Magic of the Wood House

by Cassandra Gannon

  She looked over at her cousin. “You can’t intimidate him, Eian. He’s way more powerful than you are. And, by the way, it’s incredibly satisfying to see I was right about you being a total jackass.”

  “Commander Vandal has promised all of us a brighter future.” Eian went on, ignoring Sullivan’s words. He glided further into the room. His blond hair was neatly pressed, his white uniform as sterile as fresh snow. “All we have to do is help hide him here and convince Freya he’s in a coma until he’s stronger. It’s the least we can do for someone of his greatness. He’s the only one strong enough to stand up to Job.”

  “Job plays favorites.” Lima piped up. “Everyone knows that. He’ll make sure the Fire House comes out on top, so long as his reptilian nephew Kingu is Matched with Hope. Getting rid of Job is the only way the Cold Phases will ever have what we deserve.”

  Teja made a mental note to kill that bitch.

  Eian nodded. “Of course, my sister would never do what needs to be done. If it were up to Freya, we would be spending every Gaianisha Day singing carols with those bastards. But I see the truth. The Fire House has to pay.”

  Sullivan rolled his eyes, bored by this whole discussion. “I think that guy is one who needs some medical intervention.” He told the nurse.

  Eian glowered at him. “Don’t you see? This is my chance for real power. My chance to set things right.” He paused. “It will just require some sacrifice.”

  “You demented asshole.” Teja breathed, pieces beginning to come together.

  “Uh-huh.” Sullivan’s tone clearly conveyed the word “psycho.” “So, can I go now or are you not done talking?”

  “You can be a part of Commander Vandal’s glory, human.” Eian persisted. “Phaze with my sister and join my House. Renounce that traitor Teja and help the Cold Phases beat the Fire House, once and for all. It’s your destiny.”

  Sullivan shook his head. “You’re out of your goddamn mind.” He decided calmly. “Fuck you. Fuck Vandal. And fuck your stupid vendetta. Kill me or let me go. Those are your only two options, because I’m not helping you do one fucking thing to hurt Teja. Period.”

  Teja grinned. Sullivan was even beginning to talk like a Fire Phase. “You see how you belong with me?” She told him.

  Eian gave an icy smile. “You’ll change your mind. You’ll have to. If you resist the inevitable, you’ll be Banished with the Fire Phases when the attack happens.”

  “Attack?” Sullivan repeated, looking concerned for the first time. “Wait, you’re going to attack Teja?”

  “No.” Eian arched a brow. “She’s going to attack me.” He looked over at the nurse. “Give him the shot and dump him back in the human realm. We’ll do this the hard way.”

  Teja’s lips pressed together, finally realizing who’d bombed the Cold Palace.

  It’s lunatic king. Her cousin. Eian.

  Oh, Djinn was going to have a field day with this…

  Chapter Sixteen

  The elements have laughed… and an invincible army has trailed its banners in the snow,

  unable to cope with the rigors of the frost king.

  Andy Adams- “Wells Brothers”

  Christmas Morning: Six Hours into the Investigation

  “I don’t have to tell you anything! I have fucking rights. This is unlawful imprisonment and I don’t have to put up it!”

  “No one’s arrested you, Djinn. Not yet, anyway.” Job wished to Gaia that somebody else could take over the questioning of this maniac, but no one else in the realm was dumb enough to lock themselves in a confined space with the Fire King. Well, except for Sullivan’s cousin, Melanie, who’d loudly volunteered to lead the interrogations with a Taser. “You called me during the attack to say that this was all a set-up, remember? I asked you to come here to the Council so we could straighten it all out and you agreed. You’re here voluntarily.”

  But, if Djinn attempted to leave, half the realm would try to stop him. Job wasn’t mentioning that part.

  “I didn’t want to call you.” Djinn informed him loftily. “Teja made me. This is all bullshit coercion tactics.”

  Job leaned forward at the mention of Teja. “So, she was with you when the attack began? Where is she now? Is Qadesh right? Were Teja and Sullivan in the Cold Kingdom when the palace exploded?”

  Djinn’s mouth thinned refusing to answer. Whenever he shut-up for more than two seconds, it was sure to be bad news.

  Job pushed down the sick feeling in his gut. He loved Teja like a younger sister. Losing her was unthinkable. The Elementals needed her and --God knew-- they needed Sullivan Pryce. The human was one of their few chances to stave off extinction. “Djinn, where are they?” He demanded.

  “I don’t know!” He bellowed back. “You’ve got me locked up in here, remember? For all I know, they’re playing catch with a Frisbee or whatever it is humans do for fun. Running around some fucking park, barking at squirrels.”

  “Sullivan isn’t a dog…” Job began, but Djinn cut him off.

  “Why don’t you go ask the bastards who set off the bomb where Teja is, huh? Go find them.”

  “I’d love to. Help me do it. Give me a suspect who wants to see you Banished.”

  “Banished?” Djinn scoffed. “Everybody who was kicked out before the Fall is back again, aren’t they? Akkadian is walking around and nobody says nothin’ about it.”

  “What would you have us say to Akkadian?” The Crystal Phase was even crazier than the Fire House. Very few people wanted to be within three realms of him, let alone dictate what he could do. “If you’re insinuating that Akkadian was somehow involved in this, I assure you he has an ironclad alibi. He’s in Africa, traveling with elephants. I’ve seen the photos on his Facebook wall.” An ounce of prevention told Job that it paid to keep up-to-date on Akkadian’s bizarre activities, even if that meant reading countless daily updates on that lunatic’s life among pachyderms.

  Djinn ignored that. “The point is, I don’t think we even do Banishment anymore. We’re all --like-- ‘Welcome back, criminals! Repopulate our world!’ these days.”

  Job kept his voice as calm and reasonable as possible. “We still do Banishment, Djinn. And someone hates you enough to want you gone. Who could that be?” Actually, that wasn’t the best question, given the Fire Phases’ general popularity. “I mean, specifically, who have you pissed off?” He paused. “Besides some stupid cow.”

  Djinn’s eyes narrowed. “Fucking cow.” He hissed.

  “There must be a motive for this attack,” Job pressed, “and whatever it is, I hope it’s more compelling than the centuries long feud between the Cold and Fire Houses. Because, presently? That’s all the reason anyone needs to convict you.”

  Djinn shook his head, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger. “Nobody’s convicting me of anything. Fifty-four times I’ve been dragged before the Council for some bogus trial and no convictions. You think that’s going to change now?”

  “No one’s ever had the alleged crime on tape before.”

  “Fuck that video.” Djinn’s restless energy filled the room. “I don’t even know for sure that the Cold Kingdom got attacked. Maybe it’s faked. Maybe that tape is some kind of special effects moon landing bullshit.”

  “It’s real. I’ve seen the Cold Kingdom and it’s in shambles.”

  “So you say, but you’re probably in on this new grassy knolled, Zapruder filmed conspiracy.” Djinn arched a brow. “Or maybe the Cold Phases blew up their own kingdom. Maybe Eian’s trying to frame us. Did you even think of that?”

  “No, I didn’t think of it, because it’s preposterous. Why would a king destroy his own palace?”

  “Because he’s a lunatic.” Djinn diagnosed succinctly. “Eian has hated the Fire House for years. Especially since Teja chose us over him. He’s never gotten passed that.” He shook his head. “Cold Phases are so damn anal that they can’t just fight it out and get over it. They let anger fester inside, until it rots them through. If there was a c
hance to bring us down, he’d take it and worry about the fallout later. You know it.”

  Job stared at Djinn for a long moment. “I can’t believe that.” He finally whispered. Eian was a cold man with a long memory, but still… “I just can’t believe he’d go so far. Freya was in the Cold Kingdom. He’d never hurt his sister. She’s his only family.”

  “She not his only family. She just the only one he hasn’t disowned.” Djinn fixed him with a pointed look. “That’s the kind of guy Eian is. He could have had Teja in his life, same as me, but he’d rather have nothing than give up his hatred.”

  “As I recall, the Fire House wasn’t interested in compromising on Teja’s custody, either.”

  “We fought for Teja. She wasn’t some prize to us. She’s my cousin. Do you think I would’ve turned on her, if she’d wanted to live with Eian instead of the Fire Kingdom?”

  No. Job knew that wouldn’t have happened. Djinn was hostile and unpleasant, but he loved with a fierce and unshakable devotion. He might have killed Eian to steal Teja back again, but he never would have disowned her. It went against everything their House stood for.

  It was why --for all their many, many, many faults-- Job always had a deep affection for the Fire Phases.

  “I’m telling you Eian’s behind this.” Djinn continued. “He’ll sacrifice anything to win, because he doesn’t know what it is to have a family and a place to belong.”

  ***

  Christmas Morning: Seven Hours into the Investigation

  “Missy?” Job folded his hands on the table and tried his most patient voice. “Sweetie, can we please focus?”

  He hadn’t been to bed all night and, at this rate, he didn’t see a pillow in his future for a loooong time. Truthfully, he couldn’t have slept, even if he wanted to. Djinn’s theory about Eian kept going round and round in his mind. …And it was making far too much sense.

  When the Fire King started making sense, you knew you had a serious problem.

  “Missy?” Job tried again when he saw she wasn’t paying attention. “Really try to concentrate for me, okay? I’d like to talk.”

  Dealing with Djinn and Pele’s youngest child was like trying to walk nitroglycerin across the room in your bare hands. Missy had always radiated an uneasy mixture of positivity and violence, but since the Fall she was basically the Boston Strangler in a Barbie costume. She’d lost more than most and she’d dealt with it by becoming crazy.

  Well, crazier.

  The cuddly looking lunatic had a staggering body count and there was no one left alive who could reason with her. Of all the Fire Phases, she was the most dangerous, because she was the least predictable. She didn’t care what anyone else said, or did, or thought. Not anymore. Missy lived in her own world and it was a scary, bloody, pink sparkled place. Job needed to work gently if he was going to get her to cooperate.

  Missy looked up from the shank she was making out of a polka dot nail file. “Sure, Job. We can talk.” She shined a happy smile. “Even though Uncle Frankie’s sure you’re an android, I still think you’re a cutie-pie.”

  “Thank you. That’s very sweet.” For a Fire Phase, it actually was a nice sentiment. Missy was always pleasant until the massacres started. “Now, if someone is setting up your family, we need to find out who they are. You see that, right?”

  “Oh yes.” She nodded earnestly, her black curls bouncing around her innocent face. “Whoever’s framing us needs to apologize… And once I find them, I think they’re going to be very sorry.” She giggled, her not-quite-sane eyes dancing around the perimeter of the room like she was measuring it.

  There wasn’t a doubt in Job’s mind that she’d already spotted three different escape routes, a dozen possible weapons, and the perfect place to hang a shiny portrait of a unicorn.

  “Right.” He said, because his possible responses to her insanity were limited. “So, if you’re saying the Reflection Phases are involved, someone must have hired them. We’re going to need some kind of evidence. So far, Yuan and the other Reflection Phases are denying everything.”

  “I betcha five dollars I could get them to talk. I have a whole collection of chainsaws.”

  “Except, if Reflection Phases were impersonating your family, they were blown to bits in the Cold Kingdom.”

  “Pretty smart way to destroy the evidence, alright.” Missy rocked back in her chair so it was balanced on two legs, already losing interest in the conversation. “Hey, you got any gum?”

  “No. I do have this, though.” He slid a computer tablet across the table so she could see a still image from the newscast.

  It was a calculated risk, but he was betting that the Fire Phase with the highest IQ score was still lurking somewhere beneath all the ruffles and crazy. Even partially lost in madness, Missy was a genius. The girl always seemed ditzy, but Fire Phases were never what they seemed.

  “Do you see that?” He tapped the screen. “Any idea what it means?”

  Missy gave it a dismissive glance, all set to be bored. She did a double take as she actually processed the words painted on the side of the Cold Palace. The huge letters glowed with some bizarre iridescent paint, ensuring that no one could possibly miss them.

  Hey, Missy! Wanna trade?

  Missy’s Cinderella blue eyes narrowed with an intensity of focus that Job wouldn’t have thought possible. For a moment, she almost looked like the Missy who’d existed before the Fall. “Who wrote that?” She asked sharply.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you should help me find out.”

  A rush of footsteps sounded in the hall, along with a chorus angry shouting. Job’s head snapped towards the door, already knowing that this was going to be bad. Clearly, the rest of the Elementals had grown impatient with his law-and-order approach to the Fire House questioning.

  Job sighed. People claimed that he was a control freak, but was it any wonder? Left to their own devises, everybody else chose the stupidest possible path. Why didn’t anyone ever just listen to him? It was like they enjoyed killing and chaos.

  Missy’s face was deadly calm as Phases began pounding on the door of the interrogation room. “May I have a sword, please?” She requested politely.

  “I don’t carry a sword. And even if I did, I wouldn’t hand it over to you.” Missy could no doubt slaughter an army without breaking a glittery fingernail and there had been enough violence for one day.

  Missy pouted at him. “Fine. Be a spoilsport.”

  “Open up, Job!” Eian bellowed. “We’re through with doing things your way! It’s time to Banish the Fire Phases and make them pay for their crimes!”

  There were dozens of shouts of agreement.

  Job’s jaw ticked. “I’m surrounded by idiots.” He got to his feet adjusting his suit coat. “Just let me handle them, alright?” He glanced at Missy. “We’ll prove you’re innocent at trial. I don’t want this to start a war.”

  “That’s super nice.” Missy dropped her chair forward so all four feet were flat on the floor. “But, Eian’s already started it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The boundary between the possible and the impossible was no longer to be distinguished. The adventurers in an unexplored country… peopled the air, the earth, and all the elements [with] invisible agents destined to connect together all the facts which they knew, and all those which they hoped to discover.

  John Playfair- “Physical Science“

  Christmas Afternoon

  “Sullivan!” Teja’s voice invaded the cocoon of peaceful darkness. It was impatient and too loud and beautiful. “Sullivan, wake up!” There was a sharp slap against his cheek, like she was trying to bring him around. “Wake up.”

  He let out a groan, prying his eyes open. “Why are you hitting me?”

  “You passed out, you idiot.” Her worried hazel eyes met his. “You’ve been asleep for hours. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “Yes, I’m hurt, because you hit me.” His jaw felt like she’d hit him a lot, in fact. “Jesu
s.” He pulled himself onto his elbows, looking around. He was lying on the carpet of his living room, with Teja kneeling beside him. Randa was still sitting on his sofa, a concerned expression on her face. Everything came rushing back to him. “Okay, something weird just happened…”

  Teja cut him off. “It was a memory sharing. All Matches have them. We see images from each other’s pasts. We don’t usually pass out from them, though.” She glanced at Randa. “Get him some human pills, will you? He feels hot to me.”

  Randa nodded and headed off towards the kitchen.

  “Hot? It’s like I’m on fire.” Sullivan muttered. Inside, he could still feel that energy and it seemed too big to contain. What was happening to him? “You saw it, too?” He asked, focusing on Teja. “Like, some kind of… replay of your life.”

  “I saw a replay of your life.”

  “Wonderful.” That was exactly what he didn’t need to hear. “Which parts?”

  She kept her eyes on his. “I saw that your father is lucky Parson killed him before I got a chance.”

  Sullivan looked away. Damn it, he hated her knowing all that shit. It made him feel dirty.

  “What did you see?” Teja pressed, sounding concerned.

  “I saw you. Falling.” He reached up to rub his temple. His brain was throbbing in his skull. “I did something to stop it.” He admitted. “I don’t know how, but I did something and there was suddenly this big bed of…”

  “Moss.” She finished softly.

  “Moss.” He agreed. As insane as it was, he knew that it had been real and that he’d made it appear out of thin air.

  Christ, he really was losing his mind.

  Teja sat back, a strange expression on her face. “I always wondered how that happened.” She said in a distant voice.

  “Join the club.”

  “Or maybe I didn’t wonder.” Teja’s head tilted. “I felt you that day. You were there and I knew it. My God.” The words were dazed. “Do you know how rare it is that a Phase can do anything in a memory sharing, Sullivan? I mean, being able to whisper to me like that is basically impossible.”