by DM Fike
“He’s fine,” Avalon answered, worried more about her empty stomach than Vimp’s strange habits.
As she dug into her food, Digs and Nobody kept up a constant chatter. Once they got past basic insults, they settled on nostalgia, reliving some of their adventuring tales. Digs told a story of Nobody taking him to a Montana bar once, not long after he had moved to Earth. The two ordered tequila, a drink they thought sounded like a light ale. They proceeded to get smashed and picked a fight with a biker gang that drove them out of town. Nobody countered with a story about Digs studying Earth customs through cowboy novels, then demanding a perplexed human to show him where they kept the covered wagons and bison. Digs reminded Nobody that the gremlin had no idea how automatic hand dryers worked the first time they encountered them, and Nobody nearly blasted a hole in the restroom wall when the hot air hit his arms.
Each tale of culture shock made Avalon feel a little more comfortable, as if they had experienced a bit of what she was going through now: disbelief, wonder, fear, and an overwhelming sense that everything she knew about the world had changed.
After dinner, the group separated into different tasks. Digs went to check on Kay, Nobody took a writhing Vimp to the bathroom to clean the soup from his hair, and Helen cleared the table. Avalon tried to help Helen, but the giant woman grunted her away.
In the corner of the kitchen sat a small desk and hutch, brimming with papers. Beneath a mound, a power cord wound its way to a laptop.
Avalon pointed at the computer. “Can I use that?”
Helen shrugged.
Avalon pushed the papers off the computer and pushed the power button. It was an ancient brick, but it did actually boot up. A picture of a green field finally replaced the black background, followed by a cascade of icons. Avalon clicked on a familiar browser and a minute later, an online email website appeared. She opened her inbox, filled almost exclusively with spam messages. She first wrote a message to James. She didn’t know how to explain her current situation, so she simply told James that she hoped his investor trip was going well. She emphasized how he should focus on it. She said she was unexpectedly out of town and would call him the moment she got back.
She went to the Fantasma employee portal page and found to her relief that she wasn’t scheduled for three days. She hoped when she returned, Logan wouldn’t be there to ask her too many questions about Agent Brimestone.
After Avalon shut down the computer, she decided to check once more on Kay. She found Digs hovering over the knight again. Nobody sat quietly in the corner, fingers steepled. Digs’s hands were dripping with an amber-colored oil, a soft glowing emitting from underneath his fingertips.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Hush,” Digs said curtly.
Avalon pursed her lips shut. Nobody did not so much as glance in her direction as Digs mumbled under his breath, making circles with his hands above Kay’s unconscious form. Beads of sweat had collected at Kay’s temples, and his head twitched occasionally as Digs continued to examine him.
“He’s in for a rough patch,” Digs admitted after finishing his administrations. He picked up a cloth on the bedside table to rub the oil off, turning to Avalon. “What happened to the fairy? And you”—he pointed to Nobody, who had parted his lips—“shut your mouth while she speaks.”
Avalon stared at Digs’s bushy beard. “He saved my life. I had been kidnapped by a woman named Brimestone or Desert Rose, depending on who you ask. She shot me, but Kay did something so that the ice shard never pierced me. He’s been unconscious ever since.”
“Desert Rose, eh?” Digs narrowed his eyes at Nobody. Nobody coughed discreetly.
“Nobody won’t tell me who she’s working for,” Avalon said.
“I bet he won’t,” Digs muttered.
Avalon grabbed Digs’s forearm. “Digs, I agreed to come here with Nobody because I was hoping you could help Kay. Not only by healing him physically but because Kay has amnesia.”
“Amnesia?” Nobody and Digs asked simultaneously.
Avalon nodded. “He has no memories of who he is or where he came from, but he is obviously an Aossi like you. I was hoping you could help him regain his memories.”
Digs stroked his beard. “Do you know how he lost his memories?”
“I only just met him,” she confessed. “He appeared as a statue where I work. Then, he was…” She paused, trying to make it sound plausible. “…struck by lightning and came to life.”
She waited for Digs or Nobody to say something, hoping that they would find this normal.
“He was a what now?” Nobody asked.
“Look, let’s be honest, everything’s nuts. Fairies and Aossi and Llenwald and... I have no idea what’s going on. I hoped you guys could help Kay. Please tell me this isn’t crazy.”
Digs and Nobody answered at the same time.
“This is crazy,” Digs said.
“Seems legit to me,” Nobody said.
Nobody glared at Digs. “Thanks for having my back there, bro.”
Kay moaned softly, causing Digs to frown. He motioned for everyone to leave the room, ushering them into the hallway.
“Will he be okay?” Avalon whispered as Digs shut the door to let Kay rest on his own.
“He’ll end up fine. Might not be so smooth in the short-term though.” The dwarf gave Avalon a reassuring pat on the arm.
Avalon hissed as a sharp pain pulsated from the bruise.
Digs frowned. “Is something hurting you?”
“No, I’m fine,” Avalon said, but Nobody pulled her shirt sleeve, exposing the ugly green splotch. It had deepened in color since she had last seen it.
“Sadus!” Nobody exclaimed.
“It’s nothing.” Avalon tried to pull away.
Digs scowled at Nobody. “I thought you said you weren’t here because of the girl.”
“I’m not,” Nobody whined.
“Aye, and I’m a unicorn’s arse,” Digs muttered. He pointed to Avalon. “We’re going to check that mark out. Into your room, now.”
Avalon was not given a choice to disagree as Digs and Nobody shuffled her into the adjacent bedroom. Digs had her lie down on the bed, taking a bowl from the nightstand and filling it with oil, much like he had done with Kay. Nobody fidgeted next to him, running his fingers through his unruly green hair.
Avalon’s pulse raced as Digs examined her. He gave her a soft smile. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a bit of light magic.”
His words did not placate her. She scooted away from him when he reached for her again. “What’s light magic?”
Digs raised an eyebrow. “You know nothing of magic?”
Avalon shook her head.
“Omni preserve us. Have you told her nothing, gremlin?”
Nobody made a face. “We just met. You don’t reveal all your secrets on the first date.”
“There’s a lot of ‘just meeting’ going on around here,” Digs mumbled before addressing Avalon. “Light magic is internal, a non-elemental magic. You’ve witnessed Nobody turn into a bird or move around in a puff of smoke, aye?”
Avalon nodded.
“That’s dark magic. Light and dark magic are two sides of the same coin. With dark magic, the caster trades a miniscule fraction of his own life force to create, destroy, or manipulate things. It’s a very reckless magic that wreaks great havoc on the caster’s psyche over time.”
“Spoken like a healer,” Nobody retorted. “I see it more like being super awesome because I can do cool stuff that you can’t.”
“Light magic,” Digs said loudly, interrupting Nobody, “also draws from a person’s life, but it is used to heal either oneself or others. It still takes a toll but a much smaller one, given its purpose.”
“Is that why Kay’s so ill?” Avalon asked, worried what he may have done to himself to protect her.
“He didn’t use light magic.”
Avalon balked. “Then how did he heal me from the ice dagger?”
Avalon remembered how Kay seemed fuzzy as he healed her, and how the ice dagger popped out of her from its original entry point. “He reversed time on me?” she asked incredulously.
“It is extraordinary,” Digs said. “No wonder the lad has burnt himself out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wielding magic always comes with a physical cost, lass, no matter the type,” Digs explained. “Much like you can’t lift a car without having the proper strength, you can’t control certain magic unless you have the ability and talent to do so. And the more powerful the magic, the higher the toll on your body.”
“Everything has a price, sweetheart,” Nobody said with a drawl. “And apparently reversing time puts Winged Wonder into a coma.”
Digs brought his glowing hands up again. “May I? Again, it will not hurt. It’s like a human doctor’s examination.”
Avalon summoned all her coping mechanisms from past Saluzyme appointments. “Okay,” she said, forcing her muscles to relax.
Digs let his hands drift as if mixing something in the air above her. A gentle heat radiated from his palm that reminded Avalon of sitting in a patch of sun. He started at her feet and worked his way up, never actually touching her skin.
His hands lingered over her upper right arm. He chanted something under his breath, and a sudden sharp pain jabbed her arm. She hissed.
“Does that hurt?” Digs asked, pointing to the splotchy green bruise on her arm. Nobody squirmed in his chair.
“Yes.”
Digs relented, moving onto the rest of her body.
“Well, good news, lass.” Digs helped Avalon back into a sitting position. “You’re as fit as a young colt.” Nobody immediately stopped fidgeting.
Avalon remembered James’s phone message. “I had a serious life-threatening illness called Miasmis. That spot on my arm is where I was treated to cure it. Do you know if it’s coming back?”
“That is an excellent question.” Digs stood. “One right up Nobody’s alley.”
“Nobody?” She grimaced as the gremlin gave her a cheesy thumbs up. “What does he know about Miasmis?”
“More than he’s been letting on.” Digs lumbered toward the door.
“And what about Kay and his amnesia?” Avalon asked, but it was too late. Digs had shut the door behind him.
Nobody sat on the bed. “Don’t worry, your ‘friend’ is okay.” Nobody made air quotes again.
Avalon knocked Nobody’s hands down. “What is your problem with Kay?”
“Where to begin? Maybe when he attacked me at the carnival? Or the fact that he has convenient amnesia? Or he was a freaking statue before you met him, which was what, days ago? He seems like a trustworthy dude to fawn over.”
Avalon snorted. “You’re one to talk. You disguised yourself as a homeless guy and had a turtle keep tabs on me. Tried to grab me in the middle of the night in a deserted park. Somehow got me involved with a mercenary from another world. Oh, but you’re right. You’re completely above board.”
“Now you’re just being petty,” Nobody grumbled.
“Nobody, it’s time to come clean. Why did you find me at all? What’s Desert Rose got to do with any of this? Who are you?”
“Promise not to laugh?”
“Your jokes usually aren’t that funny.”
“Ouch. Ouch.” Nobody lightly punched her as if returning a volley. Then in all seriousness, he said, “I am the son of the leader of the largest gremlin tribe on Llenwald actually.”
Avalon snorted.
He gave her a sideways glance. “See, now you’re laughing at me.”
“You’re not fit to lead anybody,” Avalon cried. “You’re a flake. You skirt around the issues. You have no tact. You—”
“Please, don’t hold anything back.”
Avalon rubbed her temples. “Let’s say I believe you. What’s such an important person as yourself doing here on Earth, instead of back with your people?”
“I’ll have you know I’m neutralizing a threat.”
“And something on Earth is threatening Llenwald?”
“Not something.” Nobody draped his cape over his arm and covered the lower half of his face. “Someone.” He dissolved into laughter. “Oh man, I finally get the appeal of these ridiculous Earth clichés.”
“Glad I could help you out there,” Avalon said sarcastically.
“Okay, seriously. His name is Bedwyr. He’s the guy that hired Desert Rose to kill me.”
Finally, they were getting somewhere. “So, what’s Bedwyr’s deal?”
Nobody surprised her by dropping all hint of mirth. “Miasmis is his deal.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Miasmis is not natural. Avalon, you’ve been experimented on.”
CHAPTER 14
AVALON DID NOT know what she expected from Nobody, but it wasn’t this. Her mind went completely blank.
Nobody plunked down on her bedspread. “Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, or rather decades ago, Llenwald went through a civil war between humans and Aossi. Remember me telling you they don’t like each other much on Llenwald? Well, up until then, Aossi could handily beat the magicless humans, but the humans had slowly made advances in technology and fought back. They outnumber us several times over. Human colonies once at the mercy of neighboring Aossi slaughtered whole tribes.
“The humans got particularly efficient at killing some of the legendary magical creatures to near extinction. A dragon named Kryvalen did not take kindly to this. He decided to steal a relic called the Jaded Sprite Statue and tip the scales in his favor. Ha! Get it. Scales, ’cause he’s a—”
“You were talking about a dragon and some mythical statue?”
Nobody snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, Jaded Sprite Statue. So Kryvalen steals it. The statue was created by one of the three Great Creators, Gaea.”
“Mother Earth,” Avalon recalled from high school English class.
“Makes sense she has street cred here too. She’s one of those more ‘help the mortals out’ kind of goddesses. Legend says she granted Aossi magic, way back at the dawn of time, and forged the Jaded Sprite Statue as a way for Aossi to access her great power. But she wouldn’t let just anyone pick up the phone and dial, so to speak. She would always choose a young girl as a—” He paused for a second, frowning. “—as a kind of herald to the statue itself. A Child of the Statue. The Child alone has access to all Gaea’s elemental magic: fire, earth, wind, lightning, and ice. The Indulia.”
“Sounds kinda cool.” Avalon thought of the superhero movies she loved.
“It is terrible,” Nobody snapped, face twisting into a scowl. “It is servitude, slavery. The Child is no longer her own person but an extension of Gaea, bound forever to her, devoid of free will.”
“Yeesh, okay, not cool,” Avalon agreed. “How does a dragon fit into this?”
“Kryvalen stole not only the statue, but he also managed to capture the Child herself through great skill and deception.” Nobody cleared his throat at this. “However, no one really believed it would make any sort of difference. Gaea always appointed five Guardians to protect the Child, which should have been enough to stop him from doing anything dangerous. No one actually believed he would figure out a way to control the Child. It’s the kind of thing you hear about as a kid, like kangaroos and platypuses.”
“But those things do exist,” Avalon interrupted.
Nobody sputtered. “Come again?”
“Kangaroos and platypuses exist on Earth. In Australia.”
“Oh man, Australia’s real too?” Nobody exclaimed. “Boomerangs
and vegemite and everything?”
“As far as I know,” Avalon said, not sure about the vegemite.
Nobody grabbed her sleeve. “Please don’t tell anyone. I’ll lose a huge bet with someone if he ever finds out.”
Avalon sighed. “Stay focused. What did Kryvalen do?”
“Right,” Nobody nodded. “Kryvalen discovered a way to control the Child of the Statue. In doing so, he backchanneled into Gaea’s legendary mastery of all magical elements. Kryvalen transformed from being a fairly normal dragon into this terrifying creature with power beyond measure. And he used that power to create rainbows and love and peace and all was hunky dory on Llenwald. The end.”
Avalon tilted her head in confusion. “Huh?”
Nobody grinned. “Just seeing if you were paying attention. Of course, he abused his new abilities. He went on a human genocide spree first. The Aossi were okay with this, but the Guardians not so much. They were all misach, of both human and Aossi descent, frowned upon by both sides. With their magical powers, the Guardians rallied to protect the humans. Kryvalen created new dragons in his image to combat the Guardians’ forces.”
“Created new dragons? Like babies?”
“Like conjured them out of thin air. They were strange bestial creatures, not at all like the intelligent dragons of old. They had one purpose: destruction. They did not distinguish between human and Aossi. And when the Aossi protested the loss of their own people, Kryvalen went to war with them too. He thought he had become a god himself, untouchable, above all other life. But in fighting the Aossi, he managed to do the one thing no one could have ever imagined. He united humans and Aossi against him.
“The five Guardians led the forces against the dragons.” A deep sadness flashed across the Nobody’s eyes. “Many lives were lost, including the Child of the Statue. After a climatic showdown between the combined forces of Llenwald and the horrible mutated dragons, Kryvalen was dead, and the Guardians had reclaimed the Jaded Sprite Statue. They deemed it too powerful to exist, so they crushed the statue, destroying its power forever and creating a peace that has never existed before. The end.”
