by Jill Nojack
***
Oriane heard the lock being pulled and yanked back the root tendril that snaked from the tiny gap in the top of a boot. If she was discovered attempting communication, it would mean her death. She knew this, but she had lived long and would make an end of it gladly if it meant she could warn the humans what was coming. Her sister aurae, Lizbet, was human, and she loved her dear. Nor would she have sent Avenall to risks she would not take herself.
The tendril shortened and disappeared before elder Shan entered the chamber.
"Your plotting with the Dragon Tender has been undone. We now know where he has gone. When he arrives, he will be dealt with."
"What has happened to the elves, Shan? What has happened to you? Have you no affection for your own son? Have you no affection for your people?"
"I have no son!" he thundered. "My concern is only for my own people. You and the other fae follow a human queen. No fae, not even the most undisciplined of the wild folk, should ever place himself below a human."
"Do you still believe that the elves can battle the humans and win?"
"The elves are not alone in this. There are many who have thrown their power in with us. The unaligned fae, even the Good Folk, have joined us from their hidden homes. And soon, the humans will be stripped of the things that give them power to resist us in battle. In the end, it will be no battle at all. We will simply take from them what we want and require they leave us alone or die on our swords. It will be as it was in the days before Myrddin's truce."
"You would breach Myrddin's truce while Myrddin lives again? I am impressed, Shan. You must have no fear of death."
"I have no fear of the newborn wizard who styles himself Myrddin. As in the olden times, he has no heart for revenge. Was it not this Myrddin who took his own murderer as a friend? He never entered battle without the support of his human king, Arthur. No, I have no fear of him. And if I did—I have a much stronger wizard at my command."
"Stronger than Myrddin? None is stronger."
"Yes. A stronger wizard has risen to champion the elves. Indeed, there are two who are stronger. And one of them is placed with the queen. Surely you remember Faolan? Faolan risen is ten times stronger than Myrddin,"
"The boy Thomas has no superior strength. He is Myrddin's apprentice."
"I think you will be surprised by the strength he has. You and the humans will choke on your surprise when all is revealed." Shan turned then. He smiled to himself with satisfaction as he left the room.
When he was gone, Oriane slowly unleashed the tendril from the opening in the boot again, bidding it grow until it bridged the gap between the bottom of her metal cage and the floor. She watched it snake toward the small crack she had found with constant probing. She pushed the tendril downward, hoping to encounter the bare earth that must be below the stone and mortar.
There, there it was. The root contacted good earth and the spark of her communication moved from bacteria to nematode to root to bacteria, tracing its way along the path of underground life toward Euphemia. She held her breath for a response and let it out when the response came.
I'm fading, dear sister, but I'm still here.
***
Avenall tried to remain patient with the slow progress across the ocean. The dragons were bored and restless. On a normal day, they would hunt and train. Their diet would be varied, comprised of game as well as fish, and their minds would be better occupied by the training routine than by perching and waiting. If he had not made a promise to the queen, he would have let them follow their instincts and continue on without the ship as a source of refuge. But he'd made a promise and he would not break it even if the dragons pushed at him to allow them their freedom.
Avenall was bored by his new routine, too. He had his music, but he had little else to occupy him. He didn't feel comfortable leaving the dragons and exploring the other areas of the ship. The captain insisted that the security personnel at the entrance to the pool deck would make sure that nothing happened to the dragons, but that was not what concerned him. The dragons could fend for themselves. It was the passengers he worried about. Many of them congregated below the pool deck, hoping for a glimpse of the herd. It only took one of them to try to get their attention in an aggressive way, and...
It must have been terrible for Durian--to be inside Harul's mind as she flamed, using all of his strength to try to restrain her. And still, he had watched helplessly as the dragon's fire blazed toward the human she saw as an attacker.
Avenall thought back to the last time he saw Durian. Durian had come to him after the council was done with him—bloodied, humiliated, and sent to tend the pigs. Even a Dragon Tender is higher than a farmer in elvin society. It was too much for the gentle man whose ways Avenall had gladly followed. When Durian quietly took his own dragon claw and placed it around Avenall's neck, he believed he understood the gesture, the passing of responsibility from master to apprentice, but it was the tears in Durian's eyes that told him it was more.
It is not the elvin way to express affection between men, but Avenall clasped Durian's hand in his own for a long time before he let go and watched the older man dart to the fence and slip into the forest.
The dragons stirred as fresh pain welled up unexpectedly at this memory. Avenall forced himself to send thoughts of ease and relaxation to them. He wondered how he would ever be able to do the same for himself.
Even if he could return to the elves one day, there was no one left there who cared for him. All he had now was the responsibility of caring for the dragons, which Durian had left hanging heavy around his neck. He would honor that responsibility for as long as the dragons needed him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Thomas watched the wisp enter the silo and drape itself momentarily over the glass lip of the globe before it slipped inside and joined with the others. He didn't know how many wisps had already contributed themselves to his project, but there were more arriving every day. They slipped in a few at a time, in a slow but steady stream. At first, he was concerned the humans might notice the wisps were on the move, gliding past them silently on the way to Ohio. But what would it matter? Soon the globe would be full, and the flow of wisps would stop.
As another wisp topped the high cement wall above him in a rush toward the globe, he held out his hands to gather it to himself instead. With only a little hesitation, it slipped through his chest to join with the power he'd already captured from the others of its kind. He breathed a satisfied sigh. The blue glow that lit up his skin slowly faded as he forced the magic to move closer to his core. It was an effort, but he worked at it constantly to prevent the glow, now sometimes visible in the dark, from giving him away.
***
With the shop closed on Mondays, Tanji wasn't surprised to see Thomas walking toward her as she neared the woods. He greeted her with, "All right, Tanj?"
She knew his gift for sensing the magic of others allowed him to locate any of the magical folk who were close enough to his location. The range of his gift even seemed to have grown since they started dating. After the homecoming dance, he'd only been able to sense her as she drove toward his apartment from a block or two away. Anymore, he seemed to know if she left her house. That actually made for some weird moments when he'd turned up when she wasn't expecting him. He may not have been very attentive most of the time, but he could def be jealous.
She sighed and replied, "Oh hey, imagine seeing you here." She rolled her eyes on the inside but didn't show it on the outside.
"I sensed you," Thomas replied, to which Tanji said, "Well, duh." Or maybe she only said it on the inside. What she really wanted to do was to tell him to stop creeping on her. Really loud. On the outside.
But she just let him walk along as she went toward the small path into the woods. "You know how I told you the other day at work that Mona's missing? I thought I'd nose around a little more near where James found her shoe now that the snow's melted a little."
"Looking for clues? I could lend a hand."
"Sure, okay. You really haven't had any tingles going about Mona? You haven't felt her magic lately?"
"No, I can't say that I have. She must be out of range." He ducked ahead and held aside the branch of a bramble that crossed into the path. "I wish I could remember the last time I sensed her."
"We've all been tossing it around over and over, trying to remember any little thing that might help us find her. Lizbet's mom is going out of her head. So, I thought I'd put a little more effort in. Mrs. Moore is like a second mom to me, especially since my mom has been gone so much."
"That's right—your mother's visiting, isn't she? When's she leaving?"
"She'll be here for at least another week while she makes arrangements for her move. We're having tomorrow as a mother-daughter talk day. I kind of wish I was, like, five and didn't get treated so much like an adult on this one. My dad gets it, but my mom has this bad habit of talking to me like I'm a girlfriend instead of her kid. I used to think that was cool, but now that it's going to be about her and dad's relationship, I don't think I really want to know, you know?"
"No, I don't know. I don't remember having parents." He didn't sound upset. He was just stating a fact.
Tanji suddenly remembered Thomas's lack of memories. "Sorry. I forgot about that. Well, just trust me on this one, oh-man-with-no-past."
"I'll do that." Thomas took her elbow and said, "We should try this way, I think. Didn't Mona use one of the clearings over here a lot when she contacted Europe? Didn't we walk with her here once?"
"Yeah, but I was thinking I'd start where we found her shoes."
"I thought you said you looked around there already?"
"We did, but there was snow on the ground, and it could have covered something up."
"Makes sense." He dropped her arm and followed after her. She couldn't see his look of frustration. Then he called out, "Hey, wait a minute, didn't you see this when you walked by?"
Tanji turned and looked where he was pointing. She picked the scrap of cloth off a thorny branch. "Oh wow—that's blood, isn't it? It could be hers. I don't recognize the fabric, but I don't know what she was wearing, either. Whoever it was had to be in a big hurry to tear their clothes instead of stopping to untangle them."
"Let me see," he said, taking the scrap of cloth from her. "It does have a residual feel of magic, although it's too degraded for me to say for certain it's her magical signature. And look, there are some broken branches further on. Looks like someone went this way."
"Wow, you must have eagle eyes. Let's go." Tanji hurried off along the narrow side path, in danger of tearing her own clothes among the thick brambles. She hoped she'd be bringing home good news about her lost friend.
***
The summons felt like a giant hand clamping around him and dragging him forward. Freoric had no choice but to follow it. By the time he reached Thomas at the concrete silo, he was mute from swallowing his rage. It infuriated him that this thing created of human and wisp should be allowed to treat him as a servant. And yet, he was following the orders of his council and serving the interests of the elves. He would bear it for a short while longer, but when this time was over...
He waited in silence until Thomas turned and spoke.
"I'm pleased with how well you laid the trail away from the dryad's location."
Freoric forced himself to speak. "It was a simple enough task for a woodsman."
"I was surprised to sense you'd drifted so far from the silo while I was with Tanji in the woods. I told you to stay close."
"I heard something. I went to investigate. I was sure you'd approve."
Thomas stepped closer to the elf and spoke quietly but intensely, "Investigate only what comes into sight. My spell will keep away any but the most determined. I explained this to you when I created the ward to protect you from the magic."
"You did. Perhaps because I cannot feel the dread myself, I've doubted it's strength. I will not doubt again."
"Or maybe you should experience it so you'll understand." Thomas held out his hand. "Remove the charm, and let me hold it for you. You'll beg to have it back."
Freoric bobbed his head in an unfamiliar gesture of obedience, wanting to hand Thomas the moving, thrusting blade of his hunting knife instead of the leather pouch he wore on a thong around his neck. He had no choice but to comply and put the charm into the other's hand, maintaining a blank expression even as the terror took hold of him body and mind. His heart raced, his bowel spasmed. He felt he was in danger of falling to his knees and begging for the charm to be returned. It was difficult to breath, but he refused to gasp for the air he so desperately needed. Nothing could betray his distress.
Thomas stood looking at him calmly for a moment. Then smiled.
"You're very strong-minded, Freoric. I admire that. Would you like the charm back?"
He replied quietly through gritted teeth. "Yes." It was all he could say with the small amount of breath he had left.
Thomas handed the charm to him. With a slow, controlled movement, Freoric returned it to hang around his neck .
Someday, it would be his great pleasure to kill this Abomination.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Breakin’ Up Is Hard To Do
"Tanji, are you even listening?"
Tanji looked up from the plate of food she was toying with. She was sitting across from her mother in the dining room of the town's best—but still not very good—hotel. "Sorry. I've got a lot on my mind. I may have found some more information about what happened to a friend who disappeared, and I texted it to James. He's going to go out and look again when he gets home from work. I'm just worried that with more time going by, the chance of finding her gets less and less."
"What friend?"
"She's a half-fae like me, named Mona. She works for Dad, so she's not a kid. I sometimes tease her and call her 'Mona the Telephona'. She puts up with me, so..."
"Yes, I've heard of Mona from your father. He speaks highly of her. I'm sure what you found will help, toonkins. But I need you to pay attention to what I'm sayin' to you now. I want us to have only honesty between us. I want to make sure you don't blame your father for anything that's happened."
"Why would I blame him? Did he do something wrong? I can't imagine him doing anything to hurt you."
"He would never hurt me. But I've hurt him by letting things go on so long. I wanted us to make it for you. We both love you so much, but that isn't enough when two people can never be right together."
"What? You and dad have always gotten along great!"
"Yes, we're very good friends. He's my best friend. But I have dreams, Tanji-girl, and they're starting to come true for me in the city. Your father and I have never agreed on the kind of life we wanted to lead."
Tanji stopped eating mid-bite. "So, you just decide to take off and leave him because he'd rather build houses for gnomes than dress up in a suit and make money for stockholders?"
Her mother gave her a patient look. "I did try to make it work. We'd agreed to stay together until you graduated from high school, but..."
"Yeah, yeah, he'd be understanding. That's my daddio. But wow—you guys couldn't just come clean and tell me instead of drawing it out for the past year? Like I'm stupid and didn't get that you living in New York almost all the time wasn't normal?"
"Please don't be like that. We just...neither of us was in a hurry, that's all. We're still friends, and it isn't easy to end a marriage. But now I'm in a hurry. I've been offered an amazing opportunity, and I can't pass it up. It won't leave me time to run back to Ohio to pretend that everything is the same as it's always been. There's a lot of travel. It just seemed like the right time to tell you."
"Yeah, I mean—mom, I get it, and I'm not mad at you, really. You're mi madre, comprende? It's just going to take a while for me to get my head around it. Plus, I can't believe that you and dad were like constantly saying 'always be honest with yourself
and other people', and for the whole past year or so, you've been lying to me!"
"Yes." Her mother leaned across the table to place her hand on Tanji's cheek. "Yes, and it was wrong of us. Your father wanted to tell you, but I begged him to give you a little more time to be our little girl."
When her mother removed her hand, Tanji felt like she was going to start crying again and gave a small laugh instead to cover. "Well, no biggie. I mean, I might as well be a 'child of divorce' along with everything else. It's not like life is turning out exactly the way I thought it would anyway."
***
Tanji slipped onto the couch where her father sat reading after stopping at the fridge for a bowl of ice cream. She stretched out to lounge over one of the puffy arms and picked up the remote. She surfed through the channels but couldn't find anything to stick with, so she flipped through her choices over and over again.
Her father interrupted the fourth round of channel roulette. "I guess that's the end of my quiet time, then?"
"Sorry. I can go upstairs and watch."
"No need." He put his book down on the end table. "James told me on the way back from a pixie capture that you found some new information about Mona?"
"Yeah, maybe. At least I hope so. Was he going out to look for her?"
"He said he was. From what I know of James, if he says he's going to do something, he does it."
"Yeah, he does. Lizbet definitely lucked out when the universe picked her soulmate."
"I hope Mona turns up soon. I miss her."
"Yeah." Tanji nodded halfheartedly, distracted.
"So, since you're obviously not volunteering anything, how was dinner with your mother?"
