pockets of his ugly, green pants. “I will, but remember that the shadows will encompass all of Windemere one day. Again, I wish everyone a good day and ask that you not talk to me again. I have too much work to do.”

  Willow waves the apprentices away while she keeps her staff trained on the departing gnome. The exhausted champions go back to waiting for Catarina who is calibrating the ship’s internal mechanisms. Muttering a series of curses, the inventor continues working on increasing the vehicle’s power and speed. Now that she has two more bodies to carry, she is not sure they will make it back to Nevra Coil with enough time to spare. Her frustration peaks when she drops her hammer and helplessly watches it tumble out of reach. She is about to call for Kira to help when two tiny hands reach under the vessel and lift the fallen tool to her. Catarina smiles at the gaunt, blonde-haired boy staring up at her, his eyes full of curiosity and wonder.

  “Thank you,” the inventor says, noticing that Fizzle is asleep on the child’s shoulder. “Are you an apprentice here?”

  “My name is Jack Pursin and I’m five. Fizzle brought me here from below. I don’t know any magic,” the boy answers as he takes a seat beneath the ship. He tries to turn his head upside down to match Catarina, but topples over instead. “He said you made the toys that all the kids like. Can I have one when you’re not busy?”

  “Something tells me I’m going to hate the answer, but why can’t your parents get them for you? I’m sorry if that was a mean question.”

  Jack shifts uncomfortably and pulls Fizzle into a tight hug. “My parents died when I was four.”

  “An orphan with nowhere to go,” the hard-working woman whispers, frowning at the idea of a homeless child. “This is why gnomes make sure no kid goes without a family. You never know what type of genius is locked away in a child, so it is important to nurture all of them. Never know which one will change the world. Excuse me for a few minutes.”

  Unhooking herself from the vehicle, Catarina gracefully drops to the ground and crawls into the open. With a gentle pat on his head, she gestures for Jack to stay where he is and takes a few steps backwards to make sure he is listening. The gnome hurries to Willow who is kneeling by Nyx, the half-elf’s head in the elegant
caster’s lap. Catarina and the caster talk, the inventor pointing in the boy’s direction and the blonde woman nodding every now and again.

  Jack lets his curiosity get the best of him and tries his best to sneak closer to the conversation. Being only five, his method of being stealthy involves tip-toeing and keeping a hand over his mouth. He freezes whenever someone looks at him and stares at his feet until he thinks the spectator has turned away. The child carefully moves around a napping Kira and the circle of cloudy asters that she is using as a natural bed. Jack puts his finger to his lips and hushes Sari when she giggles at the sight of the sneaking boy. He smiles proudly when he gets within a few steps of Willow and Catarina, neither woman appearing to notice him. With victory close at hand, he is distracted by Trinity since he has never seen a chaos elf this close before. No longer remembering what had caught his interest in the first place, Jack bends down to poke the cobalt-skinned channeler in the nose with his finger.

  “Please don’t touch the sleeping caster who wields enough power to vaporize half of the city,” Catarina tells Jack, pulling him away from Trinity. She puts her hands on the boy’s shoulders and stares into his eyes, a warm smile on her face. “Do you want to play with toys most of the day? I say most of the day because you’ll still have to go to school, brush your teeth, sleep, and do some basic cleaning.”

  “Yes! Thank you. When do I get the toys?”

  “I think I should explain this a little more, Jack Pursin,” the gnome admits, blushing and running a hand through her greasy hair. “I want to adopt you, bring you to Nevra Coil, and raise you as my son. You can help me test the toys and eventually learn how to make them. I’ll admit that I don’t know a lot about talking to children, so I’m not sure if I’m making this clear. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “When do I get the toys?”

  Fizzle yawns and stretches his wings, their felt tips tickling Jack’s ear. “Catarina wants to be new mommy and take you to gnome city. There you get food, bed, and toys. Also get to play with Bessaria who good sheep.”