by Oxford, Rain
* * *
Unfortunately, Edward was correct; no one, not even me or Sammy, saw Mordon again until we landed at Shomodii. After two days of travel, I was extremely worried that he hadn’t eaten. Sammy was very irritable by then and would cry at any mention of Mordon. He cried for three hours straight one time until Edward actually left our cabin to look for him.
During the trip, I mentioned that Shinobu was missing, but Edward said that she had returned home to wait for me.
Edward was more concerned with me than Mordon or my pet; I picked up a cold, probably from partially drowning in the freezing demon-summoned rain. My healing energy apparently didn’t work on myself, because I had an increasing headache and come-and-go fever. After being forced to drink a horrible tea every hour for the first day, I pulled myself together and faked recovery.
It occurred to me on the second day that the problem wasn’t a sickness but something caused by the disappearing names in my book.
It was just before sunrise when we reached Shomodii. Sammy stood, clutching his stuffed dragon and wobbling in the heavy wind. Others meandered off the boat sleepily while Edward, Sammy, and I waited for Mordon.
Finally, the man emerged. He looked more confident, though not particularly happy. Fortunately, he didn’t look starved. As he approached, I could feel that he had made a decision and was sure about it. When he reached us, Sammy squealed and wrapped his arms around Mordon’s knees, the dragon toy flopping to the ground, forgotten.
“What did you decide?” I asked.
Mordon picked Sammy up and hugged him. “Rojan and I decided that saving the universe was more important than one person. You have Edward, and that’s great, but you need our help, too.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot be too much help this time. I can help you on Duran, but I am currently grounded here,” Edward said. We all looked at him in shock. “My own magic was damaged by the unbalance in the fabric of time and space.”
“Your book is gone,” I concluded. He nodded. “Names in my book have been disappearing. I checked it again on the ship.”
“I would suggest you work quickly then. The reason I haven’t been able to heal simple bruises is because my book is missing. For a Guardian, your nominal energy is as important as physical energy; and it is the same in its absence. That’s probably why you’ve been sick.”
“Sick?” Mordon leaned towards me and sniffed. “You’re not sick.”
“No, probably not. I have a headache and a slight fever, and I feel a little low on energy. I’m fine, though,” I said.
Edward frowned at me as if he expected me to collapse at any second. “How many worlds have you healed so far?” he asked.
“Only Vaigda and Malta.”
“You have to move more quickly than that. There’re so many worlds that need saving.”
“On Malta, we had to travel from tribe to tribe. How many places do we have to visit on Duran to save it?” Mordon asked.
“We have something better,” he grinned.
“The haunted springs.”
“Yes.”
“No.” Mordon demanded. “It is too much for you to heal the entire world at once.” That was the overprotective Mordon that I knew. I was just glad he remembered to speak quietly in Sudo, not in English, as we were in public.
“He does not have to. The surface of Duran is primarily water, and he can heal the entire world through those channels, because water is a very good conductor of nominal energy.”
“But I’m not using nominal energy,” I said.
“Yes, I figured that out. Then Divina showed me proof that you are not just a Guardian,” he said cryptically. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but he didn’t pause for questions. He never did. “Iadnah magic can be transferred just as easily through the hot springs. In small amounts, you can save Duran within a day. Then I suggest you heal Earth, as it is suffering a lot.”
The walk back to the cabin took a few hours, during which we told of our separate adventures. I laughed at Edward’s description of Vivian. Edward was very interested in Sammy’s magic, particularly his language-learning skills. He was also very interested in Mordon’s dragon. Unfortunately, Edward knew little about real dragons and so none of Mordon’s questions were answered.
It felt so nice to see the cabin again. We were only gone for a few days, but I missed my bed. We opened the door and Shinobu immediately bound up my leg to curl up on my shoulder. She rubbed her tiny snout under my neck in affection.
There was a weird huffing sound from Mordon and we turned to look at him. “Sorry,” he said. “Rojan doesn’t like Shinobu or how close she is to you.”
“It makes your skin crawl when you want to protect someone from something so badly and they just act like they are in no danger, doesn’t it?” Edward said.
Mordon nodded. “Rojan knows those creatures are dangerous and he wants to chase her off. Even though we can smell there’s no desire to hurt him, we know that it’s too risky. He acts like she’d never hurt him and I want to smack him.”
“Try seeing her sleeping in his bed every night.”
Mordon shuddered and his hands shifted into claws. “Would you get her off your neck please before Rojan starts burning things down? My teeth are itching. I know she doesn’t want to hurt you, but her claws and teeth are venomous.”
Shinobu stopped nuzzling my throat and hissed at him. “Shinobu, that’s my friend. Be nice.” She laid her head down and wrapped her fluffy tail over her eyes.
“Kitty!” Sammy screamed, suddenly struggling to get out of Mordon’s arms.
“Not a chance,” Mordon said, holding the baby still.
Sammy looked at him with wide eyes, unsure why Mordon wouldn’t let him down. “Kitty?” Sammy asked.
“No,” I answered, “you can’t pet the kitty. It’s a mean kitty.” Shinobu peered up at me like I said she was dinner. “Don’t look at me that way, Shinobu, he’s a baby.” She put her tail back over her eyes, but both Mordon and Edward were looking at me like I finally understood she was dangerous after years of obliviousness. “I’m not stupid; I know she could kill me. But even if she didn’t want to hurt him, he is a baby. He could squeeze her tail or pull her hair and she could snap at him or scratch him.”
After setting our bags down and leaving Shinobu locked in the cabin, we headed to the springs. I had spent many days and nights here, practicing my magic. It was a beautiful, peaceful place… that was haunted by a little girl who is only sometimes dead. That’s not too unusual for Duran.
“Do what you normally do to heal the damage, but keep control of it; don’t let the world take too much. Heal only a small amount. I will keep watch around us, because you never know what may be attracted by that degree of magic. Mordon, you make sure he doesn’t try to do too much,” Edward said.
I took off my boots and socks and rolled up my pants to stick my feet in the water. I focused on my book and my connection with Earth. She knew the drill now, and offered up her magic and support like her goddess would. Every time I healed a tribe on Malta, I felt more and more damage from time that she had sustained. This time, when I reached for Duran, he reached back easily. The magic of Duran supported me now that I was home. Perhaps the powerful world knew it was his turn to be healed.
I linked the two worlds so that Earth could give Duran strength, then searched out Vaigda and linked easily with its ambitious, eager magic. Vaigda still liked me. It was the new force that surprised me. When I had healed Malta, I used magic from Vaigda. Somehow, I could feel Malta’s magic through my link with Vaigda. Malta was as eager as Vaigda, but it felt very humble, too. The people of Malta cherished their world and the world cherished them back. I could feel that in its magic.
Earth and Duran were strong together, used to this after I healed both Vaigda and Malta. Vaigda barely waited for command and Malta’s magic was gathering. I could feel all four worlds ready to heal the unnatural damage.
I focused on the damage already done to Duran an
d it was like opening floodgates. Vaigda and Malta were strong, as they had already healed all their damage, so they knew what was supposed to be done; they knew what was wrong and how to fix it. Earth was supportive, but still deeply wounded, so only her magic was helpful. My healing magic fused with the magic of all four worlds and spread throughout Duran, healing what was wrong.
Some wounds had to be burst open because they were too damaged. That was probably the oddest feeling; a mistake that had to be completely rewritten or an accident that had to be undone. Time twisted and flexed throughout all of history. Whole eras needed to be corrected.
“Stop.”
I heard the word from somewhere in the distance and ignored it. It was very beautiful to see the world become healthy. Most important was the closing of the void. The worlds felt like the void was vile and toxic. It was infecting the wounds and confusing their ability to heal.
“Dylan, stop now!”
I continued to send out my healing magic until I felt my body jerked. I couldn’t stop even if I was being attacked.
Then I felt too hot. It was uncomfortable at first, enough that the magic stopped flowing and the worlds hesitated. They wanted to recoil from whatever was making me sick, but they couldn’t. I broke my connection individually as gently as I could. Finally, when I let go of Earth, I came aware of my surroundings.
I was lying down with Mordon crouching over me. I should never have taught him CPR. “Stop,” I said. Immediately, the heat dispersed until I could breathe.
“It was the only way to wake you up.”
“Giving me heat stroke will not wake me up,” I said. Edward took his place and I felt energy rush through me, healing damage caused by the heat. “Did one of you shake me?” I asked.
“You stopped breathing. We couldn’t wake you up and Rojan suggested that my fire could make you sick and would make you shut down the connection. It looked like that was better than you continuing. You already healed more than half of the world.”
“No way, I was only doing it for like half a minute.”
They both glared at me. “We have been here for three hours,” Edward said.
I smiled. “Maybe I’m getting good at it, then. Next time should be easy.”
Edward turned to Mordon. “Never let him do this without you there to wake him up,” he warned.
Mordon nodded. Edward’s magic was done, so he helped me stand up. The moment I was on my feet, my head swam. I felt myself start to fall, but that was as far as I got.
* * *
“You linked Earth and Duran before you healed Duran. Why?”
It took me a few seconds for everything to stop spinning. I was back in Divina’s almost-real cabin, but I still felt sick. “I don’t know. It felt right. Why am I sick?”
“Because you linked Earth and Duran before you healed Duran, you idiot!” she yelled. I guess that would be my nickname for a while. “You partially healed them both!”
“Why are you mad about that? I helped Earth.”
“You nearly died! You would have died if Mordon had not stopped you!” She was yelling in my mind now. “You are sick because you used too much magic and now you are creating more. Your body has to accommodate for that!”
“Are you saying I’m getting more powerful?” That would not go over well with the gods.
“Yes! Regivus thinks you are doing this to become more of a threat.”
“I can’t undo what I did. I don’t know why I connected Duran and Earth. It wasn’t my intention to heal both at the same time or use so much power.”
“I know, but my brothers will not see it that way. You were following your instincts to save as many worlds as you could. I will discuss this with Avoli, Madus, and Enki. We need them to intercept if Zer, Regivus, or Azenoth decide to kill you… It is disappointing, because Vretial would have been on your side, too,” she said.
“Do you regret killing him? Do you miss him?”
“I cannot regret destroying him, as he would have destroyed me, you, Earth, and Duran. But yes, I sometimes miss him.”
* * *
I woke up in my bed. The horribleness with which my skin crawled made me sit up. Luckily, I was alone in the dark. My muscles cramped, my stomach churned, and I had a fever.
Apparently building energy in massive quantities had symptoms similar to being in college… or the flu. The problem was I had too much energy. I got up slowly, wobbling on shaky legs. As I moved across the floor, static snapped between me and the wood. I could feel and hear it crackle all around me, but it didn’t hurt. I reached the door and locked the latch just before someone on the other side tried to open it. Even without consciously using my magic to feel my surroundings, I could sense it was Edward. I knew he could unlock the door with magic, but I wanted it to stay locked, so it would.
I needed to get rid of some of the excess energy, but I couldn’t just let it go like nominal energy. Or maybe I could. Iadnah energy would do anything I wanted it to. The most reasonable thing I could come up with was through my lungs. As I fell back into a sitting position on the steps, I imagined my lungs, probably quivering with my abnormal gasping, and then imagined the excess, green energy flooding my lungs. It felt like my lungs were filling with smoke, but when I breathed out, I expelled a small puff of silvery-green mist. It took several minutes to expel enough energy that I felt more stable.
After a few more minutes, I left the bedroom to find Edward and Mordon playing cards at the table. Shinobu sat watching them from on top of the stove and Sammy played with a “shapes and sounds” game on the floor. He looked up at me and smiled.
I smiled back and sat down at the third stool at the table. “Who’s winning?” I asked.
“Has anyone actually ever beat Edward at cards?” Mordon asked.
“Divina thinks she has. I was watching, though. Edward won,” I answered. Mordon slapped down his cards.
“I forfeit.”
“What? You never quit!”
“It’s a card game, not war. I don’t even know how to play. Edward makes me play because you always refuse and he says it’s my duty as your friend to stand in your place,” Mordon grouched. Edward grinned and I rolled my eyes.
“Did you have a nice conversation?” my mentor asked.
I put my head down. “She said I’m getting more powerful. I don’t know what to do. The more I use my magic, the more powerful I get, and the better I can save the worlds, but the more the gods want to kill me.”
“You’re still you, though. You still have a way about you that screams innocent and friendly. Even the gods should see that you wouldn’t turn against them,” Mordon said.
“That’s just it; he would. If Tiamat asked him to, he would side with her over any of them,” Edward argued.
Mordon looked at me and I nodded. “Divina loves to be mysterious and sometimes gets me in trouble, but I know she would never risk my life or turn against her brothers unless she had a very good reason. So, yeah, I would side with her. Especially if I don’t know what I’m siding over.”
“Why?” Mordon asked. Edward scoffed.
“Because I love her. I would also side with you and Edward against the other gods. That doesn’t mean I would try to use my magic against them, nor does it mean I would refuse a mission if one of them needed an extra Guardian.”
“What are they having a problem with, then?”
“Miscommunication and secrets,” Edward answered.
“I get the miscommunication, but who is keeping secrets?” Mordon asked.
“Tiamat, who else? She’s always got something up her… not her sleeves,” I said. That would mean she revealed them in bed and she never did.
“And you still trust her?” Mordon asked.
“I will always trust her. You trusted me when I kept her secret from you.”
He rolled his eyes. “I can smell your intentions. That doesn’t count. I have always known who I can trust and who I can’t. I know she’s mysterious and loves to have secrets
, but she adores you.”
“I am pretty fortunate to have her. She is the most amazing woman I have ever met. We should go back to the springs and finish this. If you changed your mind about your father, we could go to Mokii afterwards.”
He frowned and Edward started to clean up the cards. “Why would I change my mind? I don’t want to rule Mokii.”
“I know you don’t, but we could go back to heal him and then leave.”
“What do you mean, heal him?” He looked completely confused.
“From his injury…” I said. He gave me a blank look. “Edward said when we got back that he wouldn’t live without treatment.”
“Who wouldn’t? I don’t know anyone injured and about to die,” Edward argued. Now they both looked at me like I was crazy.
“When we left the forest, and met up with Edward, you remember that?” I asked. They both nodded. “Edward said you had to disguise your eyes because your father was looking for you. He said that your father was injured and wanted you back before he died. Remember?” They both shook their heads. “I suggested we go and heal him, and you hid yourself away on the ship for two days! You said no, that you would help me instead.”
“I was with you the entire time on the ship.”
“No, you weren’t. Edward and I were in the cabin, but no one could find you. Sammy kept crying for you.”
“He was with us the entire time,” Edward argued.
Sammy was staring at us in confusion. “Sammy, where was Mommy on the boat ride?” I asked him.
He got a weepy look in his face. “Mama hide.”
“Was Edward with us in the room?” I asked. The baby nodded. “Was Mordon?” I asked. He shook his head. “When did Mordon go hide?”
“When we saw Eddie.”
“Saw who?” Edward asked. I laughed.
