Jules

by Kaelia Stevens

  He glared at me. A whirlwind shot down the stairs and Caine stood next to Jake, looking up at him expectantly. His bag bulged, a clinking sound coming from it as he moved. Without another word to me, Jake ushered the child out the door. Caine managed a small smile at me and waved before Jake slammed the door shut.

  I stood alone in the building.

  That could have gone better.

  "Not now, Mother," I muttered, walking around the counter. I followed it around the wall and found a trapdoor at my feet. "I'm ... exploring."

  Because that's always been your favorite pastime, Cronoth's voice echoed.

  "It is when I feel like you're lying to me, Father." I pulled the door open and descended the stairs. "You wouldn't have made everyone forget about this place for the sake of a single child."

  You assume a great deal for one so young, he responded. Do you presume to know your elders so intimately?

  "I presume to know you," I answered.

  The path twisted as I descended, the darkness pushed back with the gentle, green glow of crystals set into the earthen walls. I recognized these crystals. They were gemstones from my homeland.

  I reached out and gently touched one, the crystal's light flaring into brilliance. These gems had a symbiosis with the energy around them. The closer a powerfully magic being came to one, the brighter it would flare. Some of us could get the gems to shine as bright as the sun.

  I shot an insulting thought towards my father. These gems weren't natural to Earth. They had to have been brought here and cultivated. Too few members of our family had visited this place. Few enough that if my father himself had not planted them here, he knew who did.

  At the bottom of the stairs was a door comprised of tree roots tightly woven together. A green gemstone, nestled in the middle of the roots, pulsed gently.

  Your claymore, Mother's voice whispered. Touch it to the gem.

  I did as instructed, freeing my blade from its catch on my back and touching the very tip of it to the gem.

  There was a rumble deep inside the earth. The roots began to move aside, slipping back into the earthen walls with great effort, wrapping around the gem and dragging it backwards with them. Soon enough, all that was left was the green gem, shining brightly in the center of the wall.

  That wasn't supposed to be here either.

  The door revealed a teardrop-shaped room, the bulbous end opposite the entrance. Along one side were several bookcases, each filled to the brim with books, papers, tomes, scrolls and spells. A table squatted amongst the mess on the far side of the room. Odd smells permeated the wood and earth.

  Punched into the wall opposite was a metal forge. Soot covered it completely, scattered around the wall and the floor. Burn marks were scratched into the brick, and a grate hung from the top of the forge, limp and lifeless.

  The forge itself was not interesting to me, and neither were the smells, scrolls, or scattered papers. Extending a hand, I brushed the books and tomes with a little hint of energy, feeling them out. Several of them held nothing but information; documentation of weapons, a register of which children had come and gone from this place, and old orders along with the names of their owners. Only one book seemed to be even remotely interesting to me.

  I walked over and pulled out a small, leather-bound notebook. Flipping it open, I saw many lines of Elvish. Elvish from my world.

  This was a journal that belonged to my uncle Glidon. Layla's father.

  Before I could get a good look at the contents, the book was snatched out of my hands. It hung in the air in the middle of the room.

  My father's voice rumbled, Leave it alone, Julia. This is not for you.

  I snorted. "It's from Uncle Glidon. It belongs to me as much as anyone else."

  His figure formed as fully as it could; long, black jacket, pale skin, black eyes and black hair. Slacks. Cigarette carelessly hanging from his mouth, the end even seeming to light up his face as it burned. His eyes were dark as he glared at me.

  This. Is. Not. For. You, he said again, the book hovering next to him. Do not test me on this.

  "And if I do?" I asked, crossing my arms.

  He gave a small sigh. With a twitch of his eye, I felt my personalities start to split apart.

  My mother screamed inside my head. I screamed.

  He was beginning to separate us.

  Mother had fused her body with mine a long time ago, using an old magic from her world to turn both of our bodies into energy and merge them. It was the only way to save me from Afanasiy's control. It was the only way to save herself from being killed.

  And my father was threatening to tear us apart.

  Pain cracked across my body. A hole broke out along my ribcage, blood seeping through. My bones ached. My muscles began to tear. Skin and nerves twisted and bent. My mind burned with agony.

  "Stop!" I heard my mother's voice cry through my lips. "Cronoth!"

  The pain stopped immediately.

  I took several deep breaths. I made sure Mother and I were whole again.

  I glared up at my father.

  He was indifferent.

  Do not. Touch. The book. Uncle Glidon's book flew back to the shelf, nestling itself back into place. While I have your attention, he said, his form fading back into a ghostly shade, I need you to do something for me.

  My father had told me to remain at the smithy and wait for my little cousin and her friends to show up. He needed me to talk to them and let them know how much hot water they were in.

  It sounded completely uninteresting.

  I was originally supposed to find her and let her know she had a few safe houses away from her crazy caretaker. Not play messenger girl.

  As the sunlight shone gently through the windows, my father's shadow haunted the wall.

  They're here, he said. They've entered the glade. Up the far side of the hill.

  I grumbled something incoherently and leaned back on the counter, waiting. His head twitched and he gave it a hard shake as he began to fade. I'll be right back. Do not kill anyone. He vanished completely as three figures crossed the fence, making their way to the door.

  The old door rattled and, with a click, the door unlocked and the three of them came in.

  Olyvia was tall and deadly. Rod was short and menacing. Layla was…Well, she had the trademark silver hair and pale face. But the genuine innocence breaking through the unconvincing 'tough girl' mask was nothing short of amusing.

  They were so tense. So suspicious.

  After testing the waters once or twice, a word here and there causing such a blast of emotion among them, I decided that antagonizing them would make this experience far more entertaining.

  So I did.

  The alpha was the easiest target, being the most tense. She was trying to assess how dangerous I was while keeping Layla calm and protected. Rod was somewhat less fun to play with, what with him being ready to kill me at the slightest sign of aggression, but his angst at my every movement was entertaining in and of itself.

  After antagonizing them a bit, I led the trio downstairs so they could discover the downstairs forge. I gave them a minute to explore. It took less than that for the alpha to get extremely paranoid and accuse me of having "false" intentions. While I was not threatened by her accusations, sometimes it was fun to poke at a caged bear—or a caged wolf, respectively.

  She may have been posturing and threatening, but the bottom line was she wouldn't do anything to hurt me if she thought I could hurt Layla first. Threaten the child, hold back the monster. Simple.

  Five seconds after her intense stare-down began, I got annoyed. She was pushing the boundaries of civilized threats. If she were going to attack me she should have done it by now. It was like she was hoping I'd back down or relent or cower or something.

  Annoying.

  Flashing her a careless smile, I twisted up my magic and Mother's into one torrent, lashing it together and throwing it out towards
all of them. I used our magic to bind the three of them to the ground, smiling as I watched them stress out and try to fight the magic. The supposed alpha may have been the one threatening me, but Rod was annoying as well and it was just fun to pick on Layla.

  My fun was cut short as my father reappeared and settled things down. He tried to tell Layla of her destiny and warn the alpha of hers, but they were too argumentative. So he pushed them into unconsciousness and implanted the information in their minds so they could live it out.

  "Well that was fun," I said, glancing at my father. "Why couldn't you have done that in the first place?"

  He stared at me for a moment. It was one of those passive, disapproving stares.

  I flicked some stray hairs over my shoulder and ignored it, turning to leave. "Alright Father—" I sighed, walking up the steps "—have it your way."

  At least release the binding magic, I heard him think as I ascended. With an annoyed wave, I did as he asked.

  Where do you think you're going? Mother asked, her ghost keeping time with my steps.

  "I had my own agenda before Father hijacked it," I answered, closing the door to the smithy behind me. I spun on my heel and walked down the steps to the dirt path, walking out into the forest. "I've got people to see. Well, Foxes to see."

  There was a pause. Simon? How is going to Simon going to help you?

  "You're in my head, Mother," I responded. "You should know the answer."

  At the edge of the walkway, I spread my arms and summoned our energy. With a flick of my hands and a push of magic, I was off into the swirling white vortex again.

  I needed to go talk to Simon. He was the real Fox alpha, after all, and if I was going to start a war against Afanasiy, I was going to need his help.

  Chapter Three

  Fox Burrow

  Unlike most places, Simon's burrow—rather, what served as his burrow—was never in one spot. It moved from place to place randomly. I imagine that's how Simon liked it, or he wouldn't have created such a place. When my white tornado died down to reveal where I landed, I had to take a minute to reorient myself, as always with this particular "burrow".

  I was standing within a metal room, steel brackets rising high above and all around, looking like a metal ribcage. A few Foxes bustled around me. They glanced at me once or twice before moving past. None were perturbed about my sudden appearance.

  A distant thrum could be heard from a distance, the metal under my feet vibrating softly. That was the direction I needed to head in.

  I followed the thrumming pulse down the hall, past several rooms and circular tunnels leading away, past the humming artificial lights, down a flight of stairs to a thick, steel door. It had been left ajar, so I gave it a gentle push.

  The door opened to an expansive room, the bottom several feet below me. Walkways were laid out in four rows, one above me and two below. The gravity was lighter here, my feet lifting up an inch or two off the ground. Annoyed, I wrapped a tendril of magic beneath me and pulled myself down and connected with the metal walkway.

  Each walkway B-lined to a giant pillar running the center of the room, making the whole area throb with electrical power. The wire mesh walkways intersected around the pillar in a circle, a small panel jutting from the walkway and leaning against the pillar on each level. Each panel had a small team of Foxes milling around it, a single Fox floating by the panel and calling out orders that the others followed without hesitation.

  It was like watching a beehive.

  Inside the pillar, white-hot energy was pulsing and pushing, heat and kinetic energy emanating from it as the lights inside fluctuated. Both magic and human science were at work inside the chamber, the Foxes being the only creatures I knew that successfully married Terran science with Koannian magic. It had taken years for this burrow to be constructed in such a way that it could change locations without any humans knowing or understanding. Although, with the limited gravity and change of air pressure, Simon had apparently managed to take his burrow one step further.

  A cluster of marwolaeths in both human and Fox form bustled on the level below me. A woman in biped form floated directly in front of the panel, one hand on each side of the screen to keep her steady. She was staring intently at it, her body wobbling once or twice as she moved a hand to punch in a key or two. She called out a string of numbers followed by directions, and the Foxes around her operated accordingly.

  A Fox flew by me and landed near her, Shifting forms in order to whisper something in her ear. Her eyes immediately shot up to stare at me. Her expression changed from one of concentration to surprised joy. Tucking her knees in, she placed both feet firmly on the walkway and shoved off, shooting up towards me.

  "Julia!" she exclaimed, catching the edge of the walkway and using it to flip upright. She crashed into me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight bear hug. We embraced for far too long, but she was happy to see me, so I didn't fight it. That, and she would squeeze harder the more I struggled.

  I waited uncomfortably until she released me, pushed her raven-hair out of her pale-blue eyes, and flashed me a wide grin.

  "Sorry, Julia," she apologized with a giggle, floating eye level with me. Her thick work boots kicked behind her as she leveled out in the low gravity, her tangled hair falling into her eyes again. "I know you do not like hugs, but I could not help myself."

  "Alex," I greeted her. "It's been a while."

  "Da," she answered, "because you do not show up in our burrow!"

  Alex was older than she looked. She was Turned by Afanasiy when she was young, though, and so the age stuck with her. Her connection to the maniac was broken by a relative of mine — although I couldn't tell you which one — who thought it'd be safer for her to stay in Simon's care than with him. Of course, after Afanasiy's minions managed to kill Alex's daughter, Alex voluntarily came to this techno-burrow.

  But you'd never know any of that from meeting her. Aside from the scars hidden in her light skin, her face was sweet and innocent-looking.

  Some people are better at hiding their history.

  "I suppose I can take the blame for that," I admitted, smiling. "Although Father's work has kept me busy."

  Her smile widened into a toothy grin. "Da? How is Cronoth?"

  "Annoying." I sighed, flipping a bit of hair. "But when has that ever changed?"

  Something crashed below us and Alex flinched, turning to look. Seeing a commotion across the chamber, Alex began to shout, swearing in Russian.

  "Trouble?"

  She nodded. "New recruits." With a roll of her eyes and a gentle shake of her head, she turned back to me. "They do not understand. They are not in the Traitors camp anymore, but it is ... difficult for them." Pain flashed in her eyes for a moment before she brushed it off with a smile. "So, you are here now, yes? You want some food?"

  I shook my head. "I'm actually here to speak to Simon."

  "Oh, da." Her face grew grave as she nodded. "I have heard rumors among the Skulk. Is it true that the Traitor can measure magic?"

  "It used to be," I answered. "I managed to free the Fox who came up with the technique before Afanasiy found out and ran us out of his burrow."

  Another crash on the other side of the room. Swinging around, Alex let out another burst of Russian before issuing orders. Three Foxes rushed to subdue the trouble-maker.

  "Come," she said, tugging gently on my arm. "Before more trouble. I take you to Simon."

  Leaping for the top level, we floated up and Alex led me around the pillar to the other end of the central room. I laced my boots with magic once again when we reached the wire-mesh, preferring to keep grounded to the walkways. I made sure to take long steps to keep up with Alex, who seemed to enjoy floating backwards and upside down in front of me.

  We "walked" down another sparse-looking corridor, similar to the one I had come through earlier. Foxes drifted or bounced around us, some pushing themselves along the walls while a few bounded along
the ceiling. Apparently, Simon had kept them in this lower-gravity environment long enough for the Foxes to think that walking on the ceiling was normal. A few of them even looked at me as if I was the strange one because I was walking like a normal biped.

  As we moved through the metal hallways, Alex pestered me with questions about the family. Who was still alive, what everyone was doing, if I had heard anything about her grandson, whether I had met any young men that I hadn't tried to kill or transmute into a squish-able substance.

  I answered her questions in as nondescript a manner as I could. It wasn't that I didn't like her. I just didn't enjoy giving her the list of who had died recently or admitting that I didn't even know where some of the family was anymore. I liked her. I didn't want to see hurt in her eyes because of something I told her.

  At any rate, she didn't seem to mind my dodgy answers. Her eyes were bright as ever as we talked, her tangled mess of hair dragging along the ground.

  The walk of the corridors finally ceased when Alex pulled herself to a stop next to a wide, metal doorway. The door was half-open, light from inside spilling onto the wire-mesh floor. Alex swung herself upright and turned to face the door in one motion, her boots hardly making a noise as she landed. She stuck her head around the door and knocked gently, saying something to the room's resident. I heard an even-keel response, to which Alex turned back to me and nodded.

  "He will talk to you," she said. With little push, Alex lifted off the floor and began to drift backwards. "He likes you," she said as I started towards the door. "Please do not forget this."

  The room was simple in its furnishings—a desk, a few wall hangings with different Chinese characters, a watercolor painting on the far wall. A set of dual Dao swords sat in an X on the wall behind the desk, within easy reach of the room's single occupant. The electric lights in the room made the silver-edged blades glitter. Directly under them was a metal sheath with a string of Chinese characters etched along the material.