by Ren Curylo
“Why do you need it anymore if you’ve all been through it?”
“We don’t need in it the way that it’s being applied to you, Chéile. We use it now mainly for maintenance, repairs, healing— that sort of thing.”
“Will it alter the way I look?”
“No, it won’t. We don’t have the capability here to process an Alteration to the degree that it will change how you look. It will change your capabilities. You may have skills afterward that you never had before. Your hearing or vision may be sharper and more acute. You may be able to run faster or jump farther. You may or may not be able to Travel as I do.”
“Are you all different then? Some people in your Envoy can’t Travel?” She was disappointed. She had assumed that all the things he could do would be conveyed to her after The Alteration.
“Lots of my crew cannot Travel,” he said. “That’s why we have a teleportation system in place. It accommodates those people and allows them almost the same freedom those of us who can Travel possess.”
“But I’ll look the same as I do now?”
“Yes, you’ll still be fair and beautiful. Your eyes will remain the same pale blue they now have.”
She smiled. She ran her hands down her body, pressing her dress close to her, accentuating her shapely figure. She noted Ársa’s eyes followed her hands. He’s not going to back out now, she thought smugly. “What did you look like before?”
“Mostly the same as I do now. It didn’t alter my features any. I may be a little bigger now, and more muscular, but not much. I don’t have to work at it anymore, as I did before. My hair was blonde before,” he said, “and my eyes were lighter blue. Not as pale as yours, but not dark, either.”
“Your hair is so black now, it’s hard to imagine you being blonde.”
“Yeah, I’ve almost forgotten how it looked. Some people, as you will see, were altered quite drastically. Others, not at all or not much.”
“Why is that? And how can you be sure it won’t alter my appearance that much?”
“The technology is better, for one thing,” Ársa said. “And for another, we don’t have machines here like what we left behind. The ones there were much stronger than what we have on Na Réaltaí. Ours are a streamlined, portable variety, designed mostly for repair and maintenance rather than restructuring.”
“Is that the only reason appearances were altered? The strength of the machine your people used?”
“As I said, the technology was new once upon a time. They didn’t have as much control over it until they gained knowledge and skill. And I’m sure some were experiments. As time went on, a lot of it depended on the level of alteration a person was given.”
“And they sent you off with machines that cannot do what could be done where you came from?”
“That’s correct. They knew, after so many centuries of work, that we didn’t need such machines. They didn’t expect we would Alter anyone as we are Altering you.”
“And you’re sure this is safe?”
“I am.”
Chéile nodded as a buzzer sounded from inside one of Ársa’s pockets. He removed a tiny, flat object and pressed a button on it. Everything here has buttons. She was shocked when the small object unfolded itself to be almost the size of the palm of Ársa’s hand, but hardly thicker than a slip of paper. It glowed. “What is that thing?” she asked.
“It’s a gan-sreang. I’ll see that you get one and someone can teach you to use it. It will be invaluable for you in learning about life and communicating with others here on NaRéaltaí.” He slid his finger around on the lit surface. He paused for a moment, reading before he pressed a button that caused it to fold itself back up. He returned it to his pocket. “That was Grannus,” he said. “He’s ready for us. I’ll Travel us to Infirmary 1.”
Before she realized they were doing anything, she was moved into a new room. Where this was in relation to where she had been, she didn’t know. She looked around the room and found it virtually identical to the one she had been in. The only reason she found to believe that she was in a different place was the fact that another man was now in the room with them. He had long, wild white hair that stuck out from his head as if he were permanently surrounded by a light field of static electricity. He had a long white beard and a harshly black mustache. If she had met him while walking the woods, she would have thought him an insane hermit and run the other way. The fact that Ársa still held her hand was the only thing that kept her feet still. That, and the fact that she had no idea where she would go if she ran. That, and the fact that she wanted so badly what they had promised to give her.
Ársa introduced her to Grannus, his Chief Medical Officer. She murmured a demure hello, but engaged in no other conversation and he seemed disinterested in pursuing any with her.
“Well,” Grannus said shortly, “let’s get this over with, shall we?” Without waiting for a response, he went to a spot on the wall and waved his hand over it. A previously hidden panel opened with a whispering hum. A glassy panel pushed out to rest flush on the wall. Grannus waved his hand over it again to activate a red light on the wall. The light quickly flashed over the man’s face.
A voice seemed to emanate from the walls of the room. “Access granted. Welcome, Grannus.”
Chéile jumped and looked around, trying to determine where the voice came from, for she saw no one else in the room. Ársa squeezed her hand reassuringly. She turned to look into the room that was now exposed. There were two round glass booths two steps above the floor. Over to the far left of the room was another booth, this one rectangular with a solid door on the end. It had a window in the front that faced the two glass booths.
Grannus turned to Chéile and said, “Remove all your clothing and jewelry and step into the booth on the left, please.” His tone was matter of fact, cool and professional.
Does he not like me or is this just routine for him? Chéile had never disrobed in front of a stranger before. She looked at Ársa questioningly. He gave her a nod.
“I’ll be right here,” he said. Grannus didn’t seem to be aware of her discomfort. He moved into the smaller room and went into the rectangular booth. Chéile could see him moving—doing something, what, she did not know.
“What happens here?” she asked Ársa, her voic e shaking a bit.
“You do as he said. Then you step into the glass booth on the left.”
“Will this hurt?” she asked nervously. I’m excited, but now that it’s time to do this, I’m also a little scared.
“No,” he said. “You won’t feel much of anything. It will be over in less than five seconds. You’ll be sent from the left booth to the right one.”
“Then what?”
“Then,” Ársa said, “your Alteration will be complete.”
“And we can marry?”
“Yes.”
She nodded and quickly stripped off her clothing. She hurried into the booth on the left and tried not to think about Grannus standing in front, watching her, seeing her naked body.
She felt a moment of panic after she shut the glass door for the wall of the room closed, shutting Ársa out on the other side. She felt a strange shaky feeling, as if she were starving and hadn’t eaten in days, though she wasn’t hungry at all. She blinked her eyes and found herself standing in the other booth, the round glass one on the right. She took a deep breath. Do I feel different?
The wall opened again, and Ársa was standing there, looking at her. Grannus opened the door to the booth he was in and stepped out. He moved across the room to open the glass booth where Chéile stood.
“Have seat over there and let me examine you, Miss,” Grannus said.
“Chéile,” she said. “My name is Chéile.”
Grannus grunted and strode to the side of the padded, raised bench and waited for her.
She hurried to comply, catching Ársa’s eye as she passed. He smiled at her. She took a seat on the bench.
“Lie back,” Grannus said.
When she had complied, he took an instrument from his pocket and pointed it at her. Chéile cringed away in fright.
“This won’t hurt you,” Grannus said. He turned to Ársa and frowned. “I hope you’ve thought this out, Ársa,” he said. “I don’t know that she was fully prepared for this.”
Ársa looked at the man but didn’t respond.
Grannus shook his head and continued testing Chéile. He moved the object over her body, scanning her, but not touching her. “Hmm,” he said, as he scanned her head.
“Is something wrong,” she asked.
“Not physically,” Grannus said. “You’re fine, I suppose. It’s been millennia since I’ve dealt with Elfin physiology, I think I need to brush up. But,” he said, glancing at Ársa again. “I didn’t have much warning tonight.”
“Your complaint is duly noted, Grannus. That’s enough,” Ársa said firmly.
Grannus stiffened and frowned. “You’re the commander, Ársa,” he said.
“I…I…” Chéile stammered. They seemed to have forgotten she was there. They were glaring at one another and Grannus still had the instrument he was using pointed at her, but he was no longer moving it around. “May I get dressed now?” she asked. She shivered and felt suddenly cold.
Grannus looked at her, seemingly remembering she was there. “Yes, yes, of course,” he said. “I’m sorry. I am remiss in my duties. You are my patient and you deserve better than the treatment you’ve received here tonight.”
Chéile’s pale blue eyes widened in alarm. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Grannus said reassuringly. “You’re fine. We should have spent more time preparing you rather than this hasty Alteration.”
“Is everything all right?” she asked, looking between the two men. “I don’t feel any different.”
“You don’t look any different either,” Ársa said. “But, that’s a good thing. You’ll feel different over time. Given the level of Alteration we’re able to make here, the most prominent change in your being is your longevity. Your lifespan has been greatly increased with this procedure.”
“Elves have long expectancies anyway,” she said, frowning. This isn’t what I signed up for. I want power, I want an increase in my abilities.
“Yes, they do,” Grannus said, kindly, “but yours is now tenfold or more what theirs will be.”
“I thought I would be immortal,” she stammered.
“Immortality is difficult concept for most people to grasp,” Grannus said. “And most people don’t want it once they have it. Life can go on and on for a lot of the races and species we have come to view as immortal, except that that immortality is often met with considerably bad judgment.”
“As is commonly the case with Pixies and other Fae,” Ársa said. “They are given to poor decisions and it often ends their lives.”
“I see,” Chéile said. “So you’re telling me to be cautious, then? Is that it?”
“Something like that.”
“But if I’m cautious?”
“That increases your odds, certainly,” Grannus said.
“How old are both of you?” she asked, wondering for the first time, because Ársa seemed like a young man.
Grannus looked at Ársa and said, “I’m not sure either of us have kept count after the first one or two thousand years,” he said.
Ársa shrugged. “Any other abilities you have garnered from this process will likely develop over time.”
“Is that how it was for you?”
Ársa shook his head. “No, for me it was immediate. But I was given a much different process than you received. We have refined our techniques since I was Altered. And we don’t have the same capabilities here that we had on our home world.”
Chéile nodded, not fully comprehending what she was hearing. After a moment she looked up and said, “Now, for the rest of our bargain, Ársa.”
Ársa nodded. He turned to Grannus and said, “Can you please ask Conradh to meet us in the in Droichead.”
“Of course,” Grannus said. He started for the door but stopped as Ársa spoke again.
“Assemble the crew,” he said. “Chéile wants a wedding in front of the crew.”
Grannus shook his head slightly as if he thought his commander had lost his mind. The strode from the room and did as he was ordered.
2 weeks later
Nalin 25, 762 Amalith Island
Aindréas, Adamen & Muirgan Aindréas crested the waves off Amalith Island’s east beach. He bobbed, in seal form, a safe distance from the shore. He scanned the area and waited for signs of life from the large white cottage sitting a short distance beyond the beach. Gossip through the network for years said this place belonged to Ársa. Even though he hadn’t seen the girl whose picture was in the half locket hanging around his neck, he was optimistic that this is where she’d be.
He had engaged his extensive family, as well as Muirgan’s, to help him search for this woman. They were almost out of options. If this failed, not only were there few other places to look, there was no time left. The four months would be over in less than five days. If he couldn’t find Adamen today, or in the next few, he would have to abandon hope of ever having his Muirgan home again.
His heart filled with hatred as strong as the bitterest bile when he thought of the last year and a half he had spent without his wife, all because of a human being’s greed. Now, he may lose her because of the desires of the Lilitu queen.
His stomach fluttered as he saw a movement in the house. He held his breath as he bobbed in the water, staring at the cottage. A woman with an enormously pregnant belly stepped out of the door. Aindréas couldn’t hear anything but waves and the wind, but he could see that she was laughing. She was happy here. A man stepped out behind her. He was laughing, too.
Aindréas recognized them both immediately. Here she was at last, and his heart pounded with joy tinged with sorrow, worry, regret, and even a little fear. The man with her was a formidable obstacle who wouldn’t let her go without a fight He knew he was no match for Ársa, no matter what form he took.
Staying in seal form, he moved closer to the shore. They wouldn’t suspect anything from a seal even if they noticed him. He swam toward them as meandering and nonchalant as he could. He moved toward a rocky outcropping a few yards down the beach from them. He could hear them from that point and he would appear to be a seal sunning himself in the afternoon rays.
Climbing onto the rocks, he heard Adamen say, “Do you have to leave me again so soon?”
“I’m sorry, but I do. I have things to attend to that won’t wait.”
Adamen rubbed her belly and gave him a flirtatious mock frown. “I had hoped you would stay until Girin is born.”
Ársa rubbed her belly gently. He bent and kissed her softly. “I don’t think I’d be of much use to you, darling,” he said. “But Lessie is here. She will know what to do when labor starts.”
“It’s not the same as having you here. There’s at least some comfort in your presence, you know.”
“Yes, and I’m sorry, Adamen. I got a call from Na Réaltaí this morning and I have to get going. I should have been there already.”
“All right,” she said. “I haven’t been feeling too well today. Maybe it’s getting close. I think I’ll have a swim and see if that hurries this process up a bit. I’m anxious to get this behind me.”
“I don’t blame you. You look miserable.”
“I am,” she said with a grunt. “My back hurts, my stomach hurts, and my feet are swollen.”
“Maybe a swim will speed things along.”
“Oh, look, Ársa, we have a visitor.” She pointed to Aindréas sunning his fat seal body on the rocks.
Ársa looked at him. “Huh,” he said. “That’s an odd sight to see here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them here.” Ársa continued to watch the seal suspiciously. His gaze was so intense that Aindréas began to fidget a bit on the rock.
“Never?” Adamen said. “Wel
l, maybe it’s a good omen. They seem so sweet.”
Ársa grunted. “I don’t know about that. They’re wild animals,” he said. “There’s something odd about this, though, and I don’t quite like it. Maybe I should run him off before I leave.”
Adamen laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly, Ársa. He’s perfectly harmless lying there in the sun. Now, give me a kiss and get on your way. You don’t want to keep those very important people in Na Réaltaí waiting.”
“I suppose not,” he said.
Adamen asked, “Is Moriko going to be there?”
“She is supposed to be but I doubt it. She doesn’t care much for Na Réaltaí and she uses any excuse she can find not to come to the meetings.”
“From what you’ve told me, who can blame her?”
“Right,” Ársa said. “I don’t blame her, but if she isn’t there, I’m going to have to go tracking her down after this meeting, so it may be a few days before I can come back. If something happens, Lessie will get hold of me.”
“Okay, Ársa, I won’t worry about you if you’re gone a few days.”
Ársa bent and kissed her twice, before vanishing from the beach, leaving her alone with the seal who sat on the rock watching them closely.
Adamen stood pensively for only a moment before she turned toward the sea. She dropped her skirt onto the sand and walked into the waves wearing nothing but her long, thin cotton blouse.
Aindréas watched her for a bit before he slid off the rock and into the sea. He swam toward her, circling near her, being careful to stay underwater and keep her in constant sight.
He swam nearby, coming to the surface only when he needed a fresh breath. She didn’t seem to be aware of his presence. Aindréas took advantage of her inattention by staying in seal form as long as possible. He would have to shed his skin at some point to transport her to Muirgan, so he would wait until she returned to the shallows or the shore. He wanted to accomplish the transport as smoothly and as quickly as possible.
He stalked her, waiting, watching while she swam, circling her with deliberation, focusing on her completely. Growing impatient, Aindréas swam up to her and nudged her in the back with his nose, gently. He didn’t want to alarm her; he only wanted to move her toward the shore. He wanted his wife back and if speeding up Adamen’s swim a bit helped, he’d do what he had to do.
