by A. L. Knorr
"Like an Ent." I recalled the Lord of the Rings films we had watched together when we were younger, and the huge walking, talking trees who joined in the battle against Saruman.
"Yes, kind of. I felt so slow-moving, but I think in real life, it all happened very fast. I lifted and tossed the soil like a salad, burying Mailís, the house, and every nasty thing left behind by the whole horrid history of that place. And then I replaced it with new life, all in an instant." She snapped her fingers. "Just because I wanted to."
"Have you done it again?" Akiko asked.
Georjie shook her head. "No, nothing like that. But I know I could if I wanted to. I can feel my connection to the earth like this amazing kinetic force that is constantly flowing from the ground. But I can tell you that when I got the call that my mom was in the hospital…" Georjie choked up and her throat worked for a moment before she continued, "it taught me that my powers are a two-edged sword."
"What do you mean?" This statement hit so close to home that I was feeling a little breathless.
"I mean, I made her sick, just by all the negative thoughts I had about her over the summer," Georjie explained. "I could have killed my own mom."
Akiko put her hand on Georjie's arm. "You don't know that for sure."
"Yes, I do. I know it. I could do the same to any one of you." Georjie's eyes took on a troubled cast. "I'm…dangerous."
"You'd never do anything to hurt us, Georjie." Targa spoke with confidence, but I knew how Georjie felt; I'd had my own struggles with temper and control.
"I'd like to think not," replied Georjie, "but these powers are new to me. I'm still learning what I am and what I'm capable of."
"Is there anyone you can talk to? Maybe Jasher knows somebody, or there's a reference in your Aunt Faith's library in Ireland that might point you to another Wise? Someone who can teach you?" Akiko shifted, pulling her legs up and crossing them beneath her.
Georjie shook her head. "Not that I know of. I've looked."
I empathized deeply with this desire. How badly I had needed to talk to someone who knew what was happening to me; how frightening it had been to change so drastically and not understand what was going on. How relieved I had been when Enzo had put me on Basil's trail, and how thankful when Basil had turned out to be more than willing to help.
"I bet there is somebody out there, Georjie," I ventured. "Don't give up. There has to be more beings like you."
Targa was nodding. "Absolutely."
"What makes you so sure?"
It was on the tip of my tongue to say, because Basil told me there are many different kinds of supernaturals, but instead I said, "Because that kind of elemental power doesn't just come out of nowhere. It must evolve over time, like every other kind of being. There have to have been Wise that existed before you."
"You healed your mom though, didn't you?" Akiko's mind was on a different track.
Georjie nodded and smiled. "I did. It was amazing. Definitely the highlight of my summer." Her cheeks tinged with pink. "That, and the kiss."
"Say what now?" I straightened. "You conveniently left that part out.”
"At the very end of the summer. It was beautiful. More of a good-bye kiss, I guess."
"You're not together?"
She shook her head. "Not together, no. Jasher's got things to do. Now that he isn't being tortured by ghosts everywhere he goes, he wants to travel. Maybe I'll meet up with him somewhere, but neither of us wants a relationship right now." She blew out a long breath. "I have to sort myself out, not to mention finish high school without killing anyone."
"So, you're called a Wise?" Targa hadn't said much as Georjie told her story. She was looking thoughtful and guarded. "But you define it as an Earth Elemental?"
"I didn't call it that. Mailís did, in her diary."
"But your parents split up," Targa pointed out.
This seemed so random and strange that none of us responded at first.
"Uh…" Georjie droned. "Yes, they did. What does that have to do with–"
"Sorry." Targa blushed and made a face, like she was kicking herself. "I just had a crazy thought that your powers came from your parents. Forget I said anything." She pinched her lips together. She waved her hand at the pool and the jungle. "So, this is why you created this greenhouse?"
Georjie nodded. "We wanted to make a safe place where fae could hatch. We took out all the electrical wiring and the modem we had in here. Obviously, we can't have a chemical as powerful as chlorine in here, so we changed the pool to saltwater. The cocoons are why I asked you guys to leave your cell phones upstairs. They can destroy a cocoon in seconds. Jasher thinks there's a dearth of fae these days because of all the toxicity in the world. It wasn't easy to create the conditions they needed, but with some high-tech sprinklers that use rainwater we collect from the roof"—she pointed at the ceiling where several nozzles protruded from the ribs between the glass panels—"we figured it out."
"You're like a bee-keeper," said Akiko, "but for faeries."
Georjie laughed. "Yeah, you nailed it."
"I wish I could see them," added Targa dreamily. "How amazing to be able to see faeries."
"You're not surprised that they exist?" Georjie asked us. "I expected to have a harder time proving to you that I wasn't making all this crazy stuff up about faeries and ghosts."
At this question, there were several glances around the group.
“I was a little surprised,” I admitted, “but not overly.”
After the summer I’d had, faeries weren’t too much of a stretch. Akiko was watching me and I was watching Targa. Akiko had no problem believing it because she'd seen their connections to the Æther, but why did Targa seem so ready to believe? Targa just shook her head, her expression impenetrable.
"And the sudden plethora of big huge jungle plants?" I asked. "I'm guessing you didn't buy these at the local greenhouse."
Not that the Sutherlands couldn't afford it, but the plants around us would have cost a small fortune. The aloe vera plant across the pool from where we were sitting would be worth hundreds of dollars by itself. I knew that because my mom had been nursing her own aloe vera collection for years and often griped about the cost of adding new ones.
Georjie smiled and raised a hand toward the datura beside us.
As we watched, the plant grew, not just visibly but rapidly. New shoots developed and thickened, fresh leaves unfurled, baby buds lengthened from its tips, and its blossoms burst open with little puffs of pollen. It was like watching a time-lapse film. The fresh growth was bright green and seemed to reach toward Georjie's fingertips, shaking and dancing under her control.
Georjie put her hand down. The plant settled and went still. It was two feet higher and its foliage much thicker. A dozen more trumpet-shaped blossoms hung from its branches. Its heady perfume filled my nose, making me feel a bit dizzy.
"Dude," was all I could think of to say. First Akiko, now Georjie…and the girls didn't know about me yet. I glanced at Targa. Did she have a secret, too?
"Yeah," Akiko agreed.
"Something really weird is going on here," I finally said out loud.
"You're not kidding," Targa agreed. "Akiko is immortal and Georjie has a serious green thumb, to understate things on a galactic level."
"Yes, but…" I held my hand out, palm up. I lit a fireball in my palm and let it flicker there. My friends gasped as my fire reflected in their shocked faces. "Really weird."
4
Saxony
"I wasn’t sure what my intentions were when I came here tonight," I admitted.
They had listened to my story with many more comments than when Akiko or Georjayna had told theirs, as if they’d already acclimated to our new reality.
"But how could I not tell you everything after what's happened to you," I said to Akiko, "and you." I looked at Georjie. "It made my decision pretty easy. Mind you, Basil would probably kill me if he knew that I'd told more than family members."
My b
urnt-out vocal chords were huskier than normal from all the talking. I took a few big gulps of water, realizing I hadn't drunk anything since I'd started telling my story, and I was beginning to feel a little too warm.
"We are your family, Saxony." Georjie picked up the water jug and refilled my glass.
"I know," I said, and smiled at her. "But I don't think Basil would see it that way."
"Understandable." Targa crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned back on her tailbone. "He's just trying to keep you safe. The more people know what you are, the more potential danger there is for you."
"Easy now, Targa," Georjie said, setting down the jug. "We're trying to make her feel better about sharing her most intimate secret, not worse."
"I'm just saying." Targa sounded a little defensive and her palms were up. "I would have understood if she hadn't told us. It's a big thing, sharing a secret like that."
"At least now I don't have to make up some story about wanting to go to a private school in England and miss out on my last year of high school with you guys," I went on. "That would have been a hard sell."
"Very." Georjie made a face. "With the potential you have of being prom queen? I never would have bought it."
"I'll try not to take offense at that," I replied with a croaky laugh. "There are far more important things to me than being prom queen." Although I had to admit that this was something I would have cared a lot about before. Oh, how things had changed.
"So, when do you leave for England?" Akiko asked.
"As soon as I get my student visa sorted out. I have to submit the application on Tuesday." I took several more gulps of water.
"Think Basil would let you have visitors who aren't your parents?" Georjie filled my glass for a third time, draining the jug. She got to her feet. "I'll get more. You were really thirsty."
"Thanks, Georjie. To answer your question, I sincerely doubt it." I put the glass back on the table. An idea struck. "Maybe if he knew I had two supernatural friends. He'd probably want me to invite you there just so he could study you."
"Appealing," Akiko murmured sarcastically.
Georjie looked thoughtful. "Still, you say Basil has been studying supernaturals for years? Would you mind asking him if he's ever studied a Wise?"
"I can ask him, but he'll wonder why I'm asking."
"I don't mind if you tell him you have a friend who is a Wise. I mean, I feel pretty alone and vulnerable with these powers. I'd really like to find someone who knows more than I do, even if it’s someone who isn't a Wise themselves."
"Okay, I'll ask him next time I talk to him."
"Thank you." Georjie opened the door but looked over her shoulder. "Don't say anything until I'm back—I don't want to miss anything!"
We agreed, then waited until she returned with a full jug of water before Akiko asked the next question.
"So, what does your family think of you owing some mafia boss a favor?"
"Ha!" I gave a laugh but it came out as a squeak. I coughed to clear my throat. "James and Annette are just thrilled, I can tell you."
"No idea what he'll ask you to do?"
"Nope. Or when he'll call in the favor."
"He'll probably wait until you're finished with Arcturus," Targa ventured. "After all, it was his idea."
I nodded.
Georjie sat on the ground and dug her toes into the dirt. She shook her head. "I can't believe everything you went through and we never knew it."
"You were going through stuff, too," I pointed out.
"Yeah, but we weren't burning up from the inside," Akiko added. "Dante sounds…possessed."
"Maybe he is." Targa moved over to dangle her legs in the pool. "Maybe you should fly on over to Venice and check him out, Akiko."
"Maybe I will."
"You don't sound like you're joking," I said.
"I'm not," Akiko replied. "What else have I got to do now but what I was born for? Now that I'm not under Daichi's control, I don't want to be sitting in classrooms—much as I'll miss you guys—I want to be out hunting. I need to be hunting."
The fierce determination on her face gave me goosebumps. "Dante's demon should be very afraid, then," I murmured. I took another drink and then said, "What about you, Targa? You haven't told us anything at all about your summer. I've talked enough. It's your turn now. Spill."
Akiko, Georjie, and I waited expectantly, our eyes on our friend.
Targa's eyes went down to her feet, where they were crossed at the ankles and she bit her cheek. "I fell in love."
"With Antoni, we know," Georjie said. "He must be an amazing guy to have turned your head."
"He is, but he's not the only surprise."
"Finally," I rubbed my hands together and shifted closer to Targa. "We're getting to the good stuff."
"I inherited a billion-dollar multi-national company," Targa said.
A beat passed.
"That is so not what I expected you to say," I rasped.
We listened with amazement of a different kind as Targa told us about the elderly man who became attached to Targa and Mira while they worked on his salvage job with the Bluejackets team. Targa was still absorbing it herself and told the story in a halting way. She explained that Martinius had passed away shortly after she and Mira arrived home, and that Antoni himself had delivered the news along with documents for her to sign to finalize her inheritance. She had signed them, and Mira had signed for the rights to the wreck, a ship called The Sybellen.
While Targa told her story, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. There had to be more, otherwise the story didn't make sense.
"So, what are you going to do with this company, Targa?" Georjie asked.
"I don't have to do anything with it." She shrugged. "Antoni says it will run on its own just fine. I'd probably bankrupt it anyway—what do I know about shipping? Or running any company for that matter? And I don't want to sell it, that would feel like a betrayal of Martinius's memory, you know? He wouldn't have willed it to me if he'd known I would just turn around and put it on the market."
"Mira's not interested in running it until you decide what to do with it?" Akiko asked.
Targa laughed. "You need to spend more time with my mom if you think she'd be remotely interested in such a job. She can barely stand working for the Bluejackets, even with all her perks. She's on another job right now, in Nassau. You should have heard her grumble before she left."
"She must be happy about her rockstar status," added Georjie. "I've collected about a dozen articles about that woman. She's a legend."
"You have?" Targa looked surprised.
"Yeah! Your mom is a role model for me."
"You never said."
Georjie flushed. "Well, it’s a little embarrassing, but I've always felt in awe of her. Not just because she's amazing at what she does. There’s something else I've never really been able to put my finger on."
"Oh?" Targa cocked her head at this revelation.
"Wait a minute," I interjected. "This can't be it. No one else thinks there has to be more to the story?" I targeted Akiko and Georjie with this question.
"What do you mean?" Targa sounded cagey.
"It doesn't make any sense. Why would some old guy you'd never met just hand you the rights to his company? It's weird. There has to be something else. Plus, look at her." I gestured at Targa. "You can't tell me something supernatural didn't happen to her."
"She'd tell us if it did," Akiko said. "Wouldn't you, Targa?"
"I…I…" Targa stuttered.
I narrowed my eyes at my beautiful, now raven-haired friend. I pulled the fire up to my eyes and let them glow like lanterns. "I know you haven't told us everything. We've all spilled our secrets.”
"She'll tell us when she's ready," said Akiko.
"No. I call bullshit." My eyes were flaming now. "We love you, Targa. Whatever you went through or are going through right now, we only want what's best for you.”
Targa’s lips pressed together. Sh
e dropped her eyes.
"Friendship is a two-way street," said Georjie, quietly.
"You don't understand," Targa said. "It's not just my secret."
Now we were getting somewhere. I said, "My secret isn't just mine either, Targa. Jack is involved now, as are Gage and Ryan, and Basil, and a host of other magi."
"I made a promise when I was barely old enough to understand what a promise was," Targa explained. "I don't want to betray—" Her eyes went glassy and a tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away with an almost angry movement. There was only one other person I knew of who could get Targa's emotions all stirred up like this.
"Your mother?" I guessed.
The look on her face told me I was right.
"Whatever you are, it’s genetic, isn't it?" I asked.
"It's easier if I just show you."
With this pronouncement, Targa slipped into the pool.
5
Saxony
Targa's shape was a blur in the pool. She slipped off her bathing suit bottom and tossed it from the pool. It landed in a lump on the moss. She stretched her legs out and they just kept on growing. My throat tightened as her shape changed before our eyes. Her legs thickened and fused together. A long, elegant white fin swayed gently in the water.
I forgot to breathe.
"She's a mermaid," Georjie said on an exhale. She looked up at Akiko and me in shock. “Is that why Mira is such a diving legend? Do you think the Bluejackets know?” She blinked and mimed her brain exploding. “Mind-blowing!”
I shook my head. “There’s no way. Targa wouldn’t have had such a hard time telling us if a whole team of divers in Saltford already knew.”
Targa began to circle the pool in graceful, sinuous loops, her tail appearing to propel her effortlessly, her long black hair flowing behind her like a pennant. It was as though she'd transformed into a liquid, so smooth and silky were her movements. Her tail was pearly white at the back and a metallic silver on the front—a mercurial glimmering hue that was no color and all colors at the same time. Her skin seemed iridescent and transitioned smoothly into scales at her waist. Her tail was full and thick—muscular looking.
