For a moment, Nicole’s excitement returned until Austin put the ring on her right hand. “I convinced him to change it into a ring, realizing how impractical a necklace would be while fighting. And while a ring might be impractical too, it’s not as dangerous.” He looked into her eyes. “Whenever I think about you and send a message of love, the ring will warm to the touch. You’ll be able to sense my feelings regardless of where you are.”
“That’s amazing, Austin.”
“I had him make one for me too—I hope you don’t mind. It felt weird, picking out jewelry for me that was supposed to come from my girlfriend without her knowing.” Austin pulled another box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a similarly styled ring, though bigger. “It only needs your touch to be activated.” He took it out and gave it to her.
“What do I do?”
“Press the pad of your left ring finger into it and think about your feelings for me. When the ring senses you thinking those thoughts at that intensity again, it’ll warm itself, letting me know.”
Nicole pressed her finger into the ring, closed her eyes, and poured her heart and soul into it. All of the love she felt for Austin, for his care, for his help and intelligence and humility and pride and everything that made him an amazing man. For how he cared for her and treated her. She didn’t hold anything back. When she finished, she opened her eyes, blinking away the tears, and gave Austin his ring.
Austin put it on, then gently pulled her to her feet and held her. “I had a similar reaction,” he whispered.
They stood that way, enjoying each other’s embrace for several moments before Austin pulled away. “Let’s see if they work. You go in your room, and I’ll stay out here. Count to ten, then think hard about me. I’ll do the same afterwards.”
Nicole nodded, then practically skipped into her room to sit on her bed. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then pushed her thoughts outward, expressing her love and desire for Austin.
“I love you too!” he called from the living room, making her chuckle.
Nicole took a breath, then lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for his turn.
She gasped when she felt the ring start to warm. But it didn’t just do that—the actual emotions Austin sent enveloped her like a big comforter fresh from the dryer. It was the best feeling she’d ever experienced, and she didn’t want it to end.
Nicole closed her eyes, smiling to herself, enjoying the emotions. Finally, she stretched, then slowly sat up and joined him in the kitchen, where he had started mixing a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind. “You know the perfect way to a girl’s heart,” she mumbled against his back.
“Is it still warm?” he asked.
Nicole fingered the ring, not pulling her arms away. “Yes. Thank you so much for this—it’s the best gift ever.”
“It’s a late birthday gift.”
“I haven’t gotten anything for you,” Nicole said.
Austin turned in her arms, holding her tightly. “Yes, you did. A ring.” His warm brown eyes sparkled with humor as he studied her face. Before she could argue, he kissed her slowly and thoroughly, only stopping when the front door opened. He cleared his throat. “Well, I suppose these cookies aren’t going to make themselves.”
“Did someone say something about cookies?” Lizzie asked, dumping her backpack on the counter. She squealed when she saw the chocolate chips on the counter. “Fantastic! I was daydreaming about this all day.” She grinned impishly at Nicole. “And that’s about as close to dreaming about your boyfriend as I’m going to get.”
Nicole and Austin laughed, then Nicole helped him finish mixing the dough. When the cookies were done, Lizzie poured tall glasses of milk, and they ate while watching a movie.
***
Sanso was really moody during their next practice session, and Nicole couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was because of their conversation yesterday. Regardless of what caused it, it was frustrating. She fought carefully, not wanting to trigger an outburst of anger.
Toward the end of the bewildering practice session, she grew tired of the mood games. Sanso had yet again bounced back to his smoldering. He grabbed her and kissed her full on the mouth. She shoved him as hard as she could, then back-handed him for good measure.
He growled, his hands and feet flaming. Just as he was about to push his fire at her, Nicole decided to cheat. She pulled enough water from the air around them to douse Sanso’s flames completely.
His reaction shocked her. He freaked out. He screamed at her, wiping his hands on his pants repeatedly, trying to dry them off.
“Fine!” Nicole said. “Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
She stirred up some air and directed it to him, drying him while pulling the water away.
It wasn’t enough to make Sanso happy, though. He snarled and lunged at her, throwing her across the forest.
Nicole landed roughly, the wind knocked from her. She gasped for air, trying to force it back into her lungs magically.
She sucked in the air she needed right as Sanso pounced on top of her, pinning her arms and legs down. His dark eyes were only inches from hers.
He breathed heavily, obviously trying to calm down. Nicole held as still as she could—she sensed just how deeply she’d pushed him, and realized he could destroy her if he wanted. She tried not to show her fear as she stared back at him.
“Apologize,” he demanded.
“I already did.”
“Do it again!” he screamed.
Nicole flinched. “I’m sorry, Sanso. I had no idea water would affect you like that.”
He scoffed. “You can’t be serious. A person whose entire life is surrounded by fire, and you’re shocked he would panic when covered in water?”
“Well, when you put it that way . . .”
Sanso glared at her. “You owe me.” His gaze drifted to her lips.
“Don’t you dare—”
His lips cut her words off. He pressed her body into the ground, urgent, forceful. It took Nicole several seconds to detach her face from his. She spat when she did, trying to get the taste of him out of her mouth.
“You vile, disgusting beast!”
Sanso jumped off her and scrambled away. As suddenly as it had come, the fight left him. “Come back to my world with me, Nicole.”
“After that? You think that’s how to win a girl over? I’ll have you know, most women prefer the nice guy.”
Sanso snorted. “Austin’s a nice guy?”
“He’s never forced himself on me—not once. He’s considerate. He actually cares how I’m feeling! And when we started dating, he took things slow. He was cautious and hesitant. And yes, that bothered me a couple of times, but you know what? I’d much prefer that over someone who makes me feel constantly on edge.”
Sanso took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” He stared at the forest for several minutes. “You’re too young to realize what you’re getting into where this battle is concerned.”
Nicole scoffed. “I’m too young? And how old are you?”
He glanced at her. “Thirty.”
“You’re barely ten years older than me.”
“Regardless, I’ve seen more than you’ll see in your entire life.”
“I doubt that.”
He frowned at her. “You can’t possibly win against Keitus—not with the powers he has. Nothing will stop him now that he has nearly everything he needs.”
“We’ve had this conversation before! I’m not deserting my friends or my mission.”
“Come with me,” he repeated.
“Not a chance.”
He stared at his feet for several moments before responding. “You didn’t need to be so honest.”
Nicole realized she’d hurt his feelings, but she didn’t care. After this last practice session, he deserved it. Besides, why would her honesty this particular time be any different? It wasn’t like she’d changed her answer.
He obviously wasn’t through trying to convince her. “We have great chemistry. You’d never be bored with me. I could take you to places you’ve only dreamed of . . . and most importantly, you’d always be safe with me.”
Nicole turned to him, trying not to scoff openly. “You realize we—my boyfriend and I—aren’t regular humans, right? You control fire, yes. That’s very impressive. But Austin controls fire and every other element. His protection supersedes yours.”
As if on cue, Nicole’s ring started burning. She gasped, holding her hand to herself, enjoying the flood of positive emotions that rushed over her. Like before, they made the back of her eyes prickle. She was so lucky to have Austin.
“We’re done now,” Nicole said. “I’m going home.”
“That’s fine,” Sanso said, obviously trying to maintain his charge over her. “You’ll be fighting Lasia in two days. Tomorrow will be our last practice session.”
Sanso pulled Nicole to her feet—she felt extra nice for allowing him to do that—then they walked back to the city in silence. Nicole sensed a change in the Ember God, but she had no desire to pursue the topic with him or to know what was going on. Judging by the sense of resignation around him, he’d finally realized she would not be falling for him.
Good riddance.
When they reached the city, instead of leaving immediately, Sanso turned to Nicole. “You’re obviously determined to go through with the plan, so let me tell you now—Fire Pulsers have almost no weaknesses. But there’s an exception to that. All of them have a pressure point on their wrists that is incredibly sensitive. If you push it hard enough, it’ll cause her pain, and a lot of it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
Sanso shrugged. “I thought I’d be successful in getting you to abandon your ridiculous plan.”
“Well, I’m glad you told me now.”
Sanso grabbed her hand, kissed it, then turned it to the side and showed her where the pressure point on a Fire Pulser would be. Then he walked away.
Nicole leaned against the wall of the abandoned building, eyes closed, so relieved to be out of the Ember God’s presence that her toes and fingertips tingled. Only one more practice session—she could handle that. She could.
Nicole only had to wait a couple of minutes before Jacob showed up to take her home.
He whistled at what greeted her in the apartment. “Looks like someone has you on his mind,” he said.
The entire entryway, living room, and kitchen were stuffed full of flowers. Rose petals lined the narrow paths that wound through the foliage. The apartment smelled like a florist shop. Nicole barely noticed when Jacob chuckled and said goodbye before shutting the door. She rested her forehead on the fridge next to several pink cut-out hearts.
“Holy cow,” she whispered to herself. Was Austin planning on proposing this time? She was still a little embarrassed for assuming he’d been about to propose last time.
It occurred to her, though, that he wasn’t the type of person to move when he felt insecure. Was he showering her with gifts for a particular reason? Was he worried she’d choose Sanso over him, and this was his last-ditch effort to convince her to stay with him? She picked up a rose and breathed its aroma deeply, realizing she needed to be more persuasive if he was worried.
The doorbell rang, and Nicole turned and peeked through the peephole. Austin was on the other side. She opened with excitement, grinning, and threw her arms around him. “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed.
He half smiled, ducking his head. “I thought you’d like it.” He pulled tickets from his pocket. “Care to catch a musical?”
Nicole jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Oh, heavens, yes. I definitely could use that.”
The evening was fantastic, but Austin didn’t propose. Maybe he was warming up to it.
She just hoped he’d do it sooner rather than later. With how Sanso had been talking, she’d started worrying that Keitus would destroy everything and everyone. Would she and Austin get the chance to turn their relationship into something more permanent first? She hoped so.
***
Nicole arrived at her last practice with Sanso prepared to find him in all sorts of annoying and dramatic moods. Instead, she found a note from him on the porch of the abandoned building. Under it was the necklace he always wore. She ignored that and read the note.
You’re ready to face Lasia, Nicole. Today’s practice would only prolong the pain your decision has caused me. If you change your mind, this necklace will help you find me. Keep it—it reminds me too much of you.
Nicole rolled her eyes. He was so dramatic. According to Jacob, Sanso had worn that necklace back when the two of them had met at least four years earlier. How could two months of practice make Sanso think of Nicole when he looked at a necklace they’d maybe had one, possibly two conversations about?
The note had been propped on top of the necklace with a rock—the paper hiding the necklace, the rock keeping the paper from blowing away. Nicole sat on the porch and picked up the necklace. The minute her fingers were on it, she had a vision of him. He’d left this world completely and gone to a tiny world who knew how far away. It was so small and insignificant, Nicole could totally believe Sanso was right about Keitus overlooking it.
Sanso was sitting at a table in a small cabin, fingering a bracelet. Nicole gasped. She recognized that bracelet! How had Sanso gotten his hands on it? The thief! It was the one she wore that zapped her constantly, letting her know when she’d overdone it magically.
Nicole had half a mind to storm to that world and demand he return it. ’Course, that was probably what he expected her to do. And if she did it, she’d never be able to convince him she wasn’t madly in love with him.
Sighing with resignation, Nicole pulled the Minya container from her purse. She felt a little sad about having to give the Minya back to her proper owner, but realized it would mark the end of a very stressful period of her life. She couldn’t wait for Lasia to be defeated and for the next few days to be over.
She hoped she’d survive.
Jacob came and picked Nicole up immediately.
“Would you take me to Shonlin?” she asked when he wondered what she’d do with the time she had.
“What for?”
She lifted the necklace. “I want to put this there. I’m not going to keep it, and I doubt he’ll come looking for it. And if he does, it’s only one sealing away.”
Jacob nodded. He took her hand, warmed it, and everything flashed around them. The landscape outside of Gratitude, the Makalo city, greeted them for a brief moment before her hand warmed and the lights flashed again. Then the fifth floor of the library in Edana surrounded them. Nicole thanked Jacob and walked to the corner, greeting the guardian. She handed him the necklace.
He inspected it, gave it back, and told her to go ahead and seal it in the room.
Nicole entered that room and faced the empty shelf. The necessary words flowed into her mind and she repeated them, sealing the necklace in place. She made an entry in the book by the door, then joined Jacob outside the room.
“That was fast,” he said.
She shrugged. “I know what to do now.” And she was glad to be rid of the necklace.
“My magic hasn’t been able to replenish itself yet—it’ll be a couple of hours before I can Time Travel again. We might as well walk.”
Nicole nodded. She was fine with that.
As they started down the cobblestone road, Jacob began talking out loud, musing through what he’d learned since watching Keitus.
“I’m not entirely sure if it’s important, but when I go back far enough, I catch a glimpse of an object hidden in the corner of the room. I didn’t pay it much attention before because I assumed it was a plant.” He laughed. “I know, I know, never assume anything. Stupid of me, right? Well, in the particular scene I’ve been studying, Keitus is sitting at his desk, reading, when a maid enters the room. She gives him his breakfast b
efore pouring something into the object. I thought she was watering a plant and totally dismissed it until I realized that not long after this, the cycle starts. I’d been so focused on Keitus’s actions and the actions of his minions that I ignored a simple maid.”
Jacob looked at Nicole. “So, I zoom in on the thing and find it’s not a plant at all. It’s roundish—like a core—and has a funnel attached to it and gears. What I’d originally assumed to be light reflecting off shiny flower petals is actually a glow barely visible through the piece of cloth that covers it.”
Nicole narrowed her eyes. A funnel? “Tell me more about it. What color was it glowing?”
“Red.”
“About how old would you say it is?”
He shrugged. “It looked pretty old. The funnel definitely wasn’t a modern, plastic one. It was rough metal.”
She turned to face him, stopping him with a hand on his arm. “Could it have come from the eighteen hundreds?”
Jacob hesitated. “It definitely isn’t from this century.”
Nicole started walking again, breathing heavily. “Oh, my gosh. It has to be him.”
“Him who?”
She glanced at Jacob. “Remember when we went to see Keitus and found an old guy who wouldn’t answer questions?”
Jacob nodded.
“And he remembered me—he knew my name?”
He nodded again.
“His voice was super familiar. I’ve been trying to figure it out since, and you just gave me the key I needed.”
“Who was it?”
“Captain Christopher Price.”
“Oh, I know that name.”
Nicole frowned. “How?”
“It was on one of the papers Keitus was studying. I told you about him back when I mentioned the names he was researching.”
Nicole’s frown deepened. “There’s no way you said Christopher Price. I would have recognized it immediately.”
He shrugged. “I did give you a list of names, so maybe he got lost in them.”
Nicole shook her head. “Doesn’t matter—he’s my great-great-grandfather. There’s no way I wouldn’t have recognized his name if I’d heard it.” She scowled to herself, thinking back to the conversation they were talking about. Her eyes widened, and she turned to Jacob. “You said Christian Price, not Christopher.”
Enshroud, Mosaic Chronicles Book Eight Page 12
