The Light, the Dark and the Ugly (5 page)

"Alright, Vella." Ted's grin took over his face. "I need you to turn around and count to five. Can you do that for me?"

Vella nodded her head so hard, Razellia wondered if it might fall off. Her precious girl shut her eyes and counted loudly into the opposite wall. As she did, a half-dozen items in the room, from Vella's shoes to a half-eaten slice of bread, floated several feet above their original location. Vella's giggle was infectious, and Razellia had a hard time not joining in herself. When Vella finished her counting, she leapt and turned at the same time. When she looked at Ted, his powers lost their effect, and the items came tumbling back down.

Vella's eyes bugged out of her head. "How'd you do that?!"

Ted smirked. "See, that's not the important question." He noticed Razellia hanging out by the door and gave her a slight nod. "The real question is, what six things were floating in the air?"

Vella rattled off the first four without difficulty. After a second of hemming and hawing she identified the fifth. Vella squinted her eyes shut as she attempted to remember the last item.

She pointed to her left. "It was over here, but I didn't see exactly what it was."

Ted raised his eyebrows in Razellia's direction. "Mom? You want to give a hint?"

Razellia let out a quiet laugh. "Sure." She rubbed at her chin. "Well, you walk on them every single day."

Vella twirled a golden lock in her fingers. "Um. My feet?"

Ted gave a confused look. "I don't seem to remember floating your feet."

Vella's eyes darted down as she pointed. "The floor? Did you float the floor?"

Ted put out his arms wide and wrapped them around Vella as he did his best monster impression. She squealed with glee as he placed her on his shoulder. He led her over to the sixth object.

She gasped. "My shoes! You floated my shoes?"

He gave an exaggerated nod. "I did."

"Oh. Okay!"

Vella hopped off Ted's shoulder and went running in the opposite direction. She turned toward Razellia and gave the largest smile her mom had seen from her in months. Razellia nodded her approval to Ted. It was hard to believe he was the murderer the General had led them to believe he was.

Later that day, Razellia and Natalie were cleaning up after dinner, while Ted was off playing with Vella once again.

When a playful squeal came from the other room, Natalie shook her head. "He's really playing up that fierce, heroic warrior thing."

Razellia grinned. "I can tell." She pursed her lips. "You two fight as if you've been together for a long time."

Natalie groaned. "That's past-tense, Razellia. Very past-tense. What's a step beyond past? Paster?"

Razellia laughed and collected what remained of dinner from the table. "He's cute and he's kind. He obviously cares for you."

Natalie glanced over her shoulder. When Razellia did the same, they saw Vella chasing Ted past the doorway.

"He was fantastic." She scrubbed away at one of the plates. "I did love him, but he had it bad for someone else. He still does."

Razellia nodded. She could tell there was something underneath Natalie's words, but she decided to let her have that secret. Razellia handed Natalie another dish. "So, you moved on to be with the 'bad boy.'"

Natalie raised her eyebrows. "Is that what Ted told you?"

Razellia played coy with a shrug.

Natalie mumbled a few words to herself. "Travis is something else. He's the opposite of Ted in every way." She smiled when she spoke of him. "He's an athlete. Talks a good game. Confident. He saved my life before we went through the portal."

Razellia sighed. "Sounds like Vella's father."

Natalie shook the water from one plate and took another from Razellia's pile. "Is he in the army?"

Razellia nodded. "At least he was the last time we saw him." She looked out the window and into the stars. "It's been over a year. He could be dead for all we know."

Natalie laid a soapy hand on her shoulder. Razellia looked into the girl's eyes. While it wasn't easy to see on the outside, she was as kind as Ted. How could they possibly be her enemies?

Natalie gave Razellia a sly grin. "If he comes back while we're still here, I'd be happy to knock a few teeth out."

Razellia felt the urge to hug Natalie just then. The only thing that held back her impulse was the true relationship between them. She knew that for all the girl talk and the games Ted played with her daughter, there remained a thousand years of contentious history. Natalie seemed to follow Razellia's train of thought and closed up whatever openness she'd showed before.

Razellia shook her head. "It's a shame we couldn't have met under better circumstances."

Natalie let out a fake gasp. "You mean falling from the sky into the middle of a war zone counts as a bad circumstance?"

Razellia chuckled.

Natalie's face grew grim. "How does a war go on for a thousand years?"

Razellia recalled when Vella had first asked that question. She wondered if the answer would ever change for daughters or strangers. "For all the magic we have on this world, we've been running out of food, water and energy for a long time. With access to other worlds, our leaders sought out new places to call home. That's where the split first happened."

"The split?"

Razellia gestured for Natalie to take a seat. She put down her last dish and complied.

"We knew we needed to go elsewhere, but every other world was as populated as ours was. One side wanted to use ancient magic to peacefully inhabit their bodies. It would reduce the strain back home, and it would give us a chance to live happier, healthier lives." She sighed. "Needless to say, there were many opponents to such a plan."

Natalie shook her head. "And that happened a thousand years ago? I feel like you guys need to work on your negotiation skills."

Razellia nodded. "Each side has only had a few different leaders during the whole conflict. The General has been in charge for at least 200 years."

Natalie gave her a sidelong glance. "You say that as if you remember the whole thing."

"Natalie, I'm over 300 years old."

She didn't seem to know how to react to that. She was a mix of horrified and impressed. "And you don't look a day over 299. Why doesn't one side just give up?"

Razellia shrugged. "Ask the people in charge. We don't exactly have a lot of decision power here."

Natalie rapped her knuckles on the table. "Fine, well then why doesn't the General protect you from the raiders?"

"We're not exactly a top priority. They're focused on winning the war."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "The endless war that's been going on a thousand years?"

"That's the one."

Their chat session was interrupted when a knock came from the front door. Razellia stepped away from the kitchen and opened it. Ferrick Gallaway, the leader of their defenses and the main tribunal judge, stood tall on the front stoop. As he walked inside, Natalie gave him the customary space for someone who held their lives in his hands. Ted walked to her side with Vella perched on his shoulder.

"Word's spreading that the raiders have set up camp nearby." His gruff voice had gotten scratchier with every successive attack. "They'll be here tomorrow." He looked at Ted with a mix of scorn and hope. "Will you be ready?"

Before Ted could speak, Natalie stepped forward. "We will."

Ferrick grunted. "You better be." He turned his attention to Razellia. "Don't take your eyes off them. If they escape, it could kill us all."

Razellia cocked her head at an angle. "They're with us, Ferrick." She let a slight smile slip to Natalie. "Till the bitter end."

Ferrick grunted his assent and walked through the front door without shutting it.

Ted lifted his chin. "Nice guy."

Vella walked up to his side and mimicked Ted's body language. "Yeah. Nice guy."

The warmth from seeing her daughter so happy wasn't quite enough to topple the cold feeling of dread.

"It doesn't matter how nice he is." She looked around the room. "He's right. Without you guys, we'd be in deep trouble."

Ted picked up Vella and placed his hands underneath to support her. "Let's just hope that after we win, Mr. Grumpypants wants to let us live."

Razellia looked out the open door. She pictured a fire spreading from the top to the bottom as she closed it.

"If we win." She took a deep breath. "If we win."

Chapter 8

Ted sat on the edge of Vella's bed. The two of them barely fit in there as it was, and Ted couldn't help but wonder how she'd cope with the lack of space when she grew up. The room was drab, like everything else in the house and village, but Razellia did her best to make it livable. She'd made the sheets and blankets by hand, and in Ted's opinion, they were better than anything he'd ever bought at a store. In that way, Vella was lucky. In most other ways, he couldn't imagine what kind of life she'd have here.

If she survives tomorrow's attack.

Ted put on a happy face and tucked the sheets underneath Vella. She was like the little sister Ted never had. Maybe she'd be like the daughter Ted would never have. Either way, he was grateful for the chance to see the world through a child's eyes again.

"Ted?" Vella's voice contained more than a hint of sleepiness. "Are you going to stop the bad men from hurting us?"

Ted sighed. From what Razellia and Ferrick had told him, the "bad men" had attacked them in one form or another for the last hundred years. Aside from the dark soul stronghold far off to the east, there was nothing but wasteland out there. The scattered villages made it work through farming and perseverance. The raiders made it work by stealing from the villages.

He puffed up his chest. "Do you really think a bunch of sissies with guns could stop a real-life superhero?"

"I don't know." Vella giggled. "Is floating shoes really a superpower?"

Ted mimed scratching his head. "Hmm. That's a great point. I guess it's a good thing we have Natalie to help us."

Vella beamed. "Yeah, she broke a guy's foot and gave someone a black eye!"

Way to be a role model, Nat.

Vella shifted beneath the sheets. "Ted? Can you tell me about the human people again?"

Ted grinned. "Of course I can." He cleared his throat several times, until he elicited a laugh from the lethargic girl. "Where should we start? Maybe with Dhiraj?"

Vella yawned. "You mean the one who loves money?"

"Mmm-hmm. Or I could talk about his girlfriend."

"Jennifer!" Her eyes lit up. "She tracks down the bad guys, right?"

Ted nodded. "Are you the one telling this story or should I keep going?"

Vella blinked several times, her eyes staying closed longer with each one. "You may continue."

Ted suppressed a laugh. "So polite. We could also talk about Travis."

Vella smiled with her eyes closed. "You mean the big, dumb idiot who tried to kill you once?"

Ted's eyes opened wide. "Sure." He whispered. "Let's not go sharing what I said about him with Natalie, okay?"

Vella nodded.

"Or we could talk about Erica."

Vella's voice was as light as a drizzle. "The most beautiful girl in all the worlds. She's my favorite."

Ted sighed. "Mine, too." He thought for a moment. "Do you want to hear a story about Erica?"

There was no answer.

"Vella?"

Razellia's daughter let out long, steady breaths. She was pure peace with a smile painted on her face.

Ted pulled the top cover up to her neck. "Goodnight."

Ted took the rickety stairs down to the basement. Their accommodations were big enough for two cots and food storage, but not much else. It was a good thing they didn't have luggage. Natalie was waiting for him with her arms crossed in front of her.

He gave her a sideways glance. "What?"

"Sound travels well in this place." She glared at him. "A big, dumb idiot?"

Ted swallowed. "I-I'll let you clear things up tomorrow night."

Natalie grunted and walked across the room. She planted herself on the makeshift bed, which creaked in response to her weight. She leaned up against the wall. "If there is a tomorrow night." She bit her lip. "Can you try to make the portal again?"

Every night since they'd taken up shop in Razellia's place, Ted had tried his best to open a portal back to Earth. He pictured himself creating the gateway that Yoshi went through less than two weeks earlier. Ted still had trouble believing that's how little time had passed.

"It's not going to work." Ted let out a deep breath. "All it does is make me want to throw up."

Ted wasn't sure if nausea was a required part of the portal process. He didn't remember any stomach trauma when he'd been successful, but he was injured and losing blood at the time. Nausea might not have been on his body's priority list.

Natalie walked to the corner of the room and grabbed a water bucket. She dragged it in front of him and pointed.

"If you puke, you'll be prepared." She resumed her position on the bed. "Now don't screw up this time."

He rolled his eyes. "Good pep talk, coach." Ted tried to clear his mind. "Here goes nothing."

Ted pointed his fingers outward and visualized the blue portal forming. He thought about Earth and all the people he loved who were so far away. Several tiny blue sparks wafted out of his hands like bubbles. They combined in the center of the room and formed a tiny circle no bigger than a dime. Ted's hands began to shake and his stomach twisted. Try as he might to hold onto the sensation, it was too painful. Ted let go, and the coin-sized gateway disappeared.

His dinner gurgled within him, and everything felt like it was rushing back up. Ted knelt over the bucket and prepared for the worst. Fortunately, everything went back down with an acidic burn.

He wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "Told ya."

Natalie shifted from her bed to Ted's. She rubbed the sides of his neck with her long fingers. "That was the biggest one you've done yet. Maybe we can send a carrier ant through to deliver a message."