by A. P. Jensen
Jordan opened and closed her mouth. “I-I didn’t.”
“Sometimes Guardians are drawn to specific people in the bloodline. He senses you’ll need his protection.”
“What the hell is that?” Polly shouted and ran towards the island.
“It’s our Guardian,” Gideon told his friend proudly.
Polly’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “But that’s impossible!”
“It proves beyond a doubt that Jordan’s a Parker,” Gideon boomed.
“I don’t know what the media is going to think about an illegitimate granddaughter, Gideon,” Polly said darkly.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks,” Gideon said.
Polly threw his hands up. “And you wonder where Donovan gets that attitude from! But you have to care what people think- you’re a Guide!”
Jordan clenched her hand in Knight’s fur. If he was a Guide then he had to be… “You’re a sorcerer?”
Gideon grinned. “Technically. Don’t hold it against me.”
“He’s the Guide of Paradice,” Polly put in. “Aren’t you lucky to be dumped in the lap of one of the richest and most powerful families in the world?”
Kelly put her hands on her hips. “Put a lid on it, Polly.”
“Jealous,” Heath coughed.
“I’m not jealous!” Polly bellowed.
Kelly smiled. “We’re going to see Mary Ann.”
Most of the men in the room turned alarmed faces towards her. Cibrian jumped on the couch and shook his head vehemently.
“You’re coming with me, Cib,” Kelly said without looking at him.
“Nah. I’m good, thanks,” Cibrian said quickly.
“You’re coming, Cibrian,” Kelly said when Cibrian glared at her. “It’ll only be for an hour at the most. Just do it and get it over with. You won’t have to see her for another year.”
“But she’s crazy!” Cibrian burst out.
“Crazy or not, she’s your blood.”
“Maybe I should have stayed with Mom and made house calls to all her friends,” Cibrian muttered.
“Well father and son, we’ll leave you alone to catch up, shall we?”
Heath downed his drinks and headed towards the front door. Cibrian yanked on the collar of his coat and dragged his feet.
“You better get a move on.” Gideon hugged her again. “I always wanted Donovan to have a girl. Knew it would drive him nuts,” Gideon murmured into Jordan’s hair.
She let out a choked laugh as she pulled away. She didn’t want to leave him but she knew she shouldn’t cling.
Almost as if he could read her mind, Gideon added, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Wouldn’t miss it.”
Jordan crossed the stones and jumped onto solid ground. Kelly put her arm around Jordan as she led her to the door where Heath stood, mouth hanging open.
“I told you Donovan shouldn’t have a girl. Look what she’s doing to the old man. Putty. It’s embarrassing,” Heath muttered.
“Jordan,” Mr. Parker called.
She turned reluctantly. Mr. Parker held up her jacket and when she reached out to take it he held it up so she could shrug her arms into it. Unable to look at him, she put her arms through the sleeves. Mr. Parker tugged the jacket on, turned her around and zipped up the front.
“You don’t have to go. You can stay here,” he said.
“I want to go,” Jordan said and pulled away.
Kelly waved gaily at Mr. Parker and Gideon who faced each other like gunslingers. Polly patted his large belly as he waited for the fireworks to begin anew. Jordan slipped out into the hallway and stopped when she saw Heath standing on two of the floating aqua circles. Knight pushed her forward by nudging her in the middle of her back. While Jordan searched for a valid argument to avoid jumping on the zooming circle, Kelly stepped onto one with Cibrian. With a groan, Jordan stepped onto the other circle with Levi and Heath. Jordan watched, bemused, as Knight leapt onto the last circle as easily as if he did it all the time. Levi put an arm around her waist as the circle jerked and began to move at a dizzying pace down the narrow hallway.
What was with the old guy? Levi asked.
He promised me his life, she said and knew Levi could pick up her mixed feelings.
He tipped her to the side for balance as the circle wheeled around a corner.
He doesn’t even know me, Jordan tried to explain. He doesn’t care what I’ve done. He promised me he’d be there no matter what.
I didn’t hear him say a thing.
He didn’t say it out loud. He opened his heart to me. He couldn’t lie.
Jordan buried her face against his shirt because she could feel tears welling up again. She and Levi skidded off the circle when it stopped and thanks to Levi’s reflexes, they didn’t fall on their butts. She looked around as everyone hopped off the circles and faced a gray metal door that led onto the roof of the hotel. Jordan sucked in a breath as cold air hit her with the force of a kick in the stomach. Jordan turned to Heath, dressed casually in jeans and a thin long sleeve black shirt.
“Aren’t you cold?” she demanded.
Heath grinned. “I’m half Darsana. The cold doesn’t bother me.”
Heath put a hand to her cheek. His hand was toasty warm as if he’d been holding his hands over a fire. Knight walked over and she reached out to sink her hand into his fur since she wasn’t wearing gloves. Two men dressed in the same white pantsuit with a dizzying array of moving sea life on their uniforms inclined their heads respectfully to Kelly. Carriages of all colors and shapes were lined up like cars on the rooftop. Jordan looked beyond the landing at Wintra, the ice city. The morning sun cast rays over carriages floating through the air and landing on the roofs of other buildings. There was just as much traffic on the ground as there was in the air.
“Which carriage would you like, Mrs. Parker?” one of the uniformed men asked politely.
“Big enough for five people. Nothing flashy,” Kelly answered.
The worker inclined his head at Cibrian. “Mr. Tolly.”
Cibrian nodded absently, accepting the acknowledgement as his due. The second uniformed man was much younger than his coworker and looked around at the group furtively. Jordan saw he had startling violet eyes and bleach blond hair. His brow furrowed when his eyes touched on Jordan and then he backed away hastily when he saw the Valor by her side.
Jordan raised her hood and hurried after Cibrian who walked between the carriages and finally climbed into a black and white one. Knight settled on the floor of the carriage while everyone else climbed in. The carriage was a lot smaller than the one they traveled to Wintra in. This one was more basic although still richly furnished. The walls were solid, not glass and there was no fire pit. There were two long benches facing one another and a large window covering one side of the carriage.
“Do you need a driver?” the older worker asked hesitantly from the doorway, eyes on Knight.
“No, thank you. We’ll drive,” Kelly said.
“Will Sorcerer Parker be joining you?” the younger man asked and Jordan could hear the anticipation in his voice.
“No. It’s just us. We shouldn’t be gone long,” Kelly said.
Jordan saw the older uniformed man turn to the younger one and scold him under his breath. Jordan glanced sideways at Cibrian who looked as if he were being sent to detention.
“Mr. Tolly?” Jordan murmured and Cibrian shrugged.
“The Tolly name is famous, what can I say?”
“Ready?” Kelly asked.
When everyone looked at her expectantly Kelly nodded and her hands clenched into fists. The carriage shot up and Jordan let out a gasp and landed hard against Levi who grunted. Kelly smiled serenely as they sped through the air past other carriages and icy tips of tall buildings.
“Is your dad coming to the Declaration Ceremony, Cibrian?” Kelly asked conversationally.
“He said he would,” Cibrian’s tone was doubtful.
Kelly frowned. “
Have you called him?”
“No. He’s busy.” Cibrian looked out the window.
Kelly frowned but didn’t continue pushing what was evidently a touchy subject.
“Do you think they’ve killed each other yet?” Heath asked.
“Gideon has a better hold on his temper than he used to,” Kelly said.
Heath looked disappointed. “I remember one time I went over to Gideon’s house. They were fighting, like, literally. Donovan was throwing fireballs at Gideon and Gideon was bouncing them back at him. It was awesome.” Heath glared at Jordan accusingly. “He’s going soft.”
“They fight because Gideon’s never been able to accept that Donovan doesn’t want to be a Guide. How can two people so similar argue so much?”
Jordan tapped her shoe on the carriage floor. Why were there so few sorcerers in the world but she seemed to be meeting every single one of them? She was related to two, she thought uneasily. Were there more relatives she didn’t know about? More sorcerers in her family? Family, she thought, the word drifting strangely through her mind.
“You should have seen the time Donovan turned our teacher into a shrub,” Heath said.
Cibrian and Levi sat up.
“This teacher was nasty to him on purpose. The teacher, Ted Bragger, was mad the Gem made him a teacher instead of a warrior. In front of the whole class he said that just because some men have great power, it doesn’t mean they’re worthy of it,” Heath said.
Cibrian whistled.
“Oh yeah. Donovan was pissed,” Heath said with a broad smile. “Stopped old Bragger in mid-sentence when a branch full of leaves sprouted from his mouth. In five minutes flat, Donovan turned him into a duck shaped shrub. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. You should have seen Gideon when the Master called him. He was so pissed the grass frosted. But when Donovan told his dad what Bragger said Gideon left him as a shrub for a week.”
Cibrian burst into laughter.
“Those two are one of a kind,” Kelly said as the carriage landed.
Jordan peered through the window at the rooftop. There was a square hole several yards away but other than that, there was nothing on the roof. They all piled out of the carriage and Jordan looked around at the other rooftops. Off in the distance she could see The Aquarium, gleaming aqua amidst all the other buildings. The buildings in the middle of the city were the tallest and they declined in height the further out you traveled from the heart of the city. Jordan suspected they were now in the suburbs.
“Come, Jordan,” Kelly called.
Jordan walked over to the hole in the roof which had narrow, steep steps leading down in a tunnel of glowing black ice. Kelly started down the staircase of black ice first with Jordan and Knight following. Kelly held up a hand that glowed. The staircase was so narrow Jordan couldn’t look around Kelly to see where they were going.
The glow of Kelly’s hands held aloft cast eerie shadows on the ice. As they crept deeper into the tunnel the light from above disappeared completely. Jordan’s breathing grew heavier as they climbed down the stairs and she focused on not scraping her face against the extremely low ceiling or brushing against the creepy black ice on either side of her. Jordan knew that the guys, all much taller than her were having a hard time. They had to duck their heads and every once in a while she heard a scraping sound and a curse. Jordan shivered and focused on keeping herself from panicking and racing back up the stairs to fresh, cold air.
“Here we are.”
Kelly stood before a surprisingly normal looking wooden door built into the black ice. Kelly knocked, the sound loud in the small space. Those behind her stood impatiently on different steps, waiting.
“Maybe she’s not home,” Cibrian piped up hopefully.
Kelly ignored him and knocked once more. Jordan heard Kelly jiggle the door knob and the door swung open. Jordan heard Cibrian curse under his breath as Kelly stepped forward. Jordan looked down as her foot caught on something. There was a welcoming mat before the door that read, Beware of Igor.
“Who’s Igor?” Jordan said, raising her head.
A huge black shape appeared in front of Kelly and howled. Knight knocked Jordan to the ground and stood over her, unmoving. The black thing swooped down on Kelly, black arms shooting out to grab her. Behind Jordan there was a frenzy as Heath tried to pass Cibrian and Levi to get into the small space.
Jordan shoved at Knight to get up and help just as the creature let out a loud whining sound like a wounded dog. The thing straightened and Jordan got a good look at the creature. It stood at least seven feet tall like a man except it wasn’t human. Sharp thorns, a foot in length stood out all over its body. It had arms that looked like branches and instead of legs it had seven root like feet that helped it move. Its head was the size of a huge pumpkin and there was no face, just spikes protruding everywhere.
“I see he hasn’t calmed down since the last time I visited,” Cibrian said dryly.
Kelly looked up at the thorny monster and wagged her finger in its face. “You behave before I break off one of your spikes.”
The thing whined again and backed away from her. Kelly turned back to the group, most who wore expressions of revulsion.
“It’s okay. I should have warned you. This is Igor, Mary Ann’s, um, watch dog so to speak.”
Jordan crawled out from under Knight. The hair on his spine stood up and his tail wasn’t moving. The tree squeaked timidly and Jordan patted Knight, trying to assure him that the danger was gone.
“What is it?” Jordan asked.
“It’s a Watching tree. He’s been with her for years but he has a short term memory.”
Kelly made a shooing motion. Igor scuttled off to the side, spikes quivering.
“Igor’s the nicest thing you’ll find in here,” Cibrian muttered.
Levi moved forward and Igor let out a warning growl. “What does he do to visitors he doesn’t know?”
Heath stepped forward and cast a dark glance at the tree who whimpered and moved backwards several more inches. “He wraps his arms around the person, pulls them in for a bear hug and runs them through with his spikes.”
Cibrian put an arm around Jordan, skirting around Igor and Knight who examined one another in silence. Levi seemed fascinated by the tree but wisely kept his distance. Cibrian pulled Jordan through the doorway and stopped onto a small landing. To the right and left were narrow staircases that led to upper and lower levels of the house. She couldn’t see what lay at the top of the staircase that led to the third level. Directly before them was a short walkway that led to a door with a giant chili pepper plant before it.
The ceiling was a mass of black ivy over more black ice. Jordan moved closer to Cibrian who looked around warily as if he was in a haunted house and expected something to jump out at him any second now. Jordan felt an unpleasant chill creep up her spine. Unlike the rest of Wintra which was white and pure this house seemed dark and menacing. Who was this Mary Ann?
“Let’s get this over with,” Cibrian said uneasily.
“Mary Ann?” Kelly called.
They all waited for the scurry of footsteps or the sound of a voice but there was nothing. The sound of a door closing downstairs made everyone look over the railing to the ground floor but no one appeared.
“Well, she must be in her garden. Let’s go,” Kelly said.
Cibrian sighed as they followed Kelly down the rickety, creaking staircase to the ground floor. The only light in this house emanated from the dark ice. There were no windows to let in even a sliver of sunlight. On the ground floor was an open kitchen against the wall that would have been more appropriate in a studio apartment than a house. Dirty dishes scattered over the miniscule counter beside the sink. Open books, torn pages and dead leaves littered the ground. Jordan glanced down at a torn page near her boot. It was a detailed illustration of a plant with cherries hanging from orange flower petals. Knight sniffed some dead flowers on the floor and sneezed.
To the left of the kitc
hen was a large doorway that led into a room with a high ceiling that extended the length of a football field. For as far as the eye could see plants of all shapes and sizes moved like sea anemone, swaying slowly from side to side in an invisible current. All of the plants looked as if they were lit by a black light- the fluorescent hues of the plants were unreal. The foliage was planted in patches of snow instead of dirt or grass. A bright purple path wove its way through the maze of plants.
A figure moved in the darkness and Kelly called, “Mary Ann?”
The figure stilled. Frowning, Kelly lifted her hand and an orb the size of a grapefruit rose from her hand to cast light over the nearby plants. Jordan peered around Kelly at the figure and stiffened.
“Mom?” Cibrian said.
Ruth had her arms full of black branches of some plant that oozed orange pus from where it had been severed. She blinked at the sudden light and glared at the group.
“What are you doing here?” Ruth snapped.
Kelly frowned. “We came to see Mary Ann. What are you doing here?”
Ruth juggled the branches in her arms that began to shudder and jerk as if trying to get away from her. “Mary Ann’s been teaching me how to make several potions and I came here to get more supplies.”
“Oh. Well, where is she?” Kelly said.
“How should I know?” Ruth snapped and switched her gaze to Jordan. “Where’s your daddy? He should be more careful about letting you go loose. We wouldn’t want any… accidents.”
Kelly stepped in front of Jordan. “Does Mary Ann know you’re here?”
“I have a lot of work to do. So, if you’ll excuse me.”
Ruth stormed past the group. The orange pus seeped from a branch and hit the floor with a hiss. Heath examined the plants in Ruth’s arms as she passed with her nose up in the air. Ruth hefted the trembling branches in her arms with a hard jerk, spraying orange droplets everywhere. Heath let out a hiss as several drops of orange pus settled on his arm and began to smoke. He took a step after Ruth who had a cocky smile on her face but Kelly waved him off and grasped his arm in both hands and began to murmur. The smoking stopped and Heath’s arms looked unharmed.
