by Eric Vall
“So what was the lie?” Cayla questioned. Her voice was a little softer than Aurora’s, but her lips were still pursed into a thin line.
“It wasn’t an outright lie,” I hedged. “It was more that I… omitted some details. Some very important but confusing details.”
“Mason,” Aurora said sharply, and I knew I was trying the Ignis Mage’s patience.
I had to just come out and say it.
“I’m not from a faraway kingdom,” I blurted, but then I backtracked a little. “Well, I am, but not in the way I led you to believe. I’m… I’m actually from another world, a place that is completely separate and more than a little different from this one.”
Silence met my declaration. The only noise in the room was my racing pulse, my shallow breathing, and the scratch of metal on fabric as the stickman continued his long and perilous journey across the bed.
“I-I do not understand,” Cayla finally said at length, and her face was twisted into an expression of complete confusion.
Aurora, on the other hand, stared at me with her eyes narrowed but the rest of her face was totally placid.
“I know it’s difficult to comprehend.” I cringed as I rubbed at the back of my head. “This is the only way I know how to put it though. I-I was born on a planet called Earth in the year one thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight. The country I come from is called America, but there were hundreds of other countries that were home to billions of people. My world was… is… very different, though points in its history actually closely resemble this world. But, currently, Earth is very technologically advanced, which is how I created the guns and the bike. They weren’t visions from the gods. They were actually memories. Memories from my past life.”
As I lapsed into silence again, I looked closely at both of the women before me. As I expected, they seemed absolutely thrown by this truth bomb I had dropped on them.
Cayla’s mouth opened and closed again and again as she tried to find her words. Thankfully, the harshness had faded from Aurora’s face, but now the half-elf’s emerald eyes eddied with bewilderment. Her gaze roamed across my face as if she was looking for a tell, something to reveal that I was lying or pulling an elaborate prank, but when she saw the frank sincerity in my eyes, she shook her head and fiddled with one of her braids.
“That… is an unbelievable story, Mason,” she muttered.
“It’s the truth,” I said gently.
“Then how did you come to be here?” she fired back as she lifted her chin. “If what you are saying is true, and you hail from another… realm, then how did you arrive in Illaria?”
I winced. “Actually, that really was the work of the gods. Well, one goddess in particular. Her name is Nemris.”
As I said her name, a shiver raced up my spine, and the hair on my arms stood on end. I remembered the feel of her lips as she kissed me a few nights ago, and then the memories she had shown me from my previous lives passed before my mind’s eye.
“A goddess?” Aurora echoed sarcastically with a cocked eyebrow. “You met a goddess, and she brought you here?”
“Yes,” I replied with a firm nod. “I know this all sounds crazy, but it’s the honest truth. I’ve apparently known Nemris for many lifetimes, though I can’t recall those memories with any great detail. I only get flashes. Either way, it turned out that I had curried Nemris’ favor in another life, and so she let me travel here. She’s the one who granted me the metal mage abilities, and she’s also responsible for giving me this new power.”
As if on cue, the stickman snagged our attention again. He had finally traveled the length of the bed, and he now bumped against Cayla’s knee beneath the blanket. We all looked down at him, and then the princess reached out tentatively with her hand. She laid her hand flat beside the stick figure, and he flopped forward into her palm before he used her thumb to pull himself upright again. When he was standing, he looked up at Cayla almost expectantly, and the wide-eyed raven-haired beauty lifted her hand up to her face.
The stickman reached out his little metal arm and patted Cayla on the cheek, almost like he was comforting her. The princess giggled and extended a finger on her other hand to pat the stick figure on the head in return.
“I must admit, he is rather adorable,” Cayla said as the stickman pushed his head into the pad of her finger like a cat would.
I smiled at the interaction, but then I looked up to find Aurora frowning at me. I guessed she wasn’t as moved by the stick figure’s cute antics.
“Can you prove this?” the half-elf asked me point blank. “Can you prove this tale about your other world and your goddess?”
“What do you want me to do?” I questioned as I spread my arms wide. “I can regale you with memories all day. I can make as many gadgets from my world as I possibly can with materials that we have available. I can even draw pictures if you want though I’m not by any means an artist. I’ll do whatever I can to reassure you, Aurora. I never want to lie to you.”
“You have before,” the Ignis Mage pointed out.
“When you were a stranger,” I said with a frown. “The day we met, I had only woken up in this world mere minutes before. I was still trying to get my bearings, and then you came running out of the trees with a drake hot on your trail. I was just reacting at that point, and then things snowballed from there with my metal mage powers, the gun-making, and the attacks, and by the time I realized I had fallen in love with the two of you, I didn’t know how to bring this up.”
“Then why tell us now?” Cayla asked as she looked up from prodding at the stickman in her hand.
“Because I was tired of having this big thing between us,” I replied honestly, “and also, this new power is important. I don’t know what all I can do yet, but this feels like a game changer. It could change the way we save Cedis.”
Cayla’s blue eyes lit up like Christmas lights, and a smile stretched across her luscious mouth.
“Okay,” she said brightly, and then she looked back to the stickman that was toddling over her palm.
“Okay?” I echoed as my jaw dropped open a little. “That’s it?”
Cayla nodded and then giggled again as the stick figure fell over.
“How are you accepting this so easily?” Aurora asked as she crossed her arms over her bare breasts.
The princess shrugged and continued to waggle her figure at the little stickman. “Mason has always seemed strange to me.”
“Hey,” I protested with a pout.
“Not in a bad way,” Cayla added with a grin as she met my eye. “It is just… well if I am to be honest, you are strange to me, too, Aurora.”
Aurora’s brow furrowed, and she reached up to touch at her pointed ears, always sensitive about her elven heritage.
“Not like that either,” the princess said gently. “I simply mean that I’m normal, and you both are mages. Your powers are Gods-like. You can conjure up a flame from nothing, Aurora, and if needed, you could tame and control a wildfire. That is nothing short of incredible.”
“T-thank you.” The tops of the Ignis Mage’s cheeks reddened at the compliment, and then Cayla turned to me.
“And you, Mason, can move and manipulate the very ground we walk on,” she said. “Coupled with your metal mage abilities, it always seemed like there was nothing you could not do.”
I preened a little at that and puffed out my chest. “Well, I don’t like to brag…”
“You most certainly do,” Cayla teased with a grin, “at least a little. However, this is all to say that every day with the two of you is a new surprise. I have simply learned to take it all in stride.”
“So you believe me,” I said, “and… you’re not upset.”
Even though I was the one to drop the truth bomb, I was still trying to wrap my head around this new situation I found myself in.
Cayla tilted her head to the side and lowered her hand, and the stickman, to her lap. “Do you still love us?”
“What?” I asked.
“Of course I do.”
“And do you still intend to help us find this mysterious ‘master’ Abrus mentioned and stop my kingdom from falling into further ruin?” she added.
“Yes,” I intoned seriously. “Nothing will stop me from seeing those things through.”
“Then no, I am not upset,” Cayla replied with a warm smile, “and tomorrow you could turn into a horse before my very eyes, and I would still love you. You are a good man, Mason Flynt. No matter where you came from or what power runs through your veins, I know this to be true.”
As my heart did somersaults beneath my sternum, the raven-haired beauty leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against mine. I sighed into her mouth and lifted a hand to caress her smooth cheek.
“Thank you,” I whispered as I pulled away, and Cayla’s smile widened.
“Thank you for being honest,” the princess returned, but then her eyes flickered to the silent half-elf beside us.
I turned to face Aurora and summoned up my most charming smile. “And what about you, Defender Solana?”
The Ignis Mage pursed her lips as she considered me. I knew she was still struggling with all this. So much had happened and changed in the last few weeks and Abrus’ betrayal happened only days ago. Now we were in a new kingdom, a kingdom overrun by bandits no less, and we were in search of an evil mastermind that seemed to be aiming for the destruction of the entire realm. Add in all this crazy that I had just dropped in her lap, and I realized it was a lot for the half-elf to handle.
I opened my mouth to try once more at persuasion, but Aurora surprised me.
Between one breath and the next, she darted forward and caught my lips with her own. My mouth opened easily under the gentle pressure, and then our tongues twined together in a familiar dance. I groaned quietly against her mouth as my dick twitched in my unlaced breeches.
“I am with you, Mason,” Aurora breathed as she pulled away, “though it might take me a few days to process all of this fully. Cayla is right. You are a good man, with a good heart, and I would not be here if it were not for you. So I forgive you for your slight deception, and I thank you for your honesty.”
“I am so incredibly lucky to have the two of you,” I whispered as a relieved grin spread across my face.
“Yes, you are,” another voice said behind me.
I whirled around and nearly fell over in the process. Cayla gasped and clutched the covers close to her again while Aurora vaulted to her feet and reached for the sword she had propped against the wall beside the bed.
Nemris stood in the center of the room with an enigmatic smile on her face and her hands folded into the billowy sleeves of her royal purple robe. It was strange to see her in the daylight. She seemed more… solid somehow, less ethereal. Her skin didn’t give off as much of an inner glow, and she stood with her bare feet planted firmly on the worn and wooden planks of the Prairie Inn.
Her eyes, though, still eddied with a thousand swirling cosmos, flaring nebulas, and collapsing stars.
“Who are you?” Aurora demanded as she brandished her wicked silver sword. “How did you get in here?”
The half-elf stood with her feet hips-width apart and her chin lifted high as if she didn’t even notice or care that she was completely and utterly nude.
“Aurora, it’s okay,” I said as I raised my hands in a soothing gesture. “She’s not an enemy. I know her.”
The Ignis Mage glanced at me with a scowl, like she was going to demand how I knew this insanely gorgeous woman, but then I watched as understanding sparked in her emerald eyes.
“Yes,” I nodded to confirm her suspicion. “This is Nemris, the Goddess of Peace and Transition.”
Aurora looked back to the silver-haired woman, and her mouth fell open at the same time that she dropped her arm to her side. She dragged her eyes up from Nemris’ white feet and took the goddess in. When she reached the cosmic eyes, the half-elf blanched.
“I-my apologies,” Aurora stuttered as she immediately bowed her head. Then she noticed that she was, in fact, naked in front of an actual deity, and she wrapped her arms tight across her chest as her cheeks burned red.
“No apologies necessary,” Nemris replied with a warm smile. “It gladdens me to see that Mason is so well protected.”
Aurora nodded silently as she cast her eyes about furiously for clothes. Cayla still sat on the bed, her jaw in her lap and her ice-blue eyes as round as the full moon.
“Please excuse my lovely companies,” I said to Nemris as I stood to my feet. “They’ve received quite a few shocks this morning, and all before breakfast, too.”
“I know,” Nemris responded. “I have been watching.”
“You have?” I asked as I tilted my head to the side.
“I always have an eye on you, Mason,” the goddess chuckled, and the sound sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.
“Wait,” I said with a frown, “but why are you here now?”
Nemris cocked an eyebrow, and a smirk tugged at her lips. “Do you mean now instead of five minutes ago so I could have made your confession easier?”
“Wha-- no,” I sputtered as blood rushed to my cheeks. I had been thinking precisely that. “I mean--”
The goddess threw back her head and laughed, and her silver hair spilled over her shoulders like a waterfall of starlight. “I jest, my love. You have always been quite adorable when you are flustered.”
“Thank you?” I said as I rubbed at the hot skin on the back of my neck.
“You are welcome,” Nemris replied with a grin. “However, to answer your question, I am here because there are things you need to know about your new abilities, and it would be better if you knew this before you traveled deeper into this kingdom. Now that your companions know the truth of who you are, I saw no reason to push this meeting any longer.”
“Is something coming?” I asked as my heart skipped a beat. “Are we in danger?”
“You have been in danger since the moment you opened your eyes in this realm, my love.” The goddess sighed, and then she reached up and cupped my cheek. “However, in almost every life, you always seem to find trouble. It is a unique talent of yours. This is why I have given you these powers, to protect yourself and the ones you love.”
“But from who?” I questioned. “Who is this master? Why are these attacks happening?”
“I do not have the time to explain all of that,” Nemris said, and a small frown marred her beautiful face. “I can only inhabit the mortal plane for so long, and then I must depart again for my own domain.”
I sighed and raked my fingers through my hair. “Of course you do. Because things can never be that easy.”
“Life never promised to be easy,” the goddess remarked.
“True,” I muttered, and then I exhaled sharply and clapped my hands together. “Alright, so what did you need to tell me? What can these new powers do?”
“Well you have already seen the end result,” Nemris replied as her smile returned. Then she stepped past me and around to the other side of the bed where Cayla still sat gobsmacked before she bent down and plucked the little stickman from the princess’s lap.
“So I can make stickmen?” I said with a frown.
“You can do so much more than that,” the goddess responded as she ran her finger over the little stick figure, “but this is a cute first attempt.”
“Does that mean I can bring anything to life?” I asked as my blood started to pump with excitement.
“Within reason,” Nemris corrected. “As is the way of things, there is always a price. The larger things are, the more energy they will consume. You will need to find alternative solutions to fuel your larger creations.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod, “that makes sense, but can I control the things I bring to life or communicate with them at least?”
I had so many questions running through my head, but I did my best to pick out the most important ones.
“You are connected to everything your
magic touches,” the goddess replied as she reached out and laid her free hand over my heart. “When your power rushes out of you, it brings with it your intention and will. Larger tasks will take more focus and concentration, but for something small like this little creature, a mere thought will suffice. In fact, you have already done this.”
I blinked. “I have?”
Nemris nodded, and her smile grew as she looked back at the stickman in her palm. “When you breathed life into him, your subconscious prayed that he would endear your companions to you. And what was the first thing he did?”
“He… immediately tried to reach Aurora and Cayla,” I said in awe. “Wait, so he was trying to calm them? For me?”
“Yes,” the goddess intoned. Then she reached out, picked up my hand, and slid the stick figure into my palm. “He is connected to you, Mason. To fully harness your abilities, you must hone this connection.”
I looked down at the little stickman, and he lifted his round silver head to gaze back up at me, even though he had no eyes. I smiled at him and then decided to test my powers a bit. I sent out a minuscule tendril of magic and imagined what I wanted the stick figure to do. Then I held up a single finger a hair’s breadth away from his head.
A moment later, the stickman lifted his paperclip of an arm and high-fived my fingertip.
“That is so cool,” I laughed, and then I lifted my eyes back to Nemris… only to discover that she had disappeared once again.
Aurora and Cayla gaped at me.
“Where did she go?” the Ignis Mage asked as she whipped her head back and forth. “She was there, and then I blinked and she was gone.”
“She does that,” I explained with a shrug. “You’ll have to get used to it.”
“It seems I have a lot to get used to,” the half-elf muttered. Then she exhaled sharply and collapsed back onto the bed, still naked as the day she was born.
Cayla bounced a little amidst the blankets as Aurora settled beside her. Her expression was still completely dazed.
“Are you alright?” I asked as I reached out and stroked her ink-black hair.
