Mistweavers 01 - Enchanted No More (27 page)

“The kitchen looks great.” Jenni glanced up and toward the front of the house. Chinook was sleeping in the middle of her bed. Love welled in her, for her cat, the brownie woman who was caring for her, her brother. “What of Crag?”

A lustily disapproving sniff from Hartha. “Not as much of a nuisance as he was.”

“I would like you to take him to my old home in Northumberland.”

Pointed brownie teeth gleamed in a smile. “You are giving him to your brother.”

“I don’t think Rothly will mistreat him, now. My brother’s changed.”

“Huh.” Hartha shrugged. “Might be good for both of them. Pred will take care of that today. He needs to get away from this place for a little bit. Brownies can become housebound if we don’t watch out and Pred loves this place and what he’s doing for the cul-de-sac.”

A slight thrill flickered through Jenni, but not enough to bring her from her sleepy trance. “Sounds good. Later.”

Sleep claimed her.

Jenni and Aric weren’t invited to dinner with Cloudsylph and Diamantina, and that was no disappointment. She’d asked Aric to take her to his home for time away from the water house. She’d been in the dampish room and suffered the slights of the merfolk for a week and wanted a break. Especially since she’d be there two more weeks. Aric refused.

The Eight wanted Jenni on site from now until the bubble rose, not three minutes away by tree-route, because of course Aric knew all the trees now.

Aric’s refusal and Cloudsylph’s insistence that she remain irritated Jenni and made some of her wariness regarding the Eight return. They didn’t trust her, so how much could she trust them? With every minute that passed she sensed that her life would be on the line.

Instead Aric took her to the limits of the lady’s land, out of sight of the house, where the beach was a good twenty feet between the edge of a steep hill and the ocean. On the beach was a table that might have graced a five-star hotel. Long, dark green linen tablecloth, with another silvery cloth atop that, draped in swags. Stacks of plates and lines of silverware for courses of the meal that seemed to be arranged on a large silver cart.

Not much of the knot inside her chest loosened at the sight, though a few weeks back it would have made her sigh with romantic contentment. She felt like a puppet on a not-so-long string.

They walked down the beach and Jenni’s hurt wasn’t so much that she jerked away when he took her fingers.

“I’ve never invited any of the Eight to my home,” Aric said, as if they were continuing a conversation, though she hadn’t spoken to him since they’d arrived on the beach a few minutes ago. “I’m sure they could pinpoint my tree if they wished, but I’ve never been more than
mind
summoned.”

When they reached the cart, Jenni expected him to seat her in the equally plush curved-legged chair, but they just turned around and walked back down the beach. Jenni looked over her shoulder at the food cart. Her stomach rumbled. “No food?”

“Not until your taste buds can appreciate it. I know the sound of the surf soothes you, always did in Northumberland when we went to the beach. Why Denver?”

There was hardly a twinge of pain at the reminder of her childhood home. Jenni shrugged. “I wandered until I stopped. Maybe the mountains soothe me, too.”

“Sure.” He squeezed her hand and she linked fingers with him.

“I’m hungry and you’re maneuvering me.”

“Sure.” He stopped, which meant they stopped. Turning toward her, he put his hands on each side of her face, made sure their gazes were locked. “I’m the Eight’s man, and you’re Princess Emberdrake. We’re tied to the royal Lightfolk for a long time, and you’ll no longer be wholly of the mortal world again.”

She wanted to pull away from him, from the feel of his hands that excited her…from all the things that bound her to a new life. And she couldn’t. She’d given her word. So they stared at each other and their bodies leaned into each other until they touched all along. They stood, sharing the moment, the lingering sunset, the occasional droplets of spray that reached them.

The rhythm of the ocean pounded until it was part of her blood. Primeval. Essential. She was born half human of this Earth and any ties to another strange dimension were lost in time beyond family memory. Earth, the ocean, the fire beneath the ocean, they were home and so the surf reminded her.

But the sea breeze also carried unique fragrances: the scent of Cloudsylph and air sprites; Aric of the Treefolk, magical being of the planet; and elf. Spicy with a hint of champagne effervescence; exquisite fragrances of food and a brownie to keep it properly prepared no matter how long before they sat to eat; a brownie to serve them standing beyond the cart, also enjoying the sea. Lightfolk.

“Yes,” she replied to the questions between herself and Aric, floating around her mind. “I am human and I am Lightfolk, and I’m currently tied to the royals.” A spurt of anger from her heart reached her lips. “But they show me all too often that they are powerful and I am not. I am here on this beach because I am not allowed off site.”

“You are here because you gave your word you’d fulfill the mission, and part of the mission is being here.”

“True,” Jenni grumbled. “But I’ve been independent for a long time, and I don’t care to be treated like a child who doesn’t know her responsibilities. I think I’ve proven that I am more than that, and I’d like to come and go as I please. I feel like the Eight are assuming I will always be moved where and when they wish me to be, like a chess piece.”

“Always someone more powerful than you around,” Aric said, then kissed her.

Through his soft mouth came his deep steadiness. His belief in himself and his confidence in her, and acceptance of his fate—their fate.

She wasn’t sure that acceptance would rub off on her. But for tonight she let the next ebbing wave take her annoyance out to sea and sink into the ocean, away from her so she could enjoy the moment. Something Aric had once taught her and she’d mostly lost. She was learning to accept that she could only control the present, the past was gone and could not be changed, the future was beyond her shaping.

They sank into the kiss with the knowledge that it was a special moment, that they would enjoy dinner, and that later they would love.

Then a wave slapped hard and Aric’s mouth curved into a smile and the kiss broke. He took her hand, grinned with a flash of teeth and shouted into the breeze that was picking up. “Run!”

She didn’t think that was exactly good for her taste buds, either, but it fit the moment, so she ran with him.

When they reached the cart and circled the table, the browniefem gave a little start, as if she’d been mesmerized by the ocean, and hurried to them.

Jenni recognized her as the one assigned to her in the suite in the mountain.

The small woman dipped in curtsies. “Again you help me. Pretty place. Never seen beach. Nice beach.” As if she couldn’t control them, her feet danced a bit, scuffing up sand…the earth of the beach that the minor earth elemental fem liked. “Thank you for beach time.”

“You’re quite welcome,” Aric said with a serious expression in the face of the brownie’s dignity as he seated Jenni.

“I’m glad to see you again,” Jenni said sincerely.

The brownie nodded, stared at Jenni. “Cuz you, I get job with high fire lady. Will be to serve here at great dance ritual. Cuz you, I pros-per. I served you, Prin-cess. I was courage on ledge. All know. I am mate-worthy.” Her round brown face stretched into a smile, and her large eyes glistened with tears.

Jenni smiled back, pleased with herself, happy that something she’d done had brought good to another. “My thanks to you, too.”

With a last jerky nod, the browniefem vanished and appeared next to the cart, returned with a pitcher of iced tea. The meal was exquisite. Salad a mixture of sweet with mandarin orange slices and savory with blue cheese and spinach leaves. The walnuts gave it a nice crunch. The fish was fresh and topped with a light sauce that accented its flavor…and on through several more courses until chocolate mousse truffles for dessert. All became right in the world.

When the browniefem whisked away the last dishes and Jenni felt the slight tremble in the air that she and the cart would soon vanish, she touched the woman’s shoulder. “Thank you, again.” They’d shared a fear and that was a small bond between them. She realized that this, too, was part of the world of the Lightfolk, bonds with others who were not great lords and ladies, but still magical. She’d have to make more halfling friends, too. Changes were coming.

THE NIGHT BRIGHTENED WITH THE FIRST
pastel tint of dawn and Jenni left the house, clean, with her hair free and flowing to her shoulders, her heaviest dress substituting as a ceremonial robe. She’d brewed a cup of the special tea to help her step into the interdimension and downed it. Now that she’d spent more time with the Lightfolk and Treefolk, she’d gone back to considering nature as part of the timing for spell-work. Dawn was good for elemental balancing, made it a little easier—though the gray mist was the same night or day.

She’d left Aric sleeping, as was most of the household, though she believed Diamantina was awake…sensitive to Jenni’s work in her home. The ground was cold under her feet, but Jenni drew fire close, letting flickers of red-orange sink into her, warm her blood, ease her muscles, keep her soles toasty. She hummed as she paced through the misty blue-purple dawn to the ritual dancing ground. Holding out her arms, she turned, getting a feel for the energies around her before she stepped into the mist. She walked to the center, found it radiated too much water to be a good base for her, took a few steps to the west, where the most fire was…down beneath the ocean.

One deep breath, two…and the spell pattern was started, physical reality around her faded, and her words chanted the mist before her. She took a step and she was there.

Again she turned in place, saw the flame on the beach that she’d set to mark where she believed the bubble would rise, long and steady and red-orange-yellow. Sheets of all the elements were around her that she could easily draw, and the ground showed a mixture of more than water, strong earth energy, a lingering of air as if Cloudsylph had infused it the day before.

All looked perfect for balancing the place. She rolled her shoulders, smiled. This wouldn’t be too difficult.

So she stamped a complex beat that unfurled her own magic, had energies drifting near her in just the amounts needed and she wove them together in a balancing tapestry of light.

Jenni!
Aric’s frantic cry pierced her peaceful trance.

Here,
she said.

Stay in the interdimension. Kondrian comes!

She tensed, wanted to run. She couldn’t, not in the gray mist. She dared not move from where she stepped in. Too easy to get lost, run in the wrong direction, step
out
into the reality of midair above sharp rocks.

What is he doing here!
Her mind was gibbering.
I thought he was too injured—

Only. One. Answer,
Aric said. She sensed him swinging his sword.
He. Murdered. Innocents. Used. Energy. To. Heal. Himself. Probably minor Lightfolk. Otherwise, I’da heard.

She
saw
him—Kondrian, a hideous smear of pulsating, oily black-brown-red. A major Dark one. Found herself breathing fast. Noticed a green-white aura-cloud. Aric!

Biting her lips, she wondered if she could affect the Dark one with elemental energies…draw them to him? Envelope him in them? What would that do? Give him
more
energy maybe.

Helpless.

No. She wouldn’t be.

Like the shadleeches zooming toward her, if she could give them—Kondrian—more energy than he could handle…maybe more
balanced
energy than he was used to, wouldn’t a Dark be more unbalanced than Lightfolk, evil more unbalanced? Who knew? She could only try.

The shadleeches snapped at her, their white and pointed teeth gleamed, the only hard and definitive quality about them. But their teeth scraped along her skin, doing no damage. Jenni jolted at that. Panted hard. Remembered the spiderweb tracery on her nape and touched it. The mark protected her even here!

I am safe,
she called to Aric, pulling more elemental magics from the atmosphere around her. Good thing she’d already balanced the energy where she was standing, that would give her power a boost. Good, good, good.

The evil creatures lunged and lunged again. Kondrian knew they could fly into the interdimension. He’d think they would be hurting her, distracting her, keeping her busy.

With one huge breath, she gathered as much energy as she could, from all four elements. Acting on instinct, she
compacted
them until they were in a sphere—so much time thinking of bubbles—a hard, too-bright-to-look-at ball of pure balanced energy. Bigger than herself. Would it be enough? What would it do to him?

No time for dithery questions.
Throw it!

She shot it like a bullet at the greasy blob of black-evil.

It didn’t seem to hit. Floated near him. She wailed through gritted teeth in frustration.

But…but what? It looked like the sphere of energies was nibbling at the edges of his aura, like a flame flickering at the edge of a wick before it caught.

Whoosh!

The energies smacked him now, flashed over the Dark one as if over a pool of oil.

There was a scream and he vanished…just before the balanced flame of the energies took hold. Argh. Raising her hands and
pulling
fire as she closed her fingers into fists, she flung it at the shadleeches who continued to dive around her.
They
went up in satisfying puffs of black smoke.

What did you do to him?
Aric asked, now with a little awe.

Threw balanced energy at him.

Excellent, that helped me a lot.
Now he sounded satisfied.

What did you do?

I stabbed him a couple of times with my sword. Are you all right?

Yes. And you?
She scanned the green-white flare that was her lover. His aura looked healthy, but she hadn’t seen the physical wounds that Aric had inflicted on Kondrian.

I’m fine.

She let out a relieved breath, scrutinized the area and squared her shoulders. The dancing ground was unbalanced again…and she was tired, and had spent nearly too much time in the gray mist. But she didn’t want to leave this task to be done once more another time. Especially since she still had the beach to balance.

A headache was beginning to pound in her temples and her mouth was dry, but she could ignore that until she had finished her work.

Much of the nearby elemental energies were gone, but the distant sheets glowing through the mist like the northern lights were still there. She pulled at them, fast. Working quickly but efficiently, she intertwined them in another lovely pattern…two in a row…something she hadn’t been able to do for a long time, but practice was renewing old skills. The design was circular, more difficult to make than a square, than just “weaving like a pot holder,” which was the first thing a child of her family learned. Yes, pretty, not that anyone except her would ever see it. The pattern was like a seal, on the ground, comprised equally of all the energies.

She dispersed the remnants of the elemental fields she’d summoned and took a step forward…and into the golden sunshine of California. Her knees couldn’t hold her and she pitched toward the ground, and was caught by a grinning Aric.

Blood trickled down from a cut on his scalp.

“You said you were all right!”

He rubbed the back of his hand against it. “I am.” Inhaling deeply, he set her on her feet, kept an arm around her waist and looked out toward the endless blue-green of the ocean. “Glorious day.”

She sighed and relaxed into him, ready to go back to sleep. “It is.”

Stamping the ground, his grin widened to show beautiful teeth. “This place is
balanced
.”

“Yah.”

“You did it.”

“Yes.”

“And helped defeat Kondrian, too.”

“Yes.” That dimmed her cheer. “But maybe that was a mistake.”

He frowned. “Mistake?”

“Kondrian knows what I…we…can do now, and will be ready for us during the bubble ritual. Was this just a feint, do you think?”

Aric stared down at the beach, his gaze seeming to pinpoint her pillar. The great Lightfolk would be able to see her on the beach—when she wasn’t in the interdimension. She didn’t know whether that was good or not, either.

“I don’t think it was a feint.” He let his breath out slowly and his muscles loosened even as her own tensed. “It would be worth his while to take you out before the ceremony.” Aric’s eyes were deep green when they met hers. “The danger and the fight were real. And, yes, we can expect him on the equinox, too.” Aric’s mouth twisted. “Probably along with the other three remaining great Dark ones.”

Jenni looked at the silent house. “Neither Diamantina nor any of her Folk came to help.”

“Kondrian’s attack—and that of his shadleeches—occurred pretty fast,” Aric said. “Diamantina might still have been sleeping.”

“Maybe.”

“Jenni, the lady wouldn’t want death, or her land befouled by Kondrian,” Aric said patiently. “And he’d come after her as soon as he was done with us.”

“Probably true.”

Aric snorted. “Very true. Best place to ambush the Eight.”

“If we aren’t being watched, which I doubt. The Eight might have arrived to clean up the mess.”

“Wouldn’t have been happy with her for losing you.” Aric squeezed her.

“Too late for both of us.”

“And right now is too late for second-guessing what might have happened.” His grip changed to her hand and he laced his fingers with hers and pulled to have her walking back to the house. “I’m hungry,” he said.

Jenni was disappointed in herself that she’d irritated him. But she couldn’t prevent a black thread of thought of what might have happened to them if she hadn’t discovered how to work the elemental energies against the Dark one. She doubted Aric was strong enough to win against an ancient Darkfolk no matter how good of a warrior he’d become.

Adrenaline filtered from her, leaving her tired but wired. She became aware of her pounding headache again.

She stumbled and Aric swung her into his arms. She didn’t protest.

As soon as they reached the door, Diamantina opened it, exclaiming, “What happened to you? I was meditating in my ocean chamber and felt this terrible evil, and now look at you!” She scanned Jenni. “You appear tired but unharmed.” Her frown encompassed Aric. “
You’re
hurt!” She gestured to the tall naiader behind her and he took Jenni from Aric.

“I should have been here!” the merfem said. “I like to watch the dawn from under the waves, but I should not have left you or my home or my Folk!”

“You weren’t to know,” Aric said.

Jenni had to agree. “No.” She hadn’t told the merfem, hadn’t wanted any interference. A bad call.

The Waterfolk took them to the living room overlooking the ocean. The naiader lowered her gently to a love seat and brought a heavy raw silk afghan to cover her and she realized she was shivering.

Aric was placed on a chair under a skylight that let in the sun, and his shirt was whisked off to show bloody wounds on his torso as well as his face. Wounds—plural—that Jenni hadn’t noticed, hadn’t tended. Guilt stung her as she watched Diamantina lay her hands on him and close those injuries. She had a small healing gift.

He leaned toward her—unconsciously, Jenni knew—and more than guilt twisted inside her. A fire to a Treeman was intriguing but dangerous. Water to him was…necessary and fulfilling.

Stupid twinges of jealousy, she shouldn’t be having them. Her emotions were too near the surface, she was more exhausted than she’d known. She tried to keep her eyes open to watch her lover and the merfem, but it got harder and harder and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Noise woke her, and she figured she hadn’t been out too long—not long enough that anyone had moved her from her seat, though both the guardians stood on each side of her chair. It didn’t take ten seconds before she understood that if she’d thought she was watched and on short reins before, it was nothing to what would be in the future.

All the Eight were there. As she watched in tired stupefaction, they marched out to the area she’d balanced and a great hum of approval swept through the open door and broke over her. They even joined hands and did a quick, joyful dance that shot bright and glittering light through the door, too.

Jenni looked at Aric in the chair. She, he, and the guardians were now the only ones in the main room.

“I’m hungry,” she said, repeating Aric’s earlier words. There didn’t look to be any sort of table with food that had been presented to him. “And I’m tired.”

The elf guardian patted her head and the pure strength of him filtered through her, letting her sit up straight. “We’ve listened to Aric’s report.”

The dwarf snorted. “I think we need to go through that fight step-by-step again. Aric said that you
threw
energies at Kondrian?”

“Yes, and can’t anyone follow him and stop him from…hurting people so he heals?”

Both guardians shook their heads. “He’s home by now,” the dwarf said. “And his stronghold has impenetrable defenses.”

“But he has to feed—”

“He has slaves,” the dwarf stated.

Jenni couldn’t wrap her mind around that. Slaves.

The dwarf grunted. “Disappearing homeless from financially devastated cities in the east. Refugees moving from one war-torn place to another unaccounted for.”

“Humans,” Jenni whispered.

“Humans are prolific and he and his sort feed on the humans that no one cares about,” the elf said gently. “And he’s old, and as far as Aric could tell, he wasn’t too wounded.”

“Damn! I did my best,” she said.

“And you did very well.” Another pat on the head sent calmness through her, even though she didn’t want it.

“Pearl Wave, we need food here for Aric and Princess Jindesfarne,” the dwarf called.

Stomping so that the bells on her ankles made dissonant jangles, Diamantina’s companion entered the house. She gazed at them, sniffed and shut the front door, as if Jenni and Aric were too lowly to see the great Lightfolk as they explored the elemental magics caught in the land that Jenni had balanced for them.