The man standing outside the shed was an older, distinguished-looking man whose whole presence, from his disgusted expression to his repulsed poise, indicated that he detested being there.
“Her Ladyship requests an audience,” said the old man in a dusty voice. “Is her son present?”
“No, sir, it is just I,” Janus replied in his most feminine voice. He was glad that his voice hadn’t deepened yet. “I’m afraid that Staven has already departed. He let me sleep in and asked me to meet him later.”
“Madam will be most disappointed, but she would still like to meet you,” the man said. He was primarily looking at the pack and bag laying on the floor, rather than at Janus.
Great, they want to be sure we don’t leave with the silver, Janus thought, as he closed the door. “I’ll be right out,” he assured the gentleman, who then waited outside.
Neither Staven’s mother nor her house was at all like Janus expected. Staven’s mom was tall, thin, and elegant with graying hair and wrinkles, unlike most older people of Mearth who illuded themselves to appear to be in their twenties. Her house was equally grand and impressive, but it also mostly seemed to be real instead of illusion. Janus could feel the carvings in the table in the foyer as he brushed his hand along its edge. Even the paintings on the walls appeared to be physically painted instead of illuded.
“My, you are a pretty one,” Staven’s mother said in a tone which was both admiring and dismissive. “What is your name?”
Janus kicked himself for not creating a new identity, and he did not want to reuse Jenna. “My name is Shontelle,” he said without thinking. “Thank you for letting us use your shed, Mrs., um.”
“My name is Claricha Shreeuv Auburnis, but you may call me Lady Claricha,” answered Claricha.
Wonderful. That is just so much easier to say, thought Janus.
“You appear perplexed, young woman. Speak your query,” commanded Claricha.
“It’s just that Staven always spoke of your powerful magical abilities and yet there is little evidence of magic here.”
“You have a keen eye. The truly powerful have no need to showcase their abilities for the little people,” Claricha replied. Her words were dismissive, but her tone sounded as though she was simply stating facts. “What is in your bag?”
Boom! She didn’t waste any time, thought Janus. He reached into his bag, erased the illusions on his miniature Spears of Mars, and transformed them into oak.
He pulled one out and handed it to her saying, “These are souvenir spears that I carved. I’m supposed to bring them to the fairgrounds for Staven to sell at Luna Fest. He’s better at selling than me.”
“This is very intricately carved,” noted Claricha, as she inspected the spear. “I like legitimate handicrafts, as you can see. Perhaps you should give this to me as compensation for your lodging.”
Janus felt trapped. His chances of escaping with the real spear were higher with more decoys, but he didn’t want to risk angering Staven’s mother.
“OK, sure, you can have it,” he said.
“Of course, I can have it,” Claricha sharply replied. “I can have whatever I desire, but I believe that you meant to offer it to me as a gift.”
Janus stared at her without understanding her meaning.
“You should have said that I may have it instead of saying that I can have it,” groaned Claricha. She shook her head and added, “Please accept my apology. My expectations of others are rarely met. And, don’t appear so distraught. You may have your trinket back. I would never allow such a cheap piece of trash to remain in my domicile.”
Janus took the carving and returned it to his bag. He was almost shaking with anger, but his speechlessness was equally due to his disbelief of her attitude and his panicked desire to get out of there.
“I understand you are marrying my son,” Claricha stated without warning. “When will this occur?”
Janus was caught off guard, but managed to croak out, “Uh, we haven’t set a date.”
“Where are you from?” asked Claricha.
This was feeling more and more like an interrogation, especially since they were still standing in the entry hall.
“I’m from Clothton,” he answered before adding, “That’s where I met Staven.”
“And what of your magical abilities?”
“Well, I have more than Staven but not as much as you are rumored to possess.”
“A rodent has more magical abilities than my son and no one has as much as me,” Claricha replied, with a dry laugh. “But the fact that you survive by selling hand-carved pieces of wood tells me all I need to know.”
The two stared at each other for a moment. Janus didn’t know what to make of this strange woman.
“I deeply love my son, and I believe you will be an excellent mate for him,” Claricha said.
Janus was shocked at the casual offensiveness of Claricha’s remarks even though he was only pretending to be Staven’s fiancé. He knew that he should just remain silent and accept her comments, but Janus couldn’t restrain himself from asking, “If you love him so much, then why did you abandon him when he was just a kid?”
“Is that what he told you?” asked Claricha with raised eyebrows. “I suppose that he might have interpreted events in that manner, but I assure you that we did not abandon him. We provided him with a place to live and sufficient income to survive until he was old enough to provide for himself.”
She elaborated upon seeing Janus’ shocked expression. “We both know that my son could never fit into polite society with his handicap. Here, he would be sentenced to live in never-ending depression due to being a failure and an embarrassment to his family. I knew he would find happiness with his own kind and you are proving my assessment was correct.
“It truly was a pleasure meeting you, Shontelle. I wish you happiness in your lives together. There is no greater maternal blessing that knowing that your child is happy.”
Wow, Staven’s mother is a strange and terrifying woman, but I guess she is still his mother, thought Janus.
“Now get out and don’t let me ever find either of you lurking around here again,” Claricha demanded, as she glared at Janus with her finger pointing at the door.
Janus grabbed his bags and raced out the door. This meeting with Staven’s mother meant he no longer had time for breakfast, but that was all right. He had no longer had much of an appetite anyway.
THE COTTON FIELDS, MEARTH
The rain had stopped by the time Stavius woke up, but his clothes were already soaked and covered in mud and bits of cotton plants. His mind should be on the tasks and dangers surrounding today, but all he could think about was Shontelle and Janus while wishing for a hot bath. He tried to wipe the mud off his clothes, but his efforts only managed to smear it around. He ran his fingers through his curly hair in an attempt to pick out the sticks and bits of fluff but doubted he succeeded in improving his appearance in that regard either. He finally gave up and started his hike to the bridge.
The bridge was not open when he arrived, nor did it open on time. As a result, Stavius was forced to wait at the gate for over an hour while listening to people complain about his appearance and body odor. At first, he could only capture bits and fragments of their conversations, but they were no longer even trying to be discreet by the time the guards arrived.
The magic well wasn’t turned on today, and he obviously wasn’t illuding himself. The guards seemed to take as much offense at his appearance as the rest of the crowd and pulled him to one side. They questioned him at length and seemed to be deriving sadistic pleasure in harassing him. Eventually, they espied his cylindrical case containing the unicorn horns. They asked what was in it and he took a chance that they wouldn’t check to answer, “Those are painting supplies for my master. She needs them before the festival begins.”
Luck wasn’t going to smile on him, though. One guard grabbed the case while another pushed him back onto the ground. They were laughing and tossin
g the container between themselves when one of them noticed the seal. He froze and asked, “Who is your master?”
Stavius struggled to his feet and answered, “My master is an artist named Larsa.”
The blood drained from every guard’s face as they rushed to return everything to Stavius. The captain hurried him through the gate saying, “Our apologies, Mr. Staven. We had no idea you were on an errand for Madam Larsa. Please don’t speak poorly of us to her. Would you like an escort across the bridge?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I understand that you were just doing your job. Happy Luna Fest to you,” answered Stavius as he rushed off. That was not at all what he felt like saying, but he wanted to get away from these guards as quickly as possible. He was already late for his meeting with Janus and now had no time to find a place to wash up.
The captain returned to his post with a sigh of relief before chastising his men, “Always, always, ALWAYS find out their business first! Do you have any idea what Larsa and her friends could do to us?”
The boys arrived in Mill Town at almost the same time. Both were afraid they were late, and both felt awkward seeing each other for the first time in this world after discovering who they were on Earth. Neither knew what to say. Finally, Janus said, “Stavius, you look like crap!”
Stavius laughed and replied, “Yeah, I know, but I was unable to secure as luxurious accommodations as you, Janus.”
Janus chuckled and said, “Hold still,” as he swept his hand from Stavius’ head to his toes and the dirt and grime flowed off onto the street. He then reached up and ran his fingers through Stavius’ hair for a moment or two while quizzically looking at his head. Bits of hair joined the muddy water on the street as Janus stepped back to admire Stavius’ new haircut.
“You’d better clean up that mess, kid!” a shopkeeper shouted from a nearby doorway.
Janus grabbed Stavius’ arm and flicked his wrist at the puddle as they scurried off. There was a flash of light, and then nothing was left other than a small pile of dust which scattered with the next gust of wind. They ate breakfast in a small café and spent an hour having a conversation they both wished could’ve lasted all day long.
Janus wanted to hear all about the Betel the dragon. “He really calls himself Juice?”
Stavius wanted to hear about Janus’ conversation with his mother, and he wanted to know what it was like to be a girl in a boy’s body. Janus’ replies were simply, “She made me appreciate my good fortune of being an orphan” and “none of your darn business, Stavius.”
Eventually, they focused on reviewing today’s plans. Janus showed Stavius his Spear of Mars replicas, which were now back to their full glory. Stavius couldn’t believe the detail on them. They were amazing, and he was, once again, impressed with his friend’s magical skills. Stavius let Janus see one of the unicorn horns, and they both paused in wonder at its shimmering colors.
The boys left the café and headed toward the fairgrounds when the town clock chimed ten o’clock. They split at the entrance as Janus headed towards Admian castle and Stavius dove into the massive crowds packing the fairgrounds. He needed to get in position near Saiph’s cage before the prisoners were released at noon. That wasn’t going to be easy with this crowd.
Janus hiked the steep, winding road up to Admian castle. The castle was built atop one of the highest hills in Septumcolis, with a commanding view of the river all the way to Clothton. He paused behind a tall hedge midway up the hillside to catch his breath in the shade. Janus transformed from Jenna into a thin, unctuous salesman named Mahtee, who was wearing the robes of a festival administrator. He stepped out of the shadow and continued his hike. Mahtee quickly located the troop of children who hung around the courtyards outside of Admian castle and sighed in relief. Despite their assurances that they would be there, he had feared that they would be down at the fairgrounds today.
Mahtee started his sales pitch. He explained how he was one of the promotional marketing directors for Luna Fest and that this year they had an exciting idea for the festival climax. He said that six lucky children would represent the Admian family at this year’s event. These six children would each be given a full-scale replica of the Spear of Mars with instructions to race from here to the fairgrounds. Janus then took one of the copies out of his bag and let it expand to its full size. The kids were amazed at its detail and heft as they passed it around and it was evident that they all wanted one.
Janus shrunk the spear to its smaller, souvenir size and explained the rules of the game. First, the kids would all race to determine the six fastest runners. Then those runners would each receive a replica spear. The spears would enlarge to full size at exactly noon, at which time the runners needed to race towards the fairground shouting “Glory to Mars!” Mahtee explained that they should be sure to take different routes so that they could be seen by as many people as possible. Whoever made it to the fairgrounds without stopping for more than a few seconds at a time would get to keep the full-scale spear. The spears sensed motion and would shrink back to their souvenir size if they were stopped or delayed for very long. He finished with the admonishment, “Be careful. Everyone is going to want one of these and lots of people will try to steal them from you. You can, however, team up with a partner and toss your spear to them if you get waylaid.”
The kids understood and spent the next half hour racing around the courtyard until the six fastest runners were identified. Four of them partnered up with their best friends while the other two were clearly too greedy to risk sharing. Janus handed out the spears and headed towards the castle by eleven o’clock. He took one glance back at the courtyard and saw the kids already battling with the mini spears and shouting, “Glory to Mars!”
FAIRGROUNDS, MEARTH
Stavius pushed and elbowed his way through the crowds at the fairground. He had never seen so many people in one place before, and their festive cheer was rapidly transforming into claustrophobic annoyance as hundreds of bodies pressed close together, battling for a good view in the midday heat. Tempers were starting to flare as dignitaries from the seven families recited seemingly endless speeches which no one could hear.
Since Stavius had his anti-illusion vision turned off, he could see beautiful people rather than the scores of sweaty, obese, real-life citizens of Septumcolis. He turned it back on again after failing to squeeze between a slender couple only to discover that the sizeable gap between them was filled with several inches of fat. His ability served him well as he quickly walked through a pack of eight snarling dogs swarming on leashes around an arrogant woman. The dogs were illusions to provide her some extra space, which no longer worked after he exposed her ruse.
The prisoners had already been removed from their cages, and he hoped that they trusted him enough to follow his instructions to run towards Saiph as soon as they were released into the dragon aviary. The big dragon had agreed to protect them from the smaller dragons and, once she was freed, to grab them in her mighty arms and carry them away to safety. Their rendezvous site was the old dragon nest Staven had cleared out a year ago in the hills beyond the eastern fields. Saiph could only fly a limited range in her weakened state and agreed that this site was both secluded and close enough to serve their purpose. Stavius had carefully described its location, and Saiph was confident she could find it. They were both more concerned with the rest of the plan.
Janus had to steal the Spear of Mars, replace it with his dragon stones, and escape. The receptacle for the spear had to overload and disrupt the magical energies throughout the area, which was what Saiph guessed would happen. Stavius had to break the dragon’s chains so he could grab the girls and escape. And then, Stavius had to avoid hundreds of people and flee to their meeting place. All of these were highly risky, and the entire plan would collapse if any of them failed.
Stavius decided not to ponder their odds as he managed to squeeze himself into the front row with ten minutes to spare. The crowd was surging forward in anticipation of t
he prisoner release into the aviary, pressing him against the bars. He turned his head and saw the wealthy patrons of Septumcolis standing on wooden risers above a sea of faces. They were stomping and chanting and the crowd rhythmically pulsed like a living creature. The seven families were sitting on a stone pavilion in the center of the stands and Stavius thought he saw his parents there too, but they disappeared behind the crowd before he could be sure.
He reached out to Saiph to tell her that he succeeded in recharging the horns but didn’t hear a response as his concentration broke when the crowd crushed him into the aviary bars again. He grimaced as he realized that he hadn’t even considered being crushed to death before Janus could steal the talisman. It suddenly occurred to him that he was more anxious now than before his last history test and he would’ve laughed if he could’ve breathed.
The town clock chimed noon, and the crowd cheered as the gate opened to let the prisoners into the aviary. The lone guard protecting the Spear of Mars stepped outside to look towards the noise, just as Janus had hoped. Janus raced to the talisman receptacle from the corner in which he had been hiding. He had arrived earlier, illuded as the old woman who regularly cleaned the talisman room. The guard questioned why she was there, and Janus simply gave him a disgusted and annoyed look. The guard let her pass as he recognized the sentiment of another employee of the Admian family who was required to work while the rest of the city celebrated.
Janus illuded an independent copy of the cleaning lady as soon as the guard turned his back. She spent the next hour mopping the floor of the talisman room before leaving. Meanwhile, he was hidden in a corner illuded to look like the wall. The guard had made his rounds every ten minutes but never noticed anything amiss. Janus now had a precious minute or two to steal the talisman, replace it with his dragon stones, and escape.
He cast the magical spell to turn off the talisman precisely the way Saiph had instructed and released a tiny giggle of relief when it worked. The receptacle itself immediately started to hum in a way which reminded Janus of pressure building in a pinched water hose back on Earth. He quickly removed the spear, slid the dragon stones into its place, and reactivated the receptacle. Once again, he sighed in relief when the humming subsided, but he had no time to linger. He ran back to his corner and released the spell which had shrunk the replica spears.
Stavius Page 26
