Gatewright (6 page)

The
security check was thorough.  I tried not to sweat bullets as the fey
who’d guided us here and her male counterpart poked, prodded, and scanned my
luggage.  They eyeballed us and asked us to turn out our pockets and
remove our shoes, but didn’t touch us.  The knife sat heavy against my
back, and I prayed they didn’t notice it.  But, Jack was right.  No
pat down, no metal detector.  I tried not to breathe a sigh of relief as
they gave me the go-ahead to proceed.  Although, I would have bet, if
they’d gotten DIDA more involved, that would have been the end of the line for
Jack’s knife and possibly my hopes.

Isabel
sadly forfeited her snack of sunflower seeds (they claimed it would create an
invasive species) and Peter was forced to give up a large box of cigarettes.
“Azry is a non-smoking world,” our fey guard scolded him. 
Really? 
I knew for a fact they smoked far less noxious but far more potent plants,
and thought it was rather unfair.

The
fey led us through several doors while we hauled our luggage behind us. 
Erikah hadn’t been able to make her suitcase close fully again and t-shirts
hung out of the top.  The echoing linoleum floors and florescent
lightbulbs killed our enthusiasm and fed the butterflies in my stomach.

The
briefing room was set up for a much larger group, so we settled in relatively
comfortably into the plastic chairs, their metal legs squeaking on the
floor.  I thought I’d escaped the college life…

“Hello
everyone!”  A short fey female with fluffy, white-blonde hair burst into
the room.  “Are you EXCITED?”  She wore traditional fey attire, a
linen tunic with a woven leather belt, paired with flowing pants.  
The belt’s tails were colorfully beaded and swung when she walked.  Around
her neck was a heavy necklace of bright blue stones, almost gaudy in comparison
to her short stature.

After
the hours of waiting and the security check, her energy blindsided us. 
“Yeah,” we all murmured to one extent or another.

“My
name is Hazel Grace, and I’m going to be your guide for the next 15 days. 
We’re all so pleased to have you visiting our world and giving us the
opportunity to start building a better relationship across the gate. 
Before we get started, I’d like to introduce my co-host, Riven Mist.” 
Entering from the far door was an athletic fey, with long, bold red hair tied
back with a pair of thin braids.  His clothes were loose and casual, but
his gait was all but that.

Riven
Mist?
  “No way!”  I giggled, and peeked at my
companions to see if they got the joke.  No?  Come
on
now,
those games were classics!

Riven
did not appreciate my laughter.  “Good afternoon,” he greeted us icily,
his Anowir accent thick and unmistakable.  He stared pointedly back at
Hazel, refusing to say any more. 

She
blundered on ahead as if nothing had happened, pulling out a piece of paper from
a pocket in her pants.  “So, we’ll be spending the first five days in
Emor, a midsize Anowir city and the seat of law.”  She read off the page:
“Today, you’ll settle into your quarters and we’ll all get to know each other
over some fine Anowir cuisine.  Tomorrow, we’ll see live demonstrations of
fire and earth magic.  Monday is a tour through Emor’s gardens and zoo,
and an introduction to our native flora and fauna.  The day will conclude
with a private concert by some of our best musicians. “

“Tuesday,
you’ll experience our markets up close and later enjoy our festival celebrating
Earth Magic, a significant holiday among the Anowir.  The fun begins at
sundown and ends when the sun rises again.  Wednesday is a rest day, and
Thursday we’ll travel to the Citadel of Fountains, deep in the forest. 
Friday we’ll explore fey astrology and astronomy, and participate in the formal
Full Moon Rites that evening.”

“Saturday,
we will confer with a member of a royal family about the future of our two
peoples and enjoy the Citadel’s many pleasures.  Sunday, we’ll take a long
forest hike to explore some early fey settlements, and the next day ride back
to Emor.  Tuesday, we’ll take a closer look at Anowir history, with a
visit to our Halls of Law, our library, and our museums.   Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday, we’ll offer a variety of hands-on activities to choose
from in Emor.  Saturday, we’ll reflect on our journey and pack up, and
Sunday you’ll be returned safe and sound back to the human realm.”

We
nodded, and I tried to hide my grin.  Each and every day sounded like an
incredible adventure.  Hazel put away her cheat sheet and clasped her
hands together. “All right!  So, before we jump through, we ought to give
you a few rules to ensure you have a great time.  Riven?”

Riven
peered at us, as if slightly disappointed in what he saw.  “We have four
important rules for you to follow to ensure your safety.  First, and most
importantly, stay with your assigned guide at all times.  Do not go
anywhere without an escort.  Second, we will be speaking in English
throughout this trip for your comfort.  So everyone in our group can
understand you, please refrain from speaking Anowir publicly.”  I bet that
was because they didn’t want fey eavesdropping on offensive questions.

“Third,
do not drink or eat anything that has not been cleared for human
consumption.   We have been very careful in this regard to ensure
food safety.  Fourth, be courteous and respectful in all dealings with
fey.  If you are having any issues, alert your guide and they will address
it.  We will do our utmost to ensure your safe travel until you return
through this gate.”

“Do
you swear it?”  Jack’s advice somewhere in my subconscious made me stick
my foot in my mouth.

An
awkward silence fell.  Riven stared at me as if I’d grown a second head,
but as he realized I was serious, his jaw set and his eyes flashed.  I
raised my chin, challenging him.  Neither of us budged. Well, I did want
to be safe.

His
eyes were blue, mixed with purple, almost pretty but unsettlingly alien. I’d
been selling video games to fey for years, but I’d never faced an angry fey
before, not even an Exile.  This one looked like he wanted to strangle
me.  My stomach did a little
flip,
the kind you
get right at the top of a rollercoaster before it plunges down.  I didn’t
lower my gaze, but felt my cheeks warming in embarrassment.

“Fey
do not take oaths lightly.”  His voice was quiet, yet harsh.

“Well,
I don’t take my safety lightly, either,” I shot back, and dug in my heels as
our contest of wills grew from a momentary clash to a full-out tug-of-war.

His
expression softened somewhat.  “Yes,” he said, begrudgingly monotone, as
if sentencing himself to something very unpleasant.  “I swear to protect
you until you return through this gate.”  He broke our staring contest
with an effort and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Great!” 
Hazel jumped in, scanning Riven worriedly out of the corner of her eye. 
“We know being the first human through the gate is a big deal.”  She
offered us a small, lightweight bag.  “Pick one, it’ll tell you what order
you go in!”

I
dug my hand into the white silk bag, felt a thin domino, and drew it out. 
I examined it as everyone else took their turn at the bag.  Six
dots.  Last.  Bummer.

Hazel
peered at everyone’s domino-ettes, and declared “Neville, Kim, Erikah, Isabel,
Peter, and Jan, in that order. Congrats, Neville, you’ll be the first human
guest in Anowir!” She led all of us in brief applause.  “Let’s go,
everyone!  Make sure you have everything.”

Chairs
squeaked, we gathered our luggage, and followed her out the far door.  We
tramped down another hallway, then through a secure door (judging by its thick
locks) guarded by yet another fey.  He checked everyone’s IDs one last
time, then cranked open the door to reveal a gorgeous, manicured garden
courtyard.  In the center of the garden, unmistakably alien, was the
gate.  I’d heard about it before from Jack, and seen the pictures from
when it first opened, but so few humans had actually encountered it up
close.  Two fey guards stood to each side, one long red hair like Riven,
the other with blue hair drawn up into a complex bun.  Glass beads in
their hair flashed as they caught the sun.

The
gate itself was a jagged rip in our reality, an oval 7 feet tall and 4 feet
wide.  The edges reminded me of broken ice, the shadowed, opaque blue
surface of the gate almost entirely still except for faint ripples.

“It’s
beautiful,” I murmured, taking it all in, while the others hurried forward in their
excitement.  I wanted to treasure this moment.

Riven
appeared behind me, to my left. “Reconsidering?”

Insulted,
I frowned at him, and replied in Anowir.  “No, but you?”

“Yes. 
Now go.”

I
hoped his behavior wasn’t going to be like that for the whole trip.  I
wished Jack was here;
he
would have had a witty response.

I
followed the others through the garden, past flowering bushes and fruit
trees.  Fey influence, of course.  They had insisted on this garden
around the gate.  Their love of nature was unparalleled.

Once
we were assembled, the guards nodded, and Hazel stepped forward into the
gate.  The surface barely rippled as she passed through it, simply
vanishing from our world.  Neville cleared his throat, wiped sweat off his
brow, then purposefully strode forward and through.  The rest of my
companions slowly followed suit.  The gate made no noise as it swallowed
them up.  After all the science fiction I’d seen, I’d expected some sort
of “wormhole noise”.  I walked up to the shimmering blue, almost the blue
of the sky, and hesitated one last second.  I couldn’t take my eyes off
it, wished that I could stand here forever just gazing.

“Go,
will you?”  Riven muttered.

I
glared at him.  “This gate is beautiful, and it’s a shame if you take it
for granted.”  To prove I wasn’t afraid, I gripped all my belongings hard
and braced myself.  Then I took two steps forward… and through.

Disorientation
slammed into me.  Up and down no longer existed.  My nerves screamed
as if I’d been hit by lightning.  Only flashes of light and stars consumed
my vision.  Like a puppet cut from its strings, I collapsed, gasping for
breath, all my limbs prickling like I’d just woken them up.  Distinctly
unpleasant.  My stomach roiled in protest, and I gripped the stone floor
to try to stop the world from spinning.  I would die of embarrassment if I
puked as my first action in Azry.

A
sudden painful impact jolted my ribs, and I automatically turned, causing
another wave of vertigo.  Riven sailed over me, barely catching his
momentum in time to turn it into a graceful forward roll.  He’d tripped
over my kneeling body.  He rose, brushing himself off, and sent me a
venomous glare.  What was it that Jack had said?  “Mortified fey are
so entertaining”?  Right now I didn’t see it.

My
eyes began to focus again.  “Wow, wish I’d been warned about that.” I
groaned, then took in my companions, all of whom seemed rather perplexed. 
They seemed to be standing, not clutching the earth like newborn kittens. 
Was I allergic to Azry?  Next time I’d consider using that Epi Pen. 
As the prickling subsided, I slowly got to my feet.  “I’m not sure if
interdimensional travel agrees with me.”  My stomach confirmed my
suspicions.

Hazel
shifted uncertainly, looking to Riven for reassurance.  I could
practically see the gears turning in his head.  Apparently, gatesickness
was not normal. I really hoped it didn’t mean I’d have to go back through the
gate and leave the trip, or worse, become a guinea pig for trying to find a
cure.

Thick,
braided glass tubes walled the round gate chamber, bubbles of water rising
through their centers.  Stone pedestals, seamless with the polished marble
floor, rose up in a ring at exact intervals.  Here the rulers and judges
had sentenced fey to exile, until the day the gate had refused to close. 
Here magic started to leak into the human realm; here all our problems
began.  Azry was discovered and their justice system thrown into
chaos.  For the most part, countries didn’t like the idea of being a
prison colony.  Australia was the only country that had welcomed Exiles
with open arms. 

“Welcome
to Azry,” Hazel told us. I could hear how much she loved her world from those
three words.  “You are in the Judgement Hall in the Citadel of Glass,
within the city of Emor.  On most other days, this place is full of fey on
their way to visit your world.” She failed to mention what the Anowir currently
did with their criminals.

She
turned slightly to introduce the four other fey in the room.  I’d been
concentrating so hard on making the world stop spinning I’d missed them
entirely until she pointed them out.  “Two
adail
from each clan,
fey recognized for their skill in the magic arts,
are always present
here at the gate.  Two on Earth, four here.  Today they are led by
Kaebris.”  She gestured at a raven-haired older man, who scrunched his
nose as if enduring something rather unpleasant.

Adail
were
a lot more than just “skilled in the magic arts”. 
Adail
were the
fighters, bodyguards, architects, and masterminds of each clan, sworn to lifelong
service.  They
came from the ranks of both the nobility and common
folk, granted that they could prove their worth.  Hazel had simply glossed
over a large component of fey society;
adail
were to the fey what
military leaders and
Ph.D’s
were to humankind.  I
doubted any
adail
wanted guard duty, and none of these looked thrilled
about it.

While
the hairstyles of the
adail
varied, they all featured at least one lock
of hair with glass beads.  Yet, Kaebris’s black hair threw me off.
 I’d assumed that Jack’s appearance had come from years on Earth. 
What element was black hair?  Was it a variation of
elohi
?  I
couldn’t remember any fey customers at the game store who’d had black hair; I
was sure I would have noticed.  It stuck out the same way pink hair did
for humans.

Kaebris’s
dark eyes met mine and the world swam again.  Voices and memories echoed
in my head, fading as quickly as they came.  The moment passed, as he
scrutinized each of the humans before nodding ever so slightly to Riven and
Hazel. What the hell?  It was like he had read my mind.

Oh.

I
concentrated
very
hard on studying the floors and the ceiling. 
Nothing to see here.  Nope, nothing at all.  Look at that pretty
glass!  Such beauty!  I love Azry! 

Hazel,
bless her, started to lead the way out of the chamber and away from the guards,
including Kaebris.  “Please follow me, I will be happy to show you to your
rooms.”

The
walls of the Citadel, more of the same multicolored glass tubing, obscured adjoining
rooms but did not entirely hide them.  Fey stopped in their errands to
stare at us curiously, yet without surprise.  Some of their faces were
more closed off than others.  Not all the fey were great fans of
humankind.

I
still wobbled, so Riven took my suitcase and backpack, trying to hustle me as
much as possible to keep up with the others.  Every few minutes I had to
anchor myself on a wall and breathe.

As
soon as I was confident we’d left behind Kaebris and the Judgement Hall, I let my
thoughts wander again.  So that was a
nagali. 
I felt vaguely
violated… a complete stranger had just poked around in my brain without my
consent.  Granted, I didn’t know how much he tried to get out of me… he
certainly hadn’t picked up on the knife.  My confused and sickened state
probably helped me.  I doubted the other humans realized what had
happened, and
I
wasn’t about to tell them.

And
by all appearances, Jack was a
nagali
.  Had he ever read my
mind?  Was that possible without magic?  I suddenly remembered Jack
fussing with his pass before showing it to Corey.  I hadn’t thought Corey
was the type to let an Exile get into the Circle, swarming paparazzi or
no.  Jack had done something, and that thought sent a shiver down my
spine.  How many times had that happened before?

I
walked for several minutes in silence, consumed with my own thoughts, before
Riven interrupted.  “I apologize for tripping over you,” he said
reluctantly.  We lagged behind enough that the others couldn’t hear.

“It’s
ok.” Although, my ribs did hurt and I was pretty sure I was going to have a
decent bruise.

“Are
you part fey?” he inquired, curious, as we toured through a gorgeous lobby with
a silk carpet, golden accents, and crystal chandelier.  Erikah reflected
the
most fey
heritage, although her blatant changes
were not dramatic enough to confuse her with an Azry native.  Isabel,
Peter, and Neville had subtle changes to their facial structure and ears. 
Kim and I remained unchanged.  Well, except for the sickened and weak
thing that I had going on.

“I
don’t think so.  I’ve been working near the Outer Gate for years and never
noticed a thing.  Do you know why going through the gate disagreed with me
so much?”  I eyeballed a long, low couch, and wondered if I could get away
with a 5-minute break.

“I’ve
never heard of someone having a reaction like that.  Perhaps one of our
healers can take a look at you and determine if it is caused by an illness.”

Well,
shucks.  I hoped that didn’t translate to “abducted by fey for medical
experimentation”.

We
walked about ten minutes from the gate’s chamber through the glass maze, then
up several stories of twisted staircases to arrive at our rooms.  Our
lodgings reminded me of a college dormitory, with four bedrooms in each dorm
opening into a common area.  Hazel, Isabel, Erikah, and I took one, the
boys took the other.  The doors didn’t fit properly in the frames, and
tapestries covered the walls.  Someone must have told them that humans
liked more privacy than the average fey, but our walls were still riddled with
peepholes.  Well, ‘honor system’ it was.

Several
of the long, low couches occupied the common area, with a coffee table and a
tall, thin table against a wall.  A dark blue, woven rug covered most of
the floor.  Light poured through a window at the back of the room. 
Isabel and Erikah rushed to it, gasping in delight at the view.  As much
as I wanted to join them, lying down took precedence.

I
claimed the first bedroom, relieved that the glass here was darker and provided
an extra layer of privacy.  The finely crafted stand-alone wardrobe and
sink would have fit right in at an Amish furniture store.  The bed was
lower than I was used to, but I fell into mine nonetheless and barely had the
energy to pull the blue quilt up to my chin.

I
woke up disoriented, but feeling impressively better.  I stretched out,
closed my eyes, and listened.  Isabel was already quizzing Hazel on fey
architecture.  Their conversation was interesting enough that I dragged
myself out of bed to join them in the common area.

“And,
since this was built early, by the Second Queen, you won’t see as many of the
Anowir motifs here as you’ll see in the market areas,” Hazel explained, then
smiled to greet me.  “Jan, how are you feeling?”

“So
much better,” I assured her.  “I was wondering, how do you do heating and
cooling here?  I don’t see fans or fireplaces.”

Hazel
stood up from the low couch and gestured us over to the wall.  “Feel the
pipes.”

I
placed my hand on the glass and yanked it back immediately.  The glass
tubes were almost hot enough to burn. Hazel informed us, “The bubbles you see
going through the pipes aren’t just for aesthetic purposes.  We have large
underground cauldrons, continually heated by our fire mages, our
atsili
. 
The hot water rises through these, providing heat to the entire
structure.  The bubbles indicate if a branch is clogged.  In addition
to the magical protections to strengthen the glass, the heat also helps it from
becoming too brittle.”

“Fascinating.” 
This was entirely new to me.

“Well,
we’re about to go to dinner, if you’d like to prepare,” she concluded.  We
wandered back to our rooms to decide how fancy we were going to get.

I
chose my knee-length floral skirt, black flats, a cream V-neck blouse, and
added Rose’s necklace for flair.  We were a hodgepodge of styles… Isabel
at the height of bohemian style, and Erikah looking professional as hell. 
Her new fey features gave her an exotic edge.  I felt like a misplaced
librarian.  Maybe I should have used Nicholas’ money for a new outfit
instead of the French press.  Then again, who was I kidding?

The
fey held dinner in a spacious hall decorated with tall, painted sculptures of
queens, each with real jewelry that caught the light and made them almost
lifelike.  I gave them a wide berth; I couldn’t imagine any of them
approving of humans in their halls, had they lived to see this day.

The
long mahogany table would comfortably have seated over a dozen, so the eight of
us had plenty of elbow room.  The hall echoed with conversation and
laughter shortly after we settled in.  Our waiters for the evening were
helpful fey, younger and slighter than others I’d seen, almost
androgynous.  Teenagers?
 
The first course was a small salad
with tomatoes, an unidentifiable dressing, and pinto beans.  I picked
around the beans. 

Erikah
had a snarky, subtle sense of humor that was hard to catch but piercingly
funny.  She reminded me a little of Jack.  I’m not entirely sure if
Isabel always picked up on her humor.  Then again, Isabel was entirely
absorbed with the architecture, the craftsmanship of the table, and the
decoration on the silver plates and utensils.  The design certainly echoed
some Native American art that I had seen, but codified and structured. 
Animal and plant motifs were connected to each other and to symbols that might
have represented fire or water.  Yet, what struck me the most was how
everything flowed from one object to the next.  Is that what magic felt
like?  Everything connected?  Isabel peppered Hazel with questions,
only half of which I understood.  Nevertheless, Hazel seemed just as happy
to share with her.

Neville
and Kim conferred quietly.  Was Kim trying to recruit him to DIDA?  I
hadn’t had the time to corner him, but
I
wanted a job.  I’d figure
out how to get his attention later.  Kim wasn’t cold or particularly
unapproachable; I just needed to get over my nerves.

Peter
seemed adrift in this sea of new experiences.  “So, do you watch my show?”
he asked me and Erikah.

Just
as I shook my head, Erikah spoke up.  “All the time, Peter.  My sister
is addicted to it.”

His
eyes lit up.  They lost me soon enough; I’d only caught a few episodes,
and Erikah was full of questions about his Exiled guests.  I glanced
surreptitiously at Riven, unsure whether we should be talking so loudly about
Exiles.  Riven ignored all of us from his seat at the end of the table,
solely occupied with his meal.

I
turned my attention back on Hazel, who was pointing out one of the stone queens
around us.  “That is the First Queen, Anowir.  She pulled the six
clans together to defeat the Oradim four hundred years ago.  She herself
was from a very minor clan, and there was some turmoil when she died. 
After a hundred years of instability, the leaders came together and created the
three clans as we know them now, with three Queens who equally share
responsibility and leadership.”