Eliza's Shadow (27 page)

Run! I commanded.

I followed the little spark as it hopped from one
nerve to the next, racing down the length of my arm and felt it, hot and
anxious to perform. Then something strong and sure told me the spark was ready.
Without a conscious effort, my arm lifted from my side and my wrist snapped.

My eyes shot open. A small ball of light glowed
bright against the darkness. I glanced up to find Ren’s giddy grin.

We sat for several moments in reverent silence
before Ren snatched the wriggling little light from my palm as easily as a frog
snatches an insect.

He chuckled and tossed it above our heads. The
small light bounced in the air like a yo-yo before settling suspended above our
heads.

“Wow! How’d you do that?” I exclaimed.

“Clean flames will do just about anything you want
them to.” He said.

“Can I touch it again?” I asked tentatively.

Ren shrugged. “Sure, it’s your flame.” He said and
sank back against the cluster of pipes, a pleased smile lingering on his lips.

I reached into the air and plucked the tiny blaze
from its perch. I held the flame in my hand admiring its dance.

“It’s hot.” I said wincing.

Ren inched toward me and slid his hand beneath
mine. His palm was soft against my knuckles. Then his fingers closed around my
wrist and he pulled my hand toward his lowered face. My fingertips grazed the
scruff of his chin sending a tingle up my arm. Our eyes met across the glowing
expanse of my palm.

“Even the most magical things can burn.” He said
tensely, holding my gaze.

My cheeks flushed hot under his intense stare.

“Only… if you let them.” I responded, carefully
controlling my breath.

“Easier said than done.” He said with a sigh.

I blew softly across my palm. The flame flickered
and disappeared into a wisp of smoke.

18

Despite the alarming
mention of the Heka Service in the introduction section of my primer, I had concerned
myself very little with the possibility of being called upon for a mission. But
as I sat in Nan’s office, reeling from a proposition she had just laid out, the
words from the primer came back to me.

The Heka Service
polices the behaviors of our citizens. All members of the Heka Society will be
asked to serve at least one term in the Heka Service. If you have not already
been contacted by your local Service Agent when the time comes they will find
you.

At the time, it hadn’t occurred to me that someone
so inexperienced would be asked for help. So when Nan asked Ren and I to come
to her office after school one afternoon to discuss official Heka Council
business, I wasn’t even the least bit suspicious. I should have been. Nan had
mentioned that she was the Service Agent for the Port Rune area.

“So, I have to do the time now that I’m a member
not that anyone asked me if I’d like to join of course.” I grumbled.

“As a matter of fact, yes, you do, Eliza. I’m
sorry you see your service as such an inconvenience. It is an excellent way to
learn, you know.” Nan said sagely.

“It’s just that I can’t believe you’d send me out
so soon! I’m a novice, remember?” I proclaimed throwing my hands up.

Ren paced the floor of the library following the
curve of the bookshelves excitedly.

“When do we depart?” He asked eagerly.

Nan sat regally behind her large wooden desk.
Unlike the last time I’d been invited up to the widow’s walk, the room today
was neat and tidy. The surface of the desk was bare aside from a small package
wrapped in brown paper and coarse string.

I sank onto the only other piece of furniture, the
lounge chair that looked as if it was intended for a psychiatrist office.

“Never mind when we depart. Nan, do you really
think this a good idea?” I asked.

Nan shook her head and waved her hands
dismissively. “Eliza, I’m surprised by your lack of faith in my good judgment.
This mission is perfectly appropriate for the two of you. Besides that, the
message is urgent and we don’t have time to procure another courier.” She added
practically.

“Can you at least tell us what’s in the package?”
I asked eyeing the lumpy object on the desk suspiciously.

Nan’s gaze darted between Ren and me. “Do you
recall me mentioning that Amelia Light came through town several weeks ago with
some novice witches she’d taken under her wing?” She eyed us waiting for a
response.

I nodded and out of the corner of my eye noticed
Ren’s head bobbing too.

“Well, as it turns out, she’d taken on the group
of novices in an attempt to rescue them. There’s been a rising in the North, up
the coast near the Arctic. Some infernal old Viking is causing trouble.” She
explained fervently.

My mouth dropped open. “Viking? I thought those
guys disappeared hundreds of years ago.” I mumbled.

Nan stretched her hands across the top of the desk
and stared at her splayed fingers for a moment before responding.

“There are some of us, the gifted you know, who
live on for much, sometimes much, much longer than the average human. The
details of the trouble are in this package. Your mission will be to deliver it
to Harold Pliny, my uncle. He’ll know how to handle the situation.” She said
definitively.

My eyebrows shot up with alarm. Hundreds of years?
This new bit of information disturbed me.

“Uncle Harold? So that means we get to go to
London!” Ren exclaimed.

I held up my hands in a stop motion. “Wait a
minute. London? How can I possibly go to London? That’s far away and there’s
school. Besides that, I can’t afford it and how in the world would I explain
the trip to Jane?” I objected.

Nan cleared her throat to break the stream of
worried rambling flowing from my mouth.

“I’ll take care of the logistics, Eliza. Don’t
worry about the cost of the trip or missing school. Winter break is
approaching. You and Ren will depart after the Christmas holiday and you’ll be
back before school resumes in January. The timing is really ideal.” She
explained calmly.

“But what about Jane?” I pressed.

“Ah, for that complication, I’ll need your
cooperation. You will ask her permission to accompany Ren to London. You’ll
tell her that you’re rendezvousing with Ren’s parents for a visit. I don’t want
him to travel alone and that is why we are inviting you.” She said patiently.

I shook my head doubtfully. “Well, I don’t know.
Jane might not like the idea of me traveling with a boy.” I said.

Nan’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, I don’t think she’ll
resist. In fact, she’ll be very supportive of the idea. I assure you.” She said
confidently.

“Hmmm.” My lips drew together in a tight line. I
didn’t even need to ask why Nan was so certain Jane would agree.

One of Nan’s eyebrows shot up in amusement.
“Alright then, sounds as if we’re all on the same page. Winter break begins in
precisely two weeks and you two, my little messengers, will depart in two weeks
and three days, directly after the Christmas holiday. So, let’s get to work.
Eliza, I expect you to ask Jane for permission by tomorrow evening before
midnight.” She ordered.

“I suppose that’s when your spell expires?” I
asked, testing my assumption.

“Naturally. Now, meet me in the greenhouse in ten
minutes, there will be a few protective spells I’ll need to place on you two
before departure and we might as well get started now.” Nan said practically.

* * *

“Aren’t you nervous?” I asked, studying Ren’s
profile as he steered his car down the winding road that took us away from
Nan’s house toward Main Street.

“There’s a fine line between being nervous and
excited.” Ren said shooting me a challenging grin.

“It just seems risky. What if we get into
trouble?” I asked.

“The only way we’re going to get stronger is by
taking on challenges. Besides, this seems fairly low risk.” He said
dismissively.

I
was
excited to go to London and it
would
be interesting to meet an old
wizard like Uncle Harold and I
did
want to find out what was in that mysterious lumpy package.

Ren pulled his car up to the curb in front of my
building and let his hands drop from the wheel, then shifted in his seat to
face me. The familiar flames of intensity burned in his dark eyes.

“Eliza, my parents sent me away because they
didn’t trust that I could handle the situations I might face if I was with
them. This is a chance for me, for both of us, to prove we can handle a real
assignment. I need to do this.” He said, an edge in his tone.

Ren didn’t like to talk about his parents. I knew
it bothered him that they’d sent him away. Seeing the hope in his eyes that
this assignment might bring him closer to his family made me feel guilty for
fretting.

“You’re right. Nan wouldn’t give us this
assignment if she didn’t think we could handle it. I’ll stop complaining, ok?”
I said with determination.

A grin spread across Ren’s face.

“Excellent.” Then glancing up toward the windows
of my loft he added, “and good luck with Jane.”

“Yeah… thanks.” I said and hopped out of car.

I trotted up the stairs of my building feeling
slightly tingly and warm all over as if my skin was sheathed in an invisible
coating from Nan’s protective spells. When I reached the door, I was surprised
to find it suspiciously unlocked.

“Hello?” I called into the quiet loft.

Afternoon light spilled through the wall of
windows bringing all the colors of the room alive. A surge of water and
creaking pipe responded from the hallway. Jane sauntered out of the bathroom.

“Hey babe.” She answered casually.

“Hey. What are you doing home?” I asked with
surprise. Saturday afternoons were peak prep time for the weekend rush. It was
absolutely unprecedented for Jane to step foot out of Viva on a Saturday.

Jane smiled and shrugged, slouching down on the
couch. “Aren’t you glad to see me?” She asked with a wink.

I moved slowly across the room in her direction
before finally slinking onto the loveseat opposite her.

“Yeah, of course I’m glad to see you. It’s just
that you’re usually really busy on Saturdays. Seems like there would have to be
an emergency for you to come home.” I added tentatively.

Jane’s forehead creased and she fidgeted with her
fingernails, pushing back the cuticles on each finger with the nails of her
opposite hand.

“Truth is babe, I am busy but I got a feeling you
needed me so I came home.” She cocked an eyebrow in my direction. “So what’s
the deal? Am I crazy or is there something we need to talk about?” She added
curiously.

My shoulders instinctually fell back against the
couch as if the force of surprise physically shoved me. Nan’s spell was
impatient.

“Ummm…” I muttered anxiously, trying to pull
together the words I needed to say. I hated being put on the spot.

“Actually, I do need to talk to you about something.”
I started haltingly and with a deep breath launched into the pitch.

“Ren and his grandmother have invited me to go to
London over winter break.” I spouted. Remembering the story Nan had fed me, I
scrambled to explain before Jane formulated a decision.

“Nan isn’t able to go, you see, and she doesn’t
want Ren to travel alone. We’re going to meet his parents there. They live in
Africa? So, they have a break and want to see him but he needs to go to London
to meet up with them and they want me to go with him.” I rambled.

Jane studied my face absorbing my awkwardly
delivered request. She blinked heavily a few times and her face went
frighteningly blank. After a split second, the life returned to her eyes and
she smiled warmly.

“You know, Eliza, that sounds like a fabulous
opportunity for you. Of course you can go.” She responded exuberantly.

I smiled weakly in response. “Thanks, Jane. Yeah,
great opportunity.” I said softly.

She hopped off the couch and dashed toward the
bookshelves.

“Ah, I still have it! This is a travel guide for
London. Its old but the basics are all in there. Oh Eliza, I’m so excited for
you!” She bubbled. Then suddenly her brows knit together.

“You know, I’ve stashed away a few things for you
for Christmas but we’ll need to get a plane ticket for you.” She added
tentatively.

I saw the wheels of her mind turning. She was
certainly worried that we wouldn’t have enough funds for my plane ticket. I
waved my hands as if attempting to brush off her concern.

“Oh no. We don’t have to worry about that. Ren’s
family is going to cover my ticket. They insisted!” I assured her.

“And I’ve got some cash saved that I can use for
spending money while I’m there.” I added quickly.

Jane’s expression softened but the crease between
her brows remained.

“So, I suppose you’ll be gone for Christmas?” She
asked sadly.

I smiled with relief.

“No way. We’re not leaving until the day after. Do
you really think I’d leave you alone on Christmas?” I asked.

Finally, the crease flattened.

“Oh good. I’d really miss you, babe. Besides, I’ve
already got my menu planned out and it feeds three.” She said with a
mischievous smile.

“Oh really? So Adam will be around this year.” I
clarified, trying not to sound too concerned.

Adam had spent a string of Christmases with us in
the past but over the last few years with their relationship under strain, his
attendance had been spotty.

“Yes, he is.” Jane answered with a meek smile and
started for the coat rack by the door, shimmying as she walked as if she was
trying to shake off any remnant of vulnerability.