by Ramz Artso
‘Which one?’
‘What does it matter?’
‘Give me a name.’
‘Fine, it was,’ he took a brief pause. ‘It was Adisa.’
‘How did it happen?’
‘Ask her about her hunting incident with your mother.’
‘You know I’m not going to do that. It’ll raise suspicion. Can’t you just tell me?’
‘There really isn’t much to tell: Your mother, Adisa and a few other coven members were out hunting near the Upper Eastside. They were outsmarted by a group of sorcerers. One of them was my brother. My brother and his partners killed everyone off, leaving Adisa and your mother alive. They were spared because of their high status…’
‘Go on.’
‘When my brother and his friends let down their guard, your mom and sister attacked, killing everyone except for Jonathan, who managed to escape and tell the story.’
I was taken aback by his account. His story meant there was family vendetta between us.
‘This can only mean one thing, Calvin: We cannot possibly be together. I imagine you want to avenge your brother’s death, and being who I am, I can’t allow that to happen. I will not let you harm my family. You do realize that, right?’
He stroked my chin with his thumb, pulling me closer with a gentle pull at one of my hips. ‘I won’t lie and tell you I don’t want revenge. I do. But if it means losing you, then I’ll have to set the matter aside.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘I’m a man of my word. Besides, the fact that I saved you and your sisters speaks for itself, doesn’t it?’ He pecked me on the cheek. ‘Can’t you tell, Ranka, that you and I are soul mates? I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.’
I could tell that much for myself. Although we barely knew one another, there was something about him that appealed to me on a very deep level. It felt almost as if I was predisposed to like him…Never before had a boy made feel that way. With him around, everything seemed to be a tiny bit better.
‘You wouldn’t?’
‘Of course I wouldn’t. You’d never forgive me with your stern character.’
That made me giggle. ‘You can read me quite well.’ And then his sweet, silky lips brushed against mine again. My breath caught in my throat, and I had to do my very best not to lose control and jump on him right there and then.
He surprised me by quickly laying me down on the tiled roof, after which he covered my face in kisses, slowly moving down to my neck.
‘Calvin?’ I half-whispered, beaming as if I was the sun itself.
‘Hmm?’
‘How old are you?’
‘I’m seventeen, and you?’
‘Sixteen. How many girls have you had before me?’
He smiled a lopsided smile. ‘Why, are you jealous?’
‘No,’ I lied. ‘Just wanna know.’
‘Two; I’ve only had two girlfriends before you.’
‘So, is that what I am? Your girlfriend?’
‘No, that’s for kids who want to play around. You’re a lot more than that.’
‘What am I, then?’ I asked playfully, as he leaned against a gargoyle and I came to rest my head in his lap.
‘You’re the love of my life.’
I produced a funny sound that was half a snort and partly a cackle. ‘Yeah right.’
‘I mean it, Ranka. And you know I do. I love you.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Why don’t you say you love me back? You don’t feel the same?’
I laughed. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Fine, I won’t force it out of you, then.’
Moving gently, he bent lower and attacked my mouth as if he was a famished wolf. I returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm, finding myself on cloud nine.
‘What the –’
Frightened to death, I leaped up to my feet and turned to face Corey. Fists clenched tight, he assailed Calvin without a second thought. What with his superhuman strength, he sent him flying off the roof, but I caught him at the very last instant and pushed Corey away. The latter was beyond himself with rage. In fact, he was so angry he was able to force me down onto the balcony with a single yank at my clothes.
With an explosion of sparkling smoke, Sigurd appeared and lifted Corey into the air. Corey reacted by taking hold of the spirit’s neck who in turn simply vanished, only to reappear right behind his attacker, catch him in free-fall and, grabbing both of his legs, slam him against the balcony railing.
The ruckus did not go unnoticed, and just when it looked like Sigurd would deliver a deadly blow to Calvin’s head, a few of the twenty-four-hour perimeter patrols jumped up onto the terrace and instantly took to shooting at Sigurd. Fists held up high, Calvin came to his help, and although I tried to prevent it, was knocked unconscious by one of the guards.
Weakened by the silver projectiles – genies were susceptible to silver, and although it could not kill them, the metal drained their strength – Sigurd’s speed decreased and his punches became less and less effective.
Not knowing what to do, I ordered the guards to stop. But my yells were ignored and, just when I was beginning to ask myself what would happen next, a brawny man in protective gloves walked up to the spirit and restrained him in silver shackles and fetters.
Mother appeared shortly thereafter, a look of panic on her face, Callista right behind her.
‘What in the name of Odin is going on here?’ she demanded. ‘Where is my child?’
‘Your child,’ Corey spoke up, ‘was caught smooching with this sorcerer, whose genie nearly killed me when I walked in on them.’
My mother’s face became a mask of sheer horror. She obviously did not like what she was hearing. My chest filled up with panic and shame as I met her scolding gaze. Unable to hold it, I looked down at my feet, hoping the floor would swallow me up whole.
‘Are these outrageous accusations true?’ she asked, her tone of voice as hard as flint.
‘Yes,’ I mumbled.
‘Speak up, I can’t hear you.’
Remembering that I was my father’s daughter, I raised my chin high, puffed out my chest and repeated, ‘Yes. Every word is true.’
Something seemed to have died in her at these words. Her face became a shade darker and she even took a small step away from me, looking as if I had spat in her face. It took her a moment to collect herself, after which she walked up to me and whispered in my ear, ‘Why did you do this to me, Ranka? You know what this means, don’t you? The penalty for such behavior is death.’
My knees buckled, and I suddenly found it extremely challenging not to break down and start begging for forgiveness. But I knew it would only anger my mother and therefore make things even worse. So I said, through spasms in my diaphragm, ‘Do what you have to, Mom.’
She moved away from me, her carriage as erect as ever, then said in an authoritative voice, ‘Take the prisoners and my daughter to the dungeons. She has disgraced this coven and will therefore pay for it with her life, as our laws dictate.’
‘Wait a minute,’ Corey piped up. ‘You can’t kill Ranka. She’s your daughter.’
‘Be quiet, boy,’ Callista ordered, pointing a finger at him.
Whipping me with a fiery glare, Mom did a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn and disappeared into the house. She motioned for Asvi, who was always by her side, to follow. The latter of the two seemed to be afraid and lost for words.
Desperate and on the brink of losing consciousness, I considered calling after them, but thought better of it at the last moment and shuffled along obediently as the hefty guards manhandled me to the underground.
I kept watching Calvin’s handsome face the entire trip, but, much to my disappointment, he never came to. Wrestling with my instinct of survival that told me to fight my way out of the damned hell-pit I was being carried to, I embraced my logic instead, for it told me I wouldn’t get too far even if I did opt for escape.
Soon enough, Calvin and Sigurd were
gone and I was thrown into a cold prison cell. The solid silver door was forced shut, after which there was a farrago of hushed voices and muted footsteps. Then came the waiting process in accompaniment with the torturing thoughts: What would happen to me? Would my own mother really order my execution? The answer came almost immediately: Yes, she would. Not because she was bad or didn’t love me, but because if she did otherwise, the coven would never understand. That being the case, they would probably turn against her, which meant that she’d be endangering the rest of the family, which she simply couldn’t afford, of course.
So, I was dead meat. That much was clear. Being Pyrna’s daughter, I would in all probability be granted an honorable death, despite the fact that I had brought disgrace and shame on the coven. But what about Calvin and Sigurd? I knew what. Both would be killed in most violent way possible. And that would be the end of it.
‘Freyja, goddess of love, why is this happening to me? Is this how you repay those who love? You know neither of us has deserved such an end. Especially Calvin. You also deal with death, so please, I beg you, save us.’
Unable to sleep, I paced up and down the tiny cell, whose brick walls seemed to be closing in on me as I stressed over what to do. I checked the time on my iPhone and estimated that roughly three hours had passed. It usually took anywhere from ten to twelve hours for my mother to summon the seven coven judges – whose job it was to assemble in order to decide my fate – and then independently mull over their decision so as to carry out the final sentence. So, I had a good six hours’ time to come up with a plan and execute it.
As I racked my brains, the door to the cell slowly screeched open and in came Asvi with Adisa in tow.
‘Quickly, put this on and follow me,’ the former of the two instructed, handing me a hooded cape. I did as I was told without tarrying. ‘Now follow me. Adisa, pull out your gun and shoot anyone who sees us, is that clear?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does mother know you’re doing this?’ I asked, with a quavering voice.
‘No.’
‘Where are you taking me?’
‘As far away from this place as possible.’
‘I’m not going anywhere without Calvin.’
Unable to help herself, Asvi slapped me across the face, then yanked me closer to her burning eyes. ‘Listen here, you dumbass! You’ve already caused enough trouble with that human punk of yours. Thanks to him, you’ll never see your family again. Now shut up and pray you get out of here alive.’
I removed her hand and said calmly, ‘I’m not going anywhere without Calvin. He has saved my life two times already.’
‘Ranka, baby, we can’t risk it,’ Adisa tried, with an imploring expression. ‘What if we get caught while we’re at it? We’re her to free you. That’s it.’
‘You heard me,’ was my reply. ‘I’m not going without Calvin.’
Asvi raised her hand again, but Adisa stopped her by shaking her head. ‘Have it your way, then.’
Moving as fast and quietly as we could, we passed by a few guards, climbed a flight of steep stairs, walked down a narrow corridor and finally arrived at Calvin’s and Sigurd’s cell. Hands shaking, Adisa mishandled the huge keychain and dropped the whole thing to the floor. To our mutual horror, this prompted one of the guards to check where the sound was coming from. Without much forethought, Adisa lifted her suppressed handgun and pulled the trigger, after which she caught the body before it struck the floor to hide in the nearby shadows.
‘Happy now?’ Asvi whispered, baring her white teeth. ‘This man could have lived if it hadn’t been for your stupidity. You freaking piss me off. Why am I even helping you?’
Sigurd got up the moment he saw us, but we gestured to him to stay quiet. He nodded and lifted his restraints. Asvi got the point and took them off. He regained his strength almost instantaneously, and, without wasting any time, picked up Calvin, turned to face us and said, ‘I imagine Master Calvin would want you to come with us, Ranka. Will you be joining us? I can take you away from this place in the blink of an eye.’
Swallowing hard, I said the first thing that came to my mind, ‘Where would we go?’
‘To the master’s apartment.’
I hesitated for a tenth of a second, then nodded agreement. ‘Let’s do it.’
‘May I ask you to take my hand, then?’
I was about to do so when Adisa came up and gave me a tight hug. ‘I’d cry if I could, sis’. I love you. Take care of yourself, okay?’
‘You do the same, honey,’ I replied, returning the hug. My heart was being torn out of my chest, everything I’d ever known was being taken away from me. My family, friends and home. The only comforting thought was that I still had Calvin. ‘Asvi, thank you,’ I said, once Adisa and I broke our tight embrace. ‘I seriously did not expect that you would do this for me. You’ve never once disobeyed mother. I’m so sorry for everything. Tell Mom I ran away by myself and never let her know you were involved in my escape. It’ll break her heart and you might even get punished.’
I felt like I did not deserve them as sisters. They were too good to me.
She nodded, her lips pursed. It was beginning to look like she wouldn’t say anything in return, when she delivered, ‘Stay safe, Ranka. And try not to be as foolish as you’ve been so far. Leave the country as soon as you can. You know they’ll come looking for you.’
It was my time to nod. ‘By the way, do Birna and Brigida already know?’
‘Everyone knows, Ranka. Now get out of here; time’s ticking.’
I pecked her on the cheek, squeezed Adisa’s hand and then stepped up to Sigurd to take his. ‘Tell both of them I love them,’ and then, just before their pale faces were washed away, I added, ‘Will we ever see each other again?’
I wasn’t sure, but I thought I had caught a glimpse of Asvi shaking her head with a deep frown.
Chapter 6
Calvin’s apartment was a very spacious studio with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered an excellent view of the Central Park. Once we settled in and Calvin regained his consciousness, we gave him a detailed account of everything that had happened since his absence, after which deafening silence settled.
‘What now? What am I gonna do?’ I finally said, shattering the tense atmosphere. ‘I have to leave the country.’
‘And as soon as possible,’ Sigurd reminded me.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Calvin assured, taking me into his arms.
‘Don’t you have to do things around here? Won’t your brethren come looking for you?’
‘So what? My brethren are no longer my first priority in life.’
A sudden thought popped in my mind, so I faced Sigurd. ‘Do you think I could ask you do me a huge favor?’
‘That depends on what it is.’
‘Can I ask you to teleport to the roof of my bedroom and grab the two books laying there?’
‘Master?’ Sigurd asked, giving him a questioning look.
Calvin nodded permission and with that the genie was gone.
We were finally alone, and grabbing the chance to do so, Calvin said, ‘I know you must feel terrible right now, Ranka. But I swear I’ll take care of you. You have nothing to worry about.’
I didn’t reply due to being deep in thought. Calvin stroked my hair and studied my face, and the feel of his strong shoulder against my cheek alleviated some of the pain in my innards.
There was a burst of brilliant light, and then Sigurd said, handing me the books, ‘Here you go, Ranka.’
I thanked him and pressed both of the volumes against my chest. They were the only thing I had from my past now. But, more importantly, they were the key to finding my father.
‘You know about my dad’s mysterious disappearance, don’t you?’ I posed a question to both of my listeners, who nodded in response. ‘Well, I have my own theory about the whole thing. I don’t think he’s dead.’
‘Ranka,’ Calvin tried softly, ‘I’m certainly no expert on such matters, but i
t’s been a very long time since he went missing. I’m just saying, you know?’
‘I expected this kind of reaction. What I believe is the following: My father traveled to the Castle of Finnvid to find the Golden Container.’
‘That means he would have to know the location of the Castle, and even we genies don’t know where it is.’
‘Not a problem. This book has the exact coordinates.’
‘What do you intend to do if you ever do get there?’ Calvin asked.
‘Well, the fact that my father went looking for the Fang of Tong Fei makes it pretty clear he wanted to find Finnvid’s container and submit the spirit inside it. I believe he found the fang and somehow reached the castle.’
‘First of all,’ Sigurd spoke up, ‘submitting Grothmore is virtually impossible. Secondly, the Fang of Tang Fei is extremely difficult to come by, but it has gone missing, so maybe he did find it. Thirdly, to get to the Castle of Finnvid, he would have needed a genie and the exact coordinates of the place. If he managed to come by both, then it is possible, however unlikely, that he simply got lost inside the castle. Or maybe he’s been captured, possibly even killed by the horrible creatures lurking in its halls and corridors.
‘Finnvid’s castle is one strange place indeed, Ranka. And the only way out of it, if you’re not a spirit that is, is to submit Grothmore and order him to take you out of there. The structure’s every nook and cranny is soaked with his magic. It’s like a living organism that will keep fooling you until you find your bitter end there. To go there willingly, one would have to be really quite desperate.’
‘I understand, which is exactly why I’m not going to ask you to come with me,’ I replied. ‘I simply want you to take me there, so that I can find my father. You don’t have to enter the castle, Sigurd.’
Sigurd thought about it for a second, before saying, ‘I will take you there, if the master allows it.’
‘Calvin, can he go?’
‘What do you mean can he go?’ he said with something close to disgust. ‘We’re all going. The three of us.’
‘Master, if I may say so, it’s an extremely dangerous undertaking. Chances are we’ll never make it out of there alive.’
