Sol smiled. "The truth of it is, you probably saved my life."
Jordan gaped. "How?"
"I was being pursued by two big harpies. They were gaining. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't passed through that portal." He gave a shrug, making one wing dip. "I might not have survived. I don't mind taking on one of those beasts, but two?" He shook his head. "It might have been pretty ugly. I'm sorry I was such an ass to you."
Jordan recalled thinking that Sol was an arrogant jerk the day they had first tumbled through the portal.
"You made up for all that when you made me those ridiculous leaf shoes," she grinned. "I think I fell in love with you a little then."
Her face flushed as the words came out before she could reel them in. She hadn’t really meant ‘in love’, it was just a figure of speech. She blinked. Or had she?
Sol seemed momentarily stunned, but before she could get a grasp on his expression, he averted his gaze to Blue, gliding along the west side of The Conca.
"It'll be dark soon," he said with a crack in his voice. He cleared his throat. "Let's spend the night here and make for Charra-Rae at first light."
He arrowed toward the thick forest below, and Jordan followed him, cursing herself silently.
•••
"You have wings," Sohne said with surprise when Jordan and Sol were delivered to her by the pale gray Elf. "I have been expecting you, but I thought you'd be wingless," Sohne gestured to the high arches of bright yellow feathers at Jordan's back.
The Elf princess was seated in a fabric hammock that was hanging from one of the tall trees outside the hut where she'd healed Sol. Her red hair was piled high on top of her head, half falling down in russet ringlets. She was mesmerizing to look at. She'd been reading from a small leather volume when they'd arrived, which she'd closed and tucked away. Her hammock was perfectly positioned to catch the bright rays of the morning sun. A tall slender goblet sat on a table beside the hammock. Small white butterflies were attracted to whatever was in the goblet and fluttered around its rim, landing and taking off, landing and taking off.
"I haven't been home yet," Jordan explained, tucking her hands behind her back.
Sohne's eyes skimmed Jordan's frame––the new leather armor, the red vest, the multitude of throwing knives tucked in their own little sheaths. "You've taken well to Rodania, I see." Her sapphire eyes fell on Sol, then Blue, who was crouched behind Sol's legs with his chin near the ground. His eyes were locked on Sohne the way they locked onto prey—–only his posture was submissive, not predatory.
"And who is this?" Sohne asked, rising from her hammock.
Her pale green robes drifted around her, never quite settling. Her tiny waist was cinched with a thick band of green leather, and her wrists were wrapped in matching green silk.
"This is Blue." Jordan beckoned to the dragon, and he crawled out from behind Sol's legs, keeping his belly low to the ground. His gaze didn't leave the Elf. "Strange, I've never seen him behave like this before."
Sohne bent and put her hand down to Blue, who crawled forward on his belly. His tongue flicked out at her, and then back. He stopped just beyond her reach, watching her. Sohne stepped forward, her hand descending to the dragon's head. Blue’s head drew back from her touch, like a dog afraid he was about to be beaten. But as her pale fingers touched his nose, his eyes closed. Jordan couldn't tell if he was enjoying her touch, or tolerating it. The Elf princess murmured some words in her own tongue, and Blue visibly relaxed.
Sohne rose. "Let's walk. You can tell me why you're here, since you are clearly not in need of regrowing your wings."
Jordan and Sol followed Sohne down a path of blood-colored stones, through the trees and toward a body of sparkling water. Jordan's eyes were drawn to the gnashwitted workers in the canopy, forever harvesting the strange fuchsia-topped fungus.
She looked back over her shoulder and saw that Blue remained in the clearing outside Sohne's hut. His head was down, and his eyes were closed. Jordan frowned, wondering if the Elf had done something to put the dragon to sleep. Sohne's presence was like that of a big, beautiful snake; she was graceful and hypnotizing, but you were never quite sure if she was going to coil around you to hug you or kill you.
Jordan gave an involuntary shiver as they wandered to a small beach and walked along the shore of an emerald green lake. She couldn't find it in herself to fully trust Sohne, but she trusted Eohne, and Eohne trusted Sohne; that was better than nothing.
Besides, who else can we turn to, to help with the monumental task we’ve set for ourselves?
Sol reached out and took Jordan's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they followed behind the Elf princess, toward a curving wooden boardwalk. Stepping up on the walkway, they skirted the shores of the lake until they reached a tall gazebo constructed of vines.
"We're here because we are being proactive and pre-emptive," Jordan began. Sohne tilted her head to indicate she was listening. "We need your help with more than just growing back my wings; I am of course prepared to pay you for what we need."
"Go on." The Elf leaned her elbows on the railing of the gazebo and gazed into the green water, watching silver fish with her sapphire eyes as they flashed below.
"You foresaw correctly—–I will lose my wings again. So will Sol, as he'll be coming with me back to Virginia. We need magic that we can use the moment we return, because we don't have a lot of time. My father is sick, and Rodania is under attack."
Sohne put her back to the fish and fixed Jordan with a gaze, listening, her red lips parted. "Under attack?"
Sol nodded. "Harpies. No one in Rodania thought it was possible."
"It shouldn't be," said Sohne. "Your city is protected by the magic of the Light Elves, correct?"
"Supposedly."
Their host frowned, her otherwise perfect brow marred with concern. "Continue."
"We have a brilliant Nycht who can reverse engineer anything. I need magic to help retrieve a big heavy gun from Earth, and bring it to Rodania so she can copy it."
"What is King Konig doing about these attacks?"
"Nothing. He has left everything to the Council and our new military leader, Toth," Sol explained, crossing his arms, "who is expecting us back with this weapon as soon as possible."
"This plan sounds riddled with trouble," Sohne replied. Her eyes dropped from Jordan's face to her neck. "Does your locket have enough magic left to get you there and back safely? This I doubt."
Jordan glanced at Sol. He gave her an encouraging smile. "I no longer have the locket. I won't go into what happened to it, but suffice it to say, we need your help getting to Earth and back. Ideally, we'll leave from here and return directly to Rodania, with the gun."
Sohne's face had taken on an expression Jordan was having a hard time placing. She gave the impression of calm, but there was an excitement coming off her, an anticipation, like a snake waiting for the right moment to strike.
"So, if I understand correctly, you need magic to get you to your place in Virginia, you need magic to get you back to Rodania directly, you need to bring this gun back with you, and you need to have magic to regrow your wings immediately upon your return?"
Jordan was nodding.
"That's not quite all," Sol shot Jordan a glance that said ‘trust me’. "Jordan needs to do a few things back on Earth that have to do with taking care of her father's estate. People are looking for her and Allan, and there is a possibility that she might be detained if she's recognized."
"Hmmmm," Sohne made a sound of understanding back in her throat. "This is expensive magic you are asking for." She shot Jordan a look. "You need to present yourself as yourself, but without alerting these humans there is anything unusual about your reappearance, as though you had never left in the first place?"
"Exactly." Jordan threaded her fingers together. Her hands had gone cold. "Can you help us?"
"Each item alone would be no trouble, but when you need multiple formulas like this and
you throw in portal travel, there is something called the cocktail effect," explained Sohne. She left the gazebo, and the Arpaks trailed after her. The threesome walked the boardwalk slowly in the direction they'd come.
"Cocktail effect?" Jordan echoed, "like mixing alcoholic beverages?"
"One magic formula on its own is fairly predictable and easy to control. It’s pure, and therefore simple. Multiple magic formulas all used in close proximity to one another, either chronologically or within the same biological organism, become more unpredictable."
"The risk is higher," Sol concluded.
"Precisely. Lucky for you," Sohne gave them a smile that made her face seem doll-like, "I am the most powerful Elf this side of The Conca. You couldn't ask for anyone better to master these formulas for you."
Jordan and Sol shared a look of both relief and apprehension. It was great that she was so confident, but was the Elf pumping up the value so she could charge them some exorbitant amount of gold?
"How much do you want for this magic?" Jordan asked as they followed Sohne up the blood-stone trail and through the forest.
The Elf didn't answer for so long that Jordan thought she hadn't heard her question. She was about to repeat herself when they reached the grove where Blue was still sleeping, and Sohne turned to face them.
"I don't want gold for this magic." She stood directly in front of Jordan and looked down at the Arpak, putting her hands on her upper arms. "I want the unbreakable promise. Nothing else will do."
"What promise?" Sol's tone was sharper than Jordan would have liked it to be.
"You won't know that until it’s asked," replied Sohne with a shrug. "It's very simple, and not unlike what I asked from you last time. That wasn't so bad was it? You've already fulfilled it, and it required nothing from you other than what you needed to give anyway."
"I make a promise to you without knowing what it is? That's what you want?"
"Just Jordan? Not me?" Sol asked.
Sohne gave a slow, single nod. "Just Jordan." The excitement was still rolling off her, underneath her calm exterior. Jordan's eyes narrowed, and she stared at the Elf, trying to divine what she could possibly want from her. "See how generous I am?"
Sol made a sound like a laugh, but Sohne ignored him.
"What happens if she's unable to fulfill this promise?"
"That can't happen. It's part of the magic of the agreement. I won't be able to ask for anything you can't give, and you will not be able to deny it."
"What happens if I do deny it?"
"You die."
"No, Jordan." Sol finally couldn't take it anymore. "We'll find another way. Don't do this."
"There is no other way." Jordan's voice was soft and her eyes were locked on the Elf. Her left hand felt relaxed and warm, with a pleasant tingle threading through her fingers. She began to raise her hand.
"Jordan, don't." Jordan felt Sol's hand on her shoulder, his fingers pressing into her skin. "There's always another way."
She felt like she was falling into the Elf's sapphire eyes. Her left hand floated up, feeling so light, it was as if butterflies were lifting it for her. Her fingers extended. "I promise."
Sohne's slender hand grasped her own, and their palms pressed against one another.
Jordan gasped as a hot, invisible rope wrapped around her left forearm. Her eyes dropped to follow it; though she couldn't see anything, she still felt the pressure of the cord on her skin. It travelled, wrapping over and under her elbow, around her bicep, through her armpit, heating her skin as it went. The hot cord wrapped over her shoulder, under her collarbone, and into her heart. Her heart slowed and gave seven strong, hot pulses, and Jordan felt every quart of blood as it flowed through her valves and arteries.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the Elf. Those dark-crystal eyes seemed to see right through her. Then the moment was over, and Sohne let go of Jordan's hand.
Jordan's arm tingled and then relaxed, all sensation dissipating.
"What just happened?" Sol asked, shaking Jordan's shoulder.
"We made a deal." Sohne turned away. "Follow me, please." She disappeared into her hut, and the Arpaks followed.
Sohne plucked a sack from a cluster of them on the floor and opened it. The sack contained small purple grains, and Sohne scooped out a tablespoon’s worth. Taking a square of paper from a nearby stack, she proceeded to roll what looked an awful lot like a cigarette. Jordan and Sol shared a bemused look and watched as the Elf held the rolled paper containing the purple grains to her lips. With a flick of her fingers, a small flame appeared in the air cupped in her palm. She lit the strange cigarette with the fire conjured from nothing and inhaled, her eyes closed.
"You want to return directly to Rodania when you're through with your tasks in Virginia, correct?"
"That's right."
"Where, exactly?"
"My apartment on Upper will do," suggested Sol with an agreeable nod from Jordan.
Sohne took a deep draft from the cigarette and said "Upper Rodania," on her exhale. A thick cloud of purple smoke gathered over the table and formed a hologram of Upper Rodania. "East?"
"Midwest, actually."
Sohne took another draft and exhaled the word, "Midwest." The hologram zoomed in on a section of towers. "Which one?"
Sol pointed to a tall, thick tower; his terrace was easily recognizable by the lack of furnishings, which Blue had burnt to a crisp. Even in the hologram, the terrace looked crumbling and broken.
"Amazing," murmured Jordan, watching the smoky purple hologram rotate and zoom in on Sol's property.
Sohne gave a smug smile and took another draft. She puffed out a perfect 'O' with her lips, which drifted and turned, eventually settling over Sol’s tower home like a ring tossed in a carnival game.
"Ekko," said Sohne, and the smoke ring snapped inward around the tower. The hologram blurred, and the visuals of Upper Rodania disappeared.
"I have more to do," Sohne told them." I'll need a few hours to prepare what you need. Wait outside, if you like, or down by the lake. Pohle will bring you some food and drink. If you'd like to rest, she can show you to a guesthouse."
Jordan and Sol turned to leave.
"Ow!" Jordan turned as a pain like being stabbed with a small, hot poker blossomed on the arch of her left wing.
Sohne stood holding a bright yellow feather in her hands, an amused smile on her lips. "Sorry. I think it hurts more if I warn you." She held up the feather. "Thank you, I'll be needing this."
Jordan rubbed the sore spot with her hand and glared at the Elf. "Sadist," she muttered as she and Sol left the hut.
"That was mean." Sol put a hand on Jordan's wing.
"Tell me about it," Jordan grumbled. Her wings flapped and tightened in an effort to ease the sting.
The silent Elf with the gray skin materialized from the forest as though Sohne had rung a bell for her. She beckoned for them to follow her.
"Blue, come on." Jordan woke the dragon up, and he ambled after them.
"I wish you hadn't done that," said Sol under his breath as they followed Pohle through the woods. "You have no idea what she'll ask of you."
"She asked for a promise before, and that turned out to cost me nothing. My father's life is at stake, and possibly hundreds of Rodanian citizens. It seems like a fair price to me."
Sol frowned. "You say that now, but I picked up on the strangest feeling from her, excited or something. Like she already knows what she wants."
"I'm sure she does, or she wouldn't have asked for a promise," replied Jordan as they walked through thick green ferns. She fell silent as an uneasiness passed through her; something clicked into place. The expression on Sohne’s face that she had been trying to identify finally came to her.
It was greed.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Three hours later, Pohle came to retrieve Sol, Jordan, and Blue where they were resting on the beach. She materialized on the sand and stood there saying nothing until they realized her p
resence probably meant Sohne was ready. They walked up to the hut, where Sohne was waiting in the clearing. She held a brown woven sack and pulled out individual items as she addressed them.
She held up Jordan's stolen feather. "I've infused this with enough magic to take you through to the tree in your back yard and deliver you straight to Sol's apartment when you're done." She handed it to Sol. "When Jordan touches the feather, the magic will be triggered. Be sure you're touching her when it happens. You must keep this feather until you're ready to return. If Jordan touches it at any time, it will transport you, whether you're ready or not. So be careful."
Sol agreed, and took the feather.
"This," Sohne held up a small sack, “is the magic you need to transport a map of the gun.”
"A map? Not the gun itself?" Jordan was about to protest, but Sohne held up her hand.
"It works in two steps. Dump the contents onto the gun and give it time to coat the entire surface. Once that's done, touch a flame to it. The second step will take several hours, if not a full day. But once the fire has done its work, all that will remain will be a collection of thin magic panels. I've enclosed instructions in this sack on how to assemble those panels to trigger a projection of the gun. Unfortunately, the gun itself will never be the same."
"What do you mean?" Jordan asked. Allan had been so excited about it; if it was damaged or destroyed, he'd be upset.
"The fire will permanently change the chemical makeup of the gun. There is a price to this magic, as I've told you before." She moved on, retrieving an amber glass vial containing a liquid. "This is the magic that will allow you to appear to people who might know you without alarming them. Drink the contents before you venture out where you can be seen. The effects will last one full day. Try not to act surprised if the people you interact with behave in a strange way; it’s just the magic doing its work."
"What kind of strange way?"
Sohne shrugged. "It's hard to say; Earthlings and magic are unpredictable. You may not notice anything unusual, or there may be side effects. I could venture to predict that if a person has a certain feeling about you, like if you had a bad encounter in the past, and there was emotional residue," Sohne dropped the vial back into the sack, "the magic might exacerbate these emotions. Or," she handed the sack to Jordan, "they could make the person want to converse with you in song."
Combatant: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Kacy Chronicles Book 3) Page 16
