《The Thousand Kingdoms》


 01.001 Vision

    Thursday, September 9, 2021


    <h4>Unknown location</h4>


    Hmm. There isn¡¯t much blood.


    Eleanor looked at the blade emerging from her chest. It didn¡¯t quite register. Oh¡­ there it is.


    Copious blood began to flow from the edges of the wound, saturating her clothes. Pouring down her body to pool on the ground around her. She couldn¡¯t quite lift her head, but she could feel it.


    And then, along with that, came the pain, excruciating.


    She wanted to scream, but she couldn¡¯t take a breath. And everything was going dark so quickly.


    She managed one more coherent thought, How did this happen?


    One hour earlier


    <h4>West 4th Street Subway; Greenwich Village, New York, USA</h4>


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go down there. Charlie! Charlie!¡± Ella pleaded and with a curse watched as Charlie disappeared down the subway tunnel in a drunken stagger.


    ¡°Shit¡­ shit¡­ what am I doing? What the hell is she doing?¡± Ella muttered to herself as she gingerly lowered herself down the subway floor from the platform. The tracks were filthy with rat leavings, garbage, and who knows what else.


    Whoever was at the opposite platform is getting an eyeful, she thought, as her dress rode up. Her heels made contact with the ground and she teetered for a moment before feeling stable.


    Ella could hear Charlie singing off key, in a clearly drunken, slurred voice from the dark subway tunnel.


    <blockquote>


    My love is very special, > If you want it, you can have it, > But don¡¯t take me for granted¡­


    </blockquote>


    Her tall, going-out heels made it difficult to walk, but there was no way she was pulling off her shoes while on the filthy tracks. Hyper-aware of the electrified third rail, she stayed far away and began to follow Charlie¡¯s voice into the dark tunnel.


    Ella kept her eyes peeled in case of an approaching train, looking for cutouts and other areas she could dive into if needed.


    This might be the dumbest thing she had ever done. It was definitely the dumbest thing Charlie had ever done, and that was saying a lot.


    As she went into the dark tunnel, the old sodium lights flickered on and off, periodically bathing the tunnel in a pallid yellow glow. Ella just walked, pulling out her phone to use its flashlight.


    Eventually she saw Charlie, standing in front of a maintenance corridor. She was bathed in a whitish glow from the corridor at odds with the sickly tunnel lights. Charlie¡¯s sequined dress was sparkling in the dark.


    Charlie stood there for a moment, ignoring Ella¡¯s calls, but then awkwardly disappeared down the exit. Ella hurried her steps to catch up, anything to get off the tracks.


    The maintenance corridor was nondescript and dirty, the yellowed lights brighter than the non-functional tunnel¡¯s lights. Ella could see Charlie further up, but she continued to not answer. Ella was going to kill Charlie after this¡­


    The light got brighter and brighter as they got closer to what looked like an opening outside. Was it daytime already? They had left the house party at around two, so it couldn¡¯t be.


    ¡°Charlie, this is dumb, come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Ella pleaded as she came nearer to where Charlie had stopped, Charlie¡¯s silhouette washed out by the bright sunlight.


    No answer still.


    ¡°Charlie?¡±


    Ella finally reached her friend and came alongside her. And stopped in wonder.


    The exit led to a cobblestone pathway that meandered through bucolic environs. The trees were vibrant red and yellows. So vibrant it was as if Ella had never seen fall colors before.


    The path wound through the trees and just beyond them was a picturesque bridge of the same stone, and past that¡­ past that was a large castle, black and gold pennants flying from its towers.


    Charlie grabbed Ella¡¯s hand tightly, ¡°Have you ever seen anything like this? Where are we? This isn¡¯t New Jersey? Are there castles in New York?¡±


    Ella couldn¡¯t stop looking. The sky was blue like there had never been before. The rocks of the path were more real, more present, than anything Ella had ever seen before.


    The castle was decrepit. The stones looked worn. Ella could almost feel the castle¡¯s exhaustion seep into her. Suddenly, it was all too much. She felt overwhelmed by the vividness of her surroundings.


    She didn¡¯t know how long they stood there. It could have been minutes or hours. Then Charlie started forward, pulling Ella by the hand.


    ¡°Woohoo! Where the hell are we?¡± Charlie said loudly. Her voice slurring. ¡°We must have been at the party later than I thought, if it is already morning.¡±


    Oh right, Charlie was wasted.


    Ella looked up to see the sun high in the sky. It was almost noon. But the sun was a bit too large and pale. ¡°Something weird is going on here. Let¡¯s head back¡­¡±


    ¡°No way! We are so going.¡± Charlie took off, pulling off her heels and moving quickly across the bridge. Ella struggled to keep up and fell behind as Charlie went right into the castle doorway. The path itself looked clean, so Ella eventually surrendered and took off her heels.


    The castle itself had a drawbridge which had been lowered over an empty moat. They entered the outer gates and across a courtyard until they arrived at the inner castle proper.


    As they entered a long hallway, with small hexagonal cutouts cut in the walls and ceiling, the rich ragged, floral patterned rug underneath continued to disintegrate as they stepped on it, kicking up dust.


    It opened into a grand atrium, light shining from the ornate wrought iron and windowed ceiling above. The floor was a dizzying pattern of black and white and two large stairwells encircled the atrium leading to a pair of ornately decorated wooden doors.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± Charlie declared, and proved it by beginning to noisily vomit into one of the very fancy, very expensive-looking vases flanking the entrance.


    Ella pulled Charlie¡¯s dirty blonde hair out of the way and comforted her friend as she continued to sick up.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Ella,¡± Charlie said piteously, ¡°Don¡¯t let me drink so much next time¡­¡±


    ¡°Charlie, where the hell are we?¡± Her voice sounded cool and calm which was not exactly how she actually felt. She didn¡¯t know how she felt. Strange and alienated from everything. The intensity of the reality she was surrounded by continued to assault her senses. Even the stench of her friend¡¯s vomit had a profundity to it.


    Her feet just start drifting upstairs of their own accord. Charlie called something after her, but Ella could not bring herself to answer.


    She rounded the staircase walking past moth-eaten banners and pennants. As she stepped up to the upper floor, the two beautiful carved ebony doors floated open silently.


    Inside was a grand hall, set in black tiles, two candle-lit, golden chandeliers, each the size of a small house, hung from the ceilings. The flames cycled through colours before settling into a white that had no business coming from a simple candle. The shadows they cast were crisp and razor sharp.


    And, against the back of the room, sat a large piece of quartz shaped into a large throne. A lone figure sat on the throne, leaning on a sceptre with what looked like a long quartz crystal on top. He was wearing a gold, tined crown which seemed to reflect the harsh candlelight right into Ella¡¯s eyes.


    The figure muttered something incomprehensible and when Ella¡¯s look of confusion had barely touched upon her face, the figure waved a hand over its mouth.


    ¡°I thought it was over? Certainly, the clock has no mercy for the past.¡± Quietly spoken, in a voice that sounded, well, like anyone¡¯s. Except that where Ella¡¯s voice had been distant and oddly flat, the reverberations of this figure¡¯s voice resonated right into Ella.


    Ella froze, the odd feeling having brought her to the door warring with some implicit understanding that to respond, to acknowledge, was to take an irreversible step.


    And yet that awareness wasn¡¯t enough in the end, the odd compulsion drove her into the room, and she knelt to one knee, hand down, more gracefully than she had ever moved in her life.


    ¡°What is your name, young lady?¡± And this time the voice took on a cultured cadence. Like something from a 60s movie, that strange halfway accent between English and American.


    Still looking down, she responded, ¡°Eleanor. Eleanor Jindal-Witten.¡±


    ¡°Rise, young lady. The past weighs too heavily on you. I¡¯ll not have it make you a slave.¡± The figure waved as if swatting away at a fly, and Ella shot straight up, the compulsion guiding her actions gone. Now fear held her straight, for when she beheld the creature sitting the throne, it was nothing human. Onyx black skin, prismatic crystal white slitted eyes that matched the sceptre, two small holes where a nose should have been, and no ears. The golden crown had an inset gem which almost matched the crystal of the throne and sceptre, but was slightly different, that slight difference bothered Ella more than it should have. The triviality of that detail snapped her out of silence.


    ¡°Who¡­ what¡­ where am I?¡± Her questions tumbled over each other. Her knees trembled some but the unreality of the situation maybe kept her from being too scared, she thought. And then she added the thought, maybe it is the molly, and¡­ at least I am not peeing myself.


    And the absurdity of that thought sobered her the rest of the way. Her senses shifted and were suddenly assaulted as she smelled decay and rot, the lights that were already so glaring became even more so, a keening that was just out of hearing became more present. The creature in front of her eyed her, his slit pupils dilating a bit and although she could feel her legs about to give way she managed to still stand.


    ¡°Young woman, how did you cross? We have been so lost, for so long¡­ sleeping until the end, no returning should be possible.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Ella whispered. The echoes louder than before.


    ¡°We? We are the old and forgotten king of many conquered lands. So long ago and so distant¡­¡± the voice faded to a whisper. But making Eleanor jump, the figure suddenly raised his voice, ¡°and now, when we thought it was over, when we had slept for millennia, some child comes here. Why?¡±


    Eleanor said, ¡°¡­ Sir, who¡­ no, what are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh child, Eesha,¡± and the figure knowing her real name scared Eleanor more than it should have, given that even she thought of herself as Ella in her head, ¡°you know so little and, well, one must make do. We¡­ no, I am sorry.¡±


    He took that scepter in his hand with a reversed grip. Ella realized it was not a scepter, but rather some sort of weapon, the crystal a long blade. She started backing up as he threw it at her, spearing her right through her chest and pinning her to the wall behind her. Pain blossomed and Ella tried to scream in pain but couldn¡¯t catch her breath. Her vision began to fade quickly while the figure rose up and reptilian scaled boots stepped in front of her.


    ¡°Poor child¡­¡±


    The next day (Friday, September 10, 2021)


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, New York, United States</h4>


    Her morning podcast blasted from her phone startling Ella


    A rash of deepfake photos of strange creatures has the internet abuzz! Tiktok viral craze or clever media campaign¡­


    Ella sat there for a moment, not quite absorbing the words, but then memories of last night flooded in, and she shot out of bed gasping. Her hand went to her chest, and she could feel a sheen of sweat. She was still wearing the dress from last night, one heel dangling from her foot and the other lost somewhere in the sheets.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡±


    After taking a few deep breaths and calming down, she looked at the clock, ¡°Oh shit!!¡± She scrambled off the bed, ran into the bathroom stripping off as she went and rinsed off fast, brushing her teeth in the shower to get the scummy taste out of her mouth.


    ¡°OK, that was a real, bad trip¡­ no more drugs for you girl.¡± she muttered to herself, toweling off and grabbing some jeans and a shirt before racing off to class.


    She raced from the dorm over to the classroom by Washington Square, through the arch, across the pathways, jumping over some passed-out guy and a bit of hustle through a small cultural event, and she just made it in a minute late.


    Soon, Ella stood at the front of the class to try and drum in an introduction to cosmology into the undergrads in front of her. Her mentor had left a voicemail to say ¡°she had this¡±. This being her first week as a grad student didn¡¯t even cross his mind.


    After class, one of the students came up to her, the one she was pretty sure had a crush on her, ¡°I like your coloured contacts, light grey is kind of weird, but cool.¡±


    Ella had forgotten her glasses in her rush this morning, and hadn¡¯t really noticed. Had she slept with her contacts? She didn¡¯t own coloured ones. Ella pulled out a compact to look at her very light grey eyes, ¡°yeah¡­ ummm¡­ just trying them out.¡± she said shakily, ¡°I gotta go to the bathroom.¡±


    She raced out to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. ¡°What the hell?¡± poking at her eye trying to catch a contact that just wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Ok. What is going on¡­ shit, shit, shit, ouch.¡± She took a good look in the mirror. Her eyes weren¡¯t light grey, they were crystal white eyes, they looked like prisms with faint rainbow hues.The white crystalline irises were surrounded with a dark line around her cornea separating them from the regular whites of her eyes. She had a sudden flashback to her dream last night and the strange figure that had stabbed her.


    It took her an hour to calm down, before she went to the student eye center. They actually rushed her in without an appointment, and the doctor had her chin up on some brace thing and was shining a light on her eye.


    ¡°Damndest thing I have seen,¡± he said. ¡°And you woke up like this?¡±


    He had her read the chart: ¡°PEZO¡­ LCF¡­ TD,¡± she rattled off.


    Her vision was 20/10 and probably even better. She had never gotten better than 20/150 without glasses before.


    Then he made her put her head on another similar chinrest and it had a large dome like thing. Small lights would flash and she would press a button when she saw them. The doctor yelled at her not to move her eyes when doing a field test since he couldn¡¯t map her blind spot.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong as far as I can tell. Your vision is too good if anything. Are you sure you normally wear glasses? Normally I would think this was some sort of strange crystal deposition disease, something that I would have to look up. But then your pupils wouldn¡¯t move and I would expect inflammation and cloudiness in the vitreous and, or aqueous. Ultrasound was strange though, like it was scattering, see this distortion here.¡±


    Ella didn¡¯t really follow what he was saying. The doctor was more talking to himself than her and he looked a bit shaken.


    ¡°I am going to order some blood tests and have you do an MRI. Want to check if it is some sort of auto-immune disease just to be sure. But I don¡¯t think you should worry quite yet¡­ Hmmm overnight iris depigmentation?¡± He kept talking, working through a differential diagnosis, but none of them fit.


    Ella focused in on the part where he said he didn¡¯t see anything wrong. Six hours later, she left with a preliminary negative MRI, a doctor very excited to write a paper on her, and a promise to come back to get her lab results back.


    A thought struck her, and she ran back to the clinic just before it closed to get a contact lens sizing and an order for some colored contacts to hide her eyes. He handed her a few samples to start with. She went with hazel, because why not?

 01.002 One Month Later

    Wednesday, October 6, 2021*


    <h4>Harlem, Manhattan, New York, United States*</h4>


    ¡°Why do we have to go uptown to study? We are just going up there so you can flirt with your boyfriend,¡± Ella whined a bit. But, of course, this was too late as the ¡°Plus, you know the university issued that warning about disappearances, I don¡¯t really like going out that much nowadays.¡± A-train rumbled and nearly drowned out her under-the-breath remark.


    ¡°Shut up Els¡­ Need to get out of the Village once in a while. Plus it is Thursday night! We can go out afterwards. You have been a total bore lately.¡± Charlie was definitely more dressed for going out than studying and was carrying a night bag which meant she was staying at her boyfriend¡¯s place in Morningside Heights.


    Charlie kept applying her makeup ¡ª far too much in Ella¡¯s opinion. Plus, her new lipstick didn¡¯t work with her pale white skin, but it prompted Ella to take out her compact and do some touch-up. The train car was filling in, but fortunately they had managed to grab seats. Her eyes were burning a bit from wearing the contacts all the time, and she took the opportunity to pop them out.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these just the coolest contacts you saw?¡± she asked Charlie. She wanted to establish her crystalline eyes as vanity contacts. Charlie didn¡¯t look up but mumbled an affirmative, so Ella began adding some heavy eyeliner for the hell of it.


    Charlie looked up finally and made a startled noise, ¡°Those are intense¡­ and will look amazing at 67 when we get there.¡±


    ¡°Charlie, what? You said we were studying. I am carrying around this ridiculous backpack.¡± Ella had really needed to get some work done, and this was a complete bait-and-switch. ¡°You traitor!¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Relax, just a couple of cocktails¡­ Connor is bringing a friend.¡± she said sweetly.


    ¡°This is a set-up! This is like a Tinder trap.¡±


    ¡°Relax, he is handsome, see here. Columbia Med.¡± She pulled out a phone and showed her a pic of Connor and another guy. Connor¡¯s close-cropped red hair and freckles on pasty skin glowed in the pic while his friend was leaning into the 70¡¯s vibe with shoulder length hair and a striped long sleeve polo and, damn, were those bell-bottoms? He was cute¡­ but no.


    Ella said, ¡°He is like Jade¡¯s match. Send her the picture, she might be interested.¡± But recognizing her doom, Ella eventually folded to having just a ¡°couple¡± of drinks.


    They came up the stairs from the station and started the walk to the bar. It was March and there was a biting chill to the air still, Ella wrapped her arms around herself and started walking faster only to be held up by Charlie who was navigating in absolutely ridiculous high heels. Suddenly the street lights went out, and, looking around, Ella noted all the building lights also.


    ¡°A power outage, what the hell?¡± Charlie said, visions of the bar vanishing.


    Ella was about to agree when she suddenly noticed a flashing green light from an apartment across the street. She could feel some bass filtering through her bones.


    ¡°Looks like a party,¡± she said dreamily. She stepped off the curb into the street, entirely ignoring the car that slammed its brakes.


    ¡°Ella, what are you talking about? What party? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To the party¡­ Come on¡­¡± and Ella walked up to the door which swung open silently without her pressing the buzzer.


    Charlie had pulled out her phone and was talking to Connor while chasing after Ella, ¡°Yeah, the power went out, we are going to¡­¡± Charlie looked up to see, ¡°above BLVD.¡±


    She switched her attention back to Ella, ¡°There is no party. The building is dark!¡± But Ella was not there, the door was shut, and the buzzer wasn¡¯t working.

 01.003 The Party

    That night (October 6, 2021)


    <h4>Harlem, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    In the stairwell, Ella¡¯s eyes were glowing brilliant white, and ¡ª despite the utter darkness ¡ª she climbed the stairs gracefully in a serene daze. As she crossed each flight, she didn¡¯t notice how her jeans and tunic shirt seemed to shift, into a trailing dress with long velvet gloves. Cresting the third floor, a band of light circled her head, hinting at a tiara, started to form.


    She approached an apartment door which swung open unprompted and, holding open the door, was a man with white butterfly wings and rose-gold skin and eyes, much shorter than Ella¡¯s 5¡¯6", he bowed deeply.


    The doorman, standing straight, turned to the room, and announced, ¡°Her Royal Majesty, heir apparent to the Thousand Kingdoms, Eesha Jindal-Witten.¡±


    The room was warmly lit, crowded and filled with people both human-like and not. The figures parted with all formally bowing or curtsying. Ella saw a muscular, naked man with a bulls¡¯ head, seven feet tall at least, bow in front of her, and with trouble, kept her eyes focused straight instead of taking a peek. Next to him was a woman with light green scales and shockingly purple hair and slitted eyes curtsying. Another figure appeared human but when they moved to bow, there was a series of ghost images that trailed its movement. And those were some of the easier to comprehend figures.


    ¡°Ella¡­ please.¡± she quietly said in the silence.


    The golden man nodded, agreeing, and announced to the room, ¡°Her Royal Majesty Eleanor Jindal-Witten,¡± again reading something deeper into her without it being said.


    Suddenly the lights darkened, and started flashing green. Music started and the crowd began dancing. Ella started coming out of the fugue she was in and looked up to see something similar to the figure from her last dream, except light grey skin, yellow cats¡¯ eyes, fangs peeking from the mouth. And it¡­ he? was DJing.


    Another golden figure, a woman this time with brilliant blue butterfly wings, reached out and grabbed her hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s dance!¡±


    Ella, still bemused, found herself following this figure into the middle of the dance floor, and if she had been able to see behind her, she would have seen her trailing dress moving through the crowd on its own, deftly avoiding being stepped on. The girl in front of her, the fairy perhaps, began bouncing up and down with the beat, moving in a lot closer than Ella felt comfortable with but something inside of her just went with it. Perhaps it was the unreality of a dream.


    Two hours later, Ella was covered in a sheen of sweat and seated on a velvet couch, surrounded by more of the fairies. She had a drink in her hand that every time she sipped tasted different and was laughing along with a joke that she couldn¡¯t even remember. Each person next to her varied in shades of gold and silver metallic skin and their butterfly wings sparkled in different colours.


    A stern voice cut through the haze, ¡°Aoife, already back to plying your wiles?¡± Aoife, the fairy that had first grabbed her hand, pulled her hand away from where it had made its way far too high and inside Ella¡¯s thigh. Ella chased the source of that voice to a figure that was all rough cut planes, even shorter than the fairies at maybe four feet. A long beard made Ella think dwarf easily.


    ¡°Kothin, you eroded, piece of crap, we were just having some fun, and you came just when it was about to become real fun!¡± Aoife smiled wickedly at the last, and Ella, at that moment, wanted to see what real fun looked like.


    The dwarf, Kothin, scoffed a bit and waved his hand in front of them, a small breeze followed, and suddenly Ella felt a wave of heat. The thought that Aoife was a bit too close for her comfort passed through her head.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t practising glamours on our young, naive princess here, are you?¡±


    As if the whole room heard, the music stopped, the lights switched back to that dim formality, and every head in the room swivelled to focus on Aoife. Ella could see the hunger in that look, could see that green scaled woman licking her fangs as she looked at the fairy next to her. A furred creature who had been entwined with the green scaled woman, unsheathed its claws.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ nothing like that.¡± Aoife stammered, her wings curled around as if to shield her.


    Ella saw the raw terror in her eyes, ¡°It is fine¡­ everyone, please, go back to the party.¡± Her voice was more pleading than commanding, but she could see disappointment in the faces around her as the lights changed back, fog started flowing back into the room, and a new song started back up.


    With her head cleared, Ella stood up and took the proffered hand of Kothin, which was cold and hard like granite. She briefly wondered how he moved with such fluidity, but given her circumstances, it was not the most important thing on her mind. He led her to the front door and out into the apartment hallway. The door shut, and she could hear one of the neighbours yelling that they had called the cops and to turn down the music.


    Kothin regarded her, his eyes, solid black gemstones, ¡°Aoife would not have harmed you and violated hospitality, and her glamour was more along the lines of a few drinks than true compulsion, but you are a lamb among wolves here. And your crown¡­¡± and he pointed to her head, where she could now feel the weight of the tiara, ¡°will make you a power one day.¡±


    He paused before going on, ¡°But the fae are not to be trusted. Old habits die hard even in this day and age.¡±


    ¡°What is going on? I thought it was all a dream. Well, except for my eyes,¡± Ella was trembling.


    ¡°As in all great stories, there is not enough time for me to tell you. I do not like playing the enigmatic oracle though.¡± he said kindly, with a hint of a smile. ¡°The Hunt rides out tonight for the first time in millennia. This is¡­ the pre-party, as it were. And you are far too green to be here. You will either be swept up in it or be prey.Both of which, I assure you, you will regret.¡±


    His hand reached out to her chin and moved her head up to face him, her tears glistening in the dim hallway light.


    ¡°Go back to your world for now, it is right down the stairs. Go back to your life for a little while longer, while you can. Go now¡­ midnight approaches.¡± The urgency of the last statement brought Ella fully out of the dream-like state she had been in.


    Ella looked around and she saw the faeries and other creatures¡¯ excitement. She saw Aoife lick her teeth which now had fangs where there had been none before. Another creature pulled out what looked like a spear but next to him was a lizard creature with what looked like a rifle.


    She grabbed her dress to hike it up and started running down the stairs, feeling the fabric disappear, as her jeans and shirt reappeared, the weight of the crown fading from her forehead. In the first stairwell, her preternatural vision faded and left her stumbling in the dark.


    When she came out the door, she looked back to the black maw of the entry, the legend of Orpheus for some reason coming to mind, but there was nothing drawing her back in. Suddenly she heard an electric hum and the street lights and entry light flickered on to a small cheer from the neighbouring apartments.


    She could see in the restaurant, it was empty now and closed, the waiters were bussing the tables and cleaning up.


    Ella ran to the subway station and managed to squeeze in, grabbing a pole as the train lurched out of the station. She warily looked around at everyone, still caught up in what had happened, looking for strange, unreal creatures, but even as her imagination ran wild in fear, she slowly settled into the rhythm of the train moving, the announcements of stops, and she took her time walking back to her apartment.


    Her roommate, Jade, was sitting on the couch working a hair pick through her very now large, very retro afro she had been growing for a while.


    ¡°Yo, Charlie has been blowing up my phone - she is at Connor¡¯s. She asking about Ella¡­¡±


    Ella pulled out her phone to find a couple of texts from Charlie wondering where she was; bitching her out for abandoning her; letting her know Charlie was at Connors; and, finally, a worried ¡°Haven¡¯t hear from u, txt me.¡± Ella texted an ¡°all good¡± back to her and flopped onto her bed.


    Later, unable to sleep, Ella replayed the night¡¯s events. Unlike the first time in the subway, these memories stayed with her and felt more ¡°real.¡± Everything from whether she was going crazy to the strange green lights, being able to see in the dark, to how close she had come to almost sleeping with Aoife and the other fae ran through her head. And Kothin, who had been kind and scary at the same time.


    Ella wondered what the hell was happening to her.

 01.004 You Cant Go Back

    The next day (Thursday, October 7, 2021)


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    After a sleepless night, Ella felt like she was going through the motions. She went to class, spent some time doing math for her grad work, and ate food without noticing what she was eating. Her fellow doctorate students all noticed it but figured she was just hungover and that assessment was reinforced when she excused herself in the afternoon.


    Ella actually had determined she would go back to the castle to get answers. Something had happened there, and, in an extreme act of denial, she had avoided thinking about it until last night had brought it back into focus. Now that she had a plan, she could suddenly breathe.


    She headed back to her dorm, and set out some practical clothes for her planned early morning foray into the subway tunnels. Jade arrived while she was eating.


    ¡°Did you see the news? My brother is freaking out and almost came here to escort me when I am walking¡­¡±


    Jade was referring to the string of grisly murders last night across the city. Ella didn¡¯t even want to think about it but she was forced to. She suspected she knew why these had happened. The news was full of salacious details of people killed by arrows, swords, bullets and other weapons in a wide swathe sweeping across Manhattan and Brooklyn.


    At three in the morning, Ella, in her hiking boots and pants, was searching through the subway tunnel, cursing. If no plan survives contact with the enemy, plans certainly would not survive contact with the fantastical. The place where she swore the tunnel had been was gone. No hint of a break in the walls.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    There were service rooms, cutouts for workers to stand in when trains went by, but no side tunnel, no strange lights, nothing. Ella walked up and down the subway tracks over and over, checked both sides, even went past the next station, eventually, just to confirm.


    When she finally gave up, the morning trains had started and the early would-be-passengers were a bit surprised to see her come out of a tunnel and climb onto the platform with them. Her head was down, and she barely made it back to her bed to collapse on it.


    ¡°I am going crazy¡­¡± she muttered to herself pulling her sheets over her head.


    Ten minutes later, she got out of bed and started stripping the now very dirty sheets, her having not stripped off her boots or anything. She went to the laundry room, tossed them in, and sat down on the laundry machine to think.


    She wasn¡¯t in enough denial to think she could continue to ignore these things. There was the very real evidence of her changed eyes. Charlie had told her that she had disappeared the previous night. Something had happened. Just what was the question. Ella could either just try and ignore it, assume she was delusional, or just go with the flow.


    Well she didn¡¯t feel delusional but a delusional person would probably say the same thing. Or maybe she could just be delusional about being delusional, although that felt more than a bit tautological. Well, she was not planning on the funny farm, so that was out.


    Deciding she was not crazy was perhaps a bit on the ridiculous side, even she recognized that, but she didn¡¯t really see another option.


    ¡°Rolling with it, it is then,¡± and she hopped off the laundry machine, ¡°or maybe just too much molly.¡± She grabbed her bag and tried to work on picking a dissertation topic.

 01.005 The Date

    The next day (Friday, October 8, 2021)


    <h4>West Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    The following day was a slow burn. She taught her class, graded a ton of terrible exams, and then was supposed to go out. For once, it wasn¡¯t with Charlie but an actual date. A film grad student had asked her out a while ago, after meeting her through Jade, and they were finally getting to it¡­ he was a cute, lanky guy named Jae-Young, or Johnny as he went by. Even though Ella didn¡¯t use her Indian name, she figured she would start with Jae-Young and see if he corrected her.


    Her roommate flopped over on her bed, eyeing the clothes that Ella was laying out.


    ¡°You have no idea do you? That outfit¡­¡± pointing to the outfit on Ella¡¯s left, ¡°is way too slutty. And that one is like you are a nice Catholic girl like me, saving yourself for marriage.¡± Her smirk belied that last statement.


    Ella resisted the easy target Jade had just painted on her back and picked out a third outfit.


    Later that night she was sitting at a table, and the maitre d¡¯ brought over Jae-Young who took off a pumpkin-colored tweed jacket and hung it over the back of the chair before turning to face her. He froze, and stared right into her eyes as his face went pale.


    ¡°Ella?¡± He stumbled back a bit and then grabbed his coat. ¡°I am so sorry,¡± he said as he ran out of the restaurant.


    Ella sat there stunned. What the hell was that? Should I be offended?


    She pulled out her compact to take a look and everything looked okay until she realized - she had forgotten to put in her contacts. And more importantly, Jae-Young had seen something. She got up, threw down a twenty for the untouched glass of wine and raced out the door.


    Bursting onto the sidewalk outside of the restaurant, she spotted his distinctive sport coat. She followed him as he walked quickly, constantly looking back over his shoulder. When he spotted her he started walking / half-running through the early evening crowd. It would have been comical, a 6¡¯1 guy running away from a petite 5¡¯7 woman in obvious fear, if it was not so strange.


    She just went to a full on sprint, glad she hadn¡¯t bothered with heels and weaving through the evening foot traffic with reckless abandon.


    ¡°Stop following me,¡± he called back, ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to do with this!¡±


    ¡°Hold on one sec!¡± She cried back, a bit out of breath. Not worrying about all the curious looks she was getting.


    He took off at a full run, looking back every so often, and Ella wasn¡¯t sure she could keep up. At least until he crashed straight into a street cafe chair and bounced off of it ¡ª a seat back that was just about at groin height. It was obvious what had happened as he rolled around on the ground in pain, both his hands covering his crotch.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Ella stood over him for a moment before sighing a bit and helping him up and into the chair he had just crashed into. A waiter came over to check on them, and Jae-Young waved them away after taking a moment.


    Once they had been left alone for a moment, Jae-Young said under his breath, ¡°Look, I am sorry I ran away. Please don¡¯t hurt me¡­¡± his pleading voice made Ella take a moment.


    ¡°Hurt you? I am not going to hurt you. This was supposed to be a date, and you took off like I was a horror show¡­¡± she paused for a moment, ¡°this is about my eyes, isn¡¯t it? What is going on?¡±


    He glanced around to make sure nobody was looking. ¡°You don¡¯t know¡­ do you? How curious¡­¡± He paused for a moment, ¡°Yeah¡­ your eyes gave it away, and also that glowing crown you are wearing.¡±


    Ella¡¯s hands went to her hair, where there was no crown.


    Jae-Young¡¯s eyes got even wider, and, if anything, a look of pity started appearing. ¡°I-ah, don¡¯t even know how to start.¡± He looked around the restaurant patio a bit, making sure the other tables weren¡¯t looking at them. ¡°Look at my face and don¡¯t freak out.¡±


    Ella looked right at him, and jumped a bit when his face changed. It was still the same face, but a bit narrower, his eyes angled diagonally a bit out of the human norm, his cheekbones became sharper and more pronounced, and his ears were long and somewhat pointed. It lasted just for a moment, and then it changed back.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    He took a moment, ¡°My name is Jae-Young Park, just like I told you. I was born in Busan, and all the rest. It is just that¡­ well, I have an ancestor that is a bit unusual. My parents are totally normal, my two sisters, normal. Only my grandfather knew what was going on, as his mother was like me¡­ A throwback.¡±


    Ella had already seen crazier things, so she was able to repeat to herself ¡°roll with it¡±. Two deep breaths, ¡°A throwback to what, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ In Korea, maybe they would think I was a dokkaebi, a kind of mischievous fairy creature. But it isn¡¯t really that.¡±


    They paused for a moment as a waiter came by to check on them, and Ella went ahead and ordered an appetizer to get the waiter out of their way.


    ¡°My great-grandmother was¡­ well¡­ an elf from Iceland. Or part elf anyway, like me.¡± he flushed a bit and his eyes were down, embarrassed. ¡°She gave me this ring that disguises me, which she had from her father, and apparently, it has been passed down forever.¡± The ring he pointed to was a thin band, hidden right in front of the class ring he had on his right ring finger, silver in color, with fine engraving. As she looked at it, she noticed it had a bit of that weight, that extra reality, the same as she had experienced at the castle and party.


    Jae-Young interrupted her thoughts, ¡°Reach up and feel your hair now.¡±


    She did, and she could feel a bit of resistance, as if something was sitting on her head, but not, as if the air was thick and viscous. She wanted to feel it better and focused a bit more.


    ¡°Close your eyes!¡± Jae-Young hissed under his breath. ¡°Your eyes are lighting up like flashlights.¡±


    That snapped her right out of it, the crown vanished from her touch.


    ¡°I had a dream¡­ no, it wasn¡¯t a dream.,¡± Ella started and paused, stumbling over telling anyone what had happened, because to truly acknowledge it would be taking the next step. Just roll with it. ¡°I went down a tunnel and emerged into a castle where this creature ¡ª a king? ¡ª stabbed me with a scepter. And when I woke up the next day I had these eyes¡­ And I have no idea what is going on.¡± She started crying, her eyes causing the tears to glow.


    Jae-Young looked at her, sympathy obvious on his face. ¡°I was born into this, and I don¡¯t know much. My grandfather just told me to avoid anything strange. To run away as fast as I could.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°When I was young, I saw maybe something twice. But in the past few years, I see more and more folks like me, I catch glimpses of something, something mysterious.¡±


    They ate dinner quietly, the burden of confession keeping them silent as they both thought about it.

 01.006 Acceptance

    <div>


    <div>


    Saturday, October 9, 2021


    West Village, Manhattan, New York, United States*


    Ella thought about last night as she pulled on her top. The awkward silence at dinner. Then walking back by his apartment on her way home. Standing across from each other at the entrance.


    Grabbing him and kissing him deeply right there. The scrambled wait for the elevator and laughing when some people spilled out and they got in.


    Getting undressed and him demurring when she made to pull off that ring. But she needed it to all be real, and he let her.


    Then the room lighting up in that cold light from her eyes as her body moved on top of his.


    He was still in his bed. Drowsy, but sending a few texts on his phone. His pointed ears, unnaturally angled eyes, and that strange realness of presence that she saw when magic ¡ª and yes magic is what she could call it ¡ª was revealed.


    He looked up to her. ¡°This is the longest I have not worn it.¡±


    They had some coffee and inconsequential chatter before she headed down the elevator humming.


    He texted her later in the day, and she did not have any regrets, so they agreed to meet for another date at some point.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The next day (Sunday, October 10, 2021)


    Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, United States


    Sunday found Ella putting on tons of eye makeup, tight shiny pants and a loose top with a plunging neckline. Or maybe it was more of a gauzy scarf with some thin brass links to hold it on her. Whatever¡­ It was time to have some fun. Charlie and Jade waited impatiently as she got ready.


    A quick shot of rum, a tab of molly, and out the door; freezing their asses off in the mid-October chill.


    The club was down an alley in Bushwick, and Jade¡¯s brother was the bouncer. He was six-feet of pure muscle and even despite being in just a tight t-shirt and pants, didn¡¯t seem to notice the chill. He waved them through, and the dirty looks from the line were ambrosia to Charlie¡¯s soul. She gave everyone a wave and blew a kiss to them as they went in.


    They went to the dance floor and Jade found a girl who was as ghostly white as she was dark black in the flashing lights of the club, taking turns drawing on each other in luminescent paint the girl produced out of a pocket; eventually descending into making out sloppily before they found a shaded corner to get busy. Not that it helped for privacy since they were covered in that glowing marker by now.


    Ella was feeling pretty good. Life was back to normal. TA¡¯ing, clubbing with friends, a new, maybe, boyfriend. And if Ella occasionally saw a strange flickering light out of the corner of her eye, or someone on the street that just felt a bit more real than they should have, she just let it go.


    Or it felt like that until someone in the club that she couldn¡¯t quite focus on even as he came up to their group to dance with them, even as he took out a long knife, held it in front of him until orange runes appeared along the blade, and gently slid it between her ribs.

 01.007 Again

    Early morning (Monday, October 11, 2021)


    NYU Langone Hospital, Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York, United States


    Ella sat straight up but the searing pain in her chest made her catch her breath and she started coughing, which just made it hurt more. She began swearing.


    ¡°Dhee, lie down.¡± Her mother¡¯s voice. ¡°And watch your language.¡±


    Her mother was sitting in the chair next to the hospital bed. She always had the same serene look on her face, but the fact that she was wearing the shawl that Ella had knit her was a tell that her mother was anxious.


    ¡°Now you need to sit still and not move. The nurses will be here soon and that nice doctor, he spent a long time stitching you up in the emergency department before you came here.¡± And here it comes, thought Ella, ¡°¡­and he is very handsome. Gujarati boy.¡±


    ¡°Be, I was just stabbed. And you are trying to set me up with the doctor.¡± Could it be anymore stereotypical?


    Her mom adjusted that eye-sering horribly-knit orange-pink shawl hanging over her shoulders. The one Ella had knit for her when she had been a child. The one her mother always wore when she was worried.


    ¡°Now, now. You are fine now. Your father will be here soon. He went home to get some things for you and was taking the subway since traffic was so horrible.¡±


    Her mother was still dressed for work under the stole. She must have come directly from her hospital to this one.


    ¡°Where is this?¡±


    ¡°NYU hospital, dhee,I spoke to the attending here while you were resting and they said the wound was¡­¡±


    The door opened and Eesha watched her father walk in. His tousled brown hair was matted, and his clothes rumpled. His eyes, which often changed by his emotion, were hollow, betraying his exhaustion.


    ¡°How are you doing my little chickadee?¡± Her fathers cheerful demeanor was countered by his obviously worried expression. ¡°I am chuffed to see you are up.¡± He leaned over the hospital bed to hug her and stopped when she winced a bit.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine papa. Just my side hurts some. And it seems kind of bright in here, can we dim the lights?¡±


    Her parents settled in for a while and then the nurse came in to check on her. Eesha tuned out her mom¡¯s long diatribe about staying safe as the pain meds kicked in. But once it became quiet, Eesha ventured a small query.


    ¡°What happened? I was out with friends and everything was going fine and then some psycho came up and stabbed me. That¡¯s all I remember.¡±


    Her mother told her what they had heard from Charlotte in the aftermath. Eesha had fallen down and both Jade and Charlie had screamed. Charlie had apparently taken the beer bottle she had been holding and bashed the assailant on the head. Jade¡¯s brother, Craig, who had moved to indoor duty had come over to grab the guy, but whoever it had been had managed to get away.


    ¡°I would run if Craig came after me,¡± Ella said feelingly.


    The ambulance had come and picked up Eesha and her friends had stayed the morning. While Eesha was getting patched up, they were answering police questions and had left to get some sleep around noon. The police hadn¡¯t found her attacker, and remembering the glowing dagger, Eesha didn¡¯t think they would.


    Her mom gave her a dry, clinically-exact description of how she had been stabbed through the liver and diaphragm, the assailant angling up, but her lungs and heart were okay; unwilling to let emotion color the report.


    ¡°The doctor said the damage was luckily minimal - so they won¡¯t be keeping you much longer and we cleaned up your room so you can rest.¡±


    Ella knew she wasn¡¯t getting out of staying at home for some period of time, and it felt pretty futile to indicate she didn¡¯t feel all that bad. Surprisingly good, actually. While the police were still looking for her attacker, Eesha remembered the glowing dagger and thought that whoever or whatever it had been, they wouldn¡¯t be found.


    There was a gentle knock at the door and it opened to reveal Jae-Young. He had some flowers in hand and looked hesitant to come in.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt. I brought you these.¡± He stood there for a bit while Eesha¡¯s mom looked back and forth and with a smirk motioned Eesha¡¯s father out.


    Jae-Young looked pretty awkward standing there. He tentatively spoke, ¡°I suppose a hospital visit and flowers might be a bit premature after one date?¡±


    Ella laughed a bit but stopped since it hurt. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It was kind of an intense date.¡± She lowered her voice, ¡°and besides, this was related to well¡­ you know.¡±


    He moved closer and almost dropped the flowers in his hands.


    Her voice lowered even further as she described the glowing dagger, and even worse, how the attacker had been moving slowly right in front of her. She remembered that feeling with a shudder, she had watched him draw that dagger, had seen it begun to glow, and even as he had stabbed her¡­ but something had prevented her from reacting, some sort of strange lassitude. She couldn¡¯t remember what the attacker looked like either.


    Jae-Young said, ¡°when I was younger I maybe saw one or two things like me. But, lately, I am seeing more and more things. I find myself hiding and avoiding many things that feel off. I thought it was like a hidden world where I am a member but I didn¡¯t know the rules or the game.¡± He gestured to her, ¡°But this? This is no game¡±


    Ella couldn¡¯t even help herself, ¡°Shit got real yo!¡± And started her painful laughing a bit. Okay, maybe she was a bit punchy on meds. Jae-Young gave her the most appalled look.


    ¡°What did you tell your parents?¡±


    ¡°What could I tell them? I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to tell them the truth. Hey Pops, I was at the club partying when a guy came up, pulled out a glowing knife and stabbed me. Oh, and it was all in slow motion and even as I watched him, I did nothing? Yeah, that is a quick trip to the loony bin. Oh, and by the way, the new guy I am seeing is an elf. I was also stabbed two months ago and that changed my eyes into crystal flashlights, and I think I am going crazy! And my eyes are so fucking dry from wearing contacts all the time.¡±


    Her hysterical rant ended on a high pitch as she ran out with her breath, her eyes a bit glossy with unshed tears.


    Jae-Young sat down next to her on the bed and Ella threw her arms around him to sob. After she calmed down a bit, sat back and looked up to him, ¡°I am being ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. You have been stabbed twice now, you are in the hospital, and¡­¡± pointing at the empty small bag hanging from the IV pole, ¡°I am pretty sure you are high as a kite on that Dilaudid drip there.¡±


    She smiled at his kindness. ¡°Well, I am supposed to get out of here tomorrow. So at least this isn¡¯t too serious.¡± She paused a moment to ask, ¡°So did you come here to ask how I am doing and bring flowers? Or to find out if I told my parents? Don¡¯t worry your secret is safe.¡±


    He looked down with obvious guilt. ¡°I guess both? But if I am being honest, it¡¯s probably my secret.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t feel bad. I figured. We only went on one date. And well, what happened that night was more about me than us. Ummm¡­ does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I guess so. So where does that leave us?¡± Jae-Young actually had a forlorn look on his face, as if he was lost.


    She gently smiled, ¡°Another date? But don¡¯t expect to get lucky again so quickly.¡±


    Watching him blush a bit was worth it. ¡°No. I never expected that!¡±


    ¡°Well maybe, if you play your cards right.¡±


    He turned even more red. Making her laugh. ¡°Oww. oww. I should stop making jokes. It hurts.¡±


    They talked about inconsequentials for a while longer, and even set up another date, if uncertain when. There was another knock at the door and Ella¡¯s brother peeked his head in.


    ¡°Yo.¡±


    Jae-Young looked at her, his hands holding her left one. ¡°I had better go. I hope you recover soon.¡±


    She let him leave as her brother let him by and came into the room. His backpack hanging loosely from his hands. His headphones were still blasting music that she could hear clearly1</a>, resting around his neck.


    ¡°Yo.¡± he said again, perhaps unnecessarily, and then continued, ¡°I heard you got cut up. Shit, sis. That is f¡¯ed up, no cap.¡±


    ¡°Turn that thing off. You won¡¯t be able to hear shit in five years.¡± Ella didn¡¯t really want to be scolding him right away, if only he didn¡¯t lend himself so well to it. ¡°Yeah, some crazy stabbed me. But I¡¯m gucci.¡±


    ¡°Ah shit, don¡¯t talk like me. You can¡¯t pull it off.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is great you here stanning for me¡­¡± she paused for a moment, ¡°well shit, that is all I got for kids slang. I am too tired to figure out how to work yeet into this or on fleek or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Shiiit. Nobody says that anymore. You are big extra doing it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I have no idea what you are talking about anyway most of the time.¡±


    ¡°I came yesterday while you were out, mom and dad both stayed here all night and I stayed over at Rafe¡¯s place and then had school.¡± He rushed through the next bit, ¡°I came as soon as I got out. I am glad you are okay!¡± It had been so long since Eesha had heard Harish speak earnestly, and the way he spoke, you could tell he was uncomfortable with the honest expression of emotion.


    ¡°Well I am all good. Be out of here tomorrow I think. But I am glad my little brother Harry found time to see his sister!¡±


    Returning to their usual teasing and banter relaxed him. ¡°Well, I am going to just chill out here for a bit and do my homework. Mom and Dad are out grabbing some food and then said I have to go home with them.¡±


    Eesha was touched that he wanted to stay. He started doing his homework while she sat in her hospital bed and started flipping through her text messages. Charlie was excited to hear she was awake and her and Jade would try and swing by her parent¡¯s the day after tomorrow.


    After a while, Harish put up his headphones and started rapping along to whatever he was listening to under his breath. Ella fell asleep and he was gone with a note left where he had been sitting.

 01.008 Interlude - The Wolves of Kennington

    Early morning (Monday, October 11, 2021)


    <h4>Mayfair, London, United Kingdom</h4>


    ¡°Ballies on, ballers tall, balls deep.¡±


    Right fucking poet Skitz was. Thought he and our ¡°gang¡± were the next Spartans to come out of Kenny but that was just stupid. Plus he couldn¡¯t rhyme for shit.


    I pulled down my mask and checked my ching at my side. ¡°Skitz, you gonna duss moment we pound that door.¡±


    ¡°Shut up you patty. Your name gonna be Powda since you white like cake.¡±


    Like I said, regular poet he was.


    This was my first time stepping up and I was nervous and about to throw live corn at Skitz before Loba jumped in. And unlike Skitz she could flow.


    <blockquote>


    Queen Wolf on the streets, taking my shot


    Only cock in the pants and hands on the Glock.


    Gyal focus on the win, she the queenpin


    Filho de puta, he just be standing in."


    </blockquote>


    Skitz took a moment to figure out what Loba was saying, ¡°Little ting like you ain¡¯t leading nobody. Come on breh¡± I could see he was psyching himself up. He must have felt her diss since I was somebody now, not just the white boy that he only took for his crew since he was a nobody. I was a right rude boy now. Living that jolly olde England dream right there now.


    Us three rode up hard on the house, the radio too loud for this hood. Skitz hopped over the iron gate, the small posh house quiet in the dark with a light or two on. He motioned us over.


    Skitz whispered, ¡°Cake boy, you ring and we¡¯ll pull our sams. Man be handing over packs and stacks and be smart like Turing quick like.¡±


    Shit he was back to calling me names, I was back out of the mandem. How will I ever live? I was nervous as shit being on our opp block. Well more like we didn¡¯t have no block our own since we was shit but heisting a don was stupid. What the fuck was I doing?


    My heart was racing as I took a couple of breaths. I could hear the nylon of Skitz¡¯s tracks as he moved to one side and Loba went to the other. Both had rambos out, edges gleaming in the night.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Fuck I miss Brix where I had a real crew. Moving here was shit. Shit shit shit. I rang the doorbell before I realized it. Shit again. Fuck was I sweating.


    I stood there, dressed like a batty boy waiting for the yardi to open the door. The door swung in, and fuck if it wasn¡¯t a small girl. Maybe nine years on her. I was switching to fucks. Fuck. fuck. fuck. Fuck Skitz. Fuck me. Fuck Loba for not stabbing Skitz. Fuck this here girly who answered the door in this posh neighborhood. Fuck this posh place. Fuck it all.


    ¡°Shi¡­ I mean hallo. Is your dad home?¡± I was trying to save this with my terrible posh voice to go with these poncy clothes.


    ¡°Yes. Papa!¡± She turned away and called.


    I waved both hands at Skitz. Mouthing no. I wasn¡¯t tuning up some kid. Trying to get him to leave.


    Loba looked like she was going to back down when Skitz jumped in and grabbed the girl holding his rambo¡¯s blade against the girls throat.


    ¡°Fuck dis!¡± Loba turned and turned around and bussed out of there.


    The girl started screaming, and I just stood there frozen.


    ¡°Let ma girl go.¡± A voice from behind us. A mad hench fucker was standing there, his face shadowed in the dark, his dreads wild and glistening, reflecting something from the streetlights behind him. They were glistening with blood as he threw something to the ground to roll at my feet. Loba¡¯s head, bloody and with part of her spine hanging down from it rolled to my feet.


    I wasn¡¯t frozen before the way I was now.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± whispered Skitz, his voice started going higher pitch,and it was wavering ¡°No closer. I get your gyally here.¡± He was shaking. We still couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face. I felt piss running down my leg.


    ¡°Do ya?¡± Said the shadowed figure, his hair shaking as he laughed. Rich Haitian voice. ¡°Die Congo Savanne ain¡¯t ones to fuck wit, nor the Marasa, boy¡­¡±


    He stepped into the light from the front door, his chalk white skin and black dredds combined with sharp fanged teeth, blood dripping down his face onto his bare chest.


    ¡°Now the Marasa sister, she will call for her bruddah. And then she will be hungry.¡±


    The girl whispered, ¡°I am hungry now, feed me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry now ma girl. This boy won¡¯t be doing a ting.¡± And he leaped forward so fast, I barely saw it. And Skitz flew back and slammed into the table and mirror set against the wall inside.


    This Congo guy stood where Skitz had been and said "Now is time for you to go girl. I will be eating first. " He shoved her out of the door, and I finally unfroze. I ran, fucking tripping over Loba¡¯s head, as I ran without looking back. The light from the entry shut off as he closed the door and I could hear Skitz screaming and then wet tearing sounds as I struggled to get the iron gate back open.

 01.009 Exposition

    Later that day (Monday, October 11, 2021)


    <h4>NYU Langone Hospital, Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella awoke from vivid dreams of strange snake-like creatures with glowing crystalline eyes crawling up her body while she lay trapped under a giant slice of pizza.


    She attributed this to the pain meds and being hungry rather than prophecy. How strange her life had become that this was the first thing that came to her.


    When she looked up, she almost screamed when she saw a tall thin cadaverous looking man with pale skin, sunken dark eyes, and stringy hair sitting in the hospital room chair. He was wearing rags and the stink was nauseating.


    ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t have any money on me. Just leave or I¡¯ll scream.¡±


    The man looked at her quizzically and then looked down and reached to his finger pulling off a ring. And there was Kothin in all his rough-hewn glory. His much shorter glory. And much less fragrant as well.


    ¡°Sorry about that. That disguise is meant to ward off curiosity.¡± He eyed her. ¡°Your na?vet¨¦ will end up killing you.¡±


    ¡°Well, then someone tell me what is going on!¡± she said crossly.


    ¡°Come sit down and let¡¯s talk.¡± Ella looked to the side and saw a small rug of fractal design next to her bed by the window. A small gold table sat in the middle with a few cups, what looked like a teapot, and a decanter.


    Kothin sat down on the floor on one side and motioned her to the other. His legs folded under him in ways she could not even begin to follow.


    Ella fumbled with her IV pole and then sat across from him. He began dicing strange, multi-colored mushrooms. The mushrooms had that same vivid realness that Ella had come to associate with magic. He then put them in a mesh strainer in a pot before pouring water from a pitcher over them. Each movement was florid and expansive, lacking the economy of movement one would see in a East Asian tea ceremony, but still ritualized, reaffirmed when he closed his eyes, put his hands wide, and said something under his breath.


    He poured a cup and took a sip. He whispered to her, ¡°Our people are not trusting, so it is polite to show the drink is not poisoned by taking the first cup for yourself.¡±


    He poured another cup and handed it to her with both hands gently. She accepted it with equal solemnity.


    ¡°Take your time and examine it and smell it and then merely dip your tongue in it and set it down for about fifteen minutes. To show you are no fool, and that trust must be earned.¡±


    Ella did as he asked. Feeling ridiculous since he undoubtedly had her trapped here and she was hardly capable of fighting him off. The mushroom tea was surprisingly sweet and surprisingly alcoholic. It wasn¡¯t water that had been poured over it.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Her surprise must have shown through. He smiled easily and leaned back. ¡°We love our ceremonies, our betrayals, our drama. Your legends paint us as stoic and unyielding, lacking humor and only possessing avarice. The truth is we are maybe slightly less greedy than your people, our humor is all in tricks, and our stoicism is a glorified version of seeing who will laugh first. Or die from being poisoned. Either way works.¡±


    And without further preamble he began.


    ¡°Once the world was magical and very different. The People, wondrous beings roamed the land, humans were primitive savages that lived on the outskirts, and one arose, a titan whose reach has never been matched, the Glorious Orc-Emperor Ekerri, who conquered all seen and unseen.¡±


    ¡°The Emperor was unmatched at winning, but even winning costs you, although losing is far worse, and Ekerri won many battles.¡± Ella wondered about the implications of that statement while Kothin poured himself more of the tea.


    ¡°During his reign it became clear that the People¡¯s time was ending. Magic became scarce and harder to use. Some species that heavily relied on it began to die or hibernate.¡±


    ¡°Instead of railing against the inevitable, Ekerri cast a spell that none of us could have even imagined, he broke the world into fragments and separated them from the universe. In each fragment, different peoples lived, and died, and slept, and changed. Some still touched the world, this world, and others were completely isolated. But, now, those walls are falling and the People awaken.¡±


    Ella, absorbing this story, nodded her head and put it in terms she was comfortable with, ¡°Entropy will have its due.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Exactly. My people slept until some twenty years ago. We began to venture out cautiously using small magics like these rings to discover that you, humans, who were once considered mere animals, now ruled, now, in fact, thrived, in a world without magic. We run into others occasionally, such as your friend, but more and more we see the People. And we know that conflict is coming.¡±


    Ella focused on the first part. ¡°Must there be a conflict?¡±


    Kothin paused for a moment and smiled, ¡°The right question. I suppose that depends on you. The Emperor must have been desperate to crown you as his heir, the first to find him in his solitude of millennia. But also cunning for you are certainly a child of our successors. Ignorant and to be hated by some. But maybe a bridge to a more peaceful outcome.¡±


    Ella, sitting cross legged on the warm floor, her legs asleep from the position she was in shifted a bit. She smiled wanly, ¡°Hooray?¡±


    Kothin matched her smile. ¡°Hooray indeed. There is an apocryphal curse I have heard since waking - May you live in interesting times. It fits. You must prepare.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Ella could feel the fear in her voice.


    He nodded, ¡°How indeed? Much has changed and how can you be prepared for the unknown? I suppose not getting stabbed would be a good start.¡±


    Ella ignored the humor and thought to herself. Should I arm myself? I could learn how to use a gun.


    ¡°I would like to offer you support, but this is something you will need to decide upon. I will call you after you have had some time to think about it.¡±


    He pulled out a smartphone and rattled off her phone number which definitely freaked Ella out a bit.


    Then he handed her a small vial, ¡°Drink it to neutralize the poison in the tea.¡± He smiled as she scrambled for it and then said, ¡°or is this the poison, and I am bluffing?¡±


    While she stared at him in horror, he got up, put back on the ring, and walked out the door.


    She turned the small vial in her hand, filled with an orange liquid. Trying not to hyperventilate. She popped the cap and took the contents in one swig.


    ¡°Tang?¡±

 01.010 Prep

    The next day (Tuesday, October 12, 2021)


    <h4>Ella¡¯s Childhood Home, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, United States</h4>


    Her parents came by later that day to take her home. They had brought their car with them to bring her home, the sacrifice of their treasured street parking spot a true sign of New York love. Ella felt warm to see her mom still had the shawl on.


    Her small bedroom always felt like home, and even more so now. She liked to call the decor her ¡°pastel and frills¡± period. A few pictures on the wall of her and friends at various ballet performances, the stuffed animals that hadn¡¯t made the dorm room draft, a tiny wardrobe, a very ornate vanity table that had subbed for a desk at times and an old lamp with a crappy CFL bulb.


    She lay down on the bed to rest, but felt oddly energized. Her side didn¡¯t hurt as much as it had, and she ended up texting friends and watching stupid videos online.


    The taste of Tang still lingered in her mind if not on her tongue. She began to think about what she could do and began a list on her phone.


    Once it was done, she got up and went down to the dining room. Her mother and father were both there, having taken the day off to be there for her.


    ¡°Dhee, you should be sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep. I want to go for a walk.¡±


    Her mothers expression left no doubts about what was coming. Her father stepped in, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. And we will come back right away if you look worse.¡±


    After more iatrogenic fussing by her mother, they finally got out the door. Ella was lost in her dad¡¯s large parka against the early October chill. They walked slowly as Ella tested her endurance and health.


    ¡°Your mom and I were terrified.¡± Her dad did not look at her.


    ¡°I know. I think she has been wearing that hideous shawl non-stop since it happened. It is sweet.¡± She paused. ¡°It was just some crazy guy. And that is why I wanted to go for a walk¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    ¡°Going to at least get some pepper spray. Figured I would go get some today.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. But it won¡¯t replace judgment.¡±


    ¡°Oh I have a new appreciation for judgment. I am going to have so much judgment they will give me my own courtroom and gavel.¡±


    ¡°Soooo¡­ That boy.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Ella rolled her eyes. ¡°I know. I am supposed to let you mess with them. It is your one great pleasure in life. The one thing you love doing every time. What was it going to be? Axe throwing when he came by? Sharpening the kitchen knives? Cleaning a shotgun you don¡¯t actually own?¡±


    ¡°Actually I was going to give it up. I never can keep a straight face but it makes for good intro.¡±


    ¡°Well except for Hunter, he ran out the door so fast.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was a true accident. I was actually carving up some meat when he walked in the door. And it just sprayed a bit of extra blood when I cut through it.¡±


    ¡°It was gross.¡±


    ¡°Hey. I apologized and got him to come back. And he was your boyfriend for two years!¡±


    ¡°Yeah and you were very nice when you walked in on us on New Years. Just said, ¡®oops.¡¯ And then started making fun of his kissing technique loudly behind the door. And he was a good kisser!¡±


    ¡°Good times.¡±


    And then he continued, ¡°so¡­ the guy¡­ with the flowers¡­¡± and then he waggled his eyebrows.


    ¡°You are the king of cheese, dad. His name is Jae-Young, and we went on like one date. He even admitted he wasn¡¯t sure he should have come by since we weren¡¯t a thing yet. But I thought it was nice.¡±


    They reached the store. Ella bought some skittles and two keychain pepper sprays. She mentally crossed that off the list.


    At dinner, they had mom¡¯s cooking. She was an indifferent cook, but even though her mom was incapable of saying her feelings, it was pretty obvious by her actions.


    The next day, her mom had to go see patients. Dad was going to stay home for a bit more and joked about how having grad students meant he lived a life of dissipation with a wink at her.


    Ella sat in her room and called Craig, Jade¡¯s brother. They talked a bit and he pointed her to a couple well-respected fighting gyms. He also pointed her to some famous fighters to watch on YouTube and elsewhere. Then he warned her that competition was not fighting. She called one of the gyms up and signed up for some classes.


    Another item off the list.


    A gun was probably out of her reach right now. Maybe a taser would be possible. She ordered a sheathed kitchen knife a cook might use although not knowing how to use one might mean she would hurt herself. YouTube was filled with tons of what Craig called bullshido, and she skipped past them.


    Then she looked at the last item on her brainstorming list.


    <blockquote>


    (5) Figure out what the fuck is going on.


    </blockquote>


    She pulled out the contacts she had been wearing for days and stared at her pale white eyes in the mirror. And tried to make them glow. Nothing happened.


    She tried to make the crown she knew was there appear. At times she could feel a slight bit of resistance as she combed her hands through her hair. But it was so slight it could have been her imagination.


    After a while, her head started hurting, and she put her head down on the small makeup vanity, and she fell asleep.


    A sudden noise woke her up and she realized it was dark outside and her mother must have come home and shut the door. She reached overhead to stretch her arms and back and knocked a hairbrush off the table. Despite her room being dark, she could see the brush perfectly as it fell in what seemed like slow motion. Her hands shot forward and she grabbed it out of the air. In the mirror, her eyes glowed white and a ghostly tiara sat across her forehead.


    She reached up to the crown and could feel it¡¯s solidity as she pulled it off. It lingered for a moment before fading away and reappearing on her head. Her mother was calling her down for dinner, and she could smell her mom¡¯s biryani. For a moment, she freaked out wondering how she was going to make the effect go away. After a few minutes it became dark once again. She carefully put in her contacts and went down to eat.

 01.011 Breathe

    The next day (Wednesday, October 13, 2021)


    <h4>Ella¡¯s childhood home, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, United States</h4>


    The following day, Ella woke up way too early. She came down in her pajamas , stretching and yawning. Her brother was already wolfing down cereal with headphones in, head bobbing along to something.


    She made her way over, got a bowl of cereal of her own and snagged the milk out of Harish¡¯s grasp before he could drink it all.


    Heading back up to her room, she started thinking about her final issue which was really the long pole, what was going on and how could she prepare for it better.


    She had been attacked. These splintered realms existed and were waking up. Magic sometimes worked here in the real world. And she had at least one ally in Kothin. And a crown.


    She could continue to arm herself and prepare. On that note she dropped down and started doing push-ups. She failed at eight. And they sucked. Get stronger went onto her lists at number six.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Her phone chimed and she saw a message from Jade as well as another from her mother. Her friends from home had all texted from their various places to wish her well, but none were around.


    She idly texted some more. Then added another item to her list:


    <blockquote>


    (7) Learn first aid and get kit.


    </blockquote>


    That afternoon she got restless again. Her brother came home and she heard him playing video games through their thin wall. She jammed in her headphones and cranked up the music but she could still hear the rattle of artificial gunfire.


    She hopped off her bed, went over, and grabbed a controller.


    "How do I play this?"


    <hr>


    That night she told her parents she was feeling well enough to head back to school.


    Her mother looked about to say something, and Ella gave her a look before it even started. For once, it seemed to quell her which surprised everyone at the table.


    She texted Jade to let her know she would be back and her professor to see what she had missed.


    Time to get serious.

 01.012 Halloween

    Two weeks later (Sunday, October 31, 2021)


    <h4>Fighting Gym, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States</h4>


    ¡°Hands up!¡± And Craig followed with a flick jab and a ¡°gentle¡± body blow.


    ¡°Ufff¡± Ella completely lost her breath and landed on her ass.


    ¡°You are strong for your size. And your reflexes are fire. You also don¡¯t make the same mistake twice.¡± He looked at her sitting on the ground, ¡°well, not three times anyway.¡±


    ¡°Three things for you to work on: You aren¡¯t keeping your core tight enough when you strike or defend. And you overreacted to the jab opening yourself up. Finally your stance is shallow. Remember, we talked about it ¡ª take a comfortable step forward and out ¡ª those are your corners for stance.¡±


    ¡°Push-ups!¡±


    Ella got in a plank and waited for the call, her sweat was dripping down her face and arms. The cold chill from the open gym door was giving her goosebumps but still felt great.


    They did more push-ups than she ever thought she could. And then we moved into Craig¡¯s religion: ab work.


    A recovery drink and fifteen minutes later she was under a bar trying to get her squat form correct.


    ¡°Have you been here everyday?¡± Craig asked.


    ¡°Just about. Commuting from the Village sucks though. So I¡¯ve been alternating here and another gym in Manhattan and the school gym.¡±


    ¡°You need to slow down. You can¡¯t go zero to hero right away. Frankly the progress you have made in three weeks is disgusting. You should be crawling on the floor. That attack freaked you out, huh?¡±


    He had been dancing around this topic of her advancement for a while now.


    ¡°Yeah a bit. But I also just realized I needed to be stronger and more prepared. Plus it is kind of fun. And I come out here since where else am I going to get free training from someone as good as you?¡±


    Later that day


    NYU; Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States


    She knocked at her mentor¡¯s door. ¡°You called, professor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, come on in! Sit down. And I told you to call me Anatoly.¡±


    The professor waved her to a seat which Ella quickly cleared the journals and papers from as well as a half-eaten lunch underneath that looked about two weeks old.


    ¡°Hmm. Still good?¡± He chewed on a corner of the sandwich. ¡°Nope¡± and unceremoniously put the bag to the side to get buried again in papers pending archeological investigations.


    Ella sighed a bit and threw it out. In the hallway trash, of course, since the regular trash bin was overflowing. The sign on the door said ¡°No cleaning¡± since the professor didn¡¯t want his organization system disturbed. Or maybe it was a composting pile he had going on.


    His bald head reflected the fluorescent lights above as he contemplated her over his readers and he steepled his hands.


    ¡°So. What are you going to be for Halloween?¡±


    Ella blinked, ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it yet. My friend, Charlie, is freaking out about it and said waiting til the day before was irresponsible.¡± Ella paused and then muttered under her breath, ¡°¡­as if she has any grounds to call someone out on responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Well. Halloween is today so that is even more irresponsible. Go out and have some fun. You come in and work from 9am until long after I leave. Take a break.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He looked back down at his desk and started reading again, waving his hand in shooing motion as a clear dismissal.


    That evening


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio; Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella looked in dismay at the costume that Charlie had bought her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? I had to go all over to find something as amazing as this so late. And it is my gift to you!¡±


    ¡°Ummm. Well. I like the gift. But¡­ It is a bit.¡±


    Jade piped up, ¡°it is super-ho level.¡±


    Charlie eyed them both. ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Look, I appreciate it and all. But I am tired. And I was going to hit the gym early tomorrow.¡±


    Charlie¡¯s eyes were downcast, ¡°But, but, I looked everywhere, and I, I payed a lot for this!¡±


    Ella squirmed. There was no way she was going out in that ridiculous costume. It was something a Carnival dancer in Rio de Janeiro would wear. Charlie¡¯s shoulders were shaking. Was she crying?


    Charlie burst out laughing. ¡°This is my costume dummy. I knew you didn¡¯t have the guts for this amazing, no, this glorious outfit. Your costume is here.¡± And she handed over a bag.


    Ella looked inside.


    That night


    <h4>Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    The Halloween party was spilling out the door into the stairwell, merging with the party that was happening one floor below. The stairs themselves were shaking as people bounced up and down with the music.


    All except for Charlie, who had plenty of room. The broad swathe of glittering peacock feathers fanned behind her taking up a full six feet. She had added googly eyes to the feathers which made them even more ridiculous. Every time Charlie turned around, she ended up hitting someone with them. They were so eye catching you almost didn¡¯t notice the almost complete lack of other clothing. Well except for her boyfriend who she was getting sloppy with on the dance floor.


    Ella¡¯s catsuit costume was perhaps a bit too skintight for her comfort, she felt like she was going to bust out of the front at any point, and she kept having to pull the front zipper up. Ella suddenly had the horrible thought that Charlie would totally sabotage the stitching for laughs, and that thought made her clutch her arms around her tight, which exacerbated the whole problem. And well, she had put on a decent amount of muscle. Craig had accused her of taking steroids given how strong she was in just a few weeks.


    She was just getting into the rhythm of things when someone grabbed her arm, and she came face to face with Jae-Young.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been looking all over for you! Something is going on. Something, well, you know.¡±


    She tailed him out of the party to the streets and watched him slip off his ring. He looked at her, ¡°Only night I can do this in public. Now do your glowy eye thing¡±


    Ella focused and also relaxed, trying to find that state she had been practicing in the mirror each day. She could feel it when her eyes started to glow this time. The crown settled on her head. Both came amazingly fast and stronger than they ever had before.


    Under her eyesight she could see colors flickering all over the street. She looked in the sky and could see wraithlike figures soaring over the sky, one flying right overhead that looked remarkably like, no was, a Chinese dragon? Its scales glimmered gold with a red mane and it shed what looked like glitter as it flew through the sky. The streets were covered in it as if it was snow.


    But while most people seemed to walk through it as if it was invisible and intangible, occasionally a figure would seem to be wading through it.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    A passing group in costumes ran through the not-snow, kicking up the magical glitter at one another. When they saw her, they came to an immediate stop and bowed to one knee (where they had a knee). Again, the colors of the rest of the world felt washed out as even the costumes they wore had a vitality that was ineffable. A toad, a bear was missing several teeth, a snake, a turtle and a raven smoking a pipe. As they stood back up, Ella¡¯s breath caught as what were costumes became no longer costumes but they actually became their animal guises. The bear reached to its mouth and pulled out another tooth and presented it to her with a certain amount of formality ¡ª well as much formality as a bear could have. She grabbed it inelegantly and somewhat belatedly with a hesitant ¡°thank you.¡±


    They waited expectantly, each down on one knee, and Ella realized it was for her. She waved them on, and they resumed their trek through the magical glitter snow. As they drew apart, the hyperreality of their natures faded away and they looked like any other costumed person except for the strange way they navigated. The non-magical seemed to walk normally through the snow as if it wasn¡¯t there ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t for them ¡ª but for her and the others, it felt real. She could already see much better than she should have been able to, and she could feel her crown manifest on her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± Jae-Young grabbed her hand and they began to run through the piles of glitter, laughing like children. The glitter gently tingled when it touched her, like gentle static electricity.


    Every so often another mysterious being would come close and bow to her. She would gather what dignity she could when not throwing glitter at Jae-Young to accept their wordless bows and let them go on their way.

 01.013 Sparring

    Two weeks later (Thursday, November 18, 2021)


    <h4>Fighting Gym, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States</h4>


    ¡°Ah shit!¡±


    Ell landed on her butt. Breathing hard. Craig stood over her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever seen anyone improve as quickly as you. You come in every day, work on things until you are collapsing on the ground. You chill out a bit, drink a sports drink, get on the weights and bump up your weight hard for your size. Then you come in the next day bouncy as a bunny with no soreness.¡± Craig looked admiringly at her, ¡°I have no idea how you haven¡¯t fallen apart. Do you even take rest days?¡±


    Ella lied, ¡°Yep, weekends off.¡± She trained at the other gym on weekends. She knew she was being insane and her recovery was ridiculous. Even small daily bumps and bruises healed quicker than she thought they used to.


    ¡°Well regardless, you can¡¯t replace mass. So a larger person will always be able to knock you over and be able to break good locks with pure strength a lot of the time.¡± He smiled and offered a hand to help her up.


    She bounced up and down a bit to loosen up, grinned, and said ¡°Again.¡±


    After thirty minutes she was onto weights and pushing new PRs. Craig had said she would have easy gains initially, but she was definitely pushing his credulity.


    She knew it was weird. But she figured she would just ride it out. She was even still doing ballet on the weekends and going out sometimes at night.


    But the days were definitely starting to blend into one another as Thanksgiving approached and mentally she was ready to take a real break and eat a lot of turkey and be lazy.


    The following day (Friday, November 19, 2021)


    <h4>NYU, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, United States</h4>


    Friday found her coming back from Dr. Fedoriw¡¯s office after running through the details of a paper he was submitting. The math was esoteric and weird even for her, and she had a pounding headache. The weekend was already booked double-checking her initial thoughts but overall she thought it held together. It also gave her some thoughts as to what sort of research and dissertation she might head towards.


    Vacuum instability was a depressing topic. Stupid fundamental particles not staying where they belonged. Maybe she should pick a different topic.


    So she was not in the mood to find her apartment packed with people. Or maybe it was the right time for it to snap her out.


    Besides Jade and Craig, Jae-Young was there. And three others she didn¡¯t know. They were all sitting wherever they could find space, each a couple of beer cans in as witnessed by the overflowing recycling bin. The one that she had emptied that morning before the gym.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Jade yelled. Not slurring yet but maybe a bit tipsy? ¡°Eleanor is back!¡± Her Kenyan accent, normally suppressed, had come to the fore. So definitely tipsy.


    ¡°Hi folks¡­ ummm. I will just get my stuff and get out of your way. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. Hamna shida. We saved some for you. Jae, where are they?¡±


    Jae-Young wordlessly handed her a beer with a shrug.


    ¡°So you know my brother Craig. This is his boyfriend, Luke. And his brother, Harlan.¡± Whereas Craig was the epitome of human perfection, someone a sculptor would wish they could emulate, Luke was a big cuddly bear of a man with strawberry blonde hair and beard, a comfortably round belly and green eyes. Ella thought if they ever made a movie about a young Santa, Luke was it. His brother Harlan was pretty much his twin except no beard.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°And this is Donna¡­¡±


    Donna was a very tall, very fit looking woman with a platinum blonde pixie cut.


    She looked coolly at Ella. Ella noticed she did not have any beer and was just drinking water sparingly. Craig took up the silence, ¡°Donna is someone else I just started training. I was thinking you need some variety and also someone at least closer in size. And Donna here is good.¡±


    Donna still hadn¡¯t said anything.


    Ella supposed Donna was closer in size to her than Craig, she was still crazy tall, maybe near six feet.


    Craig stared at Donna for a moment, but apparently lost that staring match as he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she is just grumpy since she has a fight coming up and is trying to make weight. Too many cheat days and now she is paying for them.¡±


    Donna looked at him, rolled her eyes, and then extended her hand delicately, ¡°Ignore this guy. I am not grumpy. I¡¯m Donna and I guess we will be training together a bit. Craig said despite you being new, you had some good basics and he was willing to comp me a bit to train with you.¡±


    Ella looked at Craig who looked uncomfortable. She should have offered to be paying him for all the training she had been getting. He waved off what she was about to blurt out and toasted, ¡°to new friends!¡± And made them all drink.


    Later on he sidled up to her and said, ¡°Donna is super intense. Weird too since rich kids usually don¡¯t go all in for pro fighting, they have better options. But whatever. Anyway it will be tougher than with me, she doesn¡¯t really have easy mode. But you will improve a lot by fighting her. I¡¯ll also start setting up some other folks for you to rotate in with.¡±


    Then he went back to his boyfriend for a hug and another beer.


    Jae-Young finally extricated himself from talking to Jade. ¡°She wanted to know how long we have been dating, why I never come around, and being super nosey.¡±


    ¡°No worries. That is just how she is. I¡¯ll tell her you have your own place and that will be enough of a reason. Hanging a sock on the door handle is completely unnecessary.¡±


    The next day (Saturday, November 20, 2021)


    Ella¡¯s studio; Greenwich Village, Manhattan, United States


    Saturday she woke up in her bed with Jae Young next to her, Craig on the floor and Donna, Jade and Harlan just moving about. Jade saw her move and started complaining immediately about her head hurting.


    Ella saw the clock was past 9 and hopped over to grab some gym clothes to go training. Despite drinking a lot and sleeping in, she felt great.


    Craig¡¯s eyes were opened and he commented, ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t taking weekends off¡± before crawling off the floor into her place in bed and falling back asleep. Jae-Young was still out.


    Ella settled into a light jog outside in the cold November air. Each block she brought her speed up a little bit until she was sprinting when she hit the gym. Up a couple of floors, switch out into her new shiny, very short Muay Thai shorts and wrap up her hands and she was on the bags immediately warming up.


    She had begun practicing ungloved blows with just hand wraps. Craig had told her to take it lightly for a long time and build up so she didn¡¯t hurt herself too much doing this. Eventually the wraps would come off and she could start the same toughening without any hand protection, but she was taking this part very carefully.


    She tried to settle into a rhythm on the bag, imagining blows and counters but just couldn¡¯t find it. Her attention wandered. Eventually she gave up and switched to alternating air boxing combos with heavy bag conditioning drills.


    She was in the middle of a set of kicks alternating with sprawls when the door opened up behind her.


    ¡°Not too bad form for someone only doing this for a couple of months.¡± Donna¡¯s voice was a surprise.


    Ella stopped and turned around, wiping the sweat off her forehead. ¡°You follow me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I called Craig and he figured this is where you trained on weekends. He also said you were the fastest learner he had ever seen. And I can see that. You must have huge talent and it is great you have the will to put behind it. Even if you are starting a bit old.¡±


    Donna must have been wrapping her hands as she came up the stairs and walked in since she was finishing up. She plugged her phone into the gym radio and cranked up the music, then began hopping around and lightly jabbing and pivoting with a fluidity that Ella envied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you got¡­"

 01.014 Punked

    Continuing (Saturday, November 20, 2021)


    <h4>Fighting Gym, Chinatown, New York City, United States</h4>


    Ella fell back. The leg catch and sweep knocking her down.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°Get up.¡± Donna¡¯s voice was flat. Almost bored sounding. As opposed to the endless punk music screeching from the radio.


    They had been here for hours. Donna seemed to take delight in knocking her over. They were mostly sticking to striking since they were in a Muay Thai gym but Donna didn¡¯t have problems throwing in hooking and other illegal moves.


    Ella was there to learn to fight, not compete, so she grimly got back up. Her arm still smarted from her booster shot and she felt like crap. But she got back up.


    Perhaps it was a sign, but Donna¡¯s playlist looped back to the beginning, and Donna stepped back and started stripping off her gloves without a word.


    Ella dropped to the mat and started bashing out push-ups. She finished her first set of 33 and looked up to see Donna looking at her.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°What?¡± She rubbed at her face in case there was something weird on it. After a bit, shrugged, and started her next set.


    Donna said something but it was lost over the music. ¡°What?¡± Ella said between reps.


    The music shut off.


    ¡°Craig wasn¡¯t lying. You are a machine. I am pretty sure I just beat the shit out of you for three hours and you just dove right into your routine.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five¡­ yeah¡­ twenty-six¡­ i need to¡­ twenty-seven¡­ get tougher.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Donna actually had a bit of intonation in her query as opposed to her normally frigid, affectless speech.


    Ella finished her set, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten attacked a couple of times now. I wasn¡¯t ready. I didn¡¯t keep my head. And, well, I actually sort of have been loving it.¡±


    She paused for a moment, ¡°I had only done ballet before. And I was dead serious about it for a long time. Still am. But hitting stuff is fun as hell.¡±


    ¡°Fuuuck¡­ I do know you. Joffrey auditions two years ago, right before quarantine.¡±


    ¡°You ballet?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. My sister was at the same audition right next to you and got eliminated in the same round as you.¡±


    ¡°Small world.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Small world. Anyway I am getting out of here. It was fun beating on you, but I gotta go.¡±


    Ella paused and couldn¡¯t believe what came out of her mouth, ¡°Want to do it again sometime?¡±


    And finally Donna¡¯s composure cracked with a smile. ¡°Sure. Just know I¡¯ll stop taking it easy next time. Anyway, off to the range.¡±


    Ella held her hand up¡­ ¡°the range?¡±

 01.015 Investigation

    Two days later (Monday, November 22, 2021)


    <h4>NYU, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella felt she was suspicious as she crept around the Applied Physics lab. It wasn¡¯t that much of a stretch for her to be here since she was a physicist, but knowing she wanted to use the equipment for non-Ph.D related analysis made her nervous. The professors and students just ignored her.


    Eventually she found someone to answer her questions.


    ¡°Excuse me. How do I reserve time on the scope?¡± She tried to keep her voice calm and even bored sounding.


    ¡°And you are?¡± The woman she had asked had sallow skin from being indoors too much and crows feet around her eyes. A professor or one of those postdocs that had never made the leap to professor.


    ¡°I¡¯m a grad student here. Well not here, here. But Dr. Fedoriw is my mentor.¡±


    ¡°Anatoly? What are you doing here? And why do you need the scanner?¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Ella cursed herself a bit as she stumbled over the fiction she had practiced on her way over, ¡°I am thinking about something cross-disciplinary for my dissertation and wanted to learn more about the applied side and what is possible to prove and not prove.¡± There was no way this woman had bought that.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± The woman¡¯s voice firmed up and Ella could just hear in her head, shit, shit, shit,.


    ¡°No high-and-mighty theoretical physicist would ever dirty their hands with real work.¡± She turned to the lab room and clapped her hands. ¡°Everyone, everyone, please look up to see history in the making. This moment will be immortal for you.¡±


    The students and other lab folk, well used to the theatrics, didn¡¯t pause or look up.


    ¡°Well, they are missing a true watershed moment here. I am the Department Chair, Lilly Braithwaite. It is a pleasure to have you here.¡±


    Dr. Braithwaite became almost too enthusiastic and started taking her around the lab, pushing people away from equipment to explain how to use it.


    Before she knew it, the tooth she had received from the bear ¡ª now hanging as a pendant off a necklace she had braided herself ¡ª had gone under the scanning electron microscope and a host of other devices. The professor didn¡¯t even look at the readings and measurements, just printed them out and handed them right to Ella.


    Ella staggered out of the whirlwind tour of applied sciences only with with a promise to return. Her arms were overloaded with a ton of paper, and she juggled two USB drives filled with high resolution images and scans. On her way out, the Professor Braithwaite gave her a wink and promised not to tell her mentor about her visit. As if she was planning to defect.


    Later, in her room, she organized the documents, and realized she had no idea how to read the results. The images on the USB drive weren¡¯t any better. If anything, she could see some occasional readings from the necklace, but the tooth didn¡¯t seem to exist. There might have been some strange emission signatures from it, but she wasn¡¯t sure.


    Next, how was she going to pull the same thing off in an analytical chemistry lab?

 01.016 Blooded

    Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 25, 2021


    <h4>Ella¡¯s Childhood Home, Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, United States</h4>


    ¡°Stop swearing at once!¡±


    ¡°Alright mom. Now let me and my friends play.¡± Harish¡¯s voice was nasal sounding as he whined.


    ¡°I should throw that thing out the door.¡±


    Harish kept grumbling while closing the door which intensified when Ella coming around her mother stuck her foot in the way before coming in.


    ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°What do you think I am doing? Playing games with my fam. What are you doing here? Guys? Guys? Great, they booted me since I wasn¡¯t playing.¡±


    ¡°Not fam then are they?¡± Ella teased.


    She watched as Harish loaded up another game and moved around.


    ¡°What happened to the game with the giant robot?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Now we are all playing super real stuff. This game is one shot, one kill, gotta use tactics and stuff. I hear Seals and shit use this to train.¡±


    Harish went back to muttering in his mic, stating ¡°Clear¡± multiple times as they went room to room. Then they hit the enemy and his partner got killed when they failed to clear a corner properly. Harish was at a standstill with them nursing ammo when mom called saying the turkey was ready.


    After eating way too much turkey, stuffing and Brussels sprouts, Ella headed out for a walk. She felt restless and even still hungry. There was more she should be doing but only had limited time available. She was in the best physical shape of her life, she was starting to develop some decent hand-to-hand skills, and had even begun to become a decent shot going to the range. Perhaps she should stay inside and hide, but something about that thought rankled. Instead Ella was doing what she could to defend herself, but Ella wasn¡¯t sure how far to take this. Whatever it was, was so much bigger than her.


    Admittedly, she felt like magical stuff would involve swords and bows and other primitive weapons.


    At the same time, she spent time in the library looking for clues. Even her limited experience already showed the gaps of what was known, it was all mythology and legends.


    And then there was the whole royalty aspect. Did she need to start learning public policy? Economics? Legal theory? She was staunchly anti-monarchist anyway - if anything she was nearly a socialist. What the hell did that mean she should do?


    Her footsteps took her along 25th and she eventually hit the BQE. It had snuck up on her, but eventually, she noticed a pull. Something had drawn her here. This time she refused to let it take control.


    Cautiously, and more than a bit terrified, she jumped over the concrete wall to make her way across the mostly empty expressway, hopping over the second wall at the median and the third on the other side. The expressway was empty on Thanksgiving with a few cars and plenty of space, but it was not a place to be reckless.


    The cemetery that bordered the expressway beckoned to her. It was preternaturally quiet, and her footsteps crunched the fallen leaves as she hopped the wrought iron fence.


    The grass took on a luminescent quality, almost a fluorescent green. The tombstones stood out in stark relief in the darkness, and Ella could read each and every single word. The slight breeze whistled by the markers and through the grass, carrying faint odors of earth and mown grass and roasting turkey and car exhaust. She could feel tension in her back and sweat began dripping down her face slightly despite the cold temperatures.


    Behind a large mausoleum, she heard a scrabbling noise. Ella stepped back, and the noise stopped.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    She heard a woman¡¯s voice, deep and sultry, ¡°Madha hunaaka¡±


    Ella kept silent. She started eyeing a path that would not make noise. She could feel her heart beating, but it was not panicked, just accelerating the way it would before she would exercise ¡ª getting ready. She shifted her weight forward and subtly relaxed her stance. Her right hand slipped into her pocket and grabbed her keys.


    ¡°Sa¡¯idi, child.¡±


    The voice was behind her and Ella spun around bringing her hands to guard.


    The woman standing right in front of her was beautiful. And very, very naked. It would have made Ella self-conscious except for the copious blood dripping from her mouth, and mixing with the dirt and grass that clung to her form.


    The woman¡¯s skin gleamed bronze in the night, her eyes dark, and she had that perfect smoked makeup around them. Her long dark hair was done in elaborate curls but matted with dirt and blood.


    And her smile was wicked. Ella had never ascribed too much emotion to expressions but this was as evil a smile as she could imagine.


    ¡°Well look what the night has brought to me.¡± Her voice was heavily accented. Her hand came up and she traced a bloody and dirty finger, no claw, along Ella¡¯s jawline.


    Ella reacted without thinking and sprayed the small pepper spray at whatever was right in front of her. The woman¡¯s jaw unhinged and opened far larger than would have been possible. The creature howled in a strange hybrid of a woman¡¯s voice and something bestial. Her clawed hands came up to her eyes to cover them.


    Ella wasted no time and grabbed her keys from her pocket. With them sticking out between her fingers she struck the creature in the gut over and over again. The puncture wounds opened dark and rotten, seeping thick black blood.


    The creature lashed out with its claws, and Ella shuffled back but she misestimated the reach. She could feel the claws tear across her stomach.


    Ella stepped in after the swipe and followed with a left open handed strike to the side of the creature¡¯s head, shifting her weight to the right and torquing her hips as if it was textbook. Her palm went numb from the strike but the creature fell to the ground. Before it could get up, Ella stepped in and started kicking. Her hiking boots thumped against the creature over and over. Ella did not stop until the creature stopped moving entirely.


    She then stepped carefully back and grabbed a large decorative rock from one of the graves and slowly approached the creature. It lay still on the ground but she lifted the rock overhead and brought it down once onto the creature¡¯s head. Again and again. No movement.


    Perhaps she had watched too many movies but she did it a couple times more. The head of the creature was flattened and cracked, dark not-quite-normal blood and brain matter spread across the ground


    When the adrenaline calmed down she suddenly felt the pain and blood dripping down her stomach. She sat down on the ground and took repeated slow breaths.


    The creature reverted to looking like a woman entirely. Although one long dead.


    After a while, Ella staggered over to where the creature had been. A grave had been dug up with a young child¡¯s fresh corpse having been pulled up and gnawed on.


    Ella felt the vomit in her back throat and managed to get to the manicured hedges before throwing up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going on at all. Why did I get this? Why am I constantly getting drawn into these things? How the fuck am I supposed to survive?¡±


    Ella sat with Jae-Young¡¯s arm around her. She was close to blubbering and knew it but felt helpless. After what had happened in the cemetery, she had called him and he had taken the subway over and was now sitting next to her on a park bench. Their breath puffed out in the cold, night air.


    ¡°Shit, Ella, I have no idea. You know, most of the time I didn¡¯t even think about myself as something different. I lived for months and years without taking off this ring and when I did, I wouldn¡¯t recognize myself in the mirror.¡± He hesitated, ¡°when I close my eyes and think what I look like, I don¡¯t see my true self¡­¡±


    They sat together quietly.


    He continued as if there hadn¡¯t been a pause, ¡°If I can¡¯t even accept that, know that truly, how can I know anything that can help you?¡± He took a deep breath, ¡°At least you kicked its ass.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she started laughing which quickly turned to sobbing.


    They sat together for a while in the cold winter air. A small drift of snow started falling and Jae-Young quipped, ¡°It¡¯s a Christmas miracle!¡± which led to a small quiet laugh, and she snuggled in for warmth and comfort.


    Neither saw the tall, gaunt person watching them from the alley across the street.


    When she walked back to her home, her family was up watching television. She had carefully wrapped her jacket to cover her bloody shirt and had stopped in a late night cafe to clean her face from dirt.


    She said a quick goodnight with an over exaggerated yawn and went to the bathroom where she pulled out antiseptic and looked at her wounds. They were shallower than she had thought - three transverse streaks across her stomach. She washed them out in the shower, hissing as the soap caused them to sting and then cursing as she treated them with Betadine and carefully bandaged them with gauze.


    She made her way to bed and fell asleep instantly. Her dreams were of the beautiful woman¡¯s vicious smile as she ate Ella¡¯s entrails.

 01.017 Aqrabuamelu

    ?eb¨¥tu, 14 Nabopolassar (January 1, 2921 BCE)


    <h4>Kur, The Hidden Kingdom Of Akkad</h4>


    Arcsa tried to lick his dry lips but even his tongue was dry. When Marat had come, he had been worried about her taking some of his water ration and had hid it. She had sneered, and her and her friends beat him until he told them where the water was. They took it all. He had fallen so far from grace.


    ¡°Remember me to the betrayer Utu and his whore of a wife Irkalla in the Underworld.¡± She had actually spit on him, and he had desperately licked it up for the moisture.


    With his dry rasping voice, Arcsa had managed to laugh, ¡°Where else could we be but in Kur, the underworld? Utu may have condemned us here, but it is hell because of ones like you.¡±


    She had beaten him then. With powerful blows and then stung him. He could feel the venom in his body, his legs barely holding his weight.


    In fact he would have already been dead if he hadn¡¯t found this small cavern protected from the heat of Utu¡¯s Curse. The rock floor felt cool against the side of his face. He had walked these tunnels before, and yet he had not seen the jagged tear in the wall until now which led to the place he was going to die.


    Arcsa could tell he was delirious when he saw a flickering, glowing light in the back of the cavern. It was a strange color, almost that of the blue beetle which the weavers used to dye cloth. Light was the luminescent blue-green of foxfire mushrooms or the warm red of a torch. But this light was bright and different and he did not have a name for it.


    He dragged himself over and when he saw the wall and the fortune of water that trickled down it ¡ª reflecting this strange, painful light ¡ª he wept for he knew he was insane. He licked the wall and peered upwards at the source of the strange light.


    The High Priestess stood in front of a statue of Inanna and lifted her hands in benediction. ¡°Inanna, the betrayed sister, shall take mortal form. She shall bring us from Utu¡¯s Curse, the Queen of Heaven shall lay her cooling hand on us, and pour a jug of water for each of us, and we shall not suffer in the heat. Each soldier shall have a cavern of their own and holy war to prove their blade at her side. We shall leave this place and expunge the Betrayer. Death at her side shall allow one into the Garden of Delights.¡±


    The massive temple cavern was lit in the expensive firefox mushrooms, but despite that, the heat was extreme as the Curse was strong that day. The congregation sprawled on the floor, trying to space themselves from one another.


    ¡°When she comes, we will march with her and take the head of the Great Betrayer. We live in the Age of Penance but it will be the Age of Righteousness that shall arise, one steeped in blood and venom. As we once served Utu until his betrayal we will now serve Inanna in justice. We shall place her on the Seat of the World and be her most steadfast service.¡±


    The congregation moaned. The aromatics in the air inducing a dream-like state. A woman, in the throes of ecstasy, began the mating dance to entice another, her breasts heavy and full, forelegs moving in the ancient patterns. Her tail curled up behind her dripping venom. But the males and females next to her exhibited a different excitement, as their bloodthirst took precedence, they tore apart the female and began tearing her apart, drinking her blood and feeding her body to the sacred fire in front of them.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The priest let it happen but then rang the large gong behind her, and the audience quieted, ichor and gore dripping off of them. They slowly shuffled in a circle, their solemnity broken by fervor promising violence and sex.


    ¡°Now shall the untried be tested and prove their worth. They shall be cut in half and those that live shall rise as adults, to become Her armies, to gain the right to mate and the right to the Garden.¡±


    The scorpion nympha formed an inner circle in the center of the larger one of adults. Bearing weapons and training since larval, the first sacrament began: they set upon one another in melee, slaying their cr¨¨che brethren in silent butchery.


    When the last thirty stood, injured and hurt, carapaces and skin cut, the adults moved in and all partook of the deceased, extracting the venom of the bodies, cracking the carapace of the lower scorpion part. The Blooded, the victors, were allowed to eat the luxurious human torso. The heads were mounted on pikes on each wall.


    ¡°We welcome the new blooded warriors among us. They shall be given the precious water for three days in preparation as they recover. And then shall join their orders for life and death both.¡±


    The priestess began the second sacrament of visions, mixing the carefully collected spiny mushrooms. Combined with the venom-laced smoke, the hallucinogenic visions were another attempt to reach the Goddess.


    But the ritual was interrupted as someone entered the temple.


    Whispers broke out. The interloper wore one of the old forms, two flesh legs and no tail. It looked strange, only the sacred hieroglyphs contained such figures. And they had a very specific meaning.


    ¡°I have returned. I tell you that I am Arcsa. And I tell you the Way has opened.¡± He said in the ancient forms.


    His form blurred and a carapace and tail began to form, he grew taller and his six legs reappeared. But his flesh was water-rich and eyes bright.


    The whispering became more frenzied. The word ¡°Chosen¡± was heard for the first time since Utu on Earth, Emperor Ekerri, had betrayed them and trapped them here.


    All, including the Priestess, genuflected.


    Later the Priestess and Arcsa sat across from one another. The Royal Game sat between them and they moved the pieces around the squares and across the bridge.


    The Priestess regarded the game and said, ¡°Utu is unlikely to crown another for fear of Inanna incarnating.¡±


    Arcsa regarded the game and put a slight smile on his face, ¡°One could almost take that as blasphemous, Inanna shall rise with us at her side. That is what we say in Temple.¡±


    He glanced at the Priestess, the same one that had cast him out a year ago for blasphemy. But her face betrayed nothing. Her tail, on the other hand, twitched slightly. She had made herself High Priestess by casting him down from that position, and it had been masterful.


    They were allies now, whatever the past. Even with the scheming and plots, they were both deep believers and the return to the outside was portentous.


    He continued, ¡°Our people shall wait for her. We have waited for millennia in this horrible place and it has tempered us. When she arises, we shall be her vanguard, her foremost servants, and we will never waver.¡±


    ¡°So what is outside?¡±


    ¡°You will see. We all shall see. It is a paradise like the Garden must be. I thought I had died when I went there. There are large cities of people who look like this.¡± He waved his hand at his legs which were in that new form,¡°but they are not of the Aqrabuamelu. Changing to their form, to our ancestral form, for me was a matter of luck. But I shall teach us all, and we will await Her return. We shall train and become powerful to slay the Betrayer.¡±

 01.018 Farflung Interests

    Saturday, November 27, 2021


    <h4>The Lithium Mines, Atacama, Chile</h4>


    ¡°Bring the find here,¡± Kothin yelled down the tunnel.


    ¡°?Que?¡± came a voice across the field .


    Kothin cursed a bit and then pulled out his phone. After a bit of typing, ¡°?Tr¨¢elo aqu¨ª!¡±


    The workers worked their way over, sloshing right through the intervening brine pool.


    ¡°D¨¢melo,¡± he said perfunctorily. The workers handed over the lithium slurry. Kothin could feel the mineral composition and after a lot of cursing, references to the translation app, and hand gestures indicated the processing that still needed to take place.


    His phone rang and he waved the workers off.


    ¡°My lord¡­ no. I have no idea what the girl is doing. I am in Chile taking care of our mining operations. What? No. It is awful - I wish we could just go back to pickaxes.¡±


    He listened for a while longer, answering with yeses and noes.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Later that night, he was sipping a glass of local wine absentmindedly reviewing production figures. A knock at the door and he gestured, the lock moving of its own accord to open.


    ¡°So what did he want?¡± The voice was sardonic, verging on mocking, the woman who entered was tall and wrapped in an illusion so strong that even Kothin could feel it.


    ¡°To know who you are? As do I.¡± He said simply and folded his hands on his lamp as he waited patiently


    The unknown person laughed, her voice ringing in his head. ¡°How many times have you asked me that? Well, at least you don¡¯t try to spy on me anymore, I felt bad for those poor children, but I wanted to make a statement. Well, either you don¡¯t try or you have become much, much better at it.¡±


    Her flippancy about the gruesome corpses of his agents bothered him, even now, centuries later.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He smiled and unfolded his hands to pour her a glass of wine. ¡°Amazing what they can grow in this heat. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She took her time, inhaling the odors of wine, a sip and another. And then she drank down the whole glass in one gulp. ¡°You are a funny man. Touch¨¦. Do you have anything I can actually taste?¡±


    He gestured at the bottle of Murtado sitting in ice on a table behind him. She noted he did not get up to pour for him as he had for the wine. She walked over, cracked open the bottle and took a swig. Then went to the hotel bed where she sat down, swinging up her legs and dirtying the blankets.


    ¡°He wanted to know about the girl. What else does he ask about?¡±


    ¡°She is fine. She knows very little. She met an elf - I think they are fucking - but he knows less.¡±


    ¡°Pity. I would like to know more.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Me too.¡±

 01.019 Anxiety

    That same day (Saturday, November 27, 2021)


    <h4>Irvington, New Jersey, United States</h4>


    ¡°That was awful. Just awful. In all my days teaching, I have never seen anyone worse. Here, you see this?¡± The instructor was pointing to a small origami person he had been folding while Ella had run the course, ¡°I could tape a gun to this and it would have been a better run.¡±


    Ella just nodded and trembled a bit. She didn¡¯t say anything.


    The instructor continued, ¡°You are too scared of the gun. Even in this stupid simulator. We are going to go to the range and shoot enough live rounds that you get over it.¡±


    Ella nodded and they headed over to a different room. The ear protection barely seemed to mute anything, and she flinched at the reports.


    They came up next to the stall where Donna was taking shot after shot. When Ella had mentioned she was going to a firing range, Donna had jumped on it and come with her.


    The instructor pointed at her and said, ¡°See how relaxed she is? You said you needed this, so it is time to sack up and get over it.¡±


    He cleared and then handed her a rifle and said, ¡°Now this sexy motherfucker is a Swiss B&T APC9 Pro. Way nicer than that shit we keep in the simulator. Way more expensive too. You getting me?¡±


    Ella nodded and gingerly took the carbine in hand. She checked the chamber and slotted the magazine when he handed it to her. She checked the safety. Then did it again.


    ¡°Now take your stance and shoulder the stock.¡± His arms reached around her to adjust her stance and how the stock sat on her shoulder. His breath stunk of cheap cigars, and she was wondering if he had to brush her breasts with his arm as many times as he did. She felt gross but bit her lip and ignored it. She needed to be good at this.


    ¡°Now memorize this position and go to a normal standing position and come back to this five times.¡±


    She did it and screwed up on her second one. He started the count again. Eventually she got it right.


    ¡°Now line up and take your shots just like we practiced. You want to practice tactical style for being on the move: so shoot after you breathe out and then also brace and shoot when holding your breath in. Alternate.¡±


    She aimed down the sight and took a couple of breaths. Then, while at her respiratory pause, took a shot. The recoil jarred her shoulder and she squeezed the trigger again sending another shot well wide of the target.


    ¡°Shit. That sucks. Keep shooting. Don¡¯t freak out like that. Bullet should only go out when you want it to.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Ella whined as she rubbed her shoulder. Everything was sore but she would definitely be feeling it tomorrow if she didn¡¯t have a bruise.


    Donna started laughing and completely ¡ª and very intentionally ¡ª clapped her hand on Ella¡¯s shoulder. Then she squeezed, grinding her thumb right into the spot that was sore.


    ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch. Get those huge Franken-fingers off me.¡±


    ¡°Oh quit whining. You need to massage that out like this.¡± Donna started grinding her thumb in and Ella yelped.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Donna continued while still digging her thumb into Ella¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at the gym.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Ella said sarcastically as she finally got Donna to let her go. She had spent more time at this place than she had wanted to and more money on ammunition than she wanted to. And the skeezy instructor had gotten more and more aggressive in his leering. She was going to go home and take like three showers.


    And yet later that day she was at the gym carrying Atlas stones and her shoulder was just a bit sore. She was looking into doing something like Habitat for Humanity instead to get stronger at the same time as helping people but COVID had prevented that for now.


    While she lifted she spent her time thinking through her research topics and prioritizing the work she needed to get done. She had pretty much sacrificed her personal life entirely to fit in training and needed to find a better balance.


    She also needed to carve out more time to figure out just what was going on but her leads were thin. Relying on her ¡°sense¡± had gotten her attacked in a cemetery, which, in turn, had led her to the firing range this morning.


    That night


    <h4>SoHo, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    That evening, Jae Young accompanied her walking aimlessly in the snow as she ¡°listened¡± for some sign of the supernatural. The one small thing they had found had been a strange flower that glowed unnaturally with her second sight. She got the strong feeling she shouldn¡¯t do anything with it, so they left it in the sidewalk crack in SoHo, the snow and wind doing its best to bury it.


    ¡°Winds howling,¡± grunted Jae and they reluctantly gave up.


    The next day she walked to the gym, keeping her eyes open. The snow and wind continued and the skies were dark. Her rubber boots with thick woolen socks weren¡¯t enough and she could feel the cold leech into her feet.


    Donna smacked her around some and then lost interest since Ella was obviously distracted. ¡°Get your head into the game!¡± And then clocked her with a vicious hook that Ella staggered from.


    ¡°I¡¯m done¡± Donna backed off and took off her gloves. ¡°You are not here. That punch was telegraphed like David Alter sent it.¡±


    ¡°Who is that? Some boxer?¡±


    Donna gave a rare smile. ¡°Yeah. David ¡°The Demon¡± Alter. Anyway I¡¯ll catch you later in the week when you are more focused.¡±


    Ella felt a bit bad and was about to pull off her gloves when Craig ducked through the ropes and came in.


    She tried to demur, ¡°I am not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°What has mood to do with it? You fight when the necessity arises ¡ª no matter the mood!¡± and he launched a hard roundhouse at her thigh. She shifted her weight and took the blow with a slight turn of her shin outwards before launching a cross.


    They traded blows, Ella intentionally tanking a lot of them and trying to set up for hits. Craig kept upping the power of his hits and by the end she wasn¡¯t sparring as much as going full out. She barely noticed when she stepped into him with a hard hip check catching him off balance, a rabbit punch and heel hook managed to keep him moving back.


    ¡°Nice. If I wasn¡¯t double your weight, that would have knocked me. Nice to see that flow¡­ umph!¡±


    Ella had gone for something flashy she had seen someone else do and landed a spinning back kick right in his ribs knocking him down. Something she had only done against the heavy bag before and it hit hard.


    ¡°Well fuck. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be telling you to be ready and then not be myself.¡± Craig wheezed a bit as he caught his breath.


    He got up again and put her down hard with a quick jab, cross and a sweep / stiff-arm move. She got up again and he just grabbed her and threw her back down.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ever be able to take me down. The weight difference is too much.¡±


    Ella smiled while looking down. For the first time, Craig had resorted to throwing his mass around. She held out her hand when he started to strip off his gloves, ¡°let¡¯s go again.¡±


    In the end she stayed for hours and even Donna threw in a ¡°fuck it¡± and, despite having showered, got back into it when she saw them going at it.


    Ella broke down and grabbed an Uber. She was sore and bruised, far too much to fall asleep and she ended up spending her time trying to get her head around a paper on arXiv. Then she spent her time trying to do some modeling in software, something she really needed to work on more. Her Python code was a spaghetti mess by the end.


    Dawn rose and she felt more relaxed. Hard physical work and mental work had taken the edge off.


    And then Jae-Young called and blew her calm out of the water.

 01.020 History

    Monday, November 29, 2021


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, New York, United States</h4>


    ¡°Hey lover¡­ this an early morning booty call?.¡± Ella was relaxed and a bit punchy from staying up all night.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± The voice was unfamiliar and Ella quickly looked at her phone. She had seen Jae-Young¡¯s name but hadn¡¯t noticed that it was a group call.


    ¡°Ummm¡­ Ella, this is my grandfather.¡± Jae-Young¡¯s voice broke in. Ella could feel the flush in her face, and she stammered a bit before a greeting.


    ¡°Well, young lady, it appears nae sonja didn¡¯t tell me everything.¡± The voice was somewhat gravelly with age, but sounded amused. The accent was entirely different from Jae-Young¡¯s. Strangely enough, a mix between what sounded like British and Chinese.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ella. I told him everything¡­ about you.¡± Jae-Young sounded despairingly apologetic. The kind of voice you would wring hands over.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Jae. I have wanted to tell my parents so many times. And, even, sometimes my brother.¡±


    The grandfather interrupted the moment of silence, ¡°When Jae-Young called me, I wasn¡¯t ever expecting what he told me. And then he told me you needed some way to connect with this other side. So, I have a story to tell, but knowing will be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Not knowing right now is dangerous for me, sir.¡±


    And without any preamble he began:


    <blockquote>


    "I was born in Hong Kong in 1921. My mother was, as you know from Jae-Young, from Iceland and had traveled through Europe and then fled the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. I didn¡¯t know much more than that of her past as she never spoke of it. When she was asked, she would just smile and move to other subjects.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    I did not know what she was when I was young. She had married my father, a minor Korean banker, who had fled the encroaching Japanese occupation. Perhaps they found commonality in that.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    My mother was a sight in Hong Kong, blonde with pale skin and blue eyes, and we attracted attention wherever we went, but the people were mostly kind.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    One day, my father and mother made me dress in my finest clothing. We were to meet with a very important banker about the development of Kowloon. Kowloon at the time was an abandoned military fort that existed in a legal absence and was already developing a reputation as a slum.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    I remember the day well. My father was so nervous, and Hong Kong is brutally humid in the summer. We took a rickshaw to the fanciest gardens I had ever been and walked into the room.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    I saw a sitting man surrounded by a large group of others: he was very elegant, almost perfect. I remember thinking he was the most attractive person I had ever seen. He wore an elegant morning coat and very expensive tinted spectacles. I could remember thinking everyone else paled in comparison to him. Even his clothes somehow felt like what our clothes wished they could be."


    </blockquote>


    The voice on the line paused for a moment. And Ella could hear the tremendous age in this recitation. As if this story was forcing the man to confront how long he had lived.


    <blockquote>


    "But, this is not what stood out about him. He was glowing. It was blinding. I thought I would go blind. I didn¡¯t understand why everyone else was ignoring it. It was not light I saw with my eyes, and ¡ª even with them closed ¡ª I would be able to see the glow. My mother, I remember her sudden and terrified grip on my hand, she squeezed so hard it hurt.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Then she whispered something into my father¡¯s ear. I could not hear it but whatever it was, he did not care. He argued with her some, but she stood firm. He bowed and apologized to the strange glowing man, and we left.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    I never knew if my mother saw what I saw. She told me to never say anything. That I was to keep quiet and even should I live a hundred years, this man could hurt me. Well, I am over a hundred now and breaking that promise. And I am doing so because of that man, I could not let go of my curiosity. I found out who he was by listening to my father complain about the missed opportunity. I saw him occasionally in the newspapers.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    And when we fled Hong Kong during the war, into China for a time and then back to Korea after, I saw in the newspaper that this man, a very important banker, had fled to America, and died at sea with his wife. But his son survived and became a very important financier after the War.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    And he looked exactly like his father.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Without the warning of my mother, I might have thought it merely familial resemblance. And I spoke to her before she left, and she told me he would live forever. That nothing would kill him, and I should never even think about him again."


    </blockquote>


    ¡°Before she left?¡± Jae-Young asked tentatively?


    ¡°Oh yes, she was an elf and, thus, long lived. When my father was dying of old age, she told me she would retreat from the world as her kind did. That we might never see each other again. I don¡¯t think I ever accepted that, but one day she was gone. All her clothes and items left but one family picture she took with her. She left her ring, which Jae-Young has, and that was the last time I saw her.¡±


    ¡°And so,¡± Ella said, ¡°somewhere out there is a person who glows, who will live forever, and that your mother was terrified of?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When I knew him, his name was Wu Shen and the son¡¯s name was Wu Longwei. He was a very important man, pivotal in founding the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.¡±


    His grandfather¡¯s voice strengthened, "I have held onto this for so long. It is a relief to tell someone, and it is a blessing that it is someone that will believe me.


    After some thought, Ella said hesitantly, ¡°Well that gives us something to start with.¡±


    ¡°No, it gives us two leads,¡± said Jae-Young. ¡°My great-grandmother is probably still alive. Somewhere.¡±


    The grandfather laughed, ¡°I would love to see her. I am not sure how long I will live, her blood is weak in me as compared to Jae-Young. And I will get to yell at her for leaving me even if I was a middle-aged man when she went. That will feel good.¡±


    ¡°Oehalabeonim, kansamnida¡± Jae Young murmured.


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Ella said forcefully.


    ¡°Of course. And I admit, I always wanted to know who that man was. So please be careful, but let me know. I would love to know before I pass.¡±

 01.021 Reset

    Later That Morning (Monday, November 29, 2021)


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella lay in bed. The sunlight peeked through the drawn curtains and denied her attempt to go to sleep. She was tired after staying up the whole night but her mind kept racing through what she had heard.


    She pulled her phone out and started to write notes on it all. And seeing it in print left very few choices.


    There were two potential leads, Jae¡¯s great grandmother who might be in Iceland and this immortal, glowing banker who might be dangerous.


    She picked up the phone and FaceTimed Jae-Young. Her smile was brittle, ¡°You have your passport?¡±


    Unsurprisingly, tickets to Reykjavik from New York in the winter were cheap. They bought them for the winter break.


    Until then, Ella trained harder and harder. Her life turned into fighting, physics work, then physical training. In the late evenings while Ella studied, he spent time on the phone with his grandfather and distant relatives in Iceland, trying to trace more about this mysterious ancestor.


    Jade and Charlie often joined them to study but her relentless focus was too much. Ella knew she needed to stay on her game. She couldn¡¯t go ask for a sabbatical just having started her doctorate program and there was no time.


    Even her body started feeling painful and sore from the training she was doing. She fought with increasing desperation each morning, Donna enjoying the ferocity, and Craig was still able to brush her off with his experience. But it still helped quiet her fears. The high-knee sprint to Union Square in the evening through the snow and weightlifting at the end of the day at the school gym became a count of marginal gains in time and pounds.


    Jae told her she needed to relax some and started playing small pranks on her to loosen her up, the worst of which was when he loaded her workout playlist with a bunch of 1980s movie music. It was a regular training montage of cheese.


    Yet, when she would lie down at night, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. What did it mean to have this magical crown? What was she planning on doing with it? A crown implied that she had subjects, and the party she had attended definitely reinforced that idea. She didn¡¯t know how to rule over people¡­


    It was two days before winter break and she came home from her morning gym to find a crowd in Jade and her shared studio.


    ¡°Yes, Ella, this is an intervention.¡± Charlie chuckled and handed her a drink.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Even Jae was there and, when she looked around, Professor Fedoriw was sitting there cup in hand.


    Jade stood up and said, ¡°Ella. You have just gone insane. You are either at the gym or studying. You don¡¯t sleep and that shit is keeping me up at night.¡±


    Charlie chimed in, ¡°And you look like shit!¡±


    The professor stood up and held his hands out placatingly, ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not be mean. What your friend Charlotte meant to say, is ¡®we are all worried about you, and you look like shit.¡¯¡±


    Ella sat down on her bed next to Jae and looked at him. ¡°Did you know about this?¡±


    Jae-Young shook his head, ¡°I just came over and found them here. But I agree with them. You are trying to do too much, too intensely.¡±


    Ella looked around the room and saw looks of concern. Except for Charlie who winked at her.


    She looked at Craig, sitting next to his sister, ¡°I suppose this is why you weren¡¯t at the gym this morning?¡±


    Craig just nodded solemnly.


    ¡°Well, here is to having friends that care,¡± and she tipped back her cup of orange juice to find out it was a very, very strong screwdriver. After coughing, she yelled at Charlie, ¡°It is like eight in the morning!.. Are you all drinking this?¡±


    Charlie stood up and in that strong Savannah belle accent that came out, knowingly, only when she was at her most obnoxious, ¡°Why, yes we are, hun. To a day of inebriation and vice.¡±


    Everyone raised their cup, toasted, and took a swig. Jade turned on the music and started dancing on her bed. Craig snuck out with a small wave to her. Ella caught Professor Fedoriw adding more vodka into the pitcher.


    Eventually the morning bled into lunchtime when pizza showed up, this deliverance did not go unrewarded by the crowd, although sated hunger meant people started to leave or pass out.


    Professor Fedoriw on his way out, ¡°Consider your winter break as starting now. You are going to be a brilliant physicist one day, but not if you burn yourself out, balwan.¡± He patted her on the head affectionately on his way out.


    As things wound down, she was cuddled up with Jae-Young in a half-drunken haze. He suddenly spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for ambushing you. I understand that getting stabbed freaked you out, but you were out of control.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were asleep,¡± Ella mumbled, ¡°And you are right. All of you. But you are wrong. It wasn¡¯t getting stabbed¡­¡±


    She tried in her head to put it in words, ¡°I have this tiara thing. But what does it mean? I am not even worried about the why me part. Instead, what do I do with it? I have been training because I¡¯ve been stabbed twice! But what does it mean to be a princess? What is magic and why is it appearing now?¡±


    ¡°So I started reading about monarchies and governance in case I needed to¡­ But you have seen the news and the strange things happening at the edges. People disappearing, communications being disrupted¡­ Something big is coming. Conflict is coming. And I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Uneasy, the head that wears the crown,¡± murmured Jae-Young.


    ¡°Shit, that is right on. But what is worse is when that crown sits on the head of someone that knows nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well whatever this is, you will rise to it. It is all very unfair. Unfair to you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well tell me something I don¡¯t know¡­¡± her voice murmured sleepily. ¡°Well I suppose we will find out more in Iceland.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± And he listened to her breathing even out as she fell into a deep and still sleep.

 01.022 Coffee

    Friday, December 17, 2021


    <h4>Think Coffeehouse, Greenwich Village, New York, United States</h4>


    ¡°So I was thinking, the people of Iceland are big into these legends of elves. They think they live in rocks in lava fields and other areas like that.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± said Ella as she paged through Jae-Young¡¯s notes.


    ¡°Well¡­ we aren¡¯t going to be finding cosmopolitan elves hanging around in Reykjavik and running coffee shops and whatever.¡±


    ¡°Why not? I wouldn¡¯t have expected one to be a film grad student in New York either!¡±


    ¡°Point. But I doubt they go to the grocery store and tell the cashier they want a lottery ticket, a pack of smokes, and a magical ring to disguise themselves, oh yeah, the pink one with a built-in mood stone.¡± Jae was talking excitedly but under his breath as they sat across from one another in the coffeehouse. Unlucky undergrads, cursed with exams on the final day of the exam period, surrounded them, studying and chatting and kept a murmur of sound around them.


    Three tables over, Kothin sat, hunched over a book in a pantomime of the students around them.


    ¡°Nah, they¡¯d definitely go for the ring pop one. Magical camo and delicious lollipop all in one.¡±


    ¡°So I figure any elves have got to be living out in the open or something. Somewhere kind of remote where humans occasionally see them from far away but never close enough for proof.¡±


    ¡°You do realize a lot of Iceland is the definition of remote, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I do.¡±


    They stopped and spent time coming through the documents that Jae-Young had pulled together.


    ¡°Jae¡­ I, ummm, wanted to thank you for doing all this. And going with me to Iceland. You know you don¡¯t have to, right?¡± Ella tentatively ventured.


    ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t worry. This is my history too.¡±


    ¡°But this could be super dangerous. I¡¯ve been stabbed. Twice!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t deny my choices. My whole life I have been a freak hiding who I am. This is my chance to find out more. I would take it even if you weren¡¯t involved.¡±


    Ella read through the notes one more time and pulled out her phone to look at a map of Iceland. She knew something was bothering her. Something they were missing.


    ¡°I am going to get another espresso. You want anything?¡±


    Jae-Young nodded his head no, still engrossed in the papers.


    She wandered over to the counter and ordered an espresso and a black coffee. Once they were served up, she headed back and then sat down at the table with Kothin and slid over the coffee.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how you take your coffee. With poison was it?¡±


    Kothin looked up at her and laughed. ¡°I suppose reusing the same ring was arrogant.¡± He took the coffee and blew over the top before taking a sip.


    ¡°Well that and I could ¡®see¡¯ something, a wisp of light connecting your table and ours.¡±


    His eyes opened a bit wider, ¡°That is impressive.¡±


    "Well, you caught me. I was just keeping an eye on you. Trying to not cramp your style. "


    ¡°I think it is time for a more frank discussion. I have been banging my head over what is going on, why I am involved and the rest. And I want answers.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I thought about it as I said I would and the truth is: I have very little in the way of answers, only the same questions you probably have: why the Emperor crowned you? Why, after being trapped away from everything I was able to emerge twenty years ago? Why are more and more of the People escaping?¡±


    He held his hands out wide and shrugged. Then drank more coffee


    ¡°Do you know where Jae-Young¡¯s great grandmother is?¡±


    Jae-Young, who had come over when Ella had sat down, looked with interest.


    ¡°No, why would I, and is this him?¡± Kothin held out his hand and shook Jae-Young¡¯s.


    Ella tilted her head at Jae-Young which he read as asking for permission, he decided to do it himself, ¡°This ring is like yours,¡± holding up his hand.


    Kothin¡¯s expression did not change. ¡°You are of the People then. And you need what exactly?¡±


    ¡°I may be one of the ¡®People¡¯ as you put it, but I was raised with humans. I never was in one of these pocket worlds you talk about. I know nothing about my heritage and nothing about this.¡± Jae-Young spoke in a whisper but it was gaining steam as his pent-up frustration poured out, ¡°I was born an elf and made to hide it. Pretend to be something I am not but I also don¡¯t know what I am. How can I be at peace this way?¡±


    Kothin put down the coffee mug he had been drinking from and leaned forward, ¡°I can tell you very little. I was born and grew up in one of these shards, one that was made from an ancestral home of my people torn from reality and set adrift.¡±


    ¡°Imagine you live on an island, and if you pass through the mists that border the island, you most of the time end up on the other side of that island.¡±


    Ella interrupted, ¡°You said most of the time. What happens the rest of the time?¡±


    ¡°Well the person disappears. And sometimes a path appears in the mists, an opening, and you can see right through to somewhere else. Like here. Or another of the shards. Such connections are often short-lived. But the connections to this world, they started small, but now they grow larger and seem more stable.¡±


    Ella was almost fidgeting in her excitement. ¡°I have a hypothesis¡± She flattened out a paper napkin from her coffee.


    ¡°Imagine this is our universe as it existed back when everything was magical and the People were a part of it.¡±


    She then pinched part of the napkin in the middle and puffed up the captured piece.


    ¡°The emperor, for each of these sharded lands, folded over a portion of our spacetime into a little pocket of a small self-contained collapsed world. And then added something to stitch it together, like the knot of a balloon.¡±


    ¡°So these small self-contained worlds stay attached to reality¡­ maybe jutting into unfolded higher dimensional space? Nah, that would be really expensive in energy¡­ well something. And sometimes they open up a bit or don¡¯t seal all the way. Although it is hard to know what they are anchored to and how they would manifest¡±


    ¡°Why do it this way?¡±


    Ella¡¯s brain was in overdrive. ¡°You said it yourself. Magic was fading. He stuffed these little pockets with magic like the filling of a ravioli. He did it to concentrate on what was left somehow. He shoved magic into these worlds, these hidden kingdoms of magic and new physics.¡±


    ¡°It was imperfect of course. The seams are unraveling so the boundaries are starting to fail.¡±


    ¡°If he is altering fundamental physics this way, is magic an emergent property? Is it a fundamental force? Hmm¡­ it is something I have thought about but didn¡¯t have anything to go forward with besides raw speculation. Hell, maybe magic is a missing boson. Ooh! And I wonder if I could apply Donaldson¡¯s Theorem to the topology? Einstein says that dimensions can¡¯t be torn, what if he was wrong - maybe they are untethered bubbles? The mists instead of smooth attachments seem to imply poor stitching.¡± Ella was almost muttering to herself and now typing ideas rapidly in her phone.


    At this point, Jae-Young reached over to hold Ella¡¯s hand for her attention, ¡°Hey. Remember- film student here.¡±


    She came back to herself. ¡°Oh sorry. I just need to put this together in the language I understand. Basically the napkin-ball theory feels right to me. Need to do some math on it eventually. And lug a ton of equipment into one of these pockets.¡±


    Ella suddenly stopped and her mind went tangentially to the party, ¡°So¡­ were those fairies part of your world? How were you at this party?¡±


    Kothin smiled, ¡°You went right to the point. The fae seemed to be free of these constraints. They traveled from world to world and would bring news when it suited them. They were like ghosts in our world, insubstantial and hard to see, but I did get one to admit they appeared differently in other worlds. When you can get them to admit anything. This was the first time I had ever seen them manifest to that level.¡±


    Ella typed into her phone furiously, muttering under her breath.


    Ella¡¯s phone alarm went off, her phone vibrating on the table which she snatched up quickly. ¡°We have to go. But Kothin, I want more time for questions and no dodging me.¡±


    ¡°As you command, your royal highness.¡± Ella blushed at that address


    Ella and Jae-Young packed up their belongings and said their goodbyes.


    Kothin sat a while, sipping his coffee. ¡°She is sharper than I thought to catch me. And she is getting a handle on some of her magic even without help. Better be careful.¡±


    A text appeared on his phone sitting on the table:


    <blockquote>


    Not as clumsy as u


    </blockquote>

 01.023 Huldufè´¸lk

    Wednesday, December 22, 2021


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella looked over her packed bags one more time. She had stripped down and packed them several times to maximize what would carry her the furthest. Waterproofed, cold-weather hiking boots. Lots of technical and technicolor clothing she had scrounged from friends.


    She threw in some notebooks and other random items and called it good.


    Jade had already left for the holiday with her brother Craig and a large group who were all going to New Hampshire for skiing. She sat down and waited for Jae-Young.


    While she sat, she read her beginner¡¯s text on public policy. After being knee deep in math and physics for so long, it was a breath of fresh air even if she wasn¡¯t sure whether it was the right thing to be doing. The crown¡¯s meaning still eluded her and whether it meant she needed to be studying these sorts of things.


    She alternated reading chapters with doodling theorems on encapsulated finite dimensions and emergent properties of higher dimensions. All with tons of caveats and unknowns.


    When Jae-Young let himself in, he found Ella laughing. She looked up at him, ¡°Imagine if I stick this crap up on arXiv? I¡¯d never be able to show my face again. Who the fuck would buy it? Magic?¡±


    Jae-Young looked at her, ¡°Ella, something happened. Something weird and terrible.¡±


    He grabbed his phone, pulled up a news clip, and handed the phone to her. She looked at the headline for a while. And then a while longer before scrolling down the article.


    ¡°A huge tidal wave in Madagascar? I mean that is terrible. But what does it have to do with us?¡±


    ¡°Read further. The tidal wave was supposedly caused by the re-emergence of sunken continental portions near Mauritius. A small archipelago. And sunken long before humans existed, But, there are strange ruins on this land that can¡¯t be explained. A bunch of science teams are already en route.¡±


    ¡°And you think¡­ this is the reemergence of one of our hidden kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°Is that the royal ¡®Our¡¯ there?¡±


    Ella flushed. ¡°No. Stop. You know this crown thing is bullshit. But it is worrying since this might be the first large-scale event we all have seen that could be related.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe.¡±


    They talked a while longer but conclusions were thin. The decision was to keep an eye on the news and see what other events seemed out of place.


    The next day (Thursday, December 23, 2021)


    Jfk, Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States


    Even by the next day, the US news cycle had moved on to upticks in right-wing militia group threats and the Christmas shopping season.


    The airport was full of families traveling for the Christmas holiday despite the mask restrictions and testing. Both Ella and Jae-Young found some seats away from the gate to await their flight and when they boarded and crammed into the seats, pulled out their research materials for Iceland.


    They had lucked out in finding some inexpensive stays and a rental 4x4 to travel the more remote regions.


    What they had not expected as they exited the airport was someone holding a sign with their names on it. A young, petite woman with delicate features, slate-blue eyes under a milkmaid braid, and a half smile. Heavy boots peeked out from under a long puffy coat with white fur trim.


    ¡°Jae-Young? And is this Eleanor? It is nice to meet you. I¡¯m ¨¢lfheieur. Just this way¡­¡± and she quickly led them to the short term parking lot right next to the terminal, chattering the whole way and avoiding any of their questions.


    ¡°You¡¯ll love Iceland. The people here are nice and the volcanoes are amazing. Plus learning to speak Icelandic is an adventure in itself! Why I never knew that until my favorite volcano, Fagradalsfjall, started erupting and the news kept getting the name wrong. It wasn¡¯t as bad as when Eyjafjallaj?kull erupted. That was crazy. Especially how many people mispronounced it. Like who does that? And my friends said it was better than Fagradalsfjall but that is totally not true¡­¡±


    Before they got in the car, Jae-Young stopped and forced the issue. ¡°Who are you? Where are you taking us? How do you know who we are?¡±


    ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m ¨¢lfheieur. And I am taking you to your great-grandmother. She really wants to meet you, Jae-Young. And she likes Fagradalsfjall the best too. Which makes her on my side really. Have you tried h¨¢karl? You should! That and a glass of¡­¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    And she was off again¡­


    Bemused, they found themselves in a very fancy, boxy Mercedes with 6 wheels. The interior was swathed in soft brown, quilted leather and ¨¢lfheieur took the wheel and floored it out of the garage.


    Soon they were traveling away from Reykjavik at a blistering pace weaving between the few cars on the highway. After an hour, Ella asked, ¡°How much further is it? We have been traveling for quite a while already.¡±


    ¡°Just about five more hours. You should take a nap. But then you¡¯ll miss all the natural beauty on this drive. Have you been to H¨²sav¨ªk before? Well too bad since we aren¡¯t going there but we are going near there¡­¡±


    Even if they had wanted to rest, it would have been impossible with ¨¢lfheieur constantly talking. And the whole thing still made them a bit nervous.


    Later That same day (Thursday, December 23, 2021)


    Near H¨²sav¨ªk, Iceland


    ¡°Ah we are almost there.¡± ¨¢lfheieur pointed to the side of the highway but neither Ella or Jae-Young could see anything before ¨¢lfheieur pulled the wheel and drove right off the highway onto the volcanic plain, the rear end sliding out even with the extra axles and large knobby tires.


    The whole cabin shook and gyrated as the vehicle jumped and twisted its way over rock. ¨¢lfheieur took a steady hand and let it slide around and bounce.


    ¡°I think I am going to be sick.¡± Ella said under her breath.


    ¡°Vomit bags are in the seat pockets in front of you! Just like an airplane.¡±


    Ella eyed the small bag sticking out from the seat pocket and was about to fold when the car skidded to a halt.


    ¡°Woohoo! We are here!¡±


    Looking around they saw a stony outcropping of rock, half buried in snow. ¨¢lfheieur did not even wait but hopped right out and started marching through the snow to the outcropping. ¡°Come on!¡±


    Ella and Jae-Young looked at one another. Ella shrugged and they got out and started walking through the snow. As they got close to ¨¢lfheieur she spun on a heel and went into a passageway cut into the rock.


    Another shrug and they ducked into the carved tunnel. Ella felt a sense of dislocation when she entered, as the rough carved tunnel transitioned into fine mosaics of trees seamlessly blending with the marquetry river on the floor. The walls gently reflected the indirect lighting hidden above the crown mounding.


    It was elegant and gentle and beautiful. And Ella could feel something in the air. A light odor of incense filled the air, almost imperceptible, and Ella could not quite tell the scent, wood of some sort but not the heavier scents her mother would light occasionally.


    The wooden stream opened into a large chamber. Several tall elves, dressed in gray robes, stood around chatting and Ella could feel Jae-Young¡¯s hand tighten around hers. The incense was slightly stronger here and the room was crossed with small channels where water ran, emitting steam that partially obscured the floor.


    ¡°They will not approach you first. It would be polite for you to take a drink and a small snack first as indicating you have accepted their hospitality.¡± ¨¢lfheieur murmured, ¡°Oh, and take off that ring, Jae-Young. There is no need for it here.¡±


    Jae-Young looked at her and then his hand and with a determined motion, pulled it off. His features transformed, adopting the same canted eyes, triangular shaped face, and pointed ears of the others in the room. His skin retained the olive tones he had in his human guise as opposed to the paler skin of the elves here who resembled ¨¢lfheieur.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly! I¡¯m just a normal human. Now go and get something to drink and eat.¡±


    Jae-Young and Ella walked to a table set to the side where two small plates and glasses sat. The scent of caraway overrode the incense and they took sips of the strong liquor and bites of the toasts with a mix of roe and smoked fish. The murmur of conversation and even the sound of trickling water stopped as they finished.


    ¡°Welcome great-grandson. And is this Ella?¡± An elf turned around and walked over to them. She was as young looking as Ella with long coiffed silver-blonde hair and amber eyes.


    ¡°I hope ¨¢lfheieur¡¯s driving wasn¡¯t too terrifying. But when I heard from my friends at Islendingabok who told me that someone was inquiring about their ancestry, and it matched my journey so well, I couldn¡¯t resist a little surprise welcome party.¡± Her voice had a cadence and accent similar to ¨¢lfheieur but the tonality was almost sing-song in its nature.


    ¡°Well, it was a surprise for sure,¡± murmured Ella.


    ¡°Your grandfather was pleased to hear from me. He has had such an interesting life.¡±


    Jae-Young blurted out, ¡°Why did you leave?¡±


    ¡°Well, so he could have that interesting life of course. He would have never been able to truly join the world outside trailing me around. I left him the truth, that ring should one of his children need it as you did, and the freedom to live.¡±


    She looked at Jae-Young and you could see her expression change to one of empathy, ¡°I am over sixteen hundred years old. It is a burden that I did not want my son to carry and so I let him grow to adulthood and left him as all human parents must. Our kind must do that to allow our children to blossom, else they would always be oppressed by earlier generations.¡±


    Her gaze switched to Ella and became colder, ¡°Age makes me direct, it is not very elven I suppose, but although I talked to my son and he told me you knew about us, he would not say more. Jae-Young will live for millennia barring violence or accident. He will always remember you, but you must know this. Maybe his trust in you is foolish, for him to reveal himself and us. Even if you carry something so powerful as that.¡± And she pointed to the bear tooth pendant Ella had around her neck.


    Even though Ella wanted to know more about the tooth, she now recognized the others in the room were only pretending to converse with one another, there was a tension in the air.


    Ella gave a slight shake of her head to Jae-Young. She had been suppressing her senses and magic as much as she could, and Ella could tell that these elves did not know the whole truth of her. The tooth being that special, well, that was a new bit of information.


    Ella took a deep breath, ¡°I have no intention of causing problems for you.¡± She raised her voice and looked around the room, ¡°Any of you.¡±


    ¡°Jae-Young revealed himself to me because I experienced something magical.¡± Ella let her hand rise to the pendant and grab it, using a bit of truth and misdirection.


    ¡°Well. Be that as it may. The Hulduf¨®lk bid you welcome.¡±

 01.024 Sitdown

    That same day (Thursday, December 23, 2021)


    <h4>The Hidden Kingdom Of The Hulduf¨®lk, Near H¨²sav¨ªk, Iceland</h4>


    The both of them followed J¨®hanna as she led them down a corridor silently. She walked elegantly, almost floating, but somehow managed to maintain a quick pace.


    They entered another room, J¨®hanna ducking through the short doorway, and found their bags were already there. It was a small sitting room, like a hotel suite.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit here¡± and she promptly sat down and gestured to the other two chairs.


    ¡°Our people are a fallen one. Many ages ago, we were part of the world and we apparently numbered among the powers of this world. But now? We only remember a small part of our history, many died or left, we take human names and speak human languages. And all we have left is this¡­¡± she made a broad wave of her hand, ¡°a strange remnant of a place. Connected to the world through that tunnel you entered, but were I to dig in any other direction, we would come to a dark void where nothing exists. And I do not know how this came to be, because it was before I was born. Many died on that day when this place we were staying in, just a stopover on our people¡¯s journey, suddenly broke apart.¡±


    ¡°Our hosts ¡ª the ones who lived here ¡ª eventually succumbed to age. A strange people who looked like rock, but kind in their way.¡±


    ¡°So we hide here and live out our days, venturing onto the ice and into human cities without any purpose.¡±


    Her far off faze sharpened and she brought her attention to Jae-Young, ¡°So what purpose brings you here? To this forgotten cavern with a forgotten people just eking out their existence?¡±


    Jae-Young closed his eyes but was quick to respond, ¡°I wanted to find out what being an elf meant. I wear this ring every day and when I close my eyes and dream, I am human in those dreams. I want to know more.¡±


    Without pausing he went on, ¡°But we aren¡¯t here because of that. I might never have worked up the courage to look for you. I did it because of what happened to Ella.¡±


    ¡°You found this tooth? And what else?¡± Her gaze sat expectantly on Ella.


    Ella decided to play a bit coy, ¡°The tooth is part of it. I also met a, well, a dwarf. Based on your description, this was their home before.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°A dverger? That is what I always thought from the way the records described them.¡±


    ¡°Well this dwarf told me that a long time ago, an emperor, he saw magic was fading and broke apart the magical lands into small pockets to save those he could. Many of these pockets lost all connection to the wider world, but it appears that some still had an attachment. Like this place.¡±


    J¨®hanna took a moment, ¡°This is more than I was able to find out in millennia of searching. Almost all the People were gone in the wider world. This dwarf? I would love to speak more to him.¡±


    Jae-Young broke in, perhaps less suspicious of his great-grandmother, ¡°Ella can introduce you. Can¡¯t you?¡±


    Ella nodded yes. ¡°He hasn¡¯t told me much. He says his own small world, his hidden kingdom, only reconnected with the wider world twenty years ago.¡±


    ¡°We came here to know more and learn more. But it seems that you know as little as we do.¡± Jae-Young sounded despondent. Neither of them wanted to rely on contacting the mysterious banker.


    ¡°Hold on there. I do not have a sense of what happened those many ages ago. But, we aren¡¯t entirely without lore. Very recently, in fact, we invited another elf to live with us. He has been here for a mere two hundred years. But he is older and wiser than us. And knows some of the old magic. He may have some advice around that tooth at least.¡± J¨®hanna looked at Ella and her hostility was gone, ¡°may I see it again.¡±


    Ella gingerly reached to her neck and hesitated a moment before pulling it out. J¨®hanna shuddered when it came out.


    ¡°I never had much aptitude for our magic, you see? So it merely is blindingly bright and painful. Those that fell down are much more sensitive.¡± She paused and looked at Jae-Young, ¡°what do you see?¡±


    He confused, ¡°it glows and gives me a headache.¡±


    ¡°Well that is unspecific. I suppose I¡¯ll have old Kertasn¨ªkir take a look at you as well. Now put that away dear. It is quite uncomfortable to see.¡±


    Ella dropped the tooth back into her blouse.


    After another pause, Jae-Young said, ¡°I have so many questions. Am I like, a half-elf? What does it mean? How long am I going to live?¡±


    J¨®hanna laughed a bit. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come with me and you can talk to the others. We don¡¯t know a lot about it but we may have some answers.¡±


    Ella said, ¡°I¡¯m going to rest a bit. Have fun.¡± and as she leaned into give Jae-Young a kiss she whispered, ¡°Keep the crown quiet for now please.¡±


    He nodded and left the room.


    That night, Jae-Young sat in a chair talking about what had happened. He was excited to have not worn his ring all day and the litany of names of those he had met and small bits of elven lore he had gathered he shared excitedly. Ella had spent the time napping and was now working off nervous energy doing a mix of intervals of airboxing and burpees leaving her mostly out of breath.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you want to talk about what happened? I kept your secret but maybe J¨®hanna would know more.¡±


    Ella hopped back up to her feet panting lightly, ¡°You saw how they reacted to the tooth. And I still don¡¯t know what that is about. I know she is family to you and an elf too, but I just want to keep this close to the vest.¡±

 01.025 Merry Christmas

    Friday, December 24, 2021


    <h4>The Hidden Kingdom Of The Hulduf¨®lk</h4>


    ¡°So anyway. Are you liking it here? Aren¡¯t elves the coolest? You know I was an orphan right? My parents died when I was tiny, fell right down a glacier crevice and were never seen again! And the elves found me wandering near the camp and took me in. And look at me now, it is like a huge family of immortal fairy creatures! And they have so few children they just have no idea what to do with me. So I was pretty spoiled for a while but then they decided that it wasn¡¯t going well. Did you know elves often won¡¯t talk very much? Like go silent for a year because they don¡¯t have much to say?¡± ¨¢lfheieur must breathe through other means as her continuous chatter never paused, Ella mused, she could say the most appalling things in that same cheery voice although the last part might explain the constant chatter.


    ¡°So Kertasn¨ªkir came here pretty recently. He is a guest I suppose although you would think two hundred years was enough to be considered permanent. I guess it is just like the hospitality in the H¨¢vam¨¢l though.¡±


    They continued down the corridor, ¨¢lfheieur¡¯s endless stream of words dropping just enough info to not have Ella tune out. Jae-Young was meeting with another elf about the same age as he was who had also spent some time among humans.


    They came to the end of the corridor and ¨¢lfheieur stopped talking abruptly, almost mid-sentence. She held her finger to her lips and gestured to the door, but then stopped to grab Ella¡¯s hand, pressing something into it. Ella looked down to see a candle.


    Ella stepped up to the door and gently knocked. The door wasn¡¯t closed and moved open on her knock. Inside the room flickered and as it opened she could see the light flicker from the candles, hundreds of them. The faint smell of beef and something bitter and unpleasant filled the air.


    ¡°Come in, come in.¡± A trembling voice came from the room. She walked in to see an elf ¡ª and why were they all so damn tall? ¡ª with a long flowing white beard and red cap. He was paging through a book, which, to Ella¡¯s bemusement, wasn¡¯t anything like an arcane tome, no, it was a trashy bodice-ripper romance novel.


    He kept reading and after reading what appeared to be the end of a chapter sighed a bit and placed the book on the table in front of him.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what we got here.¡± The elf looked up at her and squinted at her. He immediately paled and tore off the apparently fake beard before dropping to the floor, head pressed to the ground. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Ella reached to her head but she knew her crown wasn¡¯t showing. ¡°Get up and cut it out!¡± she whispered frantically looking back but ¨¢lfheieur had left already.


    The elf, much younger appearing without the beard, stood up but looked at her quizzically.


    ¡°Nobody knows who I am here. So no bowing and no ¡®Your Highness¡¯ stuff.¡± Ella felt ridiculous.


    The elf slowly rose to his feet, nodding sagely, ¡°You must be in hiding¡­ Many in the Thousand Kingdoms would not welcome the return to the empire.¡±


    ¡°The Thousand Kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, the Emperor Ekerri conquered lands beyond counting and was known as the Emperor of the Thousand Kingdoms. Now the kingdoms are broken apart into small little worlds of the People.¡±


    ¡°It is as good a name as any.¡± Ella mused as she internalized the name. This elf was already proving his value.


    ¡°I am at your service in all things. I should tell you, Your Highness, that I am not actually Kertasn¨ªkir¡±


    ¡°So who are you? And who is Kertasn¨ªkir anyway?¡±


    ¡°Kertasn¨ªkir is a trickster Santa-like figure here. I met him, and he thought it would be funny if I pretended to be him. It seemed like a good idea at the time.¡±


    Something tickled Ella¡¯s mind a bit, ¡°For 200 years?¡±


    ¡°Well, to be fair we were quite drunk.¡± Ella wasn¡¯t sure how the elf could keep a straight face saying something like that. ¡°Have you tried Brenniv¨ªn? It can be lethal.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°So who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Reynard. I am a traveling mage, and elf obviously.¡± He said the name with a heavy French accent.


    After they sat down at the table, Reynard began recounting his history: he was young when the Empire fell and didn¡¯t have much knowledge of what had happened or how. But Ella still had questions.


    ¡°How did you know who I was? None of the others here can tell.¡±


    ¡°I was a scholar-initiate at the Emperor¡¯s arcane academies. I am¡­ for lack of a better word, what passes for a magician in these non-magical times.¡±


    ¡°Then what can you tell me about this?¡± Ella pulled out the tooth pendant.


    Reynard¡¯s eyes widened. He did not gasp or fall to the ground or any of the other things that had happened before.


    He reached out to touch it and when he did, there was smoke and sizzling sound from his finger. He kept staring as the sizzling continued and Ella watched in paralyzed surprise for a moment before she pulled away. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Reynard came out of the trance and winced, his finger had burned off almost an entire joint, charred and raw, and he hissed in pain. The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. He quickly made some motions with his other hand and then relaxed.


    Ella looked around for bandages and was about to tear a scrap of cloth when he pulled a handkerchief and wrapped it. He cast another spell and took the cloth away: The burnt joint was now smooth with skin over it.


    ¡°Well I think I almost lost the hand. And I should know better, the masters would have expelled me for such foolishness.¡± He regarded the shortened finger almost distantly.


    Ella found her voice, ¡°Are you alright? What happened?¡± She stated in horror at the tooth sitting quietly in her hand before dropping it.


    ¡°I was a fool. I don¡¯t know what that is, but it is solid magic. No, it is more than solid. It is concentrated¡­ And I never knew such a thing was possible,¡± Reynard said in a voice of wonder. His hand lifted for a moment as if to touch it again.


    ¡°But what can I do with it? And your finger! What does it mean? I have this crown, this tooth, and I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing with it. He stabbed me in the chest with his scepter and suddenly my eyes are different and I am in a cave talking to an elf which I didn¡¯t even believe in six months ago.¡± Ella could feel the suppressed panic being let loose. She was blubbering.


    All the planning, working out, combat training, and her other methods to feel like the problem was manageable, it was about to unravel.


    ¡°Your Highness, please calm yourself. I don¡¯t have all the answers for you. But what I do know can help.¡±


    Some tears had escaped from Ella, but she looked up and whispered in anguish, ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I can teach you some magic. What little I know. I can tell you something about the Emperor and the last days of the empire. I can help you because I was loyal, and if the Emperor has woken and chosen you as his successor, then I will be loyal again.¡±


    ¡°So let¡¯s talk magic¡­¡±


    A few hours later Ella sat back in the chair. Her head was pounding from trying to understand what Reynard was telling her. She could make the slightest bit of light glow from her finger, an amount that would be unnoticed if they hadn¡¯t been sitting in a pitch dark room.


    ¡°Why do I move my hands like this?¡± Ella made a series of finger gestures.


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°Okay but what is special about doing it with my left hand?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue.¡±


    ¡°Ok. So how do I get it to be bright like you?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ practice.¡± Reynard shrugged his shoulders and then continued, ¡°Did I mention that I was just a scholar-initiate? To put that in perspective, take someone who just took high school physics and try to have them explain whatever it is you study.¡±


    ¡°I lived on the outside with humans for millennia. I attended the Athenian Platonic Academy until Sulla burned it down. I studied at the Imperial Academy and served under the Qing Emperor Yongzheng. I was most recently a post-doc at L¡¯¨¦cole Polytechnique. All trying to make sense of what little I had learned at my people¡¯s centers of learning so long ago.¡±


    ¡°And I couldn¡¯t make it work. I met many of your great thinkers. I even told some of them the truth and then showed it to them. But you are the first human who was able to even manage a finger glowing.¡±


    ¡°And, if I am being honest, it took me three months to do what you did in three hours. You will be formidable one day.¡±


    ¡°So how was your day?¡± Jae-Young asked while changing for bed. He looked happy. His ring sat in a small tray by the bed unworn.


    Ella was in bed already, tired but pleased toying with the pendant. ¡°Look at what I can do!¡± She raised her right hand and moved her fingers through the movements she had been practicing assiduously all day. Her hand started glowing. More than it had before. It got brighter and brighter flashing between colors as if cycling through a rainbow. The light became more intense until it hurt to look on. Ella quickly stopped and the room plunged into near darkness.


    ¡°Sorry, that was a bit more than I had expected.¡± The afterimages of the light left everything even harder to see, and Jae-Young had stopped getting undressed to let his eyes recover.


    His features were all more angular without the ring, his face more triangular and his limbs somewhat bony. Ella had thought he looked awkward and self-conscious before when he hadn¡¯t worn the ring, but now he looked relaxed and graceful. He slid into the bed beside her and she quickly moved over to say ¡°Merry Christmas¡± and then gave him a deep kiss.


    Afterwards, she got up and went to the washroom to clean up. He called out to her, ¡°Tomorrow they asked me to do some sort of private coming of age ceremony that we do. Something I missed out on. So I¡¯ll be gone for tomorrow as well.¡±


    Ella smiled a bit to see him happy even though he couldn¡¯t see her, ¡°Sure. I am going to try and learn more magic.¡±

 01.026 Bless Your Heart

    Christmas, Saturday, December 25 2021


    <h4>Charlie¡¯s Childhood Home, Savannah, Georgia, United States</h4>


    Charlie sat glumly on the chaise. Her mother was puttering around adding tinsel to the very oversized Christmas tree before the rest of the family came over and talking about how it was finally perfect. As if she hadn¡¯t paid some very expensive professionals to bring in and decorate the tree


    Charlie was digging around her purse when she had a happy bit of circumstance happen and she surreptitiously pulled out two forgotten tabs of molly that were sitting in the bottom. She quickly got up, scooped out some of the holiday punch into a glass and downed them. And promptly started coughing.


    Her mom looked over and tutted, ¡°Don¡¯t make a mess, dear. And lay off the punch. I won¡¯t have you drunk when everyone arrives. Not this year.¡±


    ¡°But it is okay later for everyone to be wasted,¡± muttered Charlie.


    ¡°What was that, Charlotte?¡± Her mother¡¯s stern tone of voice suggested she had heard what Charlie had said.


    Charlie drew herself up and in her most Savannah belle voice, modeled after her mother, said, ¡°I never did mind about the little things.¡±


    Her mother rolled her eyes and went back to fussing over the tree in the foyer. Charlie poured another glass of punch and waited for the tabs to hit.


    Soon there was commotion in the kitchen as the servants began preparing the food. Charlie whiled away the time on her phone playing Orbital on her phone while listening to club music with her headphones on.


    She almost jumped when her mom came over and pulled out her earbuds. ¡°Go upstairs and fix your hair. We spent hours on it this morning. And touch up your makeup - that may fly in Yankee territory, but not here.¡± She poured herself a drink, directly from the cognac on the liquor cart, skipping the punch entirely, Charlie noted. and drank it down in one go.


    As if her mom wasn¡¯t from Boston, but there was nobody as zealous as a convert and an aristocrat was an aristocrat anywhere. Her mother had easily transitioned from an upper-class Boston Brahmin to upper-class Southern Belle to the point where she could use the word ¡°Yankee¡± unironically.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Her father came down, his burly figure and genial expression hiding his innate coldness. Then again, her thankfully deceased grandfather had thought trying to sponsor her into the Ladies of the Invisible Empire had been a good idea. The fact her mother had shot it down would have been a point in her favor if it hadn¡¯t been accompanied with a tirade about ¡°trailer park trash.¡±


    He poured himself a drink and then motioned at her to go upstairs. She refilled her punch glass before going. On her way up, she heard the door open and the falsetto greetings of some of her aunts and cousins.


    She could still hear the greetings upstairs, the shrill voices penetrating the room door as she sat at her powder table fixing her hair before powdering her face and adding some blush.


    ¡°There¡­ a perfect southern whore.¡± She said to the mirror. For one moment she thought about adding some more dark accents, a bit more eyeshadow perhaps - a tiny bit of rebellion she could get away with, but decided it wasn¡¯t worth the looks her mother would give.


    She rang a bell by her door and Daisy came in. ¡°Unbutton this thing for me, would you? I¡¯d like to get some breathing in before heading down.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Daisy moved behind her and undid the hooked closure.


    Charlie took a deep breath in. ¡°I suppose you are going to tell me I¡¯ve gotten fat up in New York.¡±


    ¡°Never ma¡¯am. If you want to eat and drink like a pig, it would not be my place to tell you that.¡± There was no opinion her mother did not hold that Daisy did not hold doubly.


    ¡°Stupid dress is built like a corset.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    Charlie wondered if Daisy and her mother knew she knew about their relationship. Having walked onto them once in bed when she was five and then seeing them steal away or their unguarded glances occasionally. Charlie, at her worst moments, had thought about exposing them. Melissa Harris, grand dame of Savannah and arbiter of social mores, in a lesbian relationship with the help? The black help? As a teenager, she had thought about denouncing them to her father and what had stayed her hand had been the certainty that her father¡¯s rebuke would have been over her mother not being discreet enough and nothing else.


    Well, they had been together for at least fifteen years if last night had been an indication, so at least Charlie had to give her mother credit for managing one long-term relationship.


    The dour thoughts tread well-worn paths in her mind. Eventually she had Daisy button her up, and Charlie went back down to the party.


    It was night time, and Charlie was thinking her molly had been a dud, or maybe that being home was too much for mere drugs to overcome when they heard a bit of commotion.


    Cousin Astor, the spoiled brat came in, and said, ¡°It¡¯s snowing!¡±


    The crowd rushed to the windows, leaving Uncle Pete on the piano singing carols off-key by himself before he stopped midstream.


    Outside snow fell in the inky dark. Snow the color of blood.

 01.027 Break

    Wednesday, December 29, 2021


    <h4>The Hidden Kingdom Of The Hulduf¨®lk</h4>


    ¡°Look, look,¡± Ella said excitedly, meanwhile, her finger was glowing steadily leaving trails in the air that hung for a moment and dissolved into glitter before fading away.


    Reynard regarded her with wide eyes, ¡°How much have you been practicing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She started counting fingers on her other hand using her glowing finger, ¡°I get up and go for a run, then shower and breakfast, then practice for three hours¡­¡± she went through the past few days, ¡°¡­ about ten hours a day for the past five days.¡±


    She looked a bit puzzled, ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize I was getting so caught up in this. And honestly besides a feel, I have no idea how I am doing this.¡±


    ¡°I suspect you are the kind of person who can¡¯t stand being bad at anything. But this amount of dedication seems unhealthy to me.¡±


    ¡°The lesson they taught us is that magic has two axioms. The Law and the Art.¡± He switched back to the topics at hand, ¡°The Law of the Improbable means the more unlikely something you want is, the harder it is to do. The Art of the Fanciful is that you must understand the effect you want to create to create it.¡±


    Ella thought for a moment, ¡°I feel more like it isn¡¯t creating so much as finding it. Like I reach for the light, and it is there.¡±


    ¡°Well that is true enough. I myself often envision my arm reaching into a realm of magic and having to reach further to do something more difficult. But I was only only part of the way through my year when it all fell apart.¡±


    Ella sympathized, thinking a bit about the physics work she had left undone.


    Ella spent the rest of her time trying to make her light brighter. Reynard kept pushing her to go deeper, but that analogy didn¡¯t quite fit. She felt like she was flipping through a book of light, each page different, and as she flipped, each page heavier.


    She tried to bring fire in, but she couldn¡¯t get a simple one to appear. Even though the light she was drawing for super intense, far brighter than a light that Reynard could make, she couldn¡¯t make it fire, the light itself left them sweating and uncomfortable


    Ella had to stop and spent time making the light appear at a distance instead. The room had grown warm from the lights she had been conjuring and her fingers felt burnt.


    She tried to focus it to a narrow beam, trying to feel the light as a laser and it let her cool the room down some but she needed goggles to protect her eyes and she gave up.


    Reynard said, ¡°Another rule. Making real effects versus visual illusions is much, much harder.¡±


    ¡°What about sound? Or smell?¡±


    ¡°Very, very hard. Nobody knows why. Healing like I did is also extraordinarily hard and I can barely manage what I did. Although I can almost feel I could restore my finger. But the great wizards who could perform such acts, they are long gone.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Then he left her with, ¡°Protect that tooth. It is clearly helping you and will make you formidable. But someone more interested in power than I would take it from you.¡±


    As he walked out, Ella grabbed and held the pendant in her hand and started to think how she could keep it safer.


    Jae-Young regarded her. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am going back to New York.¡±


    Ella looked at him knowing where this conversation was going already but not able to stop herself from following the script, ¡°So¡­ are we breaking up?¡±


    His elfin eyes regarded her, but she could still read the emotion in them, ¡°I never thought it would be like this. But I just can¡¯t, I just¡­¡± he trailed off.


    Ella had it crystallize for her, ¡°This is like one of those self-discovery things. Isn¡¯t it?¡± She had tried to keep her voice calm but it came out a bit broken at the end. She was not going to cry.


    ¡°Like I never knew others like me at all. For the first time when I close my eyes and think about what I look like, I don¡¯t envision myself as human. I can be myself, whatever that is!¡± Jae-Young¡¯s voice was pleading. Pleading with her to understand, and the worst part was she could.


    She got it, perhaps too well. A tear threatened to escape and she quickly blotted it with her sleeve. ¡°I¡­ I ummm¡­ I need some time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sure. I¡¯ll just leave. Let me know¡­ yeah. I¡¯ll step out.¡±


    Ella thought to herself that it was a clean breakup and quick. Maybe she would do a bit of math or something. Maybe she was being overly avoidant ¡ª and with that she lost it and started crying.


    The Following Day


    The next day she woke up in bed a mess. Her eyes were a bit puffy and her hair was all over the place.


    ¡°Fuuucck, this is where I am supposed to get a huge bin of ice cream and veg out watching crap TV.¡±


    Instead she got up and started bouncing up and down to loosen her muscles up before her usual morning run. She needed to move some.


    When she left the bedroom, Jae-Young was asleep on the couch in the sitting room. He was snoring a bit. She sighed and looked at him. She pulled up his blanket where it had slipped down and worked her way through the tunnel to the outside.


    The wind was brisk, and some sleet and ice hit her face as she pulled on her hat and checked her gloves. Soon she was running hard through the snow 100 yards out and back at a brutal pace through the sleet and hail, fifty burpees. 200 yards out and back. 300 yards out and back. She skipped her workout playlist and just listened to the wind. Punishing her body to avoid thinking.


    The storm worsened and she cast a light spell on the entrance and struggled to maintain it while doing exercise. She kept looping back to the entrance because she feared getting lost anyway, but she needed to move.


    Then she found some heavy rocks and debris and started carrying them while scrambling through the snow.


    Eventually she crawled back into the tunnel far enough the temperature changed and stripped out of her now wet weather gear. She was still soaked and shivering now.


    When she got to the main chamber, the Great Hall, where she had first met J¨®hanna, she saw Jae-Young and another two elves sitting on a bench, pulling on their boots with heavy duty cold gear around them.


    He stood up and stared at her, ¡°Umm. We were about to go looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Why? I go running every morning.¡±


    ¡°Well the weather is kind of extreme and after last night¡­¡±


    She stared at him for a brief moment and then laughed, ¡°Get over yourself. I am not going to say I am not upset. But come on! As if.¡±


    Well apparently elves could still blush because Jae-Young¡¯s cheeks turned a bit pink and he looked down and, yes, he actually shuffled his feet a bit. Adorable, thought Ella, even as she knew it was part of saying goodbye.


    He said, ¡°Well, I am glad you are okay.¡± He straightened his shoulders and looked at his companions, ¡°Let¡¯s go to town and get some food to bring back since we are dressed for it.¡±


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ring and jammed it on. His featured changed back to human, and Ella took a breath as it felt so long since she had seen him in that guise. The other two went to a cabinet in the room where they pulled out other magical disguise jewelry: a bracelet and another ring. The magic did a similar thing, taking their elfin features and transitioning them to a human equivalent.

 01.028 Rainment

    Thursday, December 30, 2021


    <h4>The Hidden Kingdom Of The Hulduf¨®lk</h4>


    The vanilla custard and almond filling had made her fingers sticky and she looked around the room before just getting up and going to the bathroom sink to wash them off.


    She came back and looked disconsolately at the remains of the pastry she had eaten. The pastry Jae-Young had brought back from town. Damn him for breaking up with her so nicely. And then feeding her? What was up with that?


    His stuff had been moved to another room while she was out. The room felt empty even though it had amounted to just one hiking pack worth of stuff.


    She began tracing random shapes in the air, leaving traces in light behind. This magic was getting easier even if her drawing skills were terrible. She looked at the picture of two people holding hands hanging in the air and then wiped them away with a wave.


    ¡°I should stick to stick figures.¡±


    And then she added, ¡°Great. Now I am talking to myself. Awesome Ella.¡±


    She picked up her phone and stared at it. No signal like usual here. She could go to the Great Hall which was in her world. There she could get a weak signal and occasionally call friends or home or text. But it wasn¡¯t what she wanted to do.


    She had done more exercising for a while this morning trying to stop her ruminations until she had exhausted herself. She had tried to work on her research, but her simulation code kept messing up, and she wasn¡¯t patient enough to fix it.


    Her hair was tangled from her shower and not brushing it so she began the work of working out the knots. The repeated motion of brushing her hair was soothing, and she found herself counting the strokes and thinking about her mother, who used to brush her hair every night.


    Eventually she stood up and regarded herself in the floor length mirror. Her hazel colored eyes stared back at her and she reached up and took the contacts out. She sat down and stripped off the small amount of nail polish that was left and the bit of foundation she had started on earlier but abandoned part way through.


    She stood up again and stared at herself in the mirror again. Now truly naked. Her musculature was a bit more prominent from all the exercise but she remained long-limbed. That small bit of softness to her stomach that she had always had was gone, and she could trace the indentations of her muscles in her stomach. The pendant dangled between her breasts, the only thing she was wearing. Her skin tone was a bit sallow, but it was winter, and she had been indoors for so much of it.


    She looked at her face. This is me, she thought. She thought for a brief moment and her eyes glowed and a crown settled on her forehead, with more weight than it had ever had before. In the mirror it coalesced from the air and instead of looking misty and insubstantial, it looked solid and almost metallic or pearlescent. A lot more like the crown the Emperor had worn.


    ¡°No, this is me.¡± she whispered to herself.


    An errant thought took her right out of her mood, Shit, my unibrow is coming back. Need my tweezers. And that thought, being so at odds with her state, was much more funny than it should have been that she laughed aloud.


    She sat down and started getting ready properly. She took her time and redid her nail polish and carefully tweezed her eyebrows back into shape while they dried and got dressed in the very fancy, white and purple Icelandic kyrtill she had been leant.


    ¡°This is also me.¡± She said firmly. And applied some mascara and eyeliner, darker than she had done before to contrast against her eyes. She left her crown on. A little blush, some natural toned lipstick. Oops, bad color, take that off and go back to the older one.


    Her mother would have been proud.


    One last look in the mirror and she exited the room.


    But what she hadn¡¯t expected was the reaction she got. Elves who saw her dropped to their knees without knowing why. She made her way to the central chamber, the Great Hall, and saw many elves eating or sitting and meditating, but they found themselves kneeling as well.


    Jae-Young was there and he, alone, remained upright when she walked in the room.


    ¨¢lfheieur, J¨®hanna, and other elves ran into the room, and the elves also fell to the ground in supplication. ¨¢lfheieur looked back and forth between the elves around her kneeling and Ella, her eyes wide and frightened.


    ¡°Please rise.¡± And her voice carried a deeper authority than it had before. The elves stood up, some of them getting their first look at her and the crown on their head. A susurration crossed the room, a whispering of fear of this unknown compulsion.


    ¡°I have not told you all of the truth. And you have all been so very kind so I felt it was time.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°I was crowned by the Emperor Ekerri as his heir. This happened not so long ago. And I do not know what it means. But this is why we came here. This is why I wanted to find you, J¨®hanna. To see what you knew about all of this.¡±


    J¨®hanna, her eyes filled with awe and terror, looked at Ella and whispered, her voice carrying over what sounded like some of the younger elves sobbing in fear, ¡°I am sorry, I did not know¡­ I do not know more. I searched for the People after the shattering of our world, I wanted to know what happened. I went out many times. But those few I found knew so little. You knew more than I found in so much searching.¡±


    The room was quiet and the elves all stood there. Many did not know enough history to know much. But this human commanded their attention and they could not help themselves.


    ¡°There is one more thing you know. Once, you were with your son in Hong Kong, in Kowloon. And you came across a man, a banker. who frightened you terribly. Enough so that you convinced your husband to leave the deal and his potential future gains. Who was he?¡±


    The room was silent. Some of the elves looked at J¨®hanna who trembled. Her answer was a whisper, but it carried, ¡°He was a dragon. I could see it even in his human form.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on J¨®hanna now. Ella had never noticed that elves didn¡¯t blink very much.


    Later, they sat down: J¨®hanna, Reynard, two other elven elders, and Jae-Young.


    J¨®hanna began, ¡°It was about one hundred years ago. I had left our home and gone on another search for others like us. Then the Great War. I fled Europe with huge trains of people.¡± And she shuddered as her memories came alive. ¡°I ended up in a town called Irkutsk and was a guest of a minor cousin of the Romanovs. I think he was quite taken with me. He was always referring to me as krasivaja, meaning beautiful, and other ridiculous descriptions of my looks. I had been starving and living off of bark and insects.¡± She laughed self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°And then Lenin and his Bolsheviks came, and I fled again . Apparently being a guest of no background means you might as well be a noble. I ended up in Hong Kong where I met Do-Yun. He had fled Korea during the occupation. We lived next to one another in the same terrible little hovel. He was there to get financing for an effort to push the Japanese out of Korea.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°I remember he had the most lovely suits and would always walk out of that terrible flat as if it was an inconvenience he shed the moment he hit the street.¡±


    ¡°We married eventually. I was shocked when I became pregnant since we rarely become so.¡±


    ¡°And then little Haneul was born. He wasn¡¯t an elf like me, but I knew it could breed true later. And I loved him so much.¡± She was crying a bit, lost in her reminiscence. Jae-Young stared at her listening to ancient family history from someone who was inextricably tied to it.


    ¡°Then Do-Yun came home so excited. He had a deal to develop a rundown shipping area which would generate wild returns on it. The main backer had spread some bets too wide and so was looking for co-investors and Do-Yun had gotten the nod.¡±


    ¡°We dressed in our best for a social gathering before the deal was to be signed. And I remember Haneul being excited to go to his first adult event.¡±


    ¡°Then we got there, and it was terrifying. That man, his aura was that of scales and fire. I knew what he was. And in my head, he spoke to me, with such contempt, saying ¡®Little creature, say nothing and leave with your husband. Run and never be seen by me again.¡¯ I could see his true form and it was¡­ it was too much.¡±


    ¡°I had to argue with Do-Yun and eventually he agreed to leave although it was breaking every aspiration he had in coming to Hong Kong. We fled back to Korea, and eventually he passed, and I left poor Haneul to grow up without me.¡±


    ¡°Why did you leave grandfather?¡± Jae-Young whispered.


    ¡°For the same reason you are staying,¡± she said, ¡°our people needed me, and I could not stay forever. I stayed longer than I should have and I could see that he was too dependent on me. Our way is the same, parents will leave after some time to allow their children to grow.¡±


    J¨®hanna added, ¡°I was going to ask him to join me here in his last days. I miss him and outliving mortal children is unfortunately our fate.¡± Jae-Young nodded.


    Ella interrupted the moment to bring them back on track, ¡°So do you know more about this¡­ person?¡± Even though she was surrounded with elves, saying dragon out loud felt ridiculous.


    ¡°Wu Shen was his name. And then Wu Longwei when he came to America. I followed him from afar, you see, in the news. He was always a banker. A financier. Always disguised as a man of means, the kind of wealth that commanded power behind hidden doors. So he would be in the business papers here and there but never the main news.¡±


    ¡°Wait one moment.¡±


    She left and walked away. Ella and Jae-Young regarded one another, but where before they might have spent the time dissecting the story together, now they suppressed that practice.


    J¨®hanna came back with a notebook.


    ¡°He was so frightening, but he was also the only one I knew from our world outside of here. And so I stalked him in newspapers and then online.¡±


    She paged through clippings and printouts, some from a long time ago with drawings and pictures of Wu Shen with his elegant mustache and goatee and tinted spectacles, and then Wu Longwei, clean-shaven and handsome.


    ¡°And then he took the name Li Feng in the 60s here.¡± More news clippings about the handover of a storied Hong Kong finance house to a rarely-seen vice president from the Hong Kong office.


    Ella looked through a set of clippings from the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, and read slowly aloud, ¡°Enfant terrible and wunderkind Tommy Xu to take the helm at Ixus Capital¡± and the stories went on to outline the outrageous behavior of the young Tommy at private clubs across New York, his successful deals in exotic financial instruments, and numerous statements by Li Feng admonishing Tommy Xu.


    Tommy Xu had permanent stubble and a modern pompadour haircut and dress. He habitually wore pink-tinted gold rimmed sunglasses and had a smirk. And he looked the exact same as Wu Longwei.


    ¡°Why so few pictures of Li Feng?¡±


    J¨®hanna combed through the clippings and found the one she was looking for, ¡°He was apparently a recluse per the articles of the day.¡± And she handed Ella an article that said as much.


    Ella pulled out her phone and looked up Ixus Capital and Tommy Xu on the slow internet that she could manage in the Great Hall. She looked up at Reynard who was paging through the papers, her eyes glowing with intensity, ¡°You are going to have to tell me how you knew about this,¡± pointing to the crown, ¡°and help me practice hiding it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Looks like I might be applying for a job at Ixus Capital.¡±

 01.029 Home

    New Year¡¯s Eve, Friday, December 31, 2021


    <h4>RKV, Reykjavik, Iceland</h4>


    ¡°Are you really going to do it?¡± Jae-Young asked her anxiously. He was fidgeting with the ring on his finger.


    ¡°Are we really going to talk about this again? Yes.¡± Ella said. She understood his concern, but part of her wanted to tell him he gave up that right to be possessive when they had broken up. But she knew that was unfair and he was just concerned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just apply and say I am tired of graduate incomes and worried about tenure opportunities after. It will totally be reasonable since universities treat grad students like crap. Anyway, I have to go. The security line won¡¯t get any shorter.¡±


    Jae-Young grabbed both her hands in his. ¡°Be careful. I wish¡­ I wish I could go back with you. But I need this.¡±


    His hands felt warm and she flushed a bit. ¡°I know. And I wish it could be different. But you have seen the news. The world is going crazy and somehow I have some sort of role to play.¡± She pushed forward into a hug, ¡°Get your head on straight, you tall weirdo.¡±


    He hugged her back tightly and then eventually they disengaged. Ella hoisted her backpack on and backed to the stanchions that marked the security line.


    Jae-Young watched her go and queue and when she rounded the corner turned around and walked away.


    The plane landed in JFK and Ella took a moment to get some fresh air.


    Out of an abundance of caution, she kept her mask on as they drove her home, COVID was still rampant.


    She had spent the flight thinking about magic and physics and math. She systematically pretended to ignore but actually listened to the inflight news, strange happenings around the world, the doomsayers and odd prophetic cults that had been springing up, the talking heads going on about Revelations and Ragnar?k. Rumors of mysterious sightings, odd events, places appearing and disappearing, etc. Even photos of what people called the lost city of Atlantis had surfaced, but planes and other boats had seen nothing. The news ascribed these things to New Year¡¯s hysteria.


    So when she got home, she took a quick shower and fell asleep.


    She woke up with reflected sunlight from the snow lighting up her room.


    The clock said 11:15 am with the alarm on her phone chiming. Thirteen hours until the New Year.


    She got dressed and headed over to Duane Reade to get the COVID swab done. Then back home to her room quarantine and a sandwich her mom had made her.


    It was twelve hours until the New Year, and she had planned on spending it in quarantine with Jae-Young. Instead she was stuck alone in her room.


    Charlie had texted her an entire stream of consciousness while Ella had been on the flight back which Ella had ignored. But they hopped onto a quick video chat before Charlie had to get ready for the ¡°some stupid party her parents were making her go to¡±. Charlie said her Christmas had been all a bad trip and she didn¡¯t remember too much ¡ª but her parents refused to talk about it at all ¡ª so it must have been bad.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Jade and Craig were apparently still skiing up in New Hampshire and snowed in. They were all drinking and alternating between sitting around a picturesque fireplace and running out in the cold to the hot tub on the deck.


    Ella was even bored enough to consider texting Donna but soon thought better of it. She was probably tasing herself while making sure no expression made it to her face. Or maybe she just used botox.


    She sat down and fixed the physics model she had been working on and fired off the files to Professor Fedoriw. He emailed her back immediately to say she shouldn¡¯t be working on New Years Eve.


    Eight and a half hours to go.


    Her brother knocked on the door and then called through it, ¡°Hey dummy. Glad you¡¯re back home. You barely called while you were in Iceland. Too much fun with JY?¡±


    Eesha tried not to react too much to the mention of Jae-Young, ¡°Hi Harry. We were somewhere with terrible internet. And¡­¡± Just say it! she admonished herself, ¡°And Jae-Young and I broke up.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± was all Harish said.


    ¡°Go to your room and video chat me. Talking through the door sucks.¡±


    Soon they were facing one another over video chat. Eesha creatively modifying a few details as to why Jae-Young had stayed.


    ¡°So you are kind of stuck in your room ''til the test results come back?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Probably being over cautious but you know how it is. Mom already has had to spend so much time quarantined from seeing patients, I didn¡¯t want to take the risk. Plus test results will be tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sucks for New Years, huh?¡±


    And there it was.


    ¡°You want to borrow my Xbox? Just got some new sick games.¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m good.¡± The conversation ended as Harish got ready to go to a party of his own.


    Ella looked at the clock. Eight hours left until New Years. Time was crawling. She just felt bored and anxious and alone.


    She sent a text down asking for a snack, and her mother brought up a tray. A note under a flute of champagne was on the tray in her mothers handwriting:


    An early pick me up before the New Year. Stop moping. Whether it is the breakup or the quarantine, I expect to hear loud music, or you talking to your friend, or you at least watching those terrible breakup movies and asking for junk food.


    Well her mother was always straight to the point. Eesha regarded the tray, a glass of champagne, a sco


    op of some random gourmet ice cream with a mint leaf on top as if it was a restaurant, and a small tumbler of probably Johnnie Walker Blue which was her moms usual drink. And a shot of? Eesha sniffed and recoiled. Was that¡­ Goldschl?ger? Why did her mom have Goldschl?ger?


    She wasn¡¯t even trying to be subtle. Make your choice: celebrate, wallow, chill, or wallow, again? Well, maybe the message was not quite as clear as her mother had thought. Or maybe Eesha was missing a deeper message.


    Well Eesha was not really in the mood for any of her mother¡¯s barbs. She downed both shots, poured the champagne over the ice cream and dug in.


    She could smell her father cooking dinner. It smelled like butter chicken. She could also hear, through the walls, the distant sound of her mom telling her dad how to cook. She smiled a bit, her father was the better cook for pretty much all types of cuisine, Indian included. But her mother¡¯s equanimity did not quite extend so far as to her native cuisine. The usual was for her mom to offer a continuous stream of suggestions and for her dad to entirely ignore them.


    Something slid under the gap of the door. Her brother called through the door, ¡°Heading out to the pre-party. Small gift for you.¡±


    Ella looked and saw a small, thin package. When she unwrapped it, she saw a small row of blunts. Harish was being thoughtful in his own way.


    Then it was time to watch some movies and settle in.

 01.030 Interlude - Magnamater

    Four Years Earlier, Wednesday, July 11, 2018


    <h4>Outside Kyaukphyu, Rakhine, Myanmar</h4>


    The guard¡¯s foot came down hard and Chit could hear the cracking of bones in his feet¡­


    ¡°Filthy animal,¡± the guard snarled.


    Another guard starting laughing, ¡°If this kid is an animal, aren¡¯t you fucking his mother and about ten others?¡±


    Chit was whimpering; biting his arm to avoid drawing more attention to himself and had curled up on the hard concrete.


    The first guard ignored Chit and turned around to laugh with the second, ¡°Well at least they do what they are told, unlike these vermin.¡± He lashed out with a kick at Chit on the ground who merely huffed because of the pain. Then both guards walked away.


    Chit lay there in the ground in agony. His foot was broken and probably his ribs. His face bore marks from getting clubbed by the butt of the rifle the guard had carried. He passed out.


    The sound of executions woke Chit. The massed gunfire, the screaming. The sun was much lower in the sky when he awoke, the shadows from the faceless concrete buildings stretched long. The day¡¯s humidity hadn¡¯t settled yet. Maybe it was near time for dinner or Ishr, but Chit couldn¡¯t care.


    He pulled himself out of the way and down into one of the crevices between the prison dormitories. He could hear guards yelling somewhere else, a baby wailing, a woman pleading, and a smack. Not the baby since it kept wailing, but probably the mother. Lucky, he thought to himself.


    Chit wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do. His foot was pulped. He had taken one look at it and almost thrown up and had resolved not to look again. He was now even more of a target for the guards and more leverage on his mother for her ¡°favors.¡± He spit and cursed. He may even die here, in this alley, his ribs hurt more and he was having trouble catching his breath.


    He passed out again.


    When he woke, it was night. The sky was dark, the stars brighter than he had ever seen, the crescent moon high overhead mocking the faith perhaps. Well it was deserved if he had ended up here.


    He began to imagine streaks of light in the sky, strange shapes and what looked like a stylized sun above him. The words it spoke were foreign and he blocked them out before drifting off. When he awoke, he felt a putrid leather strap in his mouth, his arms, chest, and legs were bound to what felt like cement behind him. The moon was higher now and mist had rolled in from the coast. The mist obfuscated the people standing around him.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake,¡± whispered a voice to his right.


    ¡°Well boy¡­ it looks like you got to wake for the best part. Thiha here was about to start working on your foot. Bite down on the leather.¡± A cloaked figure wearing a mask, a stylized sun, stood at his feet and gently touched his mangled foot. A glow from his hands emerged and Chit tried to scream as the pain overwhelmed him.


    After an eternity, he heard Thiha say, ¡°It is done. The boy will walk again. But not for a while¡­ I could only put things where they belonged. His body will have to do the rest.¡±


    ¡°Well done.¡± said the one to his right. A hand reached over to the strap in his mouth. ¡°Now, I am going to ungag you, but do you feel this?¡± the keen edge of a blade pressed against his neck. ¡°This can be your lucky day one way or another - you can keep quiet and live or escape this hellhole through death. Do you understand?¡±


    Chit carefully nodded affirmatively. And the hand pulled off the mask and waited. When Chit didn¡¯t panic, the knife pressure eased on his neck.


    ¡°Good. You can keep calm. I am a galli of the Great Mother and should you be worthy, maybe you shall be one too.¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± the man named Thiha remonstrated, ¡°let us wait and see if this one is worthy.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? Where are we?¡± Chit looked around and saw they were outside of the camp, somewhere in the swamps. ¡°I need to get back. My mother. My sister. They will kill them if I am gone.¡±


    ¡°Look down boy.¡±


    Chit looked down and saw his clothes were different. He was in a loose cloth wrapped around him with strange patterns embroidered on the hem.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "The soldiers found the body of a boy, his face beaten to an unrecognizable pulp wearing your prison garb. You aren¡¯t missing at all. They dumped it over the wall the next day


    ¡°But my family?¡±


    ¡°It has been two weeks you have been out and traveling and another two weeks back. They have thought you dead this whole time. They will abide longer.¡±


    ¡°Longer?¡±


    ¡°Longer for the rituals and your initiation. Once you are a galli like me, you will go back and free your people. Unless you hold faith with your Allah?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± And the boy spit to the side again. ¡°He wasn¡¯t there for me. I have hear a million of my people are in chains, being worked to death. There is no god.¡±


    ¡°Ah. But that is where you are wrong. We are all believers in the Great Mother who has blessed us as you saw. Your foot will heal now. And while it heals we shall prepare you.¡±


    <hr>


    Chit watched the cage door shut over him as he stood in a pit. He was eager to be done with this. It had been months since he had seen his mother.


    He no longer doubted. The papers of the Great Mother were everything that had been promised and more. He, as one of three initiates, was to be inducted into the greater mysteries. And this was his first true step.


    The bull was brought over, docile from the soporific the other galli had given him. They began chanting something and Thiha brought the knife up and disemboweled the bull.


    The blood and viscera dropped down through the grate; Chit felt the warm thick blood pour over him. The chanting grew louder and more frenzied as they went to the next and did the same. He could hear the two other, both girls much younger than him, start crying. They were soft, weak. They hadn¡¯t been to his hell and would never face what he had.


    He welcomed the blood. He drank it like a child out in the rain. He imagined he could feel the goddess¡¯s blessing coursing through his veins.


    Soon. One more step. And it was the one he feared.


    <hr>


    Chit sat, it had been almost six months since he had last seen his mother and sister. The archigalli was here after having traveled the world. She stood at the head table.


    She was chanting something in Greek. Chit had never heard the language and it sounded so alien. Oddly flat with a tempo and staccato that he couldn¡¯t quite parse. He bowed his head at the appropriate times, the smell of narcotic incense making him dizzy.


    Later, in a haze, he stood naked in front of the others. A woman came and began to paint his body with gold colors. Then another came with a dead bird and dabbed blood on him in baroque patterns. He felt himself becoming aroused as she handled him and he felt the fear in him, distant but present.


    The head priestess, a white woman, aged but stiff of neck and until now beating a face of disinterested benevolence, looked down on him kindly and held the ceremonial dagger in one hand and an almond sapling in the other. A Merkus pine decorated in violets stood behind her.


    She came down to him and whispered in his ear, surprisingly in Ru¨¢ingga, ¡°I know you are frightened. Change we cannot walk back from, one that decides our future so manifestly, we cannot help but fear it. Today you join us in the ceremony of Attis. You came to us burning for revenge, but now you will join the Dendrophori and become a healer.¡±


    ¡°Yes Mother,¡± Chit whispered. He wished she had not spoken to him as he came out of the drug induced haze and was forced to confront the reality of what was about to happen. The other priestess¡¯s hand kept him rigid throughout this and he began to feel a mixture of fear and embarrassment that he would have thought would make him flaccid.


    ¡°What will you do with this blessing then?¡±


    ¡°I wish to save my family. My people. As many as I can. We will seek somewhere to hide and prosper. To plant the soil and grow our numbers as the Great Mother would want.¡±


    ¡°I see the truth in you. Now is the time.¡± And the high priestess, the archigalli, handed the dagger to him. A tincture of some sort coated the blade, and Chit could smell the mix of violet oil and ash on the blade.


    He could feel himself begin to climax, and he made his decision with a sharp cut downwards, reenacting the rite of Attis. The moment the cut happened his vision went white and he could feel that power, that sense that had whispered and taunted him just out of reach these past months, come to the fore and become something tangible and real.


    <hr>


    The guard at the wall pulled at his collar again. The humidity and heat was brutal and he was sick and tired of being here. His family was far away and the stuff he had seen here haunted his dreams. He didn¡¯t know when he had gone from internally protesting the mass executions and rapes to just wanting it over so he could he leave.


    The guard felt a hand grab hold of his, and his throat closed up, he couldn¡¯t breathe and then his vision went immediately black and he died.


    Chit looked down at the soldier. He had perverted the gift of healing though this but he knew that the Great Mother Cybele would understand.


    When he walked through the narrow concrete alleyways, he could feel the urgency driving him. He burst through the door to the barracks where his family had been consigned, and stopped in his tracks.


    His mother and sister were still alive. But both were pregnant and his mother seemed very close to her time.


    They both looked at him, and his sister was first to break the silence, ¡°Oh Chit! You are alive! They said you died so many months ago.¡± His mother stared at him and he could see tears begin to form and then both of them and him were in each other¡¯s arms weeping.


    After some time, he separated himself, holding their hands tightly, ¡°A lot happened. I met some people and they will, no, they are helping us now.¡± Then he raised his voice, ¡°Everyone, gather what you can easily carry.¡±


    The soldiers who came an hour later via helicopter after all communication had ended found the camp deserted. The soldiers and prisoners were both gone.

 01.031 Pull

    Sunday, January 2, 2022


    <h4>MMA Gym, Long Island City, Queens, New York, United States</h4>


    The break had helped. Ella weaved under Donna¡¯s hook while stepping forward and landed an elbow right below her ribcage.


    ¡°Urgh,¡± was all Donna had as she fell back and down. And then stayed sitting trying to catch her breath.


    ¡°Crap¡­¡± Ella said. Donna looked pissed, and Ella was a bit worried.


    Then Donna laughed. The most expression Ella had ever seen on her face.


    ¡°Damn, that was solid.¡± Donna took two deep breaths and popped back to her feet. ¡°I think I am done. Craig get your ass in here and kill her for me.¡± She spit out her mouthguard and headed out of the ring, already stripping off her gloves.


    Charlie and Jade were sitting ringside clapping and cheering. Both of them had been curious about what she had been doing every morning and during the break felt like the right time for them to visit.


    Craig stepped in and Ella got back in her stance. But before he started he smiled and said, ¡°Now you are in the inner circle. Time to get serious.¡±


    Time to get serious?


    Afterwards they were all in the locker room as Ella took a shower.


    ¡°Damn, you were kicking ass today,¡± Charlie had come back from break excited to be back in the city. And had insisted on following Ella to the gym to see what had taken her out of the party life.


    ¡°You mean getting my ass kicked.¡± Ella called back from the shower stall. Then she looked at her right leg, which was already a bit yellow and swollen and was definitely going to bruise. Limping out of the ring had probably been the best indicator, after Craig had caught her repeatedly on the thigh. He said that while muay thai taught leg blocks, a lot of the pros just took the shots.


    She frowned. Reynard said that healing was easier the more recent the injury was and the smaller the injury. She hadn¡¯t been able to get the hang of it, but there was no reason not to try.


    She stared and visualized the same kind of pulling sensation. She started to feel her sore muscles, the burst blood vessels and lymph under the skin. Imagined small proteins moving through the tissue and eventually she could feel individual cells. She could see the damage to her body. Then she changed the direction of her pull, and she had a sense of what they felt like before they were hit. The cells were less disrupted, the fluid was less. Those strange proteins weren¡¯t present. It just felt right, and she brought those images together in her head.


    She staggered and ended up sitting on the floor of the shower, the water running overhead. Her vision had gone dark for a moment.


    Suddenly Charlie pulled back the cheap plastic curtain. ¡°Hey, are you all right? You have been in here for like forever.¡± She looked a bit worried.


    Ella stood up and shook her head, spraying a bit of water around. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just soaking my muscles and falling asleep in here.¡± She shut off the shower and grabbed her towel.


    Her leg felt great. And the yellow bruising was gone and so was the sharpie marks that she had from Jade right before she had gotten in the ring. She squeegeed off the excess water with her hands and began toweling off.


    ¡°Damn¡­ All that working out, you are fucking cut.¡± Charlie poked her right in the stomach and then started tracing her muscles. Ella looked down self consciously and then rewrapped herself in the towel. Jade was standing behind her and looked away.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be weird.¡± Jade said.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t weird. She has got like an eight-pack.¡±


    ¡°I need an eight-pack before this conversation,¡± Jade retorted.


    The hell with this, thought Ella, I am too tired. Although surprisingly not sore. She walked over to the mirror and flipped on the hair dryer to hide her embarrassment.


    They got off the subway into a flurry of ice and snow. The Manhattan streets were a mix of snow and grey slush. The few people were trudging by in their heavy winter coats and hats, heads held down to protect their faces from the stinging precipitation.


    Charlie split off to head back to her condo and invited them over later to do some blizzard partying.


    Ella and Jade slowly made it towards their apartment building, navigating the snow and stepping carefully on or over the slippery ice. Ella saw the front door and was reaching for the handle when she heard a loud crack and saw the glass door spiderweb out from in front of her. And the window itself was dark red.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    She spun around and landed on the ground and only then felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder.


    Jade was screaming something and Ella felt dizzy and light headed. She looked around and couldn¡¯t see anything in the flurry.


    Jade, to her credit, ran up to her and started pulling her to the side behind one of the concrete planters besides the door. Another loud crack.


    ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit¡­¡± she hissed under her breath as she unzipped Ella¡¯s coat and reached into her shirt with something pressing hard.


    ¡°Hey¡­ owwww. What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Ella, you¡¯ve been shot.¡± Jade peered out over the planter and looked out into the snow nervously but the storm was too much for good visibility.


    ¡°Shot¡­ nah. You are just messing with me¡­ Stabbed? Sure. I¡¯ve been stabbed twice already, so a third time, sure¡­¡± Ella said woozily. Everything felt a bit off. Was she on a bad trip? She didn¡¯t remember taking anything.


    ¡°There is so much blood. Shit. I don¡¯t think I can stop it.¡± Jade fumbled for her phone but dropped it and watched it skitter on the ice and down the angled sidewalk.


    ¡°Unanitani! Where¡¯s your phone? Gotta call 911.¡±


    ¡°No battery. Left it up in the apartment. Let¡¯s go up and get it. Are you hurt?¡± Ella felt a bit more off and looked up at Jade with a childlike expression of worry. Jade had pulled off her hood and her hair was wet and covered in snow. ¡°Your hair is all wet and icey! And I love how perfect you keep it¡­¡± And Ella giggled a bit and tried to reach up to brush the snow off but her arm hurt. ¡°Owww!¡±


    ¡°Ella. Listen to me. You were shot with a gun. You are bleeding, and I think from both sides. I can¡¯t get the bleeding to stop. And I have no idea who did it and where they are.¡±


    ¡°Oh no worries. I can totally heal myself.¡± Ella laughed and held up her left hand, finger pointing, ¡°It¡¯s magic!¡±


    This failed to reassure Jade, and if anything made her look more worried.


    Ella decided she didn¡¯t like her friend worrying so she concentrated. Her eyes began to glow and she reached down to her shoulder. It hurt so much and maybe she was having a bit of trouble breathing?


    She thought about it and could feel her body. Her muscles were torn, one rib was cracked. She had a hole in her upper lung and the nerves for that arm were a mess. Her shoulder blade was fractured like the door glass. She snapped out of her daze. The extent of the damage woke her out of her dazed stupor and she became more alarmed. Her heart was racing and she had a cold sweat despite the freezing cold.


    Concentrating she pulled with all her will and her shoulder healed up, her coat and shirt suddenly were whole and unstained. She felt fine, but drained as if she hadn¡¯t slept in days.


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t worry. I am fine.¡± She cupped Jade¡¯s chin with her right hand.


    ¡°What? Where is the blood? What happened? Why are your eyes glowing?¡±


    Ella said, ¡°I know this is weird. I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± Another loud crack sounded. A gunshot.


    Ella cursed that her gun permit hadn¡¯t come through yet. She pushed Jade down to the side and crouched behind the planter. Trying to look over it, she couldn¡¯t see anything in the snow.


    With her focus, she reached for something else that Reynard had hinted at. Reaching outside with this vague, undefined sense, until her vision blurred and the day suddenly took on the character of a sunny winter day without snow. She could still feel the snow hitting her face and hair. It was still cold and wet. The wind still howled down the narrow corridor street. She kn3we it was there, but she couldn¡¯t see any of the bad weather.


    She took another look over the planter and looked around. She could see a man across the street with a rifle peeking out of a second floor apartment. It had a large complicated scope on it that was huge and he took another shot at her which hit the concrete wall behind her.


    Ella grabbed at her pendant. She could feel what magic she had fading and she tried to draw from the tooth but she could feel it moving slowly into her. She had used what she had inside of her, and whatever the tooth was giving her, it felt like she was sipping through a straw.


    ¡°This is going to be really smart or really dumb.¡± She whispered to herself. She reached under her shirt to grab the tooth and then took the point and drove it through the skin under her collarbone. All of a sudden she felt the magic in her crescendo and cried out as pain ran through her.


    She snuck a look around the side of the planter to avoid being predictable and pointed at the person in the window. She reached deep for that light she had pulled through, deeper than she ever had before. A blinding bright light lanced from her finger and struck the wall next to the window where the shooter was. When Ella¡¯s eyes recovered she saw the hole going right through that wall. The shooter took another shot which went wild and then threw their gun down from the window and receded from the window.


    ¡°What the shit, Ella.¡± Jade was rubbing her eyes. Ella kept her eyes on the building and saw the door open and someone run out and grab the rifle before running down the street. She took another shot with the light, but it fizzled, she hadn¡¯t had time to pull energy through.


    ¡°Come on Jade. He ran away. Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Jade looked at her blankly. Ella stood up and let her eyes relax. The sunny vision faded and was replaced with the snow and blizzard. With her jacket open, she was shivering and soaked through.


    Ella reached out and grabbed Jade¡¯s hand and got her to stand up and walk to the door: the glass was cracked in circles around a hole in it, blood was splattered the window and slush in front of it ¡ª her blood.


    She fumbled with her numb hands for her access card in her coat pocket and eventually managed to push the card up against the sensor panel next to the door and heard it buzz her in. She then pulled Jade through, letting it swing shut behind her.


    Jade followed her in, her hand warm in Ella¡¯s. They made their way to the elevator and pushed the button to wait. They both stood next to one another staring at the closed elevator doors. Both were shivering and neither felt like it was cold.


    Ella wasn¡¯t sure what made her say it, ¡°How about that weather? It is snowing cats and dogs and bullets.¡±


    Ella watched Jade out of the corner of her eye. Jade stared at the door a little bit more. Then she started to giggle. Which turned into hysterical giggling and then sobbing. Ella reached over and pulled her into a hug.

 01.032 Reveal

    Sunday, January 2, 2022


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, New York City, United States</h4>


    They made their way into the apartment and sat down at the table in the ¡°common¡± area, meaning the part of the studio that had been cordoned off with some cheap Ikea curtains for the kitchen and table.


    Jade stared at her and half started with questions multiple times: ¡°What¡­¡±. Then a period of silence, ¡°How¡­¡±, interspersed with jags of muffled sobbing. She didn¡¯t look all that together.


    Ella started moving around the kitchen. She wet a kitchen towel and began wiping at Jade¡¯s hands, working off the blood that had started to dry there. Eventually she got Jade to the sink with a scrubbing brush to remove the rest of the blood.


    Meanwhile Ella grabbed her phone from the counter and sent out a quick text. Then she started making some chai. The way her mother made it. She grabbed some ground spices from the cabinet, peeled the plastic off of them, and then put them in. She threw the spices into a pot and brought them to a boil in milk, throwing in a couple of Lipton tea bags and pulling it off the heat to steep.


    Okay it wasn¡¯t the way her mother made it since she didn¡¯t have the right spices, had used pre-ground, and her mother would have been appalled at her using skim milk.


    She transferred the tea bags into two cups and poured the chai over each along with copious sugar and brought them over.


    ¡°Drink this.¡±


    Jade stared at the mug and cupped it in both hands. She took a sip. They sat there at their tiny dining table and drank the tea, letting it warm them up. Not saying a thing. Jade kept switching between almost saying something, sniffing and holding back tears, and taking a sip of her tea.


    Eventually there was a knock at the door, and Ella got up to let Charlie in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going on downstairs, there are police and they are making everyone go around to the back entry.¡±


    ¡°The blood. It was Ella¡¯s¡± Jade said quietly. ¡°They shot at us¡­ and Ella¡­ Ella¡­¡± She started sobbing. Ella and Charlie both moved towards her, and Ella pulled her into an awkward side hug which turned into Jade bawling into her shoulder.


    Eventually Jade settled down. Ella made some more tea, chamomile with honey this time.


    She took a deep breath, ¡°Charlie, sit down. I have something to tell you guys. And it will sound absolutely insane.¡±


    Charlie sat down, and Ella started talking. Starting with that night on the subway tracks and the castle; Charlie passing out while she had explored further; getting stabbed by a strange creature and waking up the next day with changed eyes. Ella pulled out her contacts then. Next, the party in Harlem and the strange beings she had met there.


    She skipped over the truth about Jae-Young as it wasn¡¯t her secret to share.


    She described the glowing runes on the dagger when she was stabbed again. Her crown, and she made it appear on her head, her eyes glowing. Halloween and the dragon shedding strange sparkles and the bear. She pulled out the bear tooth and showed it to them and talked about magic. And to prove that she drew some shapes in the air that glowed before falling to shimmering dust and fading away.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Finally she came to the events outside the apartment building. She asked Jade to describe what she had seen, trying to draw out something.


    Jade continued, ¡°We had just made our way to the door and Ella was about to buzz us in when¡­¡± Charlie reached over and squeezed Jade¡¯s hand, ¡°there was a loud sound like a mix between a clap and thunder. And then Ella fell down and there was blood everywhere. The door glass shattered.¡±


    Charlie sat there silently and waited.


    ¡°Ella was bleeding all over the place. And then she started talking but it didn¡¯t make much sense.¡±


    ¡°I was kind of woozy, and I think in shock,¡± Ella interjected.


    ¡°And then her hand started glowing like she just showed us. She reached into her shirt onto her shoulder and the bleeding stopped. No. It all vanished. Anything that was touching her anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I healed it but I think I did something else. Not sure but I sort of think I took my shoulder back to before I was shot. Which is pretty impossible.¡± Ella started muttering under her breath about the arrow of time, wormholes, and negative spatial curvature.


    It was Ella¡¯s typical foray into esoteric physics that broke the mood.


    Jade smiled fondly at her roommate, ¡°Shut up Ella. So we were hiding behind those concrete planters and we couldn¡¯t see anything, but Ella did something and her eyes started glowing very brightly and that crown appeared and looked almost solid. She pointed her finger and a light that was blinding emerged and shot over towards the shooter. And then the shooter stopped.¡±


    Jade turned to Ella and asked, suddenly frightened again, ¡°Did you kill him?¡±


    ¡°No. I missed.¡± Ella felt forced to add, ¡°I was trying to though. I just missed.¡±


    ¡°And then we came in and you came over.¡± Jade gestured to Charlie.


    Charlie sat for a moment and looked back and forth between Jade and Ella.


    ¡°What the shit Ella! Seriously, what the shit!?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you. But for some reason I felt like if I did, you guys would become part of it. It just kept it from being real!¡± And with that Ella started crying.


    Charlie reached out, her eyes wondrous, and touched her head. ¡°You have that glowing crown on your head.¡±


    ¡°I know. It is the most ridiculous thing. I always wanted to be a princess when I was five. Now I would give anything to get rid of this thing.¡± Ella hiccuped.


    That sat contemplatively, both Jade and Charlie sneaking glances at Ella¡¯s glowing eyes and crown. Eventually it faded.


    Ella broke the silence, ¡°So now you know why I have been learning to fight. I¡¯ve been learning to shoot a gun also and even applied for a gun carry permit. I have no idea what to do about this except be ready to defend myself and try and learn whatever I can. I go from preparing to be some sort of fighter, to thinking maybe this thing means I need to know about governance, to spending time trying to find out what is going on, to ignoring it all and working on my research. I am so all over the place¡­¡±


    She looked up at them, ¡°But, I have a lead. Someone, or something, lives here in New York. But someone who may know more. So I need to meet him and find out what is going on.¡±


    Charlie tentatively essayed, ¡°It snowed blood when I was home for Christmas. I said it was a bad trip, but I knew it happened. Literally frozen flakes of blood drifting down. Almost everyone refused to talk about it. The news stations that reported on it were shouted down. But it happened, and it was the scariest thing I have ever seen.¡± Saying things often made them real and Charlie gained confidence as she said it.


    ¡°So what happens next?¡± Charlie asked


    Jade jumped in, ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go to the police downstairs. They can find this guy.¡±


    Ella held up her hand, ¡°I think that isn¡¯t a bad idea. But who was shot? What did we see? I can¡¯t say it is my blood out there.¡± She gestured at her right shoulder where she had been shot.


    Jade sat back and looked anxious. Charlie was almost pacing in the tiny amount of space.


    ¡°Look, we can just say we were freaked out and hiding if we want to go to the police tomorrow.¡± Ella stood up and bounced up and down on her heels.


    ¡°How can you just be so calm about this!¡±


    Their conversation took turns being heated and silent. Jade was freaked out but Charlie became more and more blank.


    She eventually realized her phone was gone, and that started her crying in fits and jags.


    Eventually Jade fell asleep with Ella holding her. Later, Charlie and Ella sat on her bed and just whispered back and forth.

 01.033 Coping

    The next day (Monday, January 3, 2022)


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella woke in the morning cuddled up with Charlie, which felt a bit suffocating since it was just a twin sized bed.


    She frowned as she looked down at her clothes, rumpled and dirty. She should have changed last night. It was still quite early. A combination of waking up early to workout and never fully bothering to time adapt from Iceland had her up and moving without thinking.


    She changed into some workout clothes and put on her new, awesome waterproof running shoes and pulled aside the hung sheet that separated her bed from the dining table and door to see Jade sitting at the table. She was working a hair pick through her hair.


    ¡°Hey, your hair is looking great. It has almost the same vibe as that pic you showed me.¡± Jade stopped and didn¡¯t respond to Ella¡¯s whisper. Ella looked at the hair pick and saw the literal tufts of hair that Jade had pulled out of her head. She reached over and grabbed Jade¡¯s hand before she could put the puck back to her scalp.


    ¡°How do you do it? We got shot at yesterday and today you are about to go running. There is magic. And that crown.¡± Jade did not look at her and her whisper was anguished.


    Ella looked at the shoes in her hand and went to put them on the shoe rack by the door.


    She sat down next to Jade.


    ¡°Look, it is hard for me. And for a while I think I was in a weird sort of denial. But eventually I just had to figure out what was going on. And I am all about forward momentum. As long as I feel like I am doing something, getting ready, then I can hold it together. If I stop?¡± Ella shuddered a bit, ¡°I think I¡¯d go crazy.¡±


    ¡°Plus, you know¡­ magic! Like I am breaking laws of physics here. The Nobel Prize is mine for the taking if I can figure this out. I was planning on going back to the lab and trying to do some amazing experiments - like if I observe some Eigenstates with magic, does collapse occur? Do these powers fit into the standard model? Are there differences at different scales?¡±


    Jade finally smiled a bit as Ella was going off on her physics thoughts almost oblivious to everything else.


    ¡°Hey. No talking physics in the morning!¡± A sleepy Charlie came out rubbing her head and yawning. She bent over and started stretching a bit. ¡°You may be a hottie but you are terrible to sleep with. So sore!¡±


    ¡°Hey. No inappropriate comments in the morning¡± Jade said.


    ¡°Or ever¡± muttered Ella.


    ¡°Come on, if I can¡¯t objectify my friends, who can I? Besides Ella blushes. It is funny.¡± Charlie¡¯s aristocratic Southern accent was on full display this morning, but the effect was marred by slept-in makeup.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Way too early for this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So last night. Ummm¡­ can you do that glowy finger thing again? Just so I can be sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming?¡± Charlie was still moving kind of slow and rubbing her eyes as she headed towards the kitchen. Jade, however, swung her attention back to Ella and began to watch her intently.


    Ella held up her finger and concentrated. This time she was aiming for something a bit different and her fingertip began to glow and rotate colors.


    ¡°Any crown?¡± She asked.


    Charlie glanced over from where she was filling a coffee pot, ¡°Nope.¡±


    Jade still stared and then tentatively reached out. Ella held her hand still and Jade came closer and closer til their fingers touched.


    ¡°Huh. It is warm, like touching a lightbulb.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I basically got this light and healing.¡±


    ¡°So what did you do yesterday? With that laser thing?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. Pulled out more light from wherever it is coming from?¡±


    Eventually they all sat down and had some coffee. Quietly.


    Which Charlie broke, ¡°Awkward silences huh? Well shit. It is still break. Are we going out tonight?¡±


    Jade looked at Charlie, ¡°OK, I get Ella. But you? Just going back to things like normal?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Imagine being at the club and Ella pulls out that glowy thing. It will be amazing.¡±


    ¡°What! No!¡± Ella said loud.


    Charlie started laughing again. ¡°Like I said, too easy.¡±


    Ella sat back. ¡°Look guys. I know this is a lot to lay out on you. I¡­ I can distance myself. You guys can wash your hands if this and, well, pretend it never happened. Just tell me what would be best for you.¡± She sat there as they both looked at her silently.


    Charlie said quietly, ¡°I never did mind about the little things.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ella asked.


    ¡°It means I¡¯m in. For whatever. How can I help? We¡¯ve been best friends since undergrad.¡± Charlie took a sip of coffee and her tone got serious, ¡°I thought about it all last night and whatever this is, I wouldn¡¯t be happy not knowing.¡±


    That naturally led both of them to look at Jade. Who fidgeted a bit.


    ¡°I¡­ I am still not sure,¡± she admitted. Looking guilty.


    ¡°Hey. It isn¡¯t a problem. What I want to do is give you space to decide. Charlie, one, we are not going out tonight; and, two, can I crash at your place so Jade can have some her-time?¡±


    ¡°Sleepover! Fuck yeah.¡±


    ¡°Does they work for you, Jade?¡±


    Jade looked up at Ella, ¡°I do need time to think. But you don¡¯t have to leave. I¡¯m not sure I want to be left alone either. I¡¯d just get wrapped up in my head or something. It isn¡¯t like I can tell nduku.¡±


    Ella figured it out from context, ¡°You can totally tell Craig. But you may want me to be there to provide proof. Otherwise it sounds crazy.¡± Ella tried to give a reassuring smile.


    ¡°You serious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t keep it bottled up anymore. You¡¯ve seen the news. Crazy stuff is happening. Islands appearing and disappearing. Strange deaths and diseases.¡±


    ¡°Blood snow,¡± muttered Charlie.


    ¡°So at least the inner circle can know. That is you, Charlie, and Craig at least. Maybe a few other people.¡±


    Charlie jumped in, coming to a conclusion, ¡°Is that why Jae-Young and you broke up? And why he left?¡±


    Ella stopped to think how she would put this, ¡°In part. It is related. But it is his thing to tell. I really can¡¯t say much except he did the right thing for him.¡±


    Charlie said, ¡°How about we all sleepover at my place. I don¡¯t think you guys have ever been there actually.¡± She seemed a bit quiet as if thinking about something.


    Ella thought about it, ¡°You are right. We always just met you at a station and we would always come here after class since your place is far. Jade, go to class, it is the first day back. Focus on normalcy.¡±


    ¡°So what now?¡± asked Jade.


    ¡°Now?¡± Answered Ella, ¡°now I am going for a run.¡± She walked over to the shoe rack to grab her Christmas gift waterproof running shoes.


    She opened the door and turned back to tell them one more thing. ¡°I lied earlier. I cope with it by exhausting myself out every day.¡±

 01.034 Sleepover

    That Evening (Monday, January 3, 2022)


    <h4>Charlie¡¯s Flat, Tribeca, New York City, United States</h4>


    Charlie¡¯s place in TriBeCa was just across from the Roxy Hotel. Ella and Jade made quick time from the Chinatown subway stop and to an unassuming door. Charlie buzzed them in and they walked through the narrow entry and hallway, past the stairwell to the elevator and hit the up button.


    The decor was plain and nice, but typical, converted building with a row of steel mailboxes on one side the walls and railing festooned with old decorative touches that had been painted over in white or black.


    In all it was a typical New York developer converted building.


    The elevator came and they pulled aside the old elevator cage door to cram themselves in.


    ¡°1¡­ 2¡­ 3¡­ ah here we go, up to 4, second from the top.¡± Ella said brightly. Jade had been quiet all day and Ella had responded by maintaining a relentlessly optimistic vibe.


    The elevator started a slow ascent up and they were treated to a succession of short stubby hallways leading to various doors for apartments.


    Until they got to Charlie¡¯s floor. A single door faced them right outside the cage. They pulled open the door and Charlie swung open the door.


    ¡°Guys. Ummm¡­ come on in. And, umm, don¡¯t judge or anything.¡± Charlie seemed nervous. Which was entirely out of character for her.


    Jade, as out of it as she was, even picked up on it and hurried to reassure Charlie, ¡°don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve seen our place, right? It is like one room where we hung curtains around for privacy.¡±


    If anything that made Charlie look worse. She moved out of the way and they looked inside.


    A huge two story, marble lined foyer greeted them. With elegant wrought iron stairs leading to a balcony where double doors stood.


    ¡°Holy shit Charlie! What the hell is this place?¡± Ella stood frozen.


    ¡°Umm. I don¡¯t think I hid that my dad was rich. But maybe I played it down a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ella said weakly.


    They both stood right at the entry and stared around. It was glitzy. It was expensive. It was a bit tacky.


    ¡°Ok. Come on in. Confession time.¡±


    Charlie pulled out some gin, vodka, and another bottle of something and poured them into a shaker with ice and started vigorously shaking them. She poured the drink out into three martini glasses and handed a glass to each of to them.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Take a drink and let me talk.¡±


    Each took a careful sip, and it was good but all alcohol so they were worried.


    ¡°No,¡± Charlie said, her voice having gained back some of her normal intonation, ¡°take a real drink of this. Oh¡­ and by the way Ella¡­ next time you reveal earth shattering secrets, I expect a drink or drugs or something.¡±


    They both took a swift gulp.


    ¡°So¡­ My dad is one of the most successful commodities traders in the country. And my mom comes from an old rich family in Boston. Like descended from John Adams old.¡±


    Charlie paused. ¡°And my dad, like, bought this place when I said I was going to school here.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s accent was thick now, Ella noted.


    ¡°So back at Yale¡­ why were you living in the dorms?¡±


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to be different!¡± Charlie exclaimed. ¡°Some of the rich kids there I knew from before but I just wanted to have a normal college experience. No fucking summers in Nantucket or skiing in damn Gstaad. I had enough of that shit when I was young.¡±


    ¡°Plus my mom is all old-school, go marry some inbred dumbfuck.¡± She paused and shuddered. ¡°Nope. I want to be my fabulous self.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ your dad just bought this place?¡± Jade was looking around a bit wide-eyed.


    ¡°Ummm¡­ okay. He actually bought the building¡­ and the one next to it.¡±


    Charlie reached out and grabbed both their hands and dragged them along for a quick tour.


    ¡°Powder room is there. But no powder, you know? I stay away from the hard stuff. The living room is here. We can watch some movies later. Kitchen over there. Never go in there. Ever.¡± Charlie¡¯s shift in tone was so severe that both girls felt goosebumps.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Whispered Jade.


    ¡°I left some Congee Village in there. Like a year ago. It is probably alive.¡±


    They laughed and she continued the tour.


    She had five bedrooms. Each was palatial. One she had converted into a home gym with an exercise bike, a multi station weight machine, and some yoga mats.


    ¡°Is this why I have never seen you workout?¡± Ella asked.


    ¡°Nah. I just am not into being cut like you. Wait. Now I think I am. But I just counted calories and a lot of them were liquid on the weekend. No drinking during the week though.¡±


    ¡°How did I never know any of this about you? We¡¯ve known each other for like five years now.¡±


    ¡°Oh no. Miss fancy pants physicist doesn¡¯t know everything!¡±


    ¡°Hey. You are like a financial wizard aren¡¯t you? I remember that asshole Professor Dalton trying to get you to switch to math. ''You¡¯ll win a Fields Medal. Why waste your life on Wall Street doing coke and meaningless, empty sex.¡± Jade reminisced, mimicking the pompous tones of their undergrad differential equations professor.


    Charlie took a stance with her head tilted up and reached up to something ephemeral, ¡°And that is when I truly knew my future. My destiny. To snort coke off of good-looking jock investment bankers bodies, to have empty and meaningless sex with anything with a tight body¡­ and to look hot doing it.¡± She stuck out her chest and then licked her lips lasciviously at Ella.


    ¡°Hey. Cut that out¡­¡± said Jade crossly.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Jadey, I didn¡¯t mean to leave you out. You are fine. But it isn¡¯t fun to tease you since, you know, you swing that way anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well better than the revolving door that is your bedroom Charlie!¡± Jade threw out.


    ¡°Shit girl. That is a great idea. I¡¯ll tell Daddy to get one put in.¡±


    And maybe that bit of banter loosened them up enough to relax. And maybe it was enough for them to forget for a moment Ella¡¯s revelations and the events of the past day.

 01.035 Service

    The next day (Tuesday, January 4, 2022)


    <h4>An alley, Tribeca, New York City, United States</h4>


    ¡°Get up!¡±


    The kick to Ella¡¯s ribs lifted her a bit off the ground and sent her sliding on the ice. She could feel the steel-toed boot and the cracking sensation as her ribs broke. The pain was both immediate and distant at the same time.


    Ella had been walking to her apartment from Charlie¡¯s place when someone had pulled her into an alley in what felt like a mugging. Before she could react, she had felt a sharp piercing sensation on her thigh. Now she felt groggy and in a haze, feeling disconnected from everything.


    ¡°This little thing, this vermin will be our Empress?¡± Another voice. And then a bit of warm moisture on her face. From spit. The warmth contrasted with her other cheek pressed against the slush and cold pavement of the alley.


    She could hear the crunch of footsteps on snow but she couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t see. Her eyes were tearing from the pain.


    ¡°Ekerri chose this? A fucking monkey? Ekerri was a titan straddling the ages. He was Utu reborn, worthy of following. He slaughtered his way through the People. We followed him willingly, for we were the chosen ones. The Blooded. And together, we fertilized the lands with blood¡­ and he picked a human as his heir?¡±


    Another kick, this time to her face. She saw stars and maybe she blacked out for a moment. This time she can feel another crack and some teeth break. But she can¡¯t even tell what has happened.


    A third voice, ¡°Now now. Ekerri was a butcher. But the Emperor,¡± and even in her concussed state, she could hear the derision in this voice, a woman¡¯s voice, ¡°¡­ the Emperor was a clever bastard also. And he betrayed us, his elite. Casting us into that hell.¡±


    And now a new pain, almost exquisite in its sharpness. Ella managed to open her eyes, and she could see a woman¡¯s stiletto heel. It had pierced her hand and pinned it to the ground. Blood welled out from around it.


    Who wears heels in the ice? Ella dazedly thought to herself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll kill this pawn. Then that bastard, traitor Ekerri will die. We shall hold true for the return of Inanna.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    And Ella saw the first one, the one that had jumped her from an alley on her way home from Charlie¡¯s, blur. And his legs changed, tearing through the pants and multiplying. Soon they took on a strange rust color. Two large pincers emerged from where the creature¡¯s hips had been.


    Great. A fucking lobster centaur is going to kill me, she thought.


    Ella was barely holding on. Her hand was still pinned underneath the woman¡¯s heel. Her ribs were definitely broken and every breath hurt like hell. Her face was partially numb. And she could feel blood on her face, on her hands.


    It wasn¡¯t even cold anymore. Despite her lying on her side on ice and dirty city slush. She felt a lassitude and warmth spreading through her.


    So this is what death feels like. At least the pain is gone.


    Another kick landed somewhere, and it slid her a bit around where she was pinned down by her hand. It was excruciating. Now she could see all three of them. No. There were five. Two had hung back by the entryway.


    The one that had transformed was clicking his pincers and his hands mimicked the movement.


    ¡°She dies now. I am going to enjoy eating her flesh.¡± And now she saw this creature¡¯s tail with venom dripping from it.


    A scorpion?


    And Ella finally managed to focus for a moment. Her eyes flared brightly and all of them recoiled in astonishment. The power cleared her system immediately of the venom, and, even though the pain became more intense from her wounds, she could think.


    She could feel her mouth shift as her jaw moved back into its place. Her left hand clenched around the heel that had pierced through it, and she pulled hard and the woman fell backward.


    And then she took another shot. One that was similar but different to the one she had tried using ¡ª was it just two days ago? ¡ª against the sniper.


    The scorpion man lit up in a torrent of white light, just a silhouette. And then there was just the smell of burnt flesh and ash floating in the air.


    Ella stood up. Her wounds were still knitting together, but so incompletely. It was still agony when she moved. And she reached over and pulled the heel from the her hand. Blood dripped and she staggered and hissed from the pain.


    She was drawing deeper than she ever had. But she could feel the well of power running low, and it was hard to collect what she could to fight further when she saw something astonishing.


    The remaining four were kneeling and bowing in the snow.


    ¡°Inanna Reborn. We are Blessed in Her Name and Presence. Bringer of our Restoration. Protector of the world. We are Aqrabuamelu. Our service is eternal.¡±


    It was a prayer and offering. The chant was a ritual but she could feel it carrying something to her.


    The woman, having scrambled into the kneeling position added in a martial shout, ¡°All hail, Empress of the People.¡±


    The others echoed, ¡°All hail!¡±


    She limped over to the woman kneeling in the dirty snow in a trash strewn alley. The woman¡¯s hair was the same rust red of the scorpion and Ella could tell, with her crown on her head, that this woman was also a scorpion creature as were the others. An Agrab-something.


    She threw the bloody heel at the woman¡¯s head and missed.

 01.036 Revelation

    Tuesday, January 4, 2022


    <h4>Tribeca, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella stared at the kneeling¡­ creatures. They all looked human but with her eyes glowing and her crown on her head she could see the slight silhouette of something not human, scorpion like creature.


    Everything hurt. Her ribs were still broken. She was covered in wet, cold, dirty slush and detritus of the alley. But all that paled compared to her face. Her jaw couldn¡¯t move well and ¡ª and this part almost made her cry ¡ª she had clearly lost some teeth.


    The creature all kowtowed in front of her, and kept muttering some sort of ritualistic nonsense. Ella could feel like she was going numb and needed help. She needed them to leave. Not enough time for answers before she passed out.


    ¡°Get out of here! Leave me alone!¡± She screamed. Coughing from the pain in her chest. Her eyes were tearing and she felt a bit lightheaded.


    The creatures turned around and ran. Almost tripping over one another.


    Ella felt her vision going and she found herself on the ground again. The sun looked like it had moved some and her face was numb where it had pressed into the snow. Breathing hurt.


    She fumbled for her phone and managed to send out a text before passing out again.


    The next thing she knew, Jade and Charlie were at her side pulling her up. She tried to scream when they pulled her up from the pain but started coughing. Blood sprayed onto the snow.


    ¡°Shit. We have to get her to the hospital. Call an ambulance!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no ambulance. No hospital¡± Ella protested. ¡°Can¡¯t explain¡­¡±


    She passed out again. When she came to, she was in a warm bed and felt woozy. The beeping of a heart monitor was obvious.


    ¡°Ella!¡± Charlie whispered. ¡°You are awake! Be quiet. The doctor said you have some broken ribs, a broken jaw, a concussion¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Can¡¯t explain¡­ the hospital¡­¡± it was hard to form words.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t in a hospital. You are back at my place. I had the doctor make a house call.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­ you can do that?¡± Except it came out more like ¡°ooo can do dat¡­¡± Ella couldn¡¯t form words. She felt around her mouth and there were teeth missing. Her jaw didn¡¯t work quite right.


    ¡°Hmm. Yeah. I can. My dad has a service on retainer.¡± Charlie then muttered under her breath, ¡°although how I am going to explain this I have no idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me shee¡­¡±


    ¡°Umm. Ella you are pretty fucked up. I don¡¯t think you should.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ let me see.¡± She carefully enunciated.


    Charlie set the lights to dim which caused an immediate spike in Ella¡¯s headache. Ella blinked a few times and saw she was in Charlie¡¯s absolutely massive bedroom in a giant four poster bed with curtains pulled aside. It was night outside.


    Charlie rummaged a bit in a mirrored vanity, and pulled out a hand mirror which she wordlessly handed to Ella.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ella snatched it and held it up.


    Ella didn¡¯t consider herself vain. She knew she was good looking, even by New York standards. But looking in that mirror put a lie to her false humility. Not the yellow and purple mottling of her face. Nor the obvious black eye she was going to have. But a lot of her teeth were missing. Knocked out when she had been kicked in the face.


    Tears started streaming from her eyes and she tried to sob, which made her ribs hurt more. Which caused her to cry more. She sobbed and Charlie sat down next to her and soothed her hair. Ella eventually fell asleep again.


    When she woke up, she saw that Charlie had fallen asleep at the end of the bed, her hair spread out all over. Jade was sitting in the corner, asleep in a large loveseat.


    Ella slid out of bed and limped over to the bathroom. The marble floors felt cold to her feet. She closed the door and then looked at herself in the mirror, giving her eyes time to adapt. Her face was swollen on one side. Her teeth showed obvious gaps. She pulled off the shirt Charlie and Jade must have stuck her in, and she had a large contusion underneath her left breast. Her ribs hurt as she prodded them.


    She forced her attention back to her face. She could always get some sort of implant, but that thought almost broke her. She leaned forward and her pendant swung free from where she had removed her shirt.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± she whispered. She reached in deep. As hard as she had ever done. Her eyes flared bright, right through the contacts that she had been sleeping in. She drew more and more.


    First she started with her ribs. She could feel the crack in the bones, the blood under her skin from broken capillaries, and the edematous fluid around the injury. She pulled deeper and she could feel the bone shifting back into place, the fluid draining, the blood fading away.


    ¡°Good warm up,¡± she said to herself and took a deep breath, scared of the expected pain which never came.


    ¡°One down. Now the teeth.¡± She looked inside. She could feel the sense of her teeth and the injury and as she pulled she could feel the way her teeth should be. The image of rightness that she pulled at. But it wouldn¡¯t break through, she felt this undefined sense of power flailing and sweat was beading down her forehead.


    She came out of it gasping. Her hand trembling. Her face had healed some. The black eye had receded, the swelling down and her jaw felt better. But the teeth were still gone.


    Ella looked at the dangling pendant and without hesitation jabbed it into her chest, right below the heart. She could feel the magic flow into her but it still felt apart from her. She tried again and drained herself again to not see anything.


    She grabbed the pendant and finally ripped it off of her neck. She looked at it, a small drop of blood where she had tried to forge a stronger connection. And, not giving herself time to think, stuck the tooth in her mouth to swallow it. She could maybe draw more magic from it that way.


    But something happened as she focused on the feeling of this large bear tooth on her tongue. She could feel it melting. It flowed into the jagged bits of teeth that were left, into the roots and she could feel it moving into her jaw. It felt horrible and invasive and slimy.


    Her eyes rolled up, and she started trembling. Foam came from her mouth and if a doctor had been there to see her; they would have thought it a seizure.


    Ella could see it all. All the quantum superstates sitting around her, how she could reach out to collapse them in her favor. How she could reach through the what-ifs of multiple dimensions of time and bring those potentials here. How the light she had been pulling was only part of the types of light she could pull and why. Billions, trillions, of possibilities opened to her. And soon overwhelmed her.


    She caught herself before she entirely fell to the floor and managed to lower herself down before passing out again¡­


    Charlie woke her with Jade hours later. Yelling at her with concern that she had gotten up out of bed with nobody to help her.


    Jade had obvious concern as well, but that distance that had sprung up between them was still there ¡ª keeping her quiet.


    After a while, and a promise that she would not go to the bathroom by herself, she finally got to sit for a moment. Neither Charlie nor Jade had seen the full extent of her damage the night before. So the teeth and reduction of bruising might have been noticeable but neither said anything.


    Ella looked into the hand mirror and smiled. The bear¡¯s tooth was gone, and was part of her. She could feel it, no longer separate but a part of her. Her bones were suffused with it. But she also could feel it leak into the environment around her.

 01.037 Fulfillment

    Thursday, January 6, 2022


    <h4>Tribeca, New York City, United States</h4>


    It was too soon to go out but Ella felt pretty great. She had been in bed as long as she could and was vibrating with energy.


    Charlie and Jade both relented when she started doing burpees in the bedroom. Her ribs felt fine. Her face had some fine mottling but had mostly healed.


    Her mind was racing through everything, including who those scorpion creatures were, school restarting soon, and the dragon, Tommy Xu.


    But also, she had been attacked and almost killed three times now. Those odds would catch up. So she restocked on pepper spray and some other odds and ends. Plus a long awaited item came through, her gun license.


    Charlie and Jade stuck with her tight. Their concern was more than a little touching, and Ella thought that if it had been five years ago they would have had a cry together or something like that. Both Jade and Ella had just about moved into Charlie¡¯s at this point, and Charlie had even talked about making it permanent. She said the place was too empty for her.


    Another thing Ella hadn¡¯t known about Charlie was how much she studied when nobody was around. ¡°My secret is out. We can¡¯t all be geniuses like you Ella.¡± But there was no bitterness in that statement.


    Ella would have been more impressed with Charlie¡¯s studying if she wasn¡¯t nursing some sort of devil¡¯s mix of a cocktail while pouring through her notes. And then, of course, she had to look over and say, ¡°We especially can¡¯t all be geniuses with hardbodies like yours.¡± And licked her lips in an over exaggerated lascivious manner.


    Ella had gotten used to Charlie¡¯s wildly over the top flirting. It helped that Charlie was straight as an arrow. And her boyfriend, Connor, came over every so often but was discrete and polite when they did run into him. But Charlie wasn¡¯t exactly quiet at night which was no surprise to either Jade or Ella.


    Both of them had started running with her sometimes. They usually flaked after the first mile or two, especially if Ella was running interval sprints in the snow. But Charlie had taken to lifting with Ella and was surprisingly strong. They both refused to get in the ring although Craig kept needling his sister, but Jade just said no.


    If anything Ella was feeling a bit claustrophobic with her friends always around, and that awareness let her notice someone following her. Occasionally, out of the corner of her eye, she would see someone that didn¡¯t feel quite right. The magic that had infused her body was tapering off, as if the initial rush was leading to some new equilibrium. After a few tries, she flared her eyes and finally caught the barest hint of a scorpion tail around a corner.


    It was just a few days before school resumed. Ella had the music cranked on her headphones while she studied financial calculus. The math wasn¡¯t that complicated and she pretty much saw how you would model the market outcomes. She even started thinking about more advanced versions of the algorithms, and papers she could write about them until she remembered this was all just preparation to meet Tommy Xu.


    The hotel across from Charlie¡¯s had lovely tufted leather couches, warm ambience, and pretty good burgers. All pretty solid for studying. But she wasn¡¯t so relaxed she failed to catch someone watching her at another table out of the corner of her eye. She waited until a waitress was distracting them and shined her eyes to confirm the scorpion lower body she knew was there.


    There wasn¡¯t anyone else suspicious.


    Now or never, she thought. She stretched her arms up and stood up; dropped enough cash to cover her tab. And started to walk to the back of the hotel lobby towards the bathroom.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It was midday and the light off the snow was intense so she had a good excuse to slip on her sunglasses which let her keep her eyes at a low burn. She set off in a slow meandering way outside and picked up the pace around the corner to Canal Street.


    There, in the hustle of Chinatown street vendors she quickly worked her way over to a mostly empty alley, this time it was her turn.


    The creature paused around the corner of the alley, and Ella silently whispered to herself ¡°come on, come on¡±.


    Then the creature rounded the corner, and Ella dropped from the fire escape to land behind him with a thud. She almost lost her balance on the slick snow but held on for a bit while she drew a bead with her finally-legal pistol. Right at center mass and ready.


    The woman spun around and then regarded her for a moment before dropping to the ground, forehead pressed to the snow, heedless of the slush and cold. Ella could hear the same nonsense about ¡°Innana¡± and ¡°service¡±.


    ¡°Get up¡± she growled, keeping the small green dot steady on the groveling creature in front of her.


    The creature stood up and faced her. Her features were odd and angular, her skin a slightly redder color than Ella¡¯s golden brown. Her eyes were dark black and she had long, intricately braided hair.


    ¡°I have no idea who you are¡­ or why you are following me. But¡­¡± and then it clicked for Ella. This woman was the same one as the one in the alley. The one that had driven her stiletto heel right through Ella¡¯s hand. Ella almost pulled the trigger right there.


    Ella used her left hand to reach into her parka pocket and pulled out an already looped zip tie. ¡°Put this around your wrists and pull it tight with your teeth. I want it to be absolutely tight. And if I see your tail come out, I¡¯ll put you down.¡±


    The green bead stayed centered on the woman¡¯s chest. Ella watched it flutter erratically as she tried to not tremble. Her eyes were glowing and the crown felt heavy on her head.


    The scorpion woman slowly reached down and picked up the zip tie and did as Ella had asked. She turned around and put her tied hands behind her head and Ella slowly approached, keeping her eyes out for any sudden transformation. She yanked on the tail of the zip tie hard and immediately stepped into the back of the woman¡¯s knee and then another kick into her back to send her one the ground hard.


    Then she spun around to find another one, a man this time with similar features, behind her. And already kneeling with his forehead down and muttering the same sort of chant, but this time in a language she did not recognize.


    ¡°Get up.¡± And she kept the gun on him with her right hand and her left hand began to glow. She didn¡¯t have another zip tie accessible and she was about to make the hard choice.


    It was perhaps a bit contrary, but the realization she could do it, that she was willing to pull the trigger if necessary ¡ª something she had wondered about ¡ª caused her to pause.


    ¡°There is no need for the gun.¡±


    Ella dodged to the side and looked back to see the woman having rolled onto her back with her hands still bound in front of her.


    The woman nodded, ¡°Good instincts to dodge before you even look.¡± She then kipped up to her feet. In heels.


    ¡°We will not harm you. Earlier¡­ It was a mistake. I promise you, Blessed Innana.¡±


    But Ella didn¡¯t relax and kept her aim on the one in front of her and slowly traversed around him to have both of them in her view.


    ¡°You keep saying that name, Innana. Who is that and what exactly is going on?¡±


    ¡°You are her. Our patron goddess. The one destined to bring magic back. May we serve the Blessed Inanna.¡± And she did something incredible - she kneeled and prostrated herself before pushing up with her knees and jumping back to her feet. Ella wasn¡¯t sure whether that was more impressive, or the fact that she didn¡¯t even care about the dirty slushy and snow that now covered her. Her hands where the zip tie had them together were turning pale from lack of blood flow.


    ¡°Okay. We are going to talk. But¡­ he leaves.¡± She waved the gun back over to the other one who was still kneeling. If the woman had been graceful, this man had just scooted around in a circle on his knees to still be bowing in the snow, but towards her.


    The woman barked something in a language that Ella had never heard before but somehow she understood, ¡°Leave now you fool. Innana has spoken. Blessed is she who shall redeem us.¡±


    The man stood up, took one look at her and slowly backed away to the other end of the alley before turning and disappearing around the corner.


    Ella pocketed the gun, keeping a tight grip on it. She let her eyes fade and motioned with her free hand for the woman to walk ahead of her.


    The woman brought her hands to her face and then bit right through the zip tie and shook her hands to move her circulation. And then she walked past Ella and asked, ¡°Where to, Honored One?¡± without looking back.

 01.038 Analepsis

    146 BCE


    <h4>Carthage, In Modern Tunisia</h4>


    "We can never let this happen again "


    ¡°No¡­ we underestimated them.¡±


    Both Arcsa and the High Priestess regarded the city below them. It was a beautiful day, and the sun shone down on the Roman soldiers carting away slaves from the ruins. Smoke drifted from the burning ships in the harbor and what was left of the city.


    ¡°Humans, they were vermin once but now this world is theirs. These Romans, their equipment is terrible, but they are able to armor the entirety of their legions. And they are persistent, like ants.¡±


    The High Priestess was flipping a coin, a silver denarius taken from a dead soldier. She continued, ¡°The People are nowhere to be found. The bastard traitor Utu is hiding somewhere. Innana has not shown. And she will come with magic restored to the world.¡±


    Arcsa said the ritual blessings, ¡°May we serve the Blessed Inanna.¡±


    ¡°There is too much heresy among the Blooded. We must root out those who have become enamored with this world, we must remain true to our service. And while we wait, you shall enforce orthodoxy, Arcsa. Kill the blasphemous.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am happy to do so. What will you do?¡±


    ¡°I will go to Rome and establish ourselves there. We shall also go to this rising power of the East, these Han. And wherever else war and power concentrate themselves. From now on we shall be on both sides of every battle and thus always win and continue. Our Blooded will refine and modernize their understanding of war, we shall accumulate wealth untold, all to be prepared for Her.¡±


    Arcsa bowed his head. ¡°I shall clean our ranks. We shall be ready whether it is one year or two thousand.¡±


    The Priestess looked down at the Roman army. ¡°This Scipio the Younger, he is quite clever at war. I look forward to seeing what these Romans do and how long they will last. I shall take a Roman name and cloak myself in their ways. Find me when you have cleansed our people. Bring me their venom for the rites.¡±


    Arcsa smiled sadly. ¡°It shall be done.¡±


    538 AD


    Rome, Italy


    ¡°Well met Arcsa!¡±


    ¡°Hail, High Priestess. Or I hear you go by Antonina now?¡±


    ¡°Shhh¡­ I am not supposed to be here. Belisarius would be quite displeased to find his wife dressed as a cataphract in his own army!¡±


    ¡°They say you have Belisarius wrapped around your finger like an ornament.¡±


    ¡°And by they, you mean that little shit Procopius.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. Perhaps.¡± Arcsa put thumb and forefinger to his chin and nodded.


    ¡°And I am not Arcsa now. Call me Totila.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I hear rumor of Totila. Come to cast out the arrogant Justinian and show him the presumptive nature of his ambition to bring the West back under the fold of Rome?¡± The High Priestess laughed slyly.


    ¡°Perhaps I will declare us the true heirs of Rome. That will be fun.¡±


    "Bah. Who cares. Let us talk of business "This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°It took me hundreds of years, but our ranks are pure once again. We join wars as advisors, as mercenaries, as conscripts. We slaughter humans and our own kind in endless war. We grow strong and skilled.¡±


    ¡°Any sign of the People?¡±


    Arcsa frowned for he knew where the High Priestess was building up to, and it was not their way to take the circuitous route.


    ¡°Innana has not shown. And she will come with magic restored to the world.¡±


    The High Priestess bowed and finished with the encomium, ¡°May we serve the Blessed Inanna.¡±


    ¡°We occasionally encounter some of the People. Mostly lost or forgotten. Many of them are young and foolish or completely ignorant. We kill the foolish and leave the ignorant. But the People have not returned. They may be in their own hells as we once were.¡±


    April 1204 AD


    Constantinople, Ottoman Empire


    Arcsa felt the flush on his cheeks as he rode down the infidel. His cloak and mail hauberk flapped behind him as his horse raced down the flats. His sword, steel - what a wondrous material! - flashed down when the peasant suddenly dodged under his galloping horse¡¯s belly with preternatural speed.


    Arcsa felt the saddle give and leapt before he fell, crashing in a clatter of steel and rolling to his feet. The peasant had not only managed to duck under a galloping horses belly but had slashed the girth strap while doing so.


    ¡°Damn, that will hurt. Good trick though,¡± he said to himself in his native Akaddian.


    ¡°I should hope so, and thank you,¡± called the peasants¡¯ voice and shifted her long hair from her face to reveal the High Priestess.


    Without hesitation, Arcsa turned around and threw his sword. Unerringly, the sword pierced through the heart of his fellow Templar. They had been together since the King¡¯s Crusade at Acre and Jaffa, and then through the years in the internecine wars that followed. But what did that matter?


    The High Priestess winked. She looked alive and vibrant.


    ¡°Innocent the Third¡¯s folly.¡± mused Arcsa. ¡°These crusaders are greedier than the last bunch. They know not what war is, what belief is, what faith in the divine and in their fellows mean. We were supposed to be sacking Jerusalem. And here we are, in Constantinople, looting and pillaging. It is kind of fun, although I did cut the balls off of a bunch of them for rape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t paying too much attention. But I needed a break from the East before coming to find you. And yet here you are.¡±


    ¡°The East? What have you been about?¡±


    ¡°It has been a busy time. We fought a good war to take control of a small island nation. My husband died and I got to be regent - can you believe it? Such a tedious job keeping Tsuchimikado, that fatuous fool, thinking he could depose me at any time. And then my son, Yoriie, took over. So I thought I would travel some.¡±


    Arcsa could easily fill in the blanks, the patterns never changed.


    ¡°Another son? Is he one of us?¡±


    ¡°No, sadly. He is human. He does not know. I think we will not be able to breed true without the magic. Innana has not shown. And she will come with magic restored to the world.¡±


    ¡°May we serve the Blessed Inanna.¡±


    December 25, 1972


    North Vietnam


    The High Priestess sat in the front of a B-52 flying over North Vietnam. She watched with a dull anticipation as she pulled the bomb trigger. The plane flew on, often not even waiting to see where the destruction they dropped would land. After all, another bomber would be coming by soon enough.


    She had never thought about weapons in the way that these humans had. Impersonal and effortless. So unlike a sword and dagger, just pull a small trigger and deliver death to ones you never saw.


    Arcsa was behind her, piloting the plane and speaking on the comms. They had killed the other crew members and planned on taking the plane and its weapons for disassembly.


    ¡°Arcsa, I doubt.¡±


    ¡°Shall I cut off your head then, like I do to all who lose the Faith? And drain your venom to bring the dreams of the Goddess?¡±


    ¡°No, I do not doubt that she will come. I doubt that we will be worthy. We are dealers in death. We know every way to kill both known and forgotten. But is this to be it? How can we guard her in this era of weapons which burn cities? We are warriors beyond measure, and control armies. But I press this button and a poison gas which burns the flesh is released.¡± And she pressed the button and a bomb dropped, filled with a rainbow cocktail of chemicals, dropped down.


    ¡°Our defense can only be incomplete without magic,¡± Arcsa reminded her.


    ¡°And will these humans also gain magic and turn it to these ends? Is it sufficient? Our last mages died in Nagasaki. We will have to learn again.¡±


    ¡°Blessed Inanna will show us the way.¡±


    ¡°May we serve the Blessed Inanna.¡±


    ¡°We are the sieve and the winnow. What is left are just the Blooded. And our people are strong and powerful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we have begun to see other People. Some of whom were right under our noses.¡±


    ¡°The dragons especially are a concern. They are powerful. And are they even still loyal to the memory of Utu, the bastard, or just to themselves? They will not greet Innana properly.¡±


    ¡°We shall have to kill them all.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t kill that fucker Nixon first.¡±

 01.039 Conversation

    Thursday, January 13, 2022


    <h4>Tamarind, Tribeca, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella sat across from the woman who remained so very calm - not even caring that Ella had a gun pointed under the table at her covered by her scarf.


    ¡°That was a nice move, when you dropped from the escape.¡± The woman poured two cups of the chai as they sat in the crowded restaurant. Ella had walked them over to Hudson to a place which she hoped would make it hard for any others to follow. She kept scanning past the woman for anyone else that entered.


    ¡°You do well for being untrained. This restaurant is quite busy, your back is to the wall, and I have poor mobility out of this booth side if I did decide to attack. You have the gun pointed at me, but keeping it under the table is a mistake as you won¡¯t be able to track me very well. Also, this table is not as good as that one two over. That one would afford you another exit route, a slightly better view, and less exposure to a sniper across the street. Also, you should have picked a Chinese restaurant or another ethnic group - most of my compatriots have similar coloring to the both of us and won¡¯t stand out as much.¡±


    The woman took a sip of tea.


    ¡°Who are you? No, who are you and what are you?¡±


    ¡°Me? I am nobody. A mere acolyte. We have been waiting for you for millenia. And now you are here. Sitting across from me in a very nice Indian restaurant. One I quite enjoy by the way. Can I assume this is your treat as my patron goddess?¡± The woman smiled disingenuously.


    ¡°No, I think you attacked me¡­ so the bill is on you.¡±


    The woman made a moue of discontent. ¡°The High Priestess will probably kill me when I submit the expense report. Fine. But you don¡¯t really need the gun. CZ, is it? A good choice for someone on a budget who needs a well crafted precision gun. A used Glock would have been cheaper and easier to mod though - way more parts available. I am partial to the new Beretta striker, but it isn¡¯t exactly small.¡±


    A waiter came by and Ella ordered some selections from the prix fixe. The woman, this scorpion acolyte, across from her just said she would have the same.


    ¡°So what is your name? I can¡¯t just call you acolyte.¡±


    ¡°But of course you can. When one¡¯s goddess calls you, one answers despite the name. My name is¡­ hmm¡­ you know it has been over 3,000 years since I used my real name? The High Priestess doesn¡¯t even keep her name, she probably doesn¡¯t remember it.¡±


    ¡°Your name?¡± Ella demanded.


    ¡°Bahu! It is nice to meet you Goddess and Empress-To-Be Eesha Jindal-Witten, Blessed Innana Reborn.¡±


    ¡°Stop that, and just call me Ella.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°I hardly think I should be on such familiar terms with my own goddess. It would be unmannerly.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor then. And no more of that Innana stuff either. Just tell me what the hell is going on.¡±


    ¡°Eleanor¡­ I can try. Eleanor. Eleanor. Eleanor. OK. Got it.¡±


    And so Bahu began, starting with when her people served the Emperor Ekerri as Utu, their God on Earth. Until something happened and they were trapped in a cave next to a volcano, the sweltering heat, the water rations. Until Arcsa, the Prophet, found a way out. How they sallied out of that world and took over the nearest kingdom, Sumer, and ruled. Occasionally expanding or moving kingdoms, until Carthage. When the Romans had destroyed it, they realized being front and center in history, holding rule, was not their purpose and was heretical. From then on, training and fighting wars throughout history and accumulating wealth.


    ¡°And now you are here. And it is all yours. We are all yours. To pillage the world in your name.¡±


    Ella just stared at her. That was a bit too much. ¡°You are joking, right? I am not going to pillage anyone.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit? Well I suppose this is because you are human. Do you know how upset the High Priestess will be that Innana was reborn as a human? She will just¡­¡± and Bahu giggled. Like a young teen girl.


    Ella sat and thought. She felt like this woman¡¯s bubbly nature and appearance were all a bit too pat. Too neat and disarming to be real. Especially for someone 8,000 years old or whatever. Play along or cut through the bullshit?


    ¡°So¡­ why did you and a bunch of your friends decide to beat the shit out of me?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± and she held up her fingers and began to tick off points.


    ¡°First, you are human you know? So kind of like, well like a rat. But not as cute.¡±


    ¡°Second, well you have that glowy thing.¡±


    Ella let the cute comment slide ¡ª Never mind they both looked human right now.


    ¡°Glowy thing?¡±


    ¡°Well those eyes. And that crown. We all can feel it. I told you how we hated Ekerri right? And you were his heir. You got your whole Barbie princess thing going on. And well if we find Ekerri we are going to crack his orc bones and suck the marrow right out of them.¡±


    Her cheerful voice didn¡¯t change the slightest, but Ella knew she meant it quite literally. Something about how she said it had an edge.


    ¡°And now?¡±


    ¡°Well you used magic. Like a lot. Fried old Ilgi right into dust. And it was his birthday next week. That¡¯s more than what you get with a crown from Ekerri!¡±


    ¡°So if you are trained so well, how did I get the jump on that guy?¡±


    ¡°L-O-L¡± She actually said the letters. What the hell? ¡°Ah, he wasn¡¯t expecting you to know anything. You are pretty resourceful. Not that we won¡¯t give him shit over it. But getting blindsided by your goddess? Even if she is just a lowly human? I guess that is okay.¡±


    The waiter interrupted to place a plate of papadam in front of them. And Bahu put her hands together to pray. But then looked up, ¡°Ummm. Do I like pray directly to you? It feels kind of weird, you know? Like I suppose I could pretend you weren¡¯t here. But that feels rude. Should I just say it out loud? I think I would blush.¡±


    ¡°Just eat already and let me think.¡±


    They both took a papad. Ella was actually ravenous. She had begun to relax around Bahu, but she held onto the gun anyway. She had been practicing shooting with her off hand anyway, even if she hadn¡¯t anticipated it would be used to hold off a scorpion woman in a fancy Indian restaurant in TriBeCa.


    ¡°So¡­ what now? I still don¡¯t know if I trust you or your people.¡±


    ¡°I know and it breaks my heart! Who knows that Ekerri¡¯s heir and our goddess would be the same person? What are the odds? The same probably as me ever getting to rip apart that shitstain dwarf Kothin.¡±


    Ella sat up and almost pulled the trigger in surprise. ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡±

 01.040 Rapprochement

    Thursday, January 13, 2022


    <h4>Tamarind, Tribeca, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Kothin, the dwarf? You know him?¡± And Ella realized she was giving away information instead of getting it.


    Bahu stopped eating and a smile overtook her face. A real smile instead of the cheery grin she had been affecting. The look of the woman who had driven a spiked heel through Ella¡¯s hand just a little while ago.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­¡± Bahu said with a that cheery smile and more than a little satisfaction, ¡°What is more interesting is you know him? Kothin? About this tall,¡± and Bahu held up her hand, ¡°skin like a rock. And ugly?¡±


    ¡°Well I am not sure he is ugly. He is a rock though.¡±


    ¡°Do you like them rocky?¡±


    ¡°Well no¡­ wait, what?¡± Ella said again.


    ¡°No. Let me be serious. Kothin has always been Ekerri¡¯s dog. Where Ekerri orders, Kothin goes. Seneschal of his Court and most likely his spymaster.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment. Kothin has been helping me out.¡±


    ¡°Well of course he has. Since Ekerri made you his heir. Although why he made a human his heir is the real question. It isn¡¯t like he is going to die anytime soon.¡± Bahu paused, taking a moment to eat the first course that had been put in front of them. After a moment, ¡°I want to ask you about where you saw Ekerri and how you met Kothin. But the High Priestess will kill me if I get ahead of her on these things. And Arcsa won¡¯t kill me which would be worse.¡±


    ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t trust us one bit. I wouldn¡¯t if I were you. But you could literally order one of us to kill ourselves, and we would do it. I know my personality doesn¡¯t seem like it, but we are all believers. To the very end.¡± Bahu¡¯s expression was suddenly very serious.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°You need to meet with Arcsa and the High Priestess. They already know about you since the attack and had us following you quietly to find out more. But that ship has sailed.¡±


    Ella sat back and thought. She carefully put away the gun. For some reason she believed Bahu.


    ¡°Fine. But under my terms.¡±


    ¡°I understand but you need to understand, our¡­ our faith is very powerful. We have ruled governments, we have trained in war for millennia, all in our service to you. There are no preparations you could make that would be enough. None. Well, I suppose you could get a dragon, but that would be silly.¡±


    Ella latched onto this small bit of leverage. ¡°A dragon. I do know one.¡± Ella faked a smile as she said it.


    And the grin fell right off of Bahu¡¯s face. Her voice was low and intense, ¡°Which one? The Quetzalcoatl? The Gaasyendietha? The Fuzanglong? One of the others? You can¡¯t trust them. They will tear you apart if you are an inconvenience. Even Ekerri only held their loyalty by the slimmest of margins and that must be gone by now. Don¡¯t tell me it is Typhon or one of the Tianlong?¡± Bahu looked panicked.


    Ella felt like she had gained a tenuous bit of advantage in the conversation that she could not squander.


    ¡°I think I would prefer not to share. But let¡¯s just say that I don¡¯t have to worry about meeting this High Priestess of yours.¡± Ella baldly lied.


    ¡°She is actually yours. I swear it, Blessed One.¡±


    Perhaps the waiter had overheard a bit of their conversation as the main meal and desert came in record time and almost together. But Ella had had enough of this conversation and felt she should leave while Bahu was unbalanced.


    ¡°Give me a number to contact you with. I¡¯ll reach out once I am ready. And stop following me.¡±


    ¡°Your will, Blessed Innana on Earth.¡± And Bahu performed a seated bow and a strange hand gesture. All levity was gone.


    ¡°And pick your seats better,¡± she said, pointing to Ella¡¯s chest. Ella looked down to see a glowing green dot right there, steady as could be.


    Ella quickly made her retreat and after making sure she didn¡¯t feel any magic near her, took a circuitous route back to her apartment. Jade was still at Charlie¡¯s. Ella slid down against the wall to the floor and finally let her breath go, the panic and fear striking as her adrenaline left her.

 01.041 Interview

    Saturday, January 15, 2022


    <h4>Charlie¡¯s Flat, Tribeca, New York City, United States</h4>


    It was only a few days left until her interview at Ixus. Ella needed whatever leverage ¡ª or at least the appearance of it ¡ª she could get before she met this High Priestess or Arcsa. Whoever they were.


    She was studying for her interview when Charlie walked by the dining table, ¡°What the hell is that you are reading?¡±


    And then Ella was forced to explain her plan and what she had found out about Xu.


    ¡°A dragon!¡± Charlie¡¯s eyes shined. ¡°Like with scales and stuff? No fucking way!¡±


    ¡°Yes fucking way.¡± And Ella recapped the most recent events.


    ¡°So let me see if I got this straight? A bunch of half-human, half-scorpion people beat the shit out of you in an alley because you are the motherfucking princess but then decided since you have magic that you are their prophesized goddess incarnate on earth and are now a fanatical army waiting to go on some sort of jihad for you?¡±


    ¡°Ummm. No? Maybe? Bahu, one of them I met, reminds me of this girl I just met in Iceland, all bubbly chat. But in this case, it feels like bullshit, like she could go from zero to high-order violence like that.¡± And Ella snapped her fingers for emphasis.


    Charlie came and plopped down in the chair next to her. ¡°Ok. That is definitely fire. Who are we going to conquer first? I kind of want an island¡­ you know like Australia?¡±


    ¡°Are you high?¡±


    ¡°A little bit¡­¡±


    Tuesday, January 18, 2022


    <h4>Ixus Capital, Midtown, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella felt a bit uncomfortable in the fancy designer suit Charlie had pulled out of her closet. But it fit pretty well if a bit tight around the bust, and the fabric was ridiculously comfortable. No Ann Taylor Loft synthetic from the discount rack here.


    Ella was starting to get worried. This interviewer wasn¡¯t paying attention to her answers, and she needed to get to the next round of interviews. She knew she was nailing the answers, but he spent more time staring at her cleavage than listening to answers. Ella pointedly noted the wedding band on his hand, but this guy was oblivious.


    They were just wrapping up when Ella felt a sudden surge of power behind her and in walked Tommy Xu. When Xu walked in she could instantly see the realness of magic around him. It was obvious and felt like an endless wave of water spilling off of him in every direction, almost pushing her along a way of thinking.


    ¡°Pardon me for interrupting your interview, young miss. I needed to speak to young Mr. Goldberg here.¡± He did not wait for Ella¡¯s assent before addressing the associate, ¡°the numbers on your long and short positions look unbalanced. I want to know what you are doing with my money.¡± The voice sounded urbane and patient, as if a grandfather asking a young child why they had ice cream on their shirt, but Ella could imagine that there was a bit of edge, the faintest hint of anger, on the words ¡°my money.¡±


    Perhaps Ella would have played it cool and waited if she hadn¡¯t felt pressured both by the scorpions and how her interview was going.


    ¡°Mr. Wu? Wu Shen? I¡¯d love the chance to speak with you.¡± Ella gave him an empty-headed, winning smile.


    The creature in front of her was perhaps too experienced, too ancient, to be nonplussed. He merely raised an eyebrow and regarded her.


    The associate, Goldberg, hissed under his breath, ¡°this is Thomas Xu, the CEO. Not whoever Wu Shen is.¡± He turned to his boss, ¡°I am sorry Mister Xu. We were just finishing up our interview here.¡±


    Ella held Xu¡¯s eyes ignoring the associate. He no longer mattered.


    ¡°Oh, my mistake. Wu Shen and his son Wu Longwei are someone I have been looking forward to meeting for quite a while.¡± Ella let the grammatical error sit there in the open.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Mr. Xu¡¯s eyes crinkled a bit in the corner and a slight smile appeared on his face. Ella might have been disarmed by the apparent amusement on his face if she couldn¡¯t suddenly feel the build up of magic behind it. A lot of magic.


    No guts, no glory, thought Ella.


    ¡°Now, now, little forest lizard. Let¡¯s not get Mr. Goldberg here all hot under the collar.¡± And Ella flared her eyes. The glow was brief, but she knew Xu could see it through her colored contacts.


    Xu stared at her, and his smile became a bit strained. The waves of magic that had been pouring off of him came to a brief standstill and even got pushed back a bit. Ella could tell he was gathering more magic and just had enough time to start worrying before she felt it begin to fade.


    ¡°Mr. Goldberg. I think this candidate just skipped the line. Miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Jindal-Witten. But you can call me Ella. All my friends do. And I can tell we will be great friends.¡± She winked. Time to be bold.


    As if they were at some formal court event, Mr. Xu (and Ella could not think of him as Tommy for even a moment even inside her head) offered her his arm, and they walked back to the lobby and up the grand stairwell in the lobby.


    The office in which she found herself in was absolutely massive, three or more stories high, and with floor to ceiling windows which featured a view over Central Park to the north. Marble floors and fireplace, expensive wooden desk, even more expensive Chinese tapestries. Mr. Xu walked to the corner and poured a drink for himself.


    ¡°Lay Mou?¡± He gestured at the bottle.


    Ella thought for a moment before nodding yes. Her moment of bravado in the other room felt thinner after the walk, and it was all she could do not to tremble.


    He handed the glass over and poured another for himself. He took something out of his pocket and it was a large pearl which he moved absentmindedly across and around his knuckles with practiced movements.


    The glass had a slightly yellow tinge in the crystal tumbler. The drink had an sweet, overripe fruit aroma that turned Ella¡¯s stomach. She forced herself to take a sip and maintain impassivity despite the odd, almost fermented soy sauce taste.


    A strange sense of lunacy took over her, perhaps it was just Charlie¡¯s influence: Ella took a deep breath and downed the rest of the glass in one go. She held up the glass for another pour which she downed as well.


    ¡°I bought this bottle at auction. It is the last bottle left. So¡­ perhaps you could take it a bit slower and at least pretend you are enjoying it. At least for the 750,000 dollars you just drank.¡±


    Ella¡¯s eyes bugged out. ¡°That bottle¡­ is seven hundreds and fifty thousand dollars?¡±


    ¡°No dear. Those two glasses you just drank like a drunken sorority girl were worth that much. The bottle was perhaps two million.¡±


    Ella looked at her glass. It still smelled horrible and the lingering taste wasn¡¯t much better. Liquid courage and need formed her approach.


    She threw the crystal glass and remaining liquor into the fireplace, hearing the crystal shatter but refusing to look.


    ¡°Mr. Xu, or Wu, or Li, or whatever name you would like to go by in this era. Enough with the posturing.¡±


    There went the eyebrow up again. Ella started wondering if she could raise up one eyebrow like that. She almost tried before realizing that she was, absolutely, undeniably, being insane. Well, no guts, no glory.


    ¡°Tommy is fine. After all, you are the first in hundreds of years to know my secret. In fact, both parts: that I have lived so long, and, more importantly, what I am. I believe you called me a forest lizard?¡± And now his tone was not friendly at all.


    All Ella knew about dragons was from stupid fantasy books: that they were prideful and she needed to establish her bona fides here.


    Ella stood up and looked right into the eyes of this creature that had lived for longer than anything she could contemplate.


    ¡°Well have you seen them? They are so cute! I am sure in your native form you are just as cute!¡±


    He began to sputter a bit. Ella guess she had found out what it would take to disconcert a dragon. Now to shift the tone while he was off guard.


    ¡°I am here for your allegiance, and I will have it.¡±


    And now he truly looked surprised.


    ¡°Allegiance?¡± and his eyes changed, becoming yellow and slitted. Another surge of magic, but this time Ella flared her eyes bright and let her crown settle on her head. She pulled deep of magic, her eyes lit up to a blinding glaring light. The room was cast in stark relief. Her magic flooded the room burning his away like the fog in the morning.


    ¡°That crown,¡± he hissed. ¡°I thought I smelled Ekerri¡¯s stink on you. We bowed to that orc once. But never again. We rule this world now.¡±


    ¡°Emperor Ekerri,¡± chided Ella gently. No reason not to lean on borrowed authority.


    He looked upset now, Ella waited, she thought about looking at her nails dismissively but thought that might be overplaying it. And then she realized that there was no overplaying it.


    ¡°Emperor Ekerri,¡± he growled in concession.


    ¡°Do you rule? What kind of ruler must hide like you do? What a reminder of the fragility of your power to have to conceal yourself? Can you call yourself a champion among ghosts?¡±


    Ella didn¡¯t know where her audacity came from, except from her desperation.


    Scales began to split Xu¡¯s face. The fine suit he was wearing began to bulge and tear at the seams.


    A perverse sense of lunacy gave Ella the clarity she needed on what to do, how to disarm him, and she sat back down in her chair, laughing. ¡°Put that away and sit down. No need to Hulk out here. Let us talk about power and what we can do for one another.¡±

 01.042 Braggadocio

    Tuesday, January 18, 2022


    <h4>Ixus Capital, Midtown, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    The abrupt shift in tone caught Tommy Xu off guard. The young woman sitting in front of him appeared human to his senses. But the amount of magic she had held had been, well, terrifying. And that crown? It was not fully manifest yet, but she was Ekerri¡¯s heir for sure.


    And now she sat back down, having released all her magic, calm as well, calm as her quoted words from Li Quinzhao. How did this woman know those words? Li Quinzhao who had been bold and amazing and lovely but always running against the wall of her sex.


    He shook his head slightly and took a sip of the cup in his hand. He was not one for reminiscing, even about long dead lovers, the dangers of nostalgia were well known to the immortals.


    The Lay Mou actually was pretty terrible. But it was important that he own things like this and to be cultured. When was the last time he had flown high and taken an animal on the hunt? He could feel his wings waiting to spring forth, but he ruthlessly suppressed it.


    This woman¡¯s words had bitten hard. Again, how had she known to quote Quinzhao? It had shaken him more than it should have.


    Now she sat in the chair and regarded him calmly. Her eyes hazel and non-glowing. She sprawled in the chair, as if on a divan, her long legs askew and the plunging neckline of her jacket hinting at more underneath. He could smell the vicu?a that made up her business suit which didn¡¯t comport with the other smells coming from her. Was the expensive suit her? Or were the other smells of cheaper hair products and makeup the truth?


    Where did her confidence come from?


    The fuzanglong had always guarded their treasures from all. And had always been canny. Those that remained were few but wealthy beyond imagining. He looked at the pearl in his hand. It felt reassuring and warm and radiated magic like a warm fire. A fire that he would normally have used to burn this girl to ash.


    She caught the look, ¡°I won¡¯t be taking your trinkets from you.¡±


    He was unguarded and ashamed she could read him so well. For what reason had he lived so long if he was to act like he had just hatched? The tianlong would have flayed him if they saw this behavior. If Ekkeri hadn¡¯t slain most of them.


    He sat down behind his desk, steepled his hands, and took a slow, quiet breath to realign in front of this girl. This child. This fascinating child with a half-baked crown and more magic than was wise or, frankly, sane.


    The arrogant child was examining her nails. It was a pose, of course, but even her comfort in doing that was a message.


    ¡°You caught me off guard, I¡¯ll admit.¡± He smiled ruefully.


    But she did not agree and thus surrender her verbal advantage but instead pushed.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I may surprise you even further.¡± She murmured and even went so far as to wink, as if the sally was unworthy of more than amusement.


    Now he truly smiled. She was young, he could smell her age and knew that was true. But she knew the value of subtlety. And, if anything, had exposed how complacent he had become in the past thirty-thousand years. He should let the tianlong punish him: being outmaneuvered by a child. He would submit to the Heavens¡¯ judgment for his weakness. Later.


    Her reaction to his smile was one in return, and perhaps what endeared him even more was her reply, one of true candor, ¡°I would not have put it behind me regardless. After all, I did not agree with your games.¡±


    This bold child smiled in his face, and he laughed at her bravery. He even caught the whiff of magic she was using to keep from sweating which made it even more admirable, she was not insane but actually courageous.


    He steepled his hands again. He liked the pose as it made him seem thoughtful. ¡°Now let us discuss allegiances. For your braveness and jocularity, I would take your allegiance. But should a dragon bow?¡±


    ¡°Should a future Empress?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it depends on where the balance of power lies.¡±


    Now she sat up, and her smile took on a different character as she was intellectually engaged.


    ¡°Power is an ephemeral judgment that changes with the winds. Is it the Azure Dragon that holds sway or White Tiger? No, they guard the cardinal directions in a dynamic tension. And such is power, the give and take, the sleight and the real. The rules and the ruler exist in similar tension, each held hostage by the other.¡±


    ¡°And so what can we base our allegiance on that will have more foundation than the gauche flexing of muscle and fiat?¡±


    The fuzanglong caught the trap, ¡°Why should I put down those things I am strong in? I have might and wealth. I know my advantages.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put them down, just put them away for now. Enough metaphor. Let¡¯s talk transparently and honestly: we cannot trust one another yet. But we can start somewhere.¡±


    The shift in tone was effortless. This artful child. This beguiling child.


    She went on. ¡°I want your support. I need your support.¡± The word ¡®need¡¯ was a great concession. It was candor.


    ¡°I have been crowned. I have enemies. And the Thousand Kingdoms emerge.¡±


    ¡°What? I knew there were a few more leaks. But the Kingdoms return?¡±


    ¡°They do. And I offer that freely. And another thing. Ekerri has also returned. He crowned me, and I have not seen him since.¡±


    ¡°Ekerri.¡± He hissed. And his composure was broken again. But he controlled himself. ¡°I thought Emperor Ekerri long gone. But that crown you wear reeks of him.¡±


    ¡°He crowned me and cut me loose. I have started to suspect his motivations for doing so were impure. So I will make my offer and leave. You can call me once you have thought about it.¡±


    ¡°My offer is simple, one, power to be yourself and to one day soon, fly the skies in your true form; two, revenge against Ekerri, should he be playing me.¡±


    The dragon held up his hand, his oh-so-human hand that he had worn for hundreds of years without relief.


    So far she had said fine words, but there was the reality of how this would happen. ¡°That would be something. But how shall each happen?¡± He remembered flying in his true form a few months ago, during All Hallows¡¯ Eve, the one day a year he allowed himself to, and he realized he wanted something more than his treasures at the moment.


    This conversation had forced him to unearth the true fear he lived with. Humans, once vermin, possessed weapons of vast destruction.


    ¡°The first is simple, the emergence of the Thousand Kingdoms happens now. How it happens is mine to influence, being uniquely positioned between worlds. The second, well, the second is something I think we will work together on. Us, and perhaps, the Aqrabuamelu.¡±


    His hastily gathered composure dropped and he stood up. ¡°The Aqrabuamelu? Those bugs? They would back you over Ekerri? Why? They are warrior cultists and fanatics.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I am Innana reborn, their redeemer and means of revenge for the betrayal by Utu-on-Earth, the Emperor Ekerri.¡±

 01.043 Counter

    Tuesday, January 18, 2022


    <h4>Midtown, New York City, United States</h4>


    Ella walked out of the building on 57th Street and could not stop trembling. She made her way over to a Starbucks next door and sat down in a vinyl covered chair. And shook.


    What the hell had she been doing in there? The entire plan had been to go through the rounds of interviews, get to Xu in a normal way and sound him out subtly.


    Instead she had almost failed the entry interview ¡ª which she still felt was more on the associate doing the interview ¡ª then when he walked in practically challenged him to a duel and then did shots of hyper-expensive liquor and talked so much bullshit so fast, she had no idea what was going on.


    She knew the inflection point had been that quote from the poem and sent a quick prayer of thanks to her Feminist Poetry professor for making them read that. And then the four winds? What the hell - that was just from wikipediaing mahjong tiles the other day. Ella would have ascribed it to serendipity but now she might believe in the hand of fate.


    And she had walked out with a tentative alliance! With a fucking Chinese dragon.


    And more¡­


    ¡°If we are to be allies,¡± and Ella could hear the distaste in that word, ¡°then I would tell you now, my treasures are mine .¡± Ella had smiled at the gleam of greed that he now let forth. ¡°And I do not trust the bugs. Nor Ekerri. His age is over. And we will not bow again to any but the Heavens.¡±


    Ella shied away at the costs she had agreed to and the implicit collapse of this agreement should the Emperor be an ally as well.


    But Kothin being Ekerri¡¯s meant that something was up. Kothin had been following her around before and she wondered if he still was.


    But now she had placed herself at the fulcrum, and could negotiate with the scorpions and dragon both. But Xu had told her one more thing:


    <blockquote>


    ¡°You will never take his place without the regalia. When he cut off the People, he used his most potent magics and anchored them to the world with the accouterments of his rule. The crown was the one he kept and granted to you in part. But if you want to wrest the crown from him, even your magic will not suffice without those tools.¡±*</blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Xu had sat back and smiled, he was more comfortable in this role as the more knowledgeable, senior partner and it showed. Ella knew it, but suspected they would need to renegotiate. But that would be a later thing.*</blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    ¡°The bugs will expect you to get them too. They are potent symbols as well as intrinsically powerful magic items in themselves.¡±*</blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    ¡°I have a line on them.¡± Ella lied. She couldn¡¯t reveal the precariousness of her position entirely, even though this was the first she had heard about them. Ella jumped on the last part, ¡°Magic is the other thing I would like to talk to you about. I want you to teach me how to use it better.¡±*</blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Xu looked at her and then laughed, ¡°Even if I could, I don¡¯t think I would. Something is different about what you wield and I have no idea what it is. It is too¡­ crude.¡± He shuddered gently before taking a sip and went on, ¡°whatever you did to take power. It is quite different and quite dangerous. And of course your modern perspective would also skew it further.¡±*Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.</blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Ella jumped on the last, ¡°my perspective?¡±*</blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    ¡°Our magic and how we approach it is shaped by our existing paradigmatic view of the Dao. You see the universe on a very different way than I do or those from before. So you will not be able to approach your magic in the same way that worked with them.¡±*</blockquote>


    And that one statement had crystallized Ella¡¯s theories and understanding of her magic. She knew what she was doing, how her sense of magic needed to be seen under the lens of her education. A magic of physics and quantum superpositions.


    That one off-hand comment had made all the risk worth it.


    Ella sat in her chair in the Starbucks and closed her eyes for a moment in victory. Her heart had finally slowed. She felt clammy when she had let herself sweat.


    She sent a text to Bahu to set up the next meeting and got up to order an orange mocha frappuccino.


    The range was remarkably quiet in the afternoon. Ella and Donna walked in, out on their eyewear and ear protection.


    Today she was trying something different. She aimed down her sight, squeezed the trigger and watched the bullet hole appear off center. She took another breath and flared her eyes slightly, pulling magic from deep inside of her and thinking about the arrow of time, that strange relentless ticking. She tried to explore that feeling on her head, to force the magic into different hypotheses. When she came to Linden¡¯s entanglement theories, she felt the smallest resonance, like this was close to the right approach.


    She gently squeezed the trigger and she could see the bullet fly through the air and hit the target. Off center, but she could see it move through the air.


    Her whoop of excitement brought over Donna, ¡°Why are you so excited?¡± She regarded the holes in the target, ¡°Those shots kind of sucked.¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing, nothing,¡± laughed Ella, giddy with excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to shooting.¡±


    They took more shots but Donna soon got annoyed at Ella making weird excited yells every so often when she was able to make it work. Eventually Donna told her to shut the hell up and said they should go over to the tactical course.


    Where Ella had a surprise as they armed up.


    "Hello there Ella, mon cherie! " Bahu accompanied it with a couple of kisses on each cheek. ¡°And who is your friend? And why haven¡¯t I met her before?¡±


    ¡°Hello¡­¡± said Ella weakly. And maybe she was out of poise and bullshit today as she floundered on what to say next.


    Donna tensed up next to her and actually put her hand on the holstered gun to her side. ¡°I¡¯m Donna. Who are you?¡±


    "The famous Donna! Enfin! " Bahu reached out and grabbed Donna¡¯s free hand in a wrong handed handshake ignoring Donna¡¯s gun hand. For some reason Bahu was effecting a French accent. Or maybe a parody of one.


    ¡°I¡¯m Madeleine. Ella talks all about you, it is enough to make me jealous. She never said you were so tall though. Are you about to do the course? Let¡¯s do it together? It will be fun to see how good everyone is?¡±


    Ella said her byes to Donna as they split up at the train station. Then she doubled back to the range to find Bahu standing right outside.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± hissed Ella.


    ¡°What? I just thought it would be fun. Not every day one gets to go for some recreational shooting with one¡¯s supposed reincarnated deity.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t you think it was suspicious you set the course record and managed to hit almost every target dead center along the way?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ because my performance was terrible. Arcsa would have drawn smiley faces on each of them and still set a faster time.¡±


    Ella gritted her teeth and then just decided to jump the gun,¡°Let¡¯s go meet Arcsa and this High Priestess of yours now.¡±


    ¡°Now? Like right now?¡±


    Ella looked down at herself, she smelled of gunpowder and sweat.


    "No. I¡¯ll text you tonight with a time and place and you will stop following me around. I get enough of that.


    They went their separate ways and Ella made sure that Bahu didn¡¯t follow her. She did see another familiar tall figure behind her which only helped to confirm her suspicions.

 01.044 Interlude - Apsè°©alooke

    2 Years Ago (Monday, January 20, 2020)


    <h4>Southeast Unincorporated Montana, United States</h4>


    Isaac regarded the body laying in the snow. A young boy, no more than 10. Looked murdered and probably violated. He¡¯d wait for the coroner report, but it looked pretty similar to the last one.


    The sheriff came up by him, ¡°About 200 yards further up and it¡¯d be Crow territory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You think it is the same killer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You think the boy was raped like that last one?¡±


    Isaac paused a moment to uncover his mouth from the neck gaiter he wore. His breath crystallized in the air. He spit his gum out.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Then he covered his mouth back up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got my deputies here to cordon off the body. What you gonna do?¡±


    ¡°Reckon I¡¯ll walk 200 yards and speak to my pa. Then get out of the cold and get some coffee.¡±


    Isaac walked over and imagined he could feel when he crossed into reservation land. The cold felt a little more bitter, the glare off the snow just that bit harsher.


    ¡°Hey pa.¡±


    ¡°Isaac. How¡¯s your mother?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s good. She had the ''Rona but better now. Bit of cough still but she¡¯ll be good.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. You tell her to stop on by when she is feeling better.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯ll you tell the Bureau?¡±


    ¡°That it¡¯s cold. And that we found another dead person right outside the Nation. Kid this time.¡±


    ¡°You know they¡¯ll think it is one of us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll stick around until it is time to go or we catch this guy.¡±


    Iaaac tipped his hat and headed into the reservation.


    Later he sat in his Pa¡¯s house with a beer and a joint.


    ¡°Thought you gave that up?¡± His father was still working the snow off his boots at the entry. Letting all that cold air in.


    ¡°I did. This one¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Brat.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your father?¡±


    ¡°Good. He says you should come by and see him.¡±


    ¡°He should come by and see me.¡±


    ¡°The people in town are getting worked up. They say a Crow is doing the killing and raping and such.¡±


    ¡°Not surprised. But what do they care? These dead folks, they ain¡¯t from around here. Nobody knows who they are.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re kids Issac. And there is talk saying that there have been others, just further round the res.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°What about the folks in Billings?¡±


    ¡°They got their own problems. City problems.¡±


    Isaac¡¯s mother pushed her long hair out of the way to reveal her high cheekbones and narrow, cerebral face. Her pale skin was flushed from the heat of the fireplace they sat by. She coughed a bit.


    ¡°So what¡¯ll the Crow do?¡±


    ¡°Police station didn¡¯t really get started up last year. So it¡¯ll fall on the Bureau maybe. All the killings are outside Crow land though, so no jurisdiction yet.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯ll you do?¡±


    ¡°Reckon I¡¯ll go nose around. See if I can drum up someone who saw something or knows someone. See what the coroner says.¡±


    ¡°You were always too young for this job.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel it.¡±


    ¡°You started three years ago when you turned twenty. Too young to be in charge of the Bureau police here.¡±


    ¡°Well they are going to send over a new chief¡± and both he and his mother said it together ¡°in three months.¡±


    ¡°Bureau sucks anyway. Wish our police department had gotten off the ground.¡±


    His mother went back to doing the dishes. ¡°I wish your father would move off the reservation. He is a wonderful man, but that place is a slow death.¡±


    ¡°We have only that left, we ain¡¯t giving it up.¡±


    ¡°That is your father talking. You have two heritages. I¡¯m glad you are leaving.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    The fourth body they found was a young woman this time. And this time she wasn¡¯t frozen solid yet. But there was a problem. The girl was from town.


    ¡°Gonna get ugly. Campbell girl¡± The town sheriff loved stating the obvious.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°''Spose it depends on what that drunk does.¡± Isaac had his rifle cradled in his arms. ¡°Justice Services didn¡¯t give us these to make tea with.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t have you shooting the townfolk just because they are angry.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    The sheriff eyes Isaac, but Isaac was just looking at the body.


    Then Isaac strode forward to the body. She was naked like the others. Blood freezing on her body where an organ had been removed. Like the others. He wondered which one it was this time.


    ¡°Any match for the semen?¡±


    ¡°None yet. We will run the rape kit and sends to the lab. But first two came back the same person. Bet this will too.¡±


    ¡°Bet.¡± Isaac chewed his gum. The wind was bitter everywhere today. ¡°The old folk, the ones that believe anyway, they want to do a Sun Dance. The Baptists are all up in arms about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your pa say?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until next morning that Campbell showed up. His old pickup truck pulled up in the morning and he had two people with him ¡ª all armed. Violence and a howling wind were in the air, but the three of them standing outside staggered around. Drunk.


    Some Crows had left but most didn¡¯t. Whatever they had, it was in this town.


    One of them shot a round up in the air.


    ¡°Whoever killed ma girl, come on out. Time to die.¡± Slurring their words. Liquid courage.


    Isaac looked out from the Bureau office through the scope of his rifle. He could probably take the shot. But even a shithead like Campbell probably deserved a chance after what had happened to his daughter.


    He yelled out, ¡°Put down the gun, and I won¡¯t put you down.¡±


    ¡°Isaac. That you? You supposed to be police. What you doing about this?¡±


    ¡°Wrong place. She was off the res. Not my jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°Sheriff says it isn¡¯t his either. Whose is it? Who is going to get justice for my little girl?¡± And Campbell fell to his knees and dropped the shotgun into the snow and started crying.


    Isaac called out, ¡°You other two. Drop your guns. I¡¯ll let you all sleep it off. Or I can close your eyes forever. You decide.¡±


    He waited and the other one, the one who shot the gun in the air tossed the handgun away.


    The third didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are mister. But drop that gun.¡±


    ¡°Shelly, she was mine. We was going to marry next month. I¡¯m going to kill the bastard who killed ''er.¡±


    Shit. The fianc¨¦ sounded strung out. Isaac kept a bead on him. Meth maybe.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to kill anyone if you¡¯re shot. Put down the gun.¡±


    If anything putting the fianc¨¦s back up against the wall was the wrong move and he looked more desperate.


    ¡°You protecting him? Maybe you the killa¡¯?¡±


    This guy was an idiot. He was waving his gun around. Isaac took his finger off the trigger guard and put it on the trigger.


    And then his father stepped out onto the street.


    ¡°We are planning to do a Sun Dance to ask Is¨¢ahkawuattee to help us.¡±


    The third swung his gun to take aim on his pa. Isaac almost pulled the trigger there, but his father was in the way, intentionally.


    Damn you. You watched too many of those Hollywood movies.


    ¡°No need to shoot me. I didn¡¯t do it. And when we find the bastard, Crow or not, he¡¯ll pay.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡± The boy was weeping. What a shit show. As if his dad could promise justice.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    And damned if the third didn¡¯t rope his gun too. Isaac wasn¡¯t going out there. He pulled his sidearm and put it beside him.


    ¡°Leave the guns where you dropped them. And come in here.¡±


    They all came in and Isaac stuck them in the drunk tank to sleep it off.


    ¡°Damn fool. You like the others, trying to end it?¡±


    ¡°They need someone to pay. And if we had shot them, then the townsfolk would be sure we were hiding the killer. It would happen again and again.¡± His pa seemed unperturbed, but then he said something surprising, ¡°You¡¯re right though. It was a damn fool thing to do.¡± And Isaac could see the lie his father¡¯s passivity was. He was a bit pale, his ruddy skin a bit gray and he was trembling a bit.


    ¡°So long as you know it.¡±


    ¡°The Sun Dance will sort it.¡±


    ¡°You a believer now?¡±


    ¡°What else do we have?¡±

 01.045 Prize

    Thursday, January 20, 2022


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella fingered the empty pendant at her neck and took it off. The bear tooth long being gone ¡ª absorbed in a moment of panic and vanity


    School would be starting up again soon and she was debating about taking a leave. It would look terrible as a first year, but she was pretty sure her life was going in a strange direction soon enough.


    Ella had just emerged from the bathroom to get dressed when Jade came in, letting a cold blast of air in.


    ¡°Hey, you have to see this - it is all over¡­¡±


    Ella tightened the towel wrapped around her and flipped open her laptop and quickly jumped over to the link Jade sent her. The title was about the mysterious island everyone was calling Atlantis that had appeared and disappeared right before Christmas. People had called it a hoax just two weeks ago. But now - it was back and there was live footage.


    The streamer had gotten ahold of uncensored, uncut newsreel footage.


    A reporter from Cape Town was reporting live, his Afrikaner accent making Ella need to pay closer attention, as they were heading down a decrepit marble hallway with indeterminate pictographs lining the walls. The camera lights reflected off the damp walls, so recently emerged from the waters.


    They would cut back to the anchors in the studio periodically to bring on talking heads. One was vehemently arguing this was Atlantis. An expert from Washington was talking about the strange tectonics of Madagascar. A third started on how nations were already staking out claims to the land. China, India and the US were already sending aid to the Seychelles and Mauritius and coastal Madagascar in their bids to stake out influence. South Africa, India, and several other nations had already tried to claim the archipelago which extended along the border of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.


    The anchor cut away from the latest discussion, ¡°we are going back to our team on the ground, they seem to have discovered something.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The scene went black for a moment before a randomly pixelated scene appeared, the reporter¡¯s voice coming in and out¡­


    ¡°We have come to an opening at the end of this hallway into a large lobby like area. There is a light further down, something crystalline.¡±


    The camera stabilized a bit and she could see the object, an object that appeared to float in the air above a pedestal, shining that same crystalline hue of Ella¡¯s eyes.


    It was a gold bracelet and ring combo, of delicate gold strands and crystalline stones. And Ella knew, she knew, this was something of the Emperor Ekerri, some piece of his magic and divine right of rule. A part of his regalia.


    The reporter, having consulted with the archaeologist on his team announced, ¡°we will be entering the room now. This jewel is quite extraordinary. A true treasure of the ages. The light reflecting off has a certain vividness I cannot describe. Like everything I have seen before was just a poor copy¡­¡±


    He turned back to the room, the camera light reflecting off his jacket but the glow from the bracelet still shining around him. They moved into the room slowly, reverently.


    And something from the high ceiling above, something dark and fast moved quickly and tore through his torso and ripped him in half. The camera stood still for a moment before it dropped to the ground and pieces of viscera and limbs started falling in front of it before the screaming began. Before the camera lens itself was splashed with too much blood for anyone to see anything.


    The scene cut back to the anchor and Jade burst in through the thin separator holding her phone in her hand where she had been streaming.


    ¡°Shit¡­ shit¡­ shit¡­¡± Jade whispered. Her eyes were crying and she looked from her phone to Ella and back again. As if expecting to see that crown appear on her again.


    Ella had dropped her towel in shock, but pulled it back up again and ran over to her dresser and quickly tossed on a loose shirt and pants.


    ¡°Hey¡­ it is okay. Right?¡± Ella felt a bit numb if anything. That bracelet was hers. She felt it. But Jade was a pin drop away from bolting. Ella sat down on her bed and patted mattress besides her.


    Jade hesitated, oh so briefly, but stumbled over and leaned onto Ella who put her arm around her in a side hug. Jade leaned her head in and Ella used her other hand to brush Jades hair out of the way a bit and then continued to brush her hair with her hand, like her father used to do, so long ago.


    ¡°<i>Caitani</i>,¡± she whispered, ¡°That was¡­ part of what is going on with you? Right?¡± She was stumbling over the words.


    Ella took a deep breath. ¡°Yes. I think it is one of the things I just learned about - a royal bit of jewelry it seems.¡±


    ¡°And that thing? That killed them?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue¡­¡± admitted Ella.


    They sat there and watched the anchor panic as no response came from the mic, only slipping wet sounds of something feeding.

 01.046 Consideration

    Friday, January 21, 2022


    <h4>Ella¡¯s studio, Greenwich Village, New York City, United States</h4>


    Ella cursed and shook out her hands as she looked at the notes. She didn¡¯t have much to go on as of yet, but at least she had a framework to work with.


    There were too many unknowns. She had spent a lot of time learning what she could from books, first a US Army counterintelligence manual and second, an academic volume. But books were books, and experience was the real teacher.


    What it came down to is the risk level was too high, and she didn¡¯t know what she didn¡¯t know.


    The meet with the scorpions was coming up and she hadn¡¯t created a game plan as of yet.


    And yet¡­ then it all came together. She picked up the phone and made a couple of calls.


    ¡°So what is it you want?¡±


    Ella and Donna crouched behind the trees.


    ¡°I¡¯m meeting some people. And I kind of don¡¯t trust them very much. I just want someone to have my back. All you need to do is hang out here and call the police of anything happens.¡±


    Donna looked at her. ¡°Let me get this straight. You are meeting with shady people in the middle of the night, and you want me to back you up?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you buying drugs or something?¡±


    ¡°No. More like, well meeting some distant relatives¡­¡±


    Donna looked at her skeptically.


    ¡°Ok fine. It is drugs. Need some X, we ran out.¡±


    Donna didn¡¯t look happier, if anything, she looked more disapproving.


    ¡°Oh. And these guys may be a bit¡­ weird. Just roll with it okay?¡±


    Donna nodded and then settled into the bushes.


    Ella took a breath, stood up and straightened her clothes, and said, ¡°Alright. See you then.¡±


    She headed towards the building she had selected to meet at the Cloisters. The stone wall looked above her and she hung to the trees. The cold air made her breath fog up, but Ella was dressed warmly and the vest she had cinched on made her feel better although she had no idea if it would really stop a bullet. But she remembered that green dot that had been on her chest when she had sat down to eat with Bahu.


    ¡°You picked a much better spot this time. Horrible sight lines for a sniper here.¡± Bahu remarked.


    Ella jumped and spun around. Bahu was leaning against a tree idly.


    ¡°Damn it. You scared the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°Donna knows what she is doing. Picked a downwind spot with good lines and escape routes.¡± Bahu¡¯s voice took on the tone of an unsaid question.


    So quickly we are to the point. thought Ella. ¡°Yes. She is surprisingly good, isn¡¯t she?¡± And then just to be clear, she winked.


    ¡°Catch or cut loose?¡± Bahu¡¯s eyes were sparkling in amusement.


    Ella held out her hand and admitted, ¡°I am recording her. I want to see who she calls.¡±


    ¡°I might be forced to respect you. Not bad for an amateur. What will happen if she moves?¡±


    ¡°I want her to move. She can¡¯t see anything where I left her. And I left a bunch of recorders all over that I hid earlier today. It cost some serious money so it had better pay off.¡±


    Ella was still smarting from the purchase she had made. Guns and ammo were not cheap. Bulletproof vests weren¡¯t either. But it would have been dumb not to be prepared. She had been stabbed twice and shot at.


    And that had led her to here: she felt like she was one of those performers with the spinning plates on sticks. One plate was the dragon, a tentative ally where there was no trust, no mutual gain as of yet, nothing to bond them. The second were the scorpions like Bahu. Tricky and old and violent. No trust there. And the third was Donna, and whoever she represented. The fourth plate, curious in its absence, was Kothin and Ekerri.


    And that was four spinning plates too many since Ella had no idea what she was doing. Reading books about counterintelligence could only take her so far.


    Ella didn¡¯t know if this was the right move. But she needed to figure a path through this. Probability was like gravity, the odds would catch up. She couldn¡¯t keep being attacked, she needed to remove pieces on the board to make it a game she could follow.


    ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s the plan? Hope she calls her handler?¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought you and a couple of others appearing in your true forms might do the trick.¡±


    ¡°And the other part?¡± Bahu was quizzing her now.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t trustworthy, maybe she will be. But I¡¯ve caught her in deceptions; you, on the other hand, just beat the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Bahu teased.


    ¡°Well let me hold a few cards close to my chest. But at least one of them is rather touchy about their things.¡± Ella bluffed. How much could Ella marshal with her resources? Need to distract.


    ¡°If I had planned it appropriately I would have brought a stacked tarot deck and flipped up cards with cryptic threats. Can we just pretend I did that? It would make me feel so much cooler.¡± Ella had discovered a talent for bullshit she hadn¡¯t know she had.


    Bahu just laughed, ¡°let¡¯s not and say we did? Sure.¡± But she glanced overhead,which let Ella know the gambit had worked.


    Now the plates were as balanced as she could get them.


    ¡°So¡­ as your goddess reborn, I think I¡¯d like to have our meeting here on this field rather than inside.¡±


    ¡°Yes Honored Innana.¡±


    Damn, that went to serious fast, Ella hadn¡¯t quite managed to right balance of tone.


    Bahu then spoke into the air in some language Ella could not understand and Ella noted the small earbud in Bahu¡¯s ear.


    Two people emerged from the open gates of the Cloisters. One was a woman, smaller than Ella, about 5¡¯4" and comfortably plump. The other was a tall male, a hair over 6¡¯ and walking with a stride that felt military in its strictness. The High Priestess and Arcsa, Ella surmised.


    Ella appreciated that there weren¡¯t more of them visible but she didn¡¯t fool herself. There were probably twenty of them in arms length. Ella looked herself over and didn¡¯t see any tell tale dots. Not that it meant much.


    Bahu walked over to them and the two of them dropped to the ground to genuflect, saying something in that same language.


    ¡°Please stand up.¡± Ella needed allies. And she needed to build on a foundation. It was time for some candor.


    ¡°Bahu explained a little of what you believe. But you understand, right, that I did not grow up with these beliefs?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said the woman, ¡°you should know that although we grant you the honors, you have not been confirmed. It is¡­ an issue of contention.¡±


    ¡°I assume you are the High Priestess? And this is Arcsa?¡± Ella tried to get the emphasis right on the name that she had heard from Bahu, but she knew she fumbled it a bit.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Arcsa, his voice was a mellifluous baritone, the kind that made you think of a kindly father. They both had that same rose gold skin tone as Bahu.


    ¡°What should I call you?¡±


    The High Priestess smiled, ¡°I gave up my name upon my ascension to this role. Call me High Priestess for now. And Arcsa for him. We do not have surnames.¡±


    Bahu frowned at the High Priestess¡¯s statement. And she motioned to talk but the High Priestess raised a hand to forestall her. ¡°Officially, should you prove to be Inanna Reborn, you should call me Servant,¡± Ella had never heard a capital letter before in speech, but it stood out.


    That cue parsed out the dynamic here. ¡°Bahu thinks I am your savior. You doubt.¡± Ella turned to Arcsa, ¡°and you?¡±


    ¡°Bahu the Believer she is called at home. And the High Priestess of our faith hesitates.¡± Arcsa smiled gently. ¡°It has been a long time we have waited. I am¡­ hopeful.¡±


    Ella felt a bit better. Knowing they were being honest with their doubts made her feel more reassured. That they might be honest with her elsewhere.


    ¡°And what would push me over the threshold into divinity?¡±


    ¡°As one of your jurists once said, we will know it when we see it.¡±


    Ella recognized it, ¡°I think that was the Supreme Court talking about porn. No laundry list of prophecy?¡±


    ¡°No. We will get to know your character. Never again will we blindly serve as we served Utu-Who-Is-Ekerri.¡± And Arcsa¡¯s sonorous voice, the melody of his speech, was broken by him spitting on the ground at that name.


    ¡°A heavy burden to prove oneself worthy of veneration. An army of fanatics at your beck and call is nothing to be trifled with,¡± murmured the High Priestess.


    Ella felt adrift here. But honesty had served her well, ¡°I do not think I can live up to your expectations. I doubt I am worthy of anyone¡¯s worship.¡±


    They all smiled at that which left Ella feeling reassured.


    Ella then went on, ¡°You know what I want you to do, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the High Priestess. She made a moue of disappointment and looked down. ¡°I just bought these pants.¡±


    Ella jumped in, ¡°You can go in and change. No need for that.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. It will hardly have the salutary effect you want if we do not transform.¡±


    And before Ella could, all three began rising up as their lower halves tore through their clothes and their scorpion bottom halves came out.


    ¡°We can converse like this for a while. Would you like us to be hostile looking?¡±


    Ella was still processing the transformation, ¡°No. I think if you walk away neutrally it will give me flexibility. Although, in truth, I hope we leave this meeting as friends and allies.¡±


    ¡°Tentative friends for now. We can agree to that. I like what I have seen thus far.¡±


    Arcsa motioned to the open doors of the Cloisters, ¡°Is this enough theater for this Donna? Shall we go inside and sit, eat, and discuss real matters.¡±


    Ella knew going in there closed off all avenues of escape. But she didn¡¯t doubt for one second she was clearly in someone¡¯s rifle scope right now. She nodded her assent and they walked through the doors.


    The cloister courtyard had dining tables set out with several figures seated waiting. Despite the snow and the cold weather.


    When Ella walked in, they stood up in military manner and then smartly stepped out of their chairs and knelt, kowtowing, head to the ground.


    Ella knew it would happen. But when does one get used to it? She motioned them to rise and they jumped back up.


    Arcsa then barked something in that foreign language that she couldn¡¯t quite understand and they all relaxed and sat down.


    Bahu, Arcsa, and the High Priestess all excused themselves to transform back into their human forms and get dressed. Soon they were seated at the head table, and it made Ella think of a wedding reception.


    ¡°So tell me about this dragon,¡± said the High Priestess.


    Ella thought about how to be coy and then thought better of it, ¡°We are just tentative friends so you will forgive me if I keep my cards close sometimes.¡±


    The food was served, some meat and vegetable dish reminiscent of borscht.


    They all spoke , asking superficial questions. Ella discovered that the language that they spoke in was ancient Akkadian. And the Agrabuamelu had magics that kept their speech unintelligible on top of that for purposes of battle.


    After they ate, Ella sat in a room that had been cleared.


    ¡°Bahu shall be your liaison for us. You may have our phone numbers as well. Our judgment of you will come, but although we are made to serve, our service does not come easily. Prove you are the virtuous Inanna through your actions. Then our legions will serve.¡±


    ¡°And one other thing. You will stop wasting time training in that garbage shooting and fighting that you have been doing. We will train you for actual battle. You have taken the first steps by partaking of our fallen tonight. We will not be apart from our savior.¡±


    Ella took a moment to process what had been said and then she realized what had been in the stew. She felt her gorge rising but battled it down. She felt green though.


    After a moment, she managed, ¡°Thank you for that honor. But I would have preferred to know what was in that dish before.¡±


    The High Priestess smiled, but it wasn¡¯t the grandmotherly smile of before but something colder, ¡°if you would be the goddess of us, this shall be the easiest thing you shall have to do.¡±

 01.047 Disclosure

    Sunday, January 23, 2022


    <h4>The Rubin Museum, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    Arcsa came to stand by Ella to look at the exhibit. He was five minutes early. Ella looked back and saw someone who glowed with the telltale magic of the scorpions take a position near the entrance to the museum.


    If before he had carried himself like a soldier, today his body language was entirely different. His shoulder length grey-silver hair was artfully pulled back and his clothing was casual jeans and a chunky knit sweater. He looked like a movie star playing the silver fox.


    The type that would have no problem being seen with someone in her twenties as Ella realized what they would look like.


    Then again, their age difference was measured in millennia so it was really ridiculous to worry about how people perceived them.


    Without a word, they began to stroll towards the next painting. The front door became obscured as they went behind the spiral staircase that dominated the room.


    Ella¡¯s watch buzzed and she saw it was Bahu who was texting tabs on Donna. Donna, who was up at the gym in Long Island City supposedly meeting Craig and her. Ella held up her hand for a moment and texted her apologies for bailing to both Craig and Donna and wishing them a good training session. No wink emoji even though she was tempted.


    ¡°So what did your Donna have to say?¡±


    ¡°She called Kothin.¡± And that was all that needed to be said.


    ¡°Do you want us to pick her up?¡±


    ¡°Now I know you didn¡¯t mean that. Even I, a rank amateur, know better than wasting an opportunity like this.¡±


    ¡°Very good. It seems you have been not wasting all your time. How long have you been at this?¡±


    ¡°Three months?¡±


    Arcsa¡¯s eyebrow raise was perhaps indicative of his true surprise more than anything he might say.


    ¡°Then very good indeed. Do you know what to do now?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Classes start again soon and part of me still holds onto the desire for normalcy. But that is not in the cards, is it?¡±


    ¡°So what will you do¡­¡±


    ¡°For now I¡¯ll continue. I doubt there will be much normalcy to be had.¡±


    ¡°True enough.¡±


    ¡°So let¡¯s talk about us.¡±


    They moved to the next piece of art - something Himalayan by the title, but they weren¡¯t here to be aesthetes.


    Arcsa continued, ¡°Bahu will be your liaison as we said. We will need to see more before our loyalty can be freely given.¡±


    There was something odd about his inflection of the word ¡°freely.¡±


    ¡°Why serve anyone at all?¡±


    ¡°We are not heretics!¡± Arcsa¡¯s shift in tone from an urbane sotto voce to an angered bark was frightening in its intensity. Some of the other museum attendees gave a glance but subsided when they went back to talking softly.


    ¡°I apologize. I know you are not familiar with us or our faith. Despite potentially being the object of its veneration.¡± He assayed a smile.


    ¡°Is this one of those things I am expected to blindly stumble through prophesied actions and somehow prove worthy?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. You will be taking instruction in the Faith as part of our deal.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to the deal then. What do you want from me.¡±


    ¡°First, a warning, I am going to go beneath the tenets of our faith. But it is critical you understand, even despite what I tell you, it makes no difference to our belief. The whole thing is created and artificial. But that fact does not matter. Not one bit.¡±


    Ella sort of followed and let her silence be an indication to go on.


    ¡°During Ekerri¡¯s war of ascension, some of the kingdoms took the opportunity to rebel. Ekerri created us to maintain his rule here, a fanatic soldier sect bred for the times. We were immune to some magic, improved reflexes, strength ¡ª our skills were innate for the most part. Then he imbued in us a profound belief, a faith, that could withstand anything. I know Ekerri is mortal. I can talk about how he programmed my brain. And if he had ordered me to kill everyone and everything I know, I would not have hesitated.¡±


    ¡°So there are no unbelievers?¡±


    ¡°There were heretics, but it is one of failure of our programming than a question of belief. Often they were heterodox in their beliefs. And the correct orthodoxy is determined by who is left at the end.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°And now? How do you defy him? That is what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°In this, he made a mistake. As part of our beliefs, he created a¡­ vision of hell for us: one named Kur. We assume the story was to let us know it could always be worse than service to him. And then, to keep us going, he created a savior myth of Inanna reborn. A successor to magic, someone who would redeem us. Hope to keep us going when we found his reign too heavy. I do not think he ever meant either of them to matter except as means of control. They did not exist.¡±


    And he gave a vicious grin. ¡°Too bad for him. After he broke our world, we stayed in Kur for years uncounting, and magic was gone from the world. And so we suddenly had a need for a savior to bring back true magic to the and be a whole people.¡± He paused just a moment and then looked away from the art on the wall into her eyes, ¡°Something we saw you do.¡±


    He paused for a moment and then motioned them on to the next display. ¡°I suppose that is most of the education you actually need in the Faith. There is a fair amount of ritual, and things you would probably be appalled to hear about - your religions are soft and designed to affirm your weaknesses and bigotry rather than to test your strength and challenge your preconceptions. But the meat of it is that through a bit of unforeseen serendipity, his means of control are now subverted to your ends.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I really, really don¡¯t feel good about being anyone¡¯s deity. And, if anything, it feels worse knowing you all are¡­ what? Automatons? Following your programming? I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know how to describe this without sounding demeaning.¡±


    Arcsa gave her a smile and continued on. ¡°It is what it is. We made our peace with it a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°This is the difficult part. There isn¡¯t more. But after what we went through with Ekerri, we hope for someone better to serve.¡±


    ¡°What happens if Ekerri orders you against me?¡±


    ¡°A profound theological dilemma.¡± He winked. ¡°And not something that Ekerri prepared for. As Kur was the first step in releasing us from his grasp. We would deem a potential Innana to be more appropriate to follow. There will be no conflict should it come to that.¡±


    Ella thought for a moment. The honesty of this conversation was refreshing. But¡­ and then she had it. This was testing. She had a sense that everything the Agrabuamelu did was a test. So this was the truth but not the critical piece.


    And then she had it, ¡°My first request, I would have you not follow Ekerri¡¯s requests.¡±


    Arcsa¡¯s handsome face broke into a genuine smile. ¡°It would have been awkward if you hadn¡¯t thought of that. More embarrassing if he had asked us to stab and eat you. Embarrassing for you.¡±


    Ella felt a bit green, ¡°Do you really¡­¡±


    ¡°What, eat each other? As long as we have enemies, we have food. Or as you might say, waste not, want not.¡±


    ¡°Can I free you?¡±


    ¡°This world is truly soft if it breeds such na?vet¨¦. You would leave yourself defenseless.¡±


    ¡°I am not a slaver.¡±


    ¡°Well, your morals thus far stay intact. You cannot free us through command. Nor would we allow you if possible.¡±


    Ella took a pause and actually looked at two more exhibits. Ella then remembered something, ¡°You mentioned something about a ¡®whole people?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yes. We cannot have children. And thus our numbers continually dwindle. Our children are born human or non-viable monstrosity. Innana shall bring back real magic and with it, the ability for us to procreate. That is the true test of your divinity.¡±


    They took a moment to go up the spiral staircase.


    ¡°Now about this dragon? They were our great foes here during the war. Rebels, prideful, arrogant, and difficult to kill.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That seems to match my impression.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Ella did not hesitate. Arcsa had offered a lot, ¡°Tommy Xu¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to know who that is?¡± asked Arcsa with amusement.


    ¡°He is some sort of financial wizard and is a Chinese dragon. A ¡ª I am going to mess up the pronunciation ¡ª a fuzanglong, I think?¡±


    ¡°I know the type. Their cousins, the tianlong, guarded the gates of ascension. We slew them in great numbers. What kind of ally is this creature?¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­ confession time. I¡¯d call it more like acquaintances with an option for future friendship.¡±


    ¡°And to get that much concession?¡±


    ¡°Well I sort of promised that he could fly free as a dragon under my eventual reign?¡±


    ¡°So nothing for nothing?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. Well I did use it to bluff you guys when we first met. That I would call a win.¡± And she turned to face him and gave him a wink.


    ¡°My turn. What happened on that island that appeared?¡±


    Arcsa thought for a moment. ¡°Do you understand how your crown works?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Ekerri granted you a portion of his royalty which manifests in that crown. When you manifest it, it pulls from a keystone of his power as a symbol.¡±


    ¡°So this crown is kind of a mirror of his?¡±


    ¡°More like a partial manifestation of his, a lesser manifestation.¡±


    Ella pondered this for a bit and then motioned him to go on. They switched displays again.


    ¡°As he grew stronger, his power became so great that he could no longer contain it in his own form. He created his imperial regalia to partition it. There are five treasures he invested his magic into.¡± Arcsa held up his fingers and began to count them off:


    ¡°One, the crown. It represents his command. Your crown draws on the same well, but like a straw versus a hose. I can still feel its influence though. Second, the scepter - a sword staff which contains his martial might.¡±


    ¡°He stabbed me with that, I think. And then I woke up with my eyes and crown.¡±


    ¡°Yes he would have needed to symbolically invest you. And a tap on the shoulder to knight someone is a bit different than stuffing divinity into you.¡±


    Ella felt a bit bewildered. ¡°Like a sausage?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. I am not sure I like that metaphor. The cream filling of a Twinkie?¡± Arcsa winked.


    Ella laughed at the image. Thinking of this distinguished gentleman eating Twinkies was a bit jarring. He looked more like the kind of guy who lunched at Per Se and smoked a pipe with cognac in the evenings.


    "Third, the dagger - representing subtlety. "


    ¡°Fourth, the bracelet. Nobody knows what it does and Ekerri was very vague about it.¡±


    ¡°Fifth, the orb. It was the newest of these relics and like the crown represented rule, but celestial rule rather than terrestrial.¡±


    ¡°This we surmised- but when he sealed off the world, he must have used some of these as anchors. He had to leave them all over the world.¡±


    Then Arcsa added, ¡°You will probably need to take some of his power if you intend to oppose him.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I am not sure what is going on. Why did he crown me and then cut me loose like this? I would have thought he was desperate, but then Kothin turns out to be following me around and concealing his relationship to the emperor. And then Donna is spying on me? It makes me feel a bit untrusting.¡±


    They took their time looking at more of the art. Not really seeing it.


    ¡°And what will happen to us if I do not oppose him?¡±


    ¡°Then we will end up in service to him again, I suppose.¡±


    And for the first time, Ella thought she might have heard Arcsa lie to her.

 01.048 Compass

    Monday, January 24, 2022


    <h4>NYU, GREENWICH VILLAGE, New York CITY, United States</h4>


    The first day of the spring semester started with a whimper. Ella showed up to her courses but couldn¡¯t focus. Every topic in class felt like a push towards trying to tie together everything into her newfound understanding of magic.


    She called it her Grander Unified Theory of the universe but it was only true in the sense of Grander, nothing was unified and there was no theory.


    The first class was quantum mechanics. Ella spent the time trying to feel a quark with magic. She could get to the tip of her pen. So not even close. Stats was next and was just too easy to pay any attention to. This one was going to be a drop based on the curriculum.


    She zoned out and then started sending snaps to Charlie who was sitting in the class with her. Charlie and Connor had broken up the night before, and Charlie said she felt freed up, but was still a bit down.


    Knowing Charlie, she would be overcompensating with someone else soon enough.


    Ella walked back to her apartment. The damage from the attack had been cleaned up, a new door installed, the planters patched up. She buzzed herself in and went to the room where she found Jade eating lunch.


    They sat across from one another silently eating.


    ¡°So¡­,¡± Jade started with, and Ella looked up.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    Ella just flashed a smile and sat back to eat her now cold falafel.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Ummm¡­¡±


    Ella looked up expectantly. Jade¡¯s face was guarded.


    ¡°Sorry. Maybe let¡¯s talk later.¡± Jade picked up her dish and took it to the sink to clean up silently.


    Then she grabbed her bag, tossed on her shoes, and walked out.


    Ella shrugged. She knew Jade was struggling with everything that had happened and was trying to give her rate space.


    The door swung open again and Jade walked over and sat back down.


    ¡°I need to talk about this. Jamani!¡±


    ¡°Of course. You tell me what you want. I don¡¯t want to push.¡±


    ¡°Do you know I almost moved out last week? I packed up some stuff and was about to just¡­ just¡­ run away?¡± Jade sounded angry.


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t. Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well how would it look if I ran away and Charlie didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Woah. Jade¡­ don¡¯t compare yourself to Charlie. She is not a model of good judgment. For various reasons.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Charlotte is a bit crazy. But you know she loves you, right?¡±


    ¡°I know. And I need to talk to her. Because if I am being honest, being around me is dangerous. And you both should get away. You don¡¯t need to move out, I will.¡±


    ¡°Stop right there. You don¡¯t have to go. And I won¡¯t be going either.¡±


    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Because. Well lots of reasons. But let me tell you the main one. My grandparents died some forty years ago. They were tortured and executed as political dissidents by the President of Kenya, Daniel Toroitich arap Moi. He was one of those men who the weak follow because they perceive him as being strong and making them strong by association. But really just a venal, power-hungry authoritarian who outstayed his welcome.¡±


    Ella stayed silent. Jade had clearly put some thought into this.


    ¡°And then¡­ I thought, in his early days, he was a teacher. He participated in freeing our country from the British. He must have been a man of ideals once. What happened to that man? Does power corrupt? Or does it expose what was always there?¡±


    Ella waited and then asked. ¡°And what was your conclusion?¡±


    Jade did a small half laugh, ¡°No idea. How can we know what we ourselves will do when handed power? Much less anyone else?¡±


    ¡°And so¡­ you are staying to find an answer to that question?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ to try and hold to morality. To see that my friend doesn¡¯t fall the same way.¡±


    Ella sat back, touched. And then went up and sat next to Jade and gave her a side hug. ¡°Thanks Jiminy Cricket.¡±

 01.049 Flight

    November 4, 2032


    <h4>Zouk, Clarke Quay, Singapore</h4>


    The music was pounding and Aoife could feel the vibrations in her wings, which was a delicious, if somewhat naughty, vibe. The music reeked of a dying world, the desperation for hope, for some future.


    The DJ nodded as she went by, and she could hear and then feel the presence of her kin as they fluttered in and out.


    Nobody batted an eye at her gold colored skin or the blue butterfly wings. Or the sparkly crystal lines tracing patterns from one temple down her jaw to plunge deep down her cleavage to re-emerge winding down one leg. Someone pressed a tab in her hand and copped a feel - Aoife let it slide since the woman was quite attractive, for a human. She popped the pill, and it started to dissolve on her tongue. Who knew what it was, but the intention of the intoxication was enough; even if human¡¯s paltry narcotics couldn¡¯t do anything for her.


    She decided that was ungrateful and circled back to behind the woman, running her hands up her sides and over her breasts. The woman turned around and looked pleased, and they kissed, long and deep. And that was the true high for Aoife as she took a small piece, barely a taste, of the woman¡¯s soul.


    A strict, religious upbringing, the taste of a mother¡¯s heavy hand slapping her over and over, a father whose eyes were perhaps a bit too wandering over her prepubescent body ¡ª even if nothing ever did happen. And then puberty and the strange shameful urges towards her female classmates. Urges held in check until one night when she was sixteen and her best friend turned into more. The shame and sorrow and guilt the next day when her friend shut her out.


    The woman¡¯s life rolled over her, and she felt it all for a brief moment.


    The music changed again and Aoife felt it, she reached out and stepped. Stepped back from the future; into the past.


    EARLY 1990¡¯S


    THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM


    The music here was much more to her liking ¡ª full of that missing optimism, pointless in its execution because this time had the luxury of it ¡ª even if the club hadn¡¯t filled up yet. Aoife thought about going to later in the evening, but she decided to stay for a bit.


    She let herself disippate, just a little bit. Small glowing lights emerged, little bits of essence she used to explore the room, and they eventually brought her to a corner where an older man stood. He was uncomfortable and looked out of place.


    She strode over to him and without even asking kissed him. Her tongue darting into his mouth. A taste brought her a recent divorce, not knowing what to do now, and coming to an old haunting ground. Realizing time had passed you by, and that the young folks here were perhaps too young and you were at a different point in your life. A story of regrets and bewilderment. The love for his ex-wife was strong and the sad, bitter draught left Aoife giddy.


    The pressure to return closer to the now was building, but even that discomfort as it became pain was exquisite. Eventually she could not stand it but she decided to still push the limits a bit more. She stepped once again¡­This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    THE 2010S


    H? AND USHUA?A IBIZA, SPAIN


    Aoife felt stretched as she appeared in both clubs at the same time. It was perhaps beyond her to be in two places and times at the same time, but at the same time, she could just barely manage it. The discordance of the music was perhaps too much, but she pushed even harder, and time began to move for her at different paces.


    The beats matched.


    Fortunately the clubs were very close together, so she could manage it.


    It was fun. Especially when she found herself in Wild Corner sandwiched between who knows how many lovers in one place and eating sushi daintily with her hands at the other. Indulgent. The stories flowed over her.


    One story of feeling trapped and dry until the knife came down and started cutting her into small pieces, being frozen, shipped and cut into smaller pieces by expert chefs to be consumed. And another story of someone whose dissolute life had led them to Ibiza where they had stayed far too long, searching for something to sate their hunger but only engaging in meaningless sex. A third story of a wealthy person of no purpose. Too similar to the second and emptied of delight, not even possessing a bit of ennui as spice. Another bite and she remembered being a seed in a paddy, a machine scythe slicing her stalk and shaking her loose to be brought to a warehouse and then the restaurant. Those grains of rice remembered the feeling of the seasons, and the joy in growing towards the sun.


    THE PRESENT


    EXCHANGE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, United States


    Aoife continued. Here the sound really caused her wings to pulse, and she unintentionally moaned a bit in ecstasy.


    She eyed a handsome young human, perhaps someone with a hint of fae blood in his past, and was about to move in closer when a presence appeared in her senses.


    She stepped quickly away, hoping it was coincidence but the presence was one step away from her. She sat down, there was little point in running and the night sky here was beautiful.


    The figure came and sat next to her and they looked at the Earth hanging above them as they orbited it. The dust from their movements lazily drifted down.


    Aoife, you have become dissolute much like the last mortals you have tasted.


    Yes. I know. But I am at the end of my season, so before I fall, I thought one more taste of early summer would be nice.


    And there was the other reason. One she hoped to avoid discussing. She was not in luck.


    and Kothin?


    If you know, why do you need me?


    Oh I don¡¯t need you little one. But we are our natures and mine is winter. Cold and implacable and bitter. You shall know it again as I will know spring. The princes of Spring and Autumn are all we have left. And Fall is disconsolate and Spring is optimistic. Both are fools living in the past when our Kings lived.


    I would bet you won¡¯t say that once you change.


    A wager?


    Of course not. Let silly mortals not see the path and guess at it and try and run away from their understanding.


    As you are?


    And that made Aoife feel a bit guilty, and that feeling, that true feeling caused the change. Her skin dulled from the golden light of summer into the reddish hues of autumn. Her iridescent blue wings changed and became the color of red maple leaves. Her expression became more severe naturally.


    And now I am content. You should not hide from your time. You thought you could stay summer? Silly little fairy.


    Yes, my Duke of Glaciers and the Long Cold Night.


    Come, little one. We go now back to our realm to gird for Ekerri¡¯s war again. This blink of an eye is over and he will climb the ascension path again. He will have all under his domain.


    I cannot see the path where we survive.


    Oberons skull lies under his left foot and Mabs under his right. Our monarchs are dead and our strength is broken. Nothing will be the same.


    And that was as much answer as Aoife could expect.

 01.050 Outtakes - Bloopers

    <h4>01.001 Vision</h4>


    And he took that scepter in his hand with a reversed grip, and Ella started backing up as he threw it at her, spearing her right through her chest and driving her back to fall awkwardly, the crystal tip of the scepter or spear sticking out her back. The pain was immense and Ella felt her vision fading quickly while the figure rose up and reptilian scaled boots stepped in front of her.


    Ekerri moved to her and reached out and dipped his hand in the red around the scepter. And his tongue came out and he licked it.


    ¡°Damn. I thought for sure you were cake.¡±


    <h4>01.003 PARTY</h4>


    Aoife sat next to Ella, their thighs touching. And then Ella turned and their eyes connected. The crowd faded away.


    Ella kissed her with her tongue exploring Aoife¡¯s mouth. Aoife¡¯s hands moved to Ella¡¯s breasts to feel her nipples stiffen, showing through the thin gauzy shirt she wore. She grabbed Ella¡¯s hand and led her to a bedroom door, breasting boobily to the door.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Ella. ¡°This is badly written women. I cannot take part in this.¡±


    <h4>01.007 AGAIN</h4>


    Henry Jindal-Witten pulled on the ripcord again and the motor started up with a loud roar.


    ¡°Jae-Young, huh? You going to treat my daughter right?¡±


    Jae-Young could not take his eyes off of the chainsaw in front of him.


    ¡°Yes sir! I wouldn¡¯t ever do anything inappropriate. Errr. We just held hands.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean you aren¡¯t satisfying her!¡± Her fathers voice was a growl.


    ¡°Ummm¡­ no sir? Yes sir. Whatever you say sir.¡± Jae-Young¡¯s voice took on a desperate quality.


    ¡°Excuse me, but there are no chainsaws allowed in the hospital.¡± The nurse admonished her father.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He said sheepishly.


    And then looked at Jae-Young and ran one finger across his throat.


    <h4>01.014 PUNKED</h4>


    Ella and Donna lined up in the ring. This was the final point.


    ¡°Get her a body bag¡± yelled Craig from the side.


    Ella looked deep within herself and remembered her sensei¡¯s words, ¡°If done right, no can defend.¡±


    She lifted her arms up to each side, and one leg up and waited. Donna looked confused.


    She moved in, and Ella remembered the beach, standing on posts covered in seagull shit, practicing the kick over and over again. She kicked and hit Donna in the chin. The referee held up a flag and with that, Ella won the All Valley Karate Tournament.


    Donna even came over and said, ¡°You¡¯re alright LaRusso¡­ I mean Jindal-Witten.¡± And that affirmation of her worth through the superior use of violence warmed Ella¡¯s heart.


    <h4>01.023 KAKAMORA</h4>


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Jae-Young. ¡°I thought we were going to Iceland.¡±


    ¡°As if!¡± replied Ella. ¡°It cost the same to go to Hawaii. Beaches baby!¡±


    Ella pulled out her bikini and started stripping down in the airport until a police officer told her she needed to go somewhere else. She stuck out her tongue and ran off.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    When she got to the beach, she was just getting her tan going when a large wave appeared.


    ¡°Excuse me, you are blocking my sun.¡±


    The wave tried to give her something, but Ella just threw it in the trash. ¡°Littering is bad¡­mmkay?¡±


    Later they went for an afternoon cruise. Jae-Young was still trying to convince Ella they needed to go to Iceland when some drugged darts hit him from the side and knocked him right out. The sound of drums sounded over the water and the captain of their ship screamed, ¡°Kakamora!¡±


    Ella looked and saw them. ¡°So cute!¡± she squealed. Then they drew scary faces on their coconut shells. ¡°Even cuter!¡±


    The ship was sunk in short order because their cuteness was just too much for anyone to resist, and Ella swam to a deserted island.


    When she got there, she met the few other survivors.


    ¡°Hello! Hello there!¡±


    ¡°Oh hello. I think this is everyone who survived.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you all! The beach here is gorgeous and look, I killed one of those pirates and he is still so cute!¡± Ella held up the severed coconut head with blood dripping from it.


    ¡°Very cute! I¡¯m Captain Grumby. This is Mr. Howell III and his wife, Mrs. Howell, Professor Hinkley, Mrs. Grant, and Mrs. Summers.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Shit. I wanted to be Ginger. That means I¡¯m Gilligan. Fuck!¡±


    <h4>01.030 INTERLUDE - MAGNA MATER</h4>


    Chit looked in disbelief.


    ¡°You want me to do what?¡±


    Thiha told him again.


    ¡°Okay!¡± and before he could think about it, he grabbed a knife and cut his penis off.


    ¡°No!¡± Thiha yelled, ¡°we were just joking!¡±


    <h4>01.033 COPING</h4>


    She opened the door and turned back to tell them one more thing. ¡°I lied earlier. I cope with it by doing drugs. Lots and lots of drugs.¡±


    <h4>01.035 SERVICE</h4>


    The scorpions were all kneeling and worshipping her. As she deserved.


    ¡°From now on, I shall no longer be known as Ella. I shall no longer be known as Inanna. I shall be the great Flying Spaghetti Monster and you will receive blessings from my noodly appendages.¡±


    The scorpions looked at her and then looked at one another.


    As one, they fell on her and began consuming her.


    Bahu said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t really taste much like spaghetti.¡±


    <h4>01.038 ANALEPSIS</h4>


    <h5>Friday, April 14, 1865 - Washington D.C., United States</h5>


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± asked Arcsa.


    The High Priestess looked at him and grinned, ¡°Watch this!¡±


    She walked into the theater and took careful aim and shot.


    ¡°1-o!¡±


    Saturday, July 2, 1881 - Washington D.C., United States


    ¡°You think you are so amazing,¡± Arcsa said, ¡°it may be 1-0, but here we go!¡±


    He walked up to the man and pulled the trigger twice, the revolver being a bit tricky. Police tackled him and took him down fast.


    ¡°1-1 now bitch!¡± he yelled as he was carted away.


    <h5>Friday, September 6, 1901 - Buffalo, New York.</h5>


    ¡°Arcsa is such an idiot. As if I would stand to be tied with him.¡±


    The High Priestess took out her .32 and hid it underneath a handkerchief.


    The Pan-American Exposition was in full swing, and it was loud and a bit obnoxious.


    The High Priestess saw her target. ¡°Another point to me!¡± and she took her shot. Only to watch it bounce off the damn coat button. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    She quickly took another shot before that idiot Parker and the National Guard piled on her.


    ¡°2-1!¡±


    <h5>Friday, November 22, 1963 - Dallas, Texas</h5>


    Arcsa took careful aim. It was a long shot to a moving target, but the elevation helped. The Carcano Model 38 was perfect for this.


    Suddenly Kennedy¡¯s head rocked back. Arcsa looked around and saw a puff of smoke from a grassy knoll and heard a yell!


    ¡°You ain¡¯t got nothing on me! 3-1! Who¡¯s the bitch now?¡±


    <h4>01.041 INTERVIEW</h4>


    Xu eyed this young girl interviewing at his firm. She was perfect for his plan.


    ¡°Mr. Goldberg, stop leering. Miss Jindal-Witten, come with me.¡±


    Goldberg looked down, caught out.


    ¡°Right here into my office. I¡¯ll follow in just a moment.¡±


    Ella walked into a dark room when the door shut with a loud clang behind her.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on.¡±


    The roof lifted up and a dragon¡¯s head peeked in.


    ¡°Perfect! Now just a bit of seasoning.¡± He started to sprinkle something down.


    ¡°Is that paprika? And brown sugar?¡± Ella caught a bit more. ¡°Black pepper, garlic powder¡­ some mustard and cayenne.¡±


    Xu became alarmed. ¡°How dare you determine my secret spice rub! All of the tianlong know I am the best. Good thing I am eating you soon.¡±


    Ella could feel the floor heating up.


    She yelled up, ¡°Try adding some onion powder also! I want to taste my best.¡±


    <h4>01.046 CONSIDERATION</h4>


    Ella took a moment to process what had been said and then she realized what had been in the stew.


    She looked up at the High Priestess.


    ¡°Damn it. The People really need to learn about onion powder.¡±


    The High Priestess was surprised and feel to her knees, forehead to the ground, ¡°You are the prophesized one!¡±

 01.051 Initiation

    Friday, January 28, 2022


    <h4>AQRABUAMELU COMPOUND, FLUSHING, QUEENS, New York, United States</h4>


    Ella knelt in a circle of six.


    Arcsa and the High Priestess stood outside the circle; Their voices echoing in the large warehouse.


    ¡°We were once the greatest servants of Utu-On-Earth. His spear to strike his enemies. And we reveled in that service and feasted on our enemies¡¯ defeat. None were more loyal.¡± Arcsa began the liturgy.


    ¡°None were more loyal.¡± Said the other four in response. Arcsa had said she would learn the liturgy later and to stay quiet now. But she felt so conspicuous.


    The High Priestess took the next verse. ¡°We served Utu as he ordered us into the realms of the dragons, whom we slaughtered without pity. We served Utu and he had us slay the mages of the green lands and salt the earth. We served Utu and crucified humans unending. We served Utu and slaughtered our own. None were more loyal.¡±


    Again the call and response. Nobody gave her a look at the mention of humans but she could feel their attention shift uneasily.


    Arcsa took the next verse. ¡°We were called to war in the tunnels of the dwarves. Kothin, Utu¡¯s seneschal, ordered us into the volcanic mountain of his own people to wipe them out. And we did. None were more loyal.¡±


    The cant continued.


    The High Priestess was next, ¡°And then came the betrayal!¡±


    ¡°The betrayal¡± said the group, renewing their memory and refreshing their anger.


    Arcsa, ¡°and prophecy.¡±


    Back to the High Priestess, ¡°we had just slain Denvin, the dwarven king, and suddenly the world disappeared. And we found ourselves cast into Kur suffering for thirty thousand years.¡±


    ¡°I, Arcsa, was there. And we starved and ate mushrooms and scavenged water. Many of our people died. We used our magic to replace those we could, but even that magic slowly ran dry.¡± And he looked at the supplicants around him as if to reflect on their reduced numbers.


    ¡°I, High Priestess of the Aqrabuamelu, was there. And I was called Belatsunat then. I carried the flame of hope. I remembered the prophecies of Utu. That we would fear Kur, the hell of flames, and we would one day be free and a true people. That Inanna would rescue us and lead us to the bright future.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The figure to her left stood up, a woman, ¡°I, Davcina, was not there. But I remember.¡± She was tall and handsome with stern features. Her eyes were a storm at sea blue-grey, and she had high sharp cheekbones.


    The one to the left of her stood up, ¡°I, Tauthe, was not there. But I remember.¡± Tauthe contrasted with Davcina being shorter and rounder although in this audience of lean warriors, she was only plump in comparison. Her face was wide and open and looked friendly.


    Next was a man, ¡°I, Adrahasis, was not there. But I remember.¡± Adrahasis was as tall as Davcina or a bit taller. He might have been Davcina¡¯s sibling, so similar did they look.


    Another man, ¡°I, Etana, was not there, but I remember.¡± Etana, to Ella¡¯s right, had long braided hair which hid his face. His voice was raspy, like a chronic smoker.


    Finally Bahu stood up, to Ella¡¯s side. ¡°I, Bahu, was there. And I will feast on Utu raw before my life ends.¡± Bahu¡¯s voice was unlike anything Ella had heard before. Raw with pain.


    They waited a moment and Arcsa smiled and gestured for her.


    She stood up uncertainly, her legs numb from the unaccustomed kneeling position. She took a moment, aware of the silence. ¡°I, Eesha, was not there.¡± And she paused. ¡°But I will learn.¡± She did not know what to say.


    It was enough. Without a word the group relaxed and filed out of the ceremonial room.


    Arcsa and the High Priestess followed out at the end and the division was already clear by the small amount of space that was between her and the rest of the group.


    He clapped his hands sharply which made Ella jump, ¡°Today is a day of firsts. The first time we have done our rituals in English. The first time we have had a human join us.¡±


    ¡°The first time we have had so few.¡± The High Priestess said.


    Arcsa gave an annoyed glance at her. ¡°Yes. The first time so few.¡±


    Tauthe stepped forward and asked the obvious, ¡°Why is she here? Who is she?¡±


    It was as if the dam broke, now the others¡¯ eyes were all on her, perhaps not outright hostile but unfriendly.


    ¡°Eesha is a special case. Our numbers dwindle and we await Inanna¡¯s return. So we must make do¡­¡±


    ¡°But how can she¡­ how can she be one of us?¡± Tauthe¡¯s voice was bewildered and angry at the same time.


    Arcsa smiled his grandfatherly smile on them, ¡°She can be trusted. And Bahu will chaperone her and help her catch up.¡±


    Bahu gave a large toothy smile and wave.


    The High Priestess stood forward. ¡°Our numbers are too few to allow for the Blooding. And you know what that means - you will all need to prove yourselves loyal and strong. In my Blooding I slew my sister and ate of her. You shall not have that proof. The elders will judge you for it despite it not being your fault.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter what they think. All that matters is we find Inanna before our race dies. That we make a bloody ruin of Utu-the-Betrayer. That we fulfill prophecy.¡±


    Tauthe was not cowed, ¡°Will there be other humans?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± said Arcsa.


    And the room adjourned.

 01.052 Team

    Friday, January 28, 2022


    <h4>AQRABUAMELU COMPOUND, FLUSHING, QUEENS, New York, United States</h4>


    Bahu and Ella sat across from one another.


    ¡°So this will be your cohort. Obviously you aren¡¯t to tell anyone about the whole Inanna, you-being-our-prophesied-goddess thing. You train with them on weekends. They have other duties during the week, and we will be using the evenings to get you caught up.¡±


    ¡°What do I need to catch up on?¡±


    ¡°Everything. Weapons training mostly. We will spend time conditioning and other stuff but honestly you seem close to the mark there at least. Cultural things. You¡¯ll need to learn Akkadian too.¡±


    ¡°What will they be doing during the week?¡±


    ¡°Learning to pretend to be human. They are all about your age, and have never been out of their cr¨¨che before now.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Children are precious to us. Because upon coming of age, they are Blooded and many do not survive. So we keep them close.¡±


    Ella sat and thought. She should ask what they meant by Blooded, but she suspected it was something horrific. and she didn¡¯t want to know.


    ¡°When I spoke to Arcsa, he said you could not breed. But it sounds like you use magic to do so.¡±


    Bahu looked a bit pensive, ¡°So he laid it all out for you? Yes. We used to have those coming of age battle it out to see who should go forward. But now our numbers are too few. Our magic is waning and so our ability to reproduce true has also fallen.¡±


    ¡°How many are left?¡±


    ¡°If Arcsa didn¡¯t tell you that, then I certainly won¡¯t. Come on, let¡¯s go meet your team.¡±


    Ella reached out to stop Bahu, ¡°Bahu. Who is Arcsa?¡±


    ¡°Arcsa is Your Prophet.¡±


    They entered a room with the other five, who were all midstream changing into casual clothes from the white muslin ceremonial robes they had been wearing.


    Bahu piped in with a cheery, ¡°Well, you all have fun this weekend! Hard work coming up. See ya!¡± And shut the door behind Ella.


    Ella was starting to suspect Bahu of apostasy.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    They four others stared at her and she looked back. Ella was hoping her reckless side would come to the fore to save her as it had previously.


    Nope. Crickets.


    ¡°Hmm. Hi everyone. I¡¯m Eesha. But you can call me Ella if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Tauthe spoke up again. Her features were at odds with her stern tone, ¡°Human. Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Umm. I am not, well¡­ Arcsa said to be?¡± And she shrugged and held up her hands wide in a pose of helplessness.


    ¡°Well we don¡¯t want you here. Our people are dying while vermin like you consume everything like locusts. We have seen what you have done to the world, and the best thing we can do is wipe you out.¡±


    Ella snapped back, ¡°I am pretty sure we would wipe you out. There can¡¯t be what? 5000 of you left?¡±


    Oscar Wilde had said that if the gods wished to punish us, they would answer our prayers. Perhaps hoping for recklessness to carry her was such a prayer.


    Adrahasis snorted a laugh, ¡°Leave off Tauthe, we are stuck with her anyway. We aren¡¯t here to question Bahu or Arcsa.¡±


    He went on, ¡°So¡­ Ella. Do you know why you are here? We rarely have humans come here, and they are just here as instructors and gone the next day. They certainly don¡¯t know the truth of who we are.¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­ train? Bahu was supposed to help me out here, but, well¡­¡± and Ella gestured at the closed door behind her.


    ¡°Come on then. I¡¯m Adrahasis but call me Adra. You met Tauthe but let¡¯s do proper introductions.¡±


    Each took their turn. Etana was last and he was gorgeous. Long black hair he pulled out of his face. Burnished bronze skin. Grey eyes. Ella felt herself flush a bit.


    And that set Davcina off. She started laughing and almost fell over. ¡°See Etty, even humans. You are just too good looking. Besides, she is almost as good looking as you. It wouldn¡¯t be fair.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡± Said Etana. His raspy voice was raspy and harsh, but he smiled a bit and winked which set Davcina off again.


    Tauthe still looked at her suspiciously but relented.


    ¡°To give you a better idea, we are here to train as a squad. Learn tactics and establish our capabilities to operate autonomously.¡±


    ¡°Operate as what?¡±


    ¡°Military. Our people join your armies and occasionally function as mercenaries around the world. We must keep our skills current for the return of Inanna.¡±


    All of them murmured a phrase, something which Ella suspected was a prayer to Inanna. Which made her pretty uncomfortable.


    ¡°Are you to become a believer?¡± asked Tauthe. ¡°I have never heard of a human joining our faith. But Bahu is the most devout of us. So I doubt she would have a non-believer join so readily.¡±


    Ella was twisting in the wind when the door opened again and Bahu came in. ¡°Of course she will be a believer. And I believe one whose fervor will exceed my own!¡±


    Bahu handed out small boxes to each of them. ¡°Now don¡¯t go spending it all in one place. Normally we would send you with a senior for your first free night out, but with Ella here,¡± and Bahu clamped both hands on Ella¡¯s shoulders, ¡°I am sure you will all be fine! Make sure you are back here by Monday at 5 a.m. for first call.¡±


    ¡°Except you Ella. You have your human life to maintain. You¡¯ll be here each weekend for unit training.¡±


    And Ella saw the issue. If she was gone all the time, she would always be apart. If this was a group she was supposed to bond with, how could she bridge this gap?


    ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Ella got started but was interrupted.


    ¡°No time. Go out and have fun and debauchery. But remember.¡± And at this, Bahu became dead serious, ¡°No exposing us and no unsanctioned killing. If you do so¡­ well, we will all dine on your flesh.¡±


    Then a switch back in tone, ¡°Anyway have fun!¡±

 01.053 Pregame

    Friday, January 28, 2022


    <h4>AQRABUAMELU COMPOUND, FLUSHING, QUEENS, New York, United States</h4>


    The five of them stepped out of the warehouse in Queens. Blinking their eyes at the bright sunlight.


    Well, Ella stepped out and the four others stood in the doorway. Ella looked back.


    ¡°Come on. I am not sure what we are supposed to be doing.¡±


    They stood there.


    ¡°Wait, is this the first time you have been outside?¡± Ella was suddenly very concerned.


    ¡°Well¡­ yes¡± said Adrahasis.


    ¡°We have never seen the light of the sun before.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact it seems to be causing me to burn? I might be, aah, aaaah!¡± Added Etana. And then they burst out laughing.


    ¡°Haha. Very funny.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ this is the first time we have been out without supervision though.¡±


    ¡°Like ever? You guys are like twenty something right?¡±


    ¡°Life of being a soldier is tough. They let us watch a shit ton of television though. Like we had to watch lots of Friends before coming to New York.¡±


    ¡°Friends? That is like for old people.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Adra. He was so in love with that actor guy. Jimmy?¡± Tauthe was laughing.


    ¡°Joey. Damn you. And I wouldn¡¯t start throwing spears Miss Ray Barone.¡±


    Tauthe turned red and snapped, ¡°Shut up Adra.¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Ella asked.


    ¡°Ray? Everybody Loves Raymond?¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it.¡± Ella felt a bit more comfortable with them joking around. At least they wouldn¡¯t find her body stuffed with venom floating down the Hudson or something.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Ella asked.


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°Well, is there something you saw on television you always wanted to do?¡±


    Adrahasis cut in, serious and grave, ¡°Imagine a childhood where everything you do is watched and weighed. Where you have to excel because if you do not, your people will tear you apart into small pieces.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°And at the same time being educated to go out into the wider world. A world where humans, who we are trained to look down upon, are given much more freedom. And with that freedom they destroyed their planet, let weaklings masquerading as strong men control them, and seem to not have a care in the world?¡±


    Ella thought about it for a moment. ¡°I¡­ think I would hate humans. And envy them.¡± She sounded meek and scared, if anything, which was not like her.


    ¡°Now you get one weekend, one, to go out in that wider world. What do you do?¡±


    ¡°I think you can go out there with hate and justify everything you ever thought about humans. Or¡­¡±


    And Adra smiled gently since Ella was able to drive them to the conclusion Adra was aiming for.


    ¡°Or you get to go out and not waste one minute tasting as much freedom and enjoyment as you can for one weekend.¡±


    Ella looked up to see each of them contemplating what Adra had brought forward. He had made it a binary choice between bitterness and hedonism. Extremes but some middle path maybe wasn¡¯t possible yet. It might not ever be possible.


    Adra closed it out, ¡°I choose to be ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Said Tauthe.


    ¡°Me as well.¡± Said Davcina


    Etana looked at them. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be ridiculous, but I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Then they looked at Ella. And Ella realized something, she was no guide to ridiculousness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s open our packages while we figure out what to do.¡± Asked Etana diffidently.


    In each, they found a set of casual clothes, ten-thousand dollars in neat hundreds, a phone and headset, and a set of keys.


    Ellas box didn¡¯t have a phone but a set of instructions for pairing to her phone.


    There was also a note in Adra¡¯s from Bahu - Adrahasis had to translate them


    <blockquote>


    1. Whatever money is left should be returned.


    2. No unsanctioned killing.


    3. Don¡¯t expose our existence to anyone. Kill them if needed. A fire would be a good choice. Bonus points for creativity though.


    4. Anyone late on Monday will be hunted and killed too.


    5. The keys are for our safehouses around the world. The list of locations is on the back of this. And don¡¯t lose a key. Or we will  kill you.


    6. Have fun! ¡ª lots of hugs and kisses and daggers. In blessed Inanna''s name.


    ¡ª Bahu.</blockquote>


    ¡°Well¡­ that is all sorts of terrifying.¡± Mused Ella.


    Adra then pulled out a match and burned the note. Holding it until it was singing his fingertips before letting the small scrap drift away into the snow and finish burning.


    And then Ella realized she was going to have to call Charlie. She had no idea how to have a ¡°ridiculous¡± weekend. That was Charlie¡¯s job. Ella¡¯s job was to pester Charlie into studying. That was how their relationship worked, and it worked well.


    ¡°Guys, I am going to call a friend¡­ She knows about magic and stuff, but not about your guys scorpion thing. She is, well¡­¡±


    Two white Range Rovers with tinted windows pulled into the parking lot. They had huge chrome rims.


    Charlie hopped out, ¡°Come on guys. Let¡¯s go!!!¡±


    Adrahasis looked to Ella who nodded. They piled into the cars and each put a phone on speaker to plan.


    Ella had texted some basic info and enough hints so that Charlie knew these were not ordinary people. But it didn¡¯t matter. They drove over to SoHo and picked up disposable clubbing clothes for later. Charlie ran Ella over to their places to grab stuff and Ella grabbed a quick shower.


    ¡°So who are these guys? Tauthe seems kind of mean. Etana seems nice enough but he is so shy. It is kind of cute.¡±


    Ella thought about the rules that Bahu laid out, but since Charlie already knew about the Aqramuabelu it didn¡¯t feel like a violation.


    ¡°Seriously? They could totally be FOBs, but Etana is seriously hot. Tauthe seems like a bitch though.¡±


    Ella gently agreed and told her to keep it all on the down low.


    ¡°The other two? Shame we couldn¡¯t all fit into one car.¡±


    Ella briefly described Davcina and Adrahasis.


    ¡°So they want to do ridiculous huh?¡±


    ¡°Yep. And they have to be back by Monday 5:00 am sharp. No delays at all.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous, hmmm.¡± And Charlie got a dreamy look that made Ella nervous about what she had released.

 01.054 Game On

    Friday, January 28, 2022


    <h4>JFK TO MIA, United States</h4>


    Ella would have been more awed by being on a private jet if it wasn¡¯t for Charlie. Charlie, who had apparently leveraged her father¡¯s jet to get them a ride. Charlie, who had basically thrown together a trip to Miami on the fly. Charlie, who was tongue-tied and blushing while talking to Adrahasis.


    Ella had never seen Charlie lose her cool when meeting someone. Not until now, and she just couldn¡¯t resist the spectacle.


    ¡°Hey Charlie, should I tell them about that time at Karaoke Heroes?¡± Ella called across the cabin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± snapped Charlie.


    ¡°What¡¯s her problem?¡± Asked Tauthe who was seated across from Ella.


    ¡°I think she is crushing on Adra here.¡± Ella said, not at all quietly.


    Charlie gave her a glare and then extended a special finger before turning back to Adrahasis who looked cornered.


    They landed and two black Escalades were on the tarmac. Charlie pointedly grabbed Adra¡¯s arm and directed him to one vehicle while waving off the others.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever seen Charlie in heat like that,¡± murmured Ella.


    ¡°I am not sure Adra knows what to do with it anyway. Usually Etana is the one fending off attention.¡±


    Etana blushed a bit and bowed his head a bit, hiding his face.


    ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡±


    THAT EVENING (FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022)


    CASINO MIAMI, MIAMI, FLORIDA, United States


    The pelota bounced off the wall and the crowd roared.


    ¡°A chula! Beautiful shot!¡± yelled Charlie.


    ¡°Woohoo! I am winning tonight!¡± Davcina screamed.


    Ella still thought it was insane that Davcina, having never seen jai alai before had just dropped all her cash on a single bet. But it looked like she would make it back and then some.


    Etana leaned over to whisper something to Tauthe who stiffened just a bit and then laughed.


    ¡°Hold on! Let me tell that to Ella, she will love it.¡±


    Tauthe leaned in and said, ¡°Etana says there are four people behind us two rows and to the right a little bit that are watching us and not the game.¡±


    ¡°How does he know?¡±


    ¡°Reflection in the glass. Now laugh and pass it on.¡±


    Ella held her hand to her mouth and tried to pretend to laugh. It seemed so fake to her but the noise was hopefully enough to cover. She was about to tell Charlie when Davcina stood up.


    ¡°Alright. Time to collect my winnings!¡±


    ¡°Davcina, wait!¡± Called Ella somewhat helplessly as Davcina lost herself in the exiting crowd.


    ¡°Tauthe, Etana. Keep an eye on those guys. Charlie, Adrah. We need to grab Davcina. Bad shit may be happening.¡± Ella started trying to force herself through the crowd.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ sorry. Please¡­ it is an emergency.¡±


    Eventually they forced their way through the crowd to the betting desk. Davcina was not there.


    Tauthe ran up. ¡°I talked to security, they are already calling the police. Some men met her after she collected her winnings and escorted her off. Security followed them since it looked suspicious and they watch out for winners being robbed. When they went outside, she was thrown in a van and they took off. Etana split off to steal a car and is trailing them.¡±


    Adra pulled out the phone he had been given. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the local safehouse first.¡±


    ¡°Safehouse? What is going on? Can¡¯t we wait on the police?¡± Charlie interrupted.


    Ella held up her hands. ¡°Ummm, let¡¯s just say this group is a bit ¡®special¡¯ you know. I really can¡¯t say more.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± And then she looked at Adra and muttered a faint ¡°oh¡± again.


    ¡°Go to the hotel and chill out. I¡¯ll call shortly.¡±


    ¡°No! I said I am going to help. And I am going to help. Damn it, Ella. We talked about this!¡± Charlie pleaded.


    Ella didn¡¯t have time to argue. ¡°Alright. You can act as a lookout or something. Get rid of the fancy cars. But we need transport. Charlie, Tauthe, figure that out! Something anonymous. Adra and I will check out the safehouse¡±


    Tauthe tried to protest, but Ella was insistent.


    Adra faced Ella and reported to her, ¡°The local safehouse is not too far. Let¡¯s go and see what gear we can find. I¡¯ll report to Bahu on the go.¡±


    Ella suddenly felt a bit shy at Adra reporting to her, ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t mean to bark orders at everyone.¡±


    ¡°Nah. You are doing good. No time for bullshit.¡± Adra said.


    After an excruciating five minutes, a few Ubers pulled up and they split up.


    The safehouse was just north of Miami in Liberty City. The Uber driver took extra money not to cancel the fare when he found out the neighborhood they were heading to.


    As they drove into Liberty City, the neighborhood got rougher. There were police cars parked in front of a bodega with their lights on. As the Uber driver pulled up to a graffiti sprayed building under the highway, he let them out and didn¡¯t hesitate to drive away quickly.


    They let themselves through the safehouse door. Behind it was a mostly empty, dilapidated room covered in yellowed formica panels and garbage. Adra took his phone and dialed a number. All of a sudden a door hidden behind the paneled walls clicked open.


    Inside was a room with metal bunk beds, racks of clothing ¡ª both civilian and military, shelves of tactical gear, and lots of weapons.


    Ella let out a gentle whistle.


    ¡°Gear up. What¡¯s the latest from Etana?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. He is still following them. They are driving out of the city.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s grab gear and supplies for the others including Charlie.¡±


    Adra looked at her, ¡°How are you so calm?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. But this isn¡¯t the first time shit has gone down. Keep moving, think later.¡±


    Ella started systematically going through the gear. Plate carrier vests, binoculars. night vision goggles, and lots of firearms. There was a row of boots that smelled of sanitizer, and she went through to find a pair that fit and quickly checked with Adra to get the right sizes for the others.


    She started piling the gear for the others into duffle bags. Then they stripped down and got kitted out themselves.


    Adra helped her suit up and with the battle belt and vest. He showed her how to strap on her gear so they wouldn¡¯t rattle. He walked her through the handgun¡¯s operation, a Glock, and grabbed M16s for himself and the others. Ella grabbed another Glock for Charlie.


    Waiting was the tough part. Her phone chimed. ¡°Charlie has a large Suburban. They are en route. Tauthe checked in with the police again. The police said they had squad cars searching. They think this is a robbery, so they won¡¯t look too far afield.¡±


    More waiting. Ella found some shoe polish and started painting her face. ¡°I¡¯ve always seen this in movies and there is no time like the present.¡±


    After a while Adra¡¯s phone chimed. ¡°They are here.¡±


    Ella opened the door for them and started handing the bags of gear to them immediately. They carried them to the large SUV parked outside and throwing the gear in back.


    Ella got behind the wheel and told the others to get in the back and start dressing. ¡°Show Charlie how to put on the vest and give her a crash course with the pistol. Charlie, you are going to stay with the car but let¡¯s not take chances.¡± Tauthe helped Charlie get on gear and got dressed up herself.


    ¡°Where is Etana?¡±


    ¡°Still driving.¡±


    ¡°Fuck. They are going far. Let¡¯s try and catch up.¡±


    Ella floored it and kept driving south.


    ¡°Etana says they are pulling up to a house in Florida City. He¡¯ll send over the address.¡±


    ¡°You guys in the back, eat an energy bar and drink some water.¡±


    AFTER MIDNIGHT (SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2022)


    FLORIDA CITY, FLORIDA, United States


    They pulled up two blocks away and spilled out of the car. Each of them checked their gear. Ella worked the slide of her gun a few times, and the action felt smooth.


    The street lights put shadows over the dilapidated stucco buildings, everything was desaturated. Ella focused her attention, and she started to feel a second surge of adrenaline.


    They casually walked down the street, bantering until they got to the street where Etana was waiting for them and ducked behind the hedges of an abandoned house across the street. A palm tree gently waved above them, filled with untrimmed brown leaves.


    ¡°So what¡¯s happened?¡±


    Etana sat down and pointed at a diagram he had drawn in the dirt. Ella pulled out a penlight and flashed it down on the map.


    ¡°This is what I was able to see. Davcina is in the back room tied to a chair and has a bag over her head. There are six hostiles, all armed with handguns. The four we saw earlier are in the kitchen right now. The other two are kind of wandering around. One of them, a tall skinny woman, appears to be the boss, and she is on the phone most of the time. It doesn¡¯t sound happy as she has been yelling, but I haven¡¯t gotten close enough to hear anything.¡±


    He pointed at some circles and lines around the square of the house. ¡°These are the approaches I could identify. It isn¡¯t that hard but I didn¡¯t want to take risks without a plan.¡±


    ¡°Six huh?¡±


    ¡°Okay guys. I have no idea what I am doing here. So what do we need to do?¡±


    Everyone kind of shrugged. ¡°We don¡¯t spend time on group tactics til later. If we were hand to hand fighting, I think we would win.¡±


    ¡°How were they keeping their guns?¡± Adra asked.


    ¡°You mean holding them? No. The woman had a holster but the other ones had them tucked in their pants or something.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So not professionals. Why did they grab Davcina? Why bring her so far away?¡± Adra mused.


    Etana shrugged.


    Ella thought about it for a moment. ¡°In movies they would make some noise to draw some people out to thin their numbers out. But that strikes me as unnecessary. Here is what we do¡­¡±


    Ella laid out the plan, each person to sight one of the enemy, they would all shoot them to get kills immediately. Then they would break through the sliding glass doors of the room that Davcina was kept in and pull her out of there however they could.


    Nobody had any better ideas.


    Adra made one comment though, ¡°None of us have killed here. We all knew we would have to one day except for you Ella. Anyone going to hesitate?¡±


    Ella said, ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I would say I wasn¡¯t nervous. But as I said before, this isn¡¯t quite my first time, and I won¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    She wondered if she was lying. She felt calm, but maybe actually numb.


    The street was well-lit and they had to make their way to another block to cross the street. Climbing over hedges, they made their way from yard to yard silently, crawling over hedges and wooden fences until they were next to the target house.


    Ella took her position behind a concrete planter on the side of the house with a view into the kitchen. Adra and Etana took the back yard where they could see through the sliding doors to Davcina tied in a chair.


    ¡°Two in the room with Davcina, I¡¯ve got the one on the right,¡± Adra whispered over the comma.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got left.¡± Etana replied.


    Ella peeked over the planter and saw a tall man, pale white skin and red hair, digging through the refrigerator looking for food. She set her stance and sighted down her pistol¡¯s site. ¡°I see mine but he is in cover.¡± She waited for the refrigerator door to close. ¡°Got him.¡±


    Tauthe had shimmied across the front yard to the other side. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone over here.¡±


    ¡°Shit, where are the other three?¡± Ella whispered. Her heart was racing and she was trying to pace her breaths. She could feel sweat bearing on her forehead.


    A dog barked in the distance, and Ella almost pulled the trigger.


    ¡°Shit. Do we take it?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± Tauthe replied.


    And Ella, from her vantage on the side of the house watched as Tauthe grabbed a pizza box from the neighbor¡¯s trash bin and walked up to the front door. She put the rifle leaning against the wall on the side and pulled out her handgun.


    And then she rang the doorbell.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! What are you doing?¡± Ella said, still whispering.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Adra asked.


    ¡°Guys, get ready to shoot.¡± Tauthe replied and then reached out and rang the doorbell again.


    ¡°Milano¡¯s Pizza¡± she yelled through the door. ¡°Come on out here or I am taking this pizza back!¡±


    A light turned on inside the house and the door opened.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t order¡­¡± and there was a loud report as Tauthe fired her pistol twice.


    Ella did not hesitate and put a bullet right through her target. The gun was a lot louder without ear protection, and she could not hear anything for a moment.


    She climbed over the fence, almost landing on her face, and raced to the backyard just in time to see Etana taking a rusty iron chair and smash it through the sliding door glass.


    Ella heard two more shots from the front of the house.


    ¡°Tauthe? What¡¯s going on?¡± screamed Ella.


    She heard panting. ¡°Got one. Other one shot me in the leg but I am in cover.¡±


    Ella heard the growl of a car skidding to a halt and more gunfire and screaming.


    ¡°Get her! Get her! Get her!¡± Ella screamed.


    Etana and Adra grabbed the chair with Davcina still strapped to it and dragged her out. Ella had raced around the side to support them and kept her gun pointed in the room and started shooting when she saw some movement. It was the woman they had identified as the leader. She dove behind a couch. Ella kept peppering the couch with bullets and was gratified to hear the woman curse as the bullets penetrated.


    Her gun ran empty, and Ella kept pulling the trigger for a moment. The woman calmly appeared on top, steadied her aim and shot Adra in the shoulder.


    Ella fumbled a reload, dropping the magazine. Etana had cut Davcina loose and they ran to the side. Davcina staggered and wasn¡¯t walking quite straight.


    The woman tried to take another bead on Adra who was crawling to cover leaving a copious blood trail. Ella watched as she took aim, as she carefully sighted down her pistol.


    Suddenly, the gun flew out of the woman¡¯s hand along with a large portion of that hand. Ella stood trembling, having managed to shoot in time. She had been aiming for the woman¡¯s head.


    Etana yelled at her, his raspy voice cutting through her paralysis.


    She ran over to the woman who was standing there staring at her mangled hand. Blood was pouring out of it, black and thick and definitely not human.


    ¡°Well shit,¡± said the woman conversationally.


    Ella kept her gun on her and yelled, ¡°On your knees facing away from me. Hands on your head.¡±


    ¡°Is Adra okay?¡± She called back.


    ¡°Yeah, I am fine.¡± Said a voice right behind her. Ella jumped a bit and turned to see Adra holding a pistol with his off hand on the woman.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take her with us.¡±


    Ella grabbed a zip tie from her belt and tied the woman¡¯s hands behind her. The blood made everything slick and Ella pulled it tight.


    She took a chance and flared her eyes and could sense magic coming off the woman.


    ¡°Is it all clear?¡± she heard Charlie¡¯s voice through the comm.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Charlie came through the interior door of the room. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot. We need to get out of here. That was fucking loud.¡±


    Etana asked, ¡°How is Tauthe?¡±


    ¡°She is okay. I¡¯ve got her in the front seat of the car. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Charlie said over the comms.


    ¡°Davcina?¡± asked Ella


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Took a while for blood to start moving in my legs. Let¡¯s go.¡± And then Davcina gave a vicious kick to the woman on her knees, knocking over. ¡°I¡¯m going to sting the shit out of you and feast on your organs, you bitch!¡±


    The woman was curled up around where Davcina had kicked her. But looked up, ¡°Aqrabuamelu! Fuck. This was a shit show.¡±


    ¡°She knows who we are!¡± growled Etana.


    ¡°We are taking her with us. Let¡¯s go¡± yelled Ella.


    They dragged the woman to her feet and pushed her into the trunk. Everyone piled in and Charlie took off. They could hear sirens from the police coming to the house.


    Charlie rounded a corner, shut off the headlights and parked on the side. A police car went flying by them a few minutes later.


    ¡°Huh, that worked? Saw that in a movie once.¡± She said cheerfully. Then pulled out slowly and began driving normally.

 01.055 Bullseye

    Early, Saturday, January 29, 2022


    <h4>FLORIDA CITY, FLORIDA, United States</h4>


    Ella sat in the back of the SUV, covered in blood and scratches and feeling exhausted. But she kept her eyes on the woman they had unceremoniously hauled from the trunk into the rear seat.


    Charlie called back, ¡°Are we going to a hospital? Tauthe - you are still bleeding, and Adra, your shoulder does not look great.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± rasped Etana. ¡°Go five blocks and turn right, there will be a place we can get care.¡± He was looking at his phone.


    They were grim and silent. The prisoner was impassive and not speaking despite her hand mostly missing from where Ella had shot her. Dark blood was still pouring from the wound. Tauthe took another zip tie and pulled it tight over the stump to staunch the bleeding.


    Charlie turned right and followed Etana¡¯s directions until they parked the vehicle behind a veterinary clinic.


    They broke in, and Etana started laying out medical supplies. ¡°I did lots of rotations at the clinic. They¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Leaving Adra and Tauthe to Etana. Davcina and Ella conferred.


    ¡°What did they want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. They grabbed me right as I went to collect my winnings and tossed me into that car. Then we got here, and they tied me to a chair.¡±


    ¡°But her?¡± And Davcina nodded her head in the direction of the woman who was now zip tied five different ways to an office chair, ¡°she was very upset when it turned out I wasn¡¯t you.¡± And Davcina looked right at Ella.


    ¡°So they were after me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I think you know why. The first human ever to join us? One of the few to know our secret? And then she knows it too?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I sort of know why. But I don¡¯t know if I can tell you. Arcsa and the High Priestess told me not to. But¡­ you know what? Fuck it. But don¡¯t freak out.¡±


    ¡°Ummm. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Really don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Ella took a moment to settle herself and looked right into Davcina¡¯s eyes. The atmosphere around them changed into a strange sort of intensity.


    Davcina, herself, was so caught up in it that even though she saw Ella¡¯s eyes start to glow white from the irises, it took her a moment to notice the crown manifest on Ella¡¯s head.


    Davcina¡¯s eyes widened and she said, ¡°Holy shit!¡± Then repeated it much quieter, ¡°holy shit. Is that what I think it is?¡±


    Ella just nodded and let it fade. "That is not all of it. But all I can tell you. "


    They both looked at the woman, facing away from them strapped to an office chair. Black blood continued to drip from her hand still.


    ¡°Go grab some scary looking tools from the supplies. Let¡¯s work on getting her to talk.¡±


    Davcina looked at her, ¡°I never learned how to interrogate anyone. I¡¯ll get whatever I can.¡± And she ran back to where the others were.


    Ella walked around to be in view of the woman who looked at her, ¡°Eesha Jindal-Witten, damn. Those idiots. You don¡¯t look that similar.¡±


    Her voice was impassive. Ella stayed silent and scanned the woman, letting her eyes glow a little bit.


    She spotted it, and reached to the woman and unhooked her left earring.


    The woman underwent a transformation.


    ¡°An elf?¡± Ella said wonderingly.


    ¡°Phaw¡± the woman spit. Her canted eyes were dark black with grey sclera, her skin a pasty grey.


    ¡°A drow,¡± said Davcina with awe who had returned. ¡°I saw pictures of them in one of our books.¡±


    The drow woman looked at Davcina. ¡°You aren¡¯t even Blooded. This is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Your people were very sloppy.¡±


    The woman hung her head in shame.


    ¡°Drow,¡± Ella jumped in with, ¡°You took her thinking she was me? Why?¡±


    The woman kept her mouth shut.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Adra came by, his shoulder bandaged and his shirt off. ¡°The drow are the left hand of the Emperor when we were the right. The spies, the assassins, the poison in the cup and the dagger in the night.¡± He recited it from memory.


    ¡°So this is Utu-on-Earths doing.¡± And he spat. ¡°May Blessed Innana return and take us to paradise through the sea of our enemies¡¯ blood.¡±


    Davcina murmured reverently, ¡°May we serve the Blessed Innana.¡±


    ¡°You, scorpion, do you not serve God? Release me!¡± The drow leapt upon that.


    ¡°Idiot. Prophecy has happened. We served him until Kur, the undying hell, and now we are free of him. Blessed Innana will redeem us. And we will feast on Utu¡¯s flesh.¡±


    ¡°That prophecy is false. A fabrication to keep you under control.¡±


    Man¡¯s Adra laughed, ¡°Of course it is fake. We all know it. It does not matter. It happened. It is now the truest thing we know. Our former master saw to that.¡±


    Ella felt more and more nervous at this religious talk. She hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to sound Davcina out further and felt this was going to be out of control.


    The drow spoke up again, ¡°Then maybe you should be killing his heir.¡± And looked right at Ella.


    Adra whipped around to look at her. ¡°You?¡±


    No way but through.


    Ella nodded. ¡°I just told Davcina.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t serve Utu, and we won¡¯t be serving you.¡± hissed Adra. He looked like he wished he had brought his gun. And then he started to transform, his legs building in the pants.


    ¡°Stop!¡± yelled Davcina.


    And he did. He would not have stopped for Ella, and she knew it.


    Ella held up her hands placatingly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I can. Get everyone here and let¡¯s have it out.¡± And then in what was either a supremely stupid decision, she held her handgun out, grip facing Adra.


    His eyes narrowed. And he reached out and took the gun.


    ¡°Be careful, it is loaded.¡±


    ¡°But first, what do we do with her?¡± Ella turned to the drow.


    A crack sounded out, and the woman slumped forward, black blood dripping from a new wound.


    Ella turned around to see Adra pointing the gun where he had just shot.


    ¡°They might have been sloppy, but drow are not interrogable. She would have kept throwing barbs out to find points of mistrust.¡± And by points of mistrust, Adra meant Ella. His voice was like a rasp, like Etana.


    The others came rushing in after hearing the gunshot.


    Tauthe limped in, but on her feet.


    Charlie was a bit upset at being told to step back out, but Ella pleaded with her and she reluctantly returned to the veterinary office waiting room.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She demanded crossly. ¡°I was just falling asleep. And I¡¯ve been shot.¡±


    ¡°I have something to tell all of you.¡± Ella said.


    They all looked at her with different expressions. Suspicious to trusting.


    ¡°Let me make this clear, Bahu, Arcsa, and the High Priestess know about this. And they told me to keep it quiet.¡±


    Etana started, ¡°Then you should keep it quiet.¡±


    ¡°No Etty,¡± said Davcina.


    ¡°We all need to know,¡± echoed Adra hollowly.


    ¡°So I will tell you some. But a warning, You will not walk out of here with fewer questions than you have now. You will just trade one set for another. I cannot tell you more.¡±


    ¡°So Charlie and I were coming home from the club one night¡­¡± and Ella recounted the events that had led her to this point. The encounter with Ekerri, where the Aqramuabelu hissed, to the change in her eyes and then the appearance of the crown.


    ¡°Can we¡­ can we see it?¡± Asked Tauthe diffidently, which was very out of character.


    ¡°Sure.¡± And Ella took a moment and flared her eyes and crown.


    They all stood silent then. Ella waited, feeling the scales tilt back and forth. She saw Adra reach for his gun and give up several times.


    ¡°And Bahu knows? She would not stand to see Utu¡¯s heir alive. She is the most devoted to Innana.¡±


    ¡°She knows. She found me. And tried to kill me.¡± And Ella found herself rubbing the hand where Bahu¡¯s heel had gone through not so very long ago in an icey alley.


    ¡°We will not serve the heir of Ekerri.¡±


    ¡°I would not expect you to.¡±


    ¡°And why did they bring you to us? Why have you join our squad?¡±


    ¡°Their reasons are theirs. I agreed, well I agreed because of this,¡± and Ella motioned to the dead body of the drow leaking blood slowly on the ground.


    ¡°This is not the first time someone has tried to kill me. And it may not be the last. And I¡­¡± Ella began to choke up a bit, ¡°I don¡¯t want you guys to not trust me because I withheld this from you.¡±


    She turned away and walked to another chair, far away from the drow, and sat down on a small vinyl couch, letting shimmering crystal tears fall down her face.


    The others had retreated to another procedure room to discuss.


    Charlie had her gun out, and told Ella what had happened from her side, ¡°Els, shit sounded like it was going south fast. I pulled the Suburban up to the house, and saw Tauthe hiding behind a wall. Well, I just kind of took the gun and shot in the right general direction.¡±


    Charlie hadn¡¯t actually shot anyone but it gave Tauthe the opportunity to retreat to the car, and Tauthe had managed to kill the other shooter.


    The others came in and Adra said, ¡°We cannot know what Innana wills, but we know that the moment Davcina was taken, you,¡± and then he nodded to Charlie, ¡°and your friend¡­ You both dove in to help us without question.¡±


    ¡°So we all good?¡± Charlie asked for Ella. Because she knew Ella wouldn¡¯t press for a definite answer.


    ¡°We are good.¡±


    Ella stood back up and wiped off her face. She was so tired. ¡°Thank you everyone. And I am glad you are back safely Davvy!¡±


    ¡°Davvy?¡± murmured Davcina.


    ¡°I thought I would try it out.¡± Ella responded. Coming off her adrenaline rush made her feel a bit loopy.


    Ella had never thought she could be in a room with a bleeding corpse and forget it was there, but she had never been this tired before.


    ¡°I wish I had known why they tried this.¡± Ella said, when she saw the drow there.


    ¡°It was the Emperor. He ordered it.¡± Adra said. ¡°The drow were the first created by the Emperor and were given a simpler, more absolute theology. Heretical to us ¡ª we were only united in serving the emperor. We were told it made them too rigid in their thinking so he gave us a more flexible theology.¡±


    ¡°Why would the Emperor order them to abduct me?¡± Ella said. She almost could figure it out but she was so, so tired.


    Adra continued, ¡°It makes sense if you think of it this way. He made you his heir and painted a big target on you. To draw out his enemies.¡±


    ¡°A fucking stalking horse?¡± Ella said cursing. That was the missing piece. And it explained Kothin and Donna.


    ¡°He sent me out here to get slaughtered. And then¡­ I made an alliance with you. That was one step too far.¡± Ella felt it all fall into place. She wasn¡¯t his heir, she was a paper target hung up there to take shots at.


    A paper target that was hopefully developing teeth.

 01.056 Debrief

    Saturday, January 29, 2022


    <h4>Miami, Florida, United States</h4>


    ¡°Now what?¡± asked Ella.


    ¡°Well we aren¡¯t staying here,¡± said Charlie eyeing the drow corpse.


    ¡°Shit. I have no idea what to do with a dead body.¡±


    ¡°We will take it with us. Let¡¯s clean up this mess and get out of here. We can¡¯t hide any evidence at that house but we can do something here. Rifle the drug cabinet to make it look like it was junkies looking for a fix and let¡¯s mop up the blood.¡±


    ¡°Charlie, the SUV has fucking bullet holes in it. How will you return it to the rental?¡±


    Charlie smiled a bit, ¡°I lucked out. I was heading to the airport when I saw this guy with a for sale sign in his Suburban. And I had the driver chase him down and I bought it from him right there.¡±


    ¡°At 10 p.m. on a Friday?¡± Ella said dubiously.


    ¡°I did overpay a bit. And honestly, I think it was stolen anyway. The guy was shifty as all hell.¡±


    Ella thought about it. She was forcing her brain to speed up through the exhaustion and the others noticed her eyes glowing a bit.


    ¡°We were lucky. The drow was incompetent. We didn¡¯t have an escape route planned and no ability to clean up after ourselves. Our planning sucked.¡± Ella was shaking and sweating.


    ¡°Ella, stop. You don¡¯t have to figure it all out now.¡± Charlie said soothingly.


    Ella looked at her, lost, and then came back to herself and smiled tiredly. ¡°You are right. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    It took them two hours to clean up the mess they had left. They bleached the floors to get rid of blood. They scrubbed everything wearing gloves and had people rotate rooms to find things they had missed. The rug in the welcome room was a hopeless cause and they wrapped the drow body in it.


    They cleaned each other up as much as possible and made their way to the safehouse where they crawled into bed still caked in filth and blood and shoe polish.


    Ella woke up to a light shining. The old fluorescent tube lights were on and bright, and she moaned in protest before she rolled over to go back to sleep and almost fell off the bunk bed that she was in.


    ¡°Huh?¡± That was all she managed.


    ¡°Wake up Ella. It is two in the afternoon. Everyone else is awake.¡±


    Ella blearily opened her eyes and saw that was true. Etana was freshly showered and his hair was still wet. Charlie looked, well, like Charlie. Ready to drop everything and go to a club right now. Tauthe was clean as well and was at the kitchenette.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Davcina was still dirty and sitting in a chair at the table drinking what looked like coffee.


    Adra must have been in the shower.


    ¡°Wait, why am I the last one? Shouldn¡¯t Adra or Tauthe get to be the last? They both got shot.¡±


    ¡°We woke up first. It hurts like hell!¡± said Adra.


    ¡°I was hungry,¡± said Tauthe simply.


    Ella crawled out of bed and hit the floor with a thump. She felt terrible. Hungover.


    Adra came out of the shower and Davcina went in.


    Ella looked at her bed, it had dried blood and dirt on it. The pillow had shoe polish smeared across it. And she would absolutely crawl back in it if she could.


    And she started to but Charlie nabbed her and handed her a cup of coffee.


    Ella took a sip and almost spat it out. It was terrible. And Charlie had spiked it.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It is after ten a.m. And frankly, you all needed it.¡±


    Ella looked over at Tauthe who gave her a thumbs up, ¡°It¡¯s true. We all drank it.¡±


    Ella forced it down. The whiskey wasn¡¯t bad but the coffee still had grounds in it. Together it was terrible.


    But she did feel better after. And Charlie snickered when Ella poured another cup of coffee and looked around for the bottle of whiskey.


    ¡°Sorry hun. That was the last bit.¡±


    Ella took a sip of the coffee: it was even worse without the whiskey.


    They all sat companionably and eventually Davcina emerged from the bathroom toweling off her hair in the same long linen robes that everyone else wore.


    Ella reluctantly stood up, but her desire to be clean won out and she grabbed a towel and robe from the rack and showered. Which felt amazing.


    When she emerged, Adra flagged her and she walked over to the table.


    Adra was talking to someone and it turned out to be Bahu. He was reporting the night¡¯s events in a formal tone on the speakerphone. The others stood around the table and Charlie was just one step away listening.


    After he finished recounting the recovery of Davcina, he paused for a moment and then added, ¡°The drow was after Ella, because she is Ekerri¡¯s heir.¡± There was no hint of accusation in the voice. There didn¡¯t need to be.


    Ella leaned in to hear.


    There was a sigh. ¡°You guys weren¡¯t supposed to know that, but I suppose it was unavoidable. Eleanor, are you there?¡±


    Ella hesitated just briefly, ¡°yes. I am here. I told them the truth about me being crowned. They deserved to know after it put them in danger.¡±


    ¡°And the civilian?¡±


    ¡°Ummm. Hi!¡± Charlie said brightly.


    ¡°What do we do with you?¡± And now there was a sense of boredom to Bahu¡¯s voice. And that tone, Ella realized, was Bahu¡¯s warning.


    She was about to intervene and perhaps blow this whole thing open with some divine commands. But Tauthe beat her to the punch.


    ¡°She risked herself for me so nothing bad is going to happen to her. And¡­ we haven¡¯t broken any of the rules.¡±


    ¡°Yet,¡± said Bahu drily. ¡°Charlotte Harris. Daughter of Wade and Amelia¡¯s Harris. PhD candidate in the same physics program as our lovely Eleanor. Two arrests for substance abuse and one for vandalism, both quashed by your father. Blah, blah, blah¡­ You can assume I know everything I guess. Welcome to a very select society. Your father won¡¯t be able to pull you out of the fire.¡±


    ¡°If there aren¡¯t dollar signs involved, my father doesn¡¯t care. I won¡¯t betray you. I already knew about Ella.¡±


    Charlotte sounded strong but Ella could see she was nervous.


    Fine, time for a tiny bit of divine guidance, for what it is worth. ¡°Bahu. It is me, Ella. Charlie is my friend, and I would really like it if she was left alone.¡±


    Bahu murmured something in Sumerian or maybe Akkadian and it sounded ritualistic, ¡°Fine. Anyway, your group won¡¯t be the first to get red on your weekend out. Good feasting, I always hated those shifty drow.¡±


    After the call, they all sat there drained.


    Ella looked at the others and then the pot on the stove, ¡°Charlie and I may order in.¡±

 01.057 Love and Death

    Sunday, January 30, 2022


    <h4>Miami, Florida, United States</h4>


    Charlie looked at her lovely Suburban. The first car that was truly hers. It had lived a glorious life of forty-eight hours. It had lived more in those hours than most people.


    It had peeling red paint and rust spots. The brakes squealed like a motherfucker. There were bullet holes along the side of it. It was beautiful.


    She noticed a bullet hole right near the gas cap and wondered how lucky she had been that night.


    The inside mats had blood from Tauthe and Adra. Charlie let herself think about Adra for a moment. He wasn¡¯t objectively as good-looking as Etana who was absolutely gorgeous and even more attractive by how shy he was. But Charlie couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of Adra when he was around. She knew she was acting like an idiot and didn¡¯t care. And knowing what he was didn¡¯t change anything.


    Would they have insect babies? What did an Aqua-blah-blah wedding look like? Was she eleven and daydreaming about a guy like a complete moron?


    She came back to herself but she had a bit of a blush and half smile on her face.


    She thought about the bullets coming at her. The fact that she had fired back and could have actually killed someone. Ella had. And she seemed okay with it. Which added a whole other dimension to her.


    Charlie loved Ella with all her heart. They were sisters in all but name. But Ella was changing and becoming something, and Charlie couldn¡¯t follow that path.


    Then Charlie saw some sand on the car floor through the open door. The afternoon beach or the post-club after-party?


    They had been doused in champagne that night: the sand had gotten everywhere and stuck to everything. When they went to the first after party on the beach, the DJ, a chill dude with leather jacket and amazing hair, had tried flirting with her some but she had blown him off. The reggae had been solid.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Their group had peeled off as they met, even Ella, who was like the most monogamous prude ever had disappeared with some random guy. One that she had picked up! If Charlie had asked, Ella would have made up some bullshit about needing to affirm life in the face of death, but Charlie figured that Ella had just been mad horny.


    And then Charlie thought about when Adra had kissed her. Charlie¡¯s hands motioned towards her lips.


    She was shaken out of her reverie by a shout from Tauthe, ¡°Come on, our ride is here.¡±


    She looked at the attendant standing next to her. He said, ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Crush it. I paid you plenty to do that and not ask questions.¡±


    * * *


    The private jet¡¯s hum was calming. Ella sat across from her studying. The others were in disarray, the nerd and the lightweights.


    Except Ella was a killer now. And Charlie wasn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to be. And more, she was sitting there watching Ella study and it all came clear to her.


    ¡°Ella, I am dropping out of our PhD program.¡±


    Ella looked up, ¡°Wait. What?¡± She looked alarmed.


    ¡°Hey. Relax. I have been thinking about this for a long time and not thinking about it, you know?¡±


    ¡°No. What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I was always pretty smart you know. And to be honest I liked math a lot. But you know what I really liked? It wasn¡¯t physics.¡±


    Ella leaned forward but waited quietly.


    ¡°I like finance,¡± Charlie admitted.


    ¡°You mean, like your dad?¡±


    Charlie didn¡¯t quite flinch at hearing that. She felt proud about it.


    ¡°Well despite my dad maybe is more like it. So¡­ ummm¡­ getting shot at kind of makes things real.¡± And Charlie saw the alarm on Ella¡¯s face, the big dope, ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault! I dove in. And it was worth it. Because I don¡¯t know if I would have had the courage to admit I went into physics to avoid turning into my dad.¡± Or my mom, she silently added.


    Ella looked like she didn¡¯t know how to feel. Charlie got up and sat across her lap in the seat and gave her a hug. ¡°You¡¯ll always be my best friend. And don¡¯t even think for a second I am bailing on any of this.¡± Charlie waved her hand around the inside of the plane but meant so much more.


    Ella hugger her back. ¡°Okay. You do what makes you happy. BFF?¡±


    ¡°BFF,¡± Charlie agreed. And Charlie knew she was going to follow Ella right off this cliff to wherever it led. All the way.


    One more quick hug and Charlie went to her computer to start looking at finance jobs. Starting with Ixus Capital.

 01.058 Interlude - Pelota

    Two Weeks Before (Sunday, January 16, 2022)


    <h4>Buenos Aires, Argentina</h4>


    The summer sun and haze in the air didn¡¯t really stop Seb from running the field and sliding in the grass to tackle Diego.


    The ball moved over the line and out which gave time for Iv¨¢n to get back to the goal where he belonged.


    Diego, of course, thought every goal he was going to shoot was La Mano de Dios but he was just bad. Now he was lying on the ground wailing like he was Ricardo Dar¨ªn. Eventually, he got up and the game continued.


    ¡°That goal was mine, pelotudo.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to do something about it, che?¡±


    Diego¡¯s bluster faded when he regarded Seb¡¯s ragged clothes and face. Stripped of baby fat from privation, Sebastian was early into his growth, hard as iron, and not to be crossed.


    ¡°No.¡± Diego tried to recapture the swagger that had brought him this far. But he couldn¡¯t manage it and eventually he retreated.


    Seb smiled to himself and finished collecting his stuff from the locker room. Then headed out, saying bye to the coach and other kids, heading to the train station.


    Once he got to the train station he looped around it to make sure nobody followed him, and pretended to head to one train before getting on another. After some time, he got off the trains and began walking. He ducked into an alley right outside of Villa 31, and grabbed the rags he had stashed there, changed, and carefully tucked his drying clothes into a small hole in the wall.


    He traversed the cobblestone streets with long practice. The summer heat lingered into the evening and a fine sheen of sweat covered him despite his unhurried pace. With luck, his father would already be passed out or with one of his women.


    The bright colorful buildings of Villa 31 were muted by the fading sunlight. He heard the familiar cadences of Paraguayan and Bolivian accents and apodo being spoken.


    When he approached home, Do?a Ines called out, ¡°Sebastian, wait a while. Your papa just came back and he is in a mood. Esta en pedo.¡± Seb started laughing since Do?a Ines was called that after the Chilean volcano for her monstrous farts. Her real name was, well nobody remembered it, and she never knew why people called her that though. She was too nice otherwise for anyone to reveal the truth.


    Seb usually sat in her living room and watched old Maradona games. His father often came and went, picking up mining jobs to get money for more alcohol.


    Eventually he got tired. He hadn¡¯t heard any crashes or yelling from the house ¡ª Papa had probably passed out.


    Seb walked up and found the door unlocked. Entering, a stranger was sitting at the table.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°?Hablas ingles, chico?¡±


    Seb nodded. His English was pretty good from scamming tourists when he was younger.


    ¡°Where is your father, boy?¡±


    The man was tall and thin. His eyes were dark and recessed. Long greasy hair completed his disreputable look. And Seb had never seen him before. Nobody came to la villa and news of a stranger should have been all over.


    ¡°How did you get here, che?¡± Seb stood around twisting his head around, looking.


    ¡°Looking for your father? I don¡¯t think you will see him again.¡±


    ?Cagada! This guy was saying his father was dead. Seb cursed internally. Should he run?


    And just as he decided to go for it, two hands pushed him forward and he stumbled forward but rolled and came up facing the other way to see a tall woman standing there. She had short spikey hair and impassive face. A smattering of freckles.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have it,¡± her voice lacked any intonation.


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    The woman said nothing.


    Seb registered the blood on her hands, imperfectly wiped off.


    ?Cagada! ?Cagada! ?Cagada! His father was dead. And although his father was a piece of shit, he was still Sebastian¡¯s father.


    ¡°So little boy,¡± continued the man in the same conversational tone, ¡°it looks like your father may not have taken what didn¡¯t belong to him. Sorry for your loss.¡±


    And he got up and walked right out the door with the woman.


    And suddenly Seb was angry. White hot fury. Some forro and his puta come into his home; kill his bastard, drunk of a father; and then just walk out? Like he was nothing.


    Seb knew his place in the pecking order of the streets. He was at best a street tough, a barra brava. But he was going to be a boss one day. And that day started now.


    He went in and grabbed his weapon, a crude length of galvanized pipe he had stolen from a construction site. He left the house to follow the two who had killed his papa.


    He headed down the calle and rounded the corner to see both of them standing their waiting for him expectantly.


    ¡°What did I tell you? These kids are soaked in their machismo from day one,¡± the man said calmly.


    The woman remained impassive. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t have time for this. I need to get back to New York.¡±


    ¡°The boy?¡±


    ¡°Leave him. He is nothing. And if he becomes something, well then he will be useful as enemies often are.¡±


    They turned and walked away leaving Seb standing there.


    * * *


    Seb held his eyes closed and thought. It was somewhere around here.


    He had been searching through his already tossed home for hours now. He didn¡¯t know what they were looking for, but whatever it was worth killing his father for. Could be drugs, money, or anything that didn¡¯t belong in the barrio.


    But Seb¡¯s father had just come back from a stint in the lithium mines. Was it something found? An antique?


    He searched every hiding place he could think of. The air vents for the non-working air conditioning. In the toilet tank and behind it. He spent time looking for stitched seams on their paltry furniture. And then he wondered if he would need to cut open the walls.


    His father had been a bastard, but he had criminal cunning. He would want whatever he stole to be easy to get to in case he needed to run. And that made it easy to figure out where else to look.


    Seb went outside and went for a walk. He went home and made sure to go to sleep with his windows wide open. He ran his scams and low-level errands for his bosses and played soccer for a week, then two weeks, then a month. He looked around the house surreptitiously.


    And then, one night, Seb vanished. The agent who had been assigned to watch him was found dismembered, in pieces all over town, for having let his guard down.


    And if nobody had noticed that the trash can outside had been shifted slightly, and it¡¯s wobbling had fixed itself. Then well that was all to the better.

 01.059 False Dischotomy

    Early morning, Monday, January 31, 2022


    <h4>Ella¡¯s Studio, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States</h4>


    The world tuned in to the UN special announcement. The Secretary-General, a gray-haired man with liver spots and a thick Portuguese accent, was making an announcement.


    The recently emerged archipelago off the coast of Madagascar has been declared off-limits by unanimous vote of the UN Security Council. Its territorial status is indeterminate as of now and no country may lay claim to its rights.


    Doctor Anatoly Fedoriw sat in his chair regarding the television. A pipe, forbidden by university rules, hanging from his mouth while he watched the announcement.


    ¡°Stalemate they mean. Nobody could agree so they are keeping it to themselves.¡±


    He muttered. Ella sitting across from him understood the logic.


    As Secretary-General I have appointed a coalition committee to deliberate the issue and provide a legal solution to the question of the island¡¯s territories and provenance. A committee which I will be personally. A list of members will be provided after this meeting.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet the security council, India, and South Africa. What do you say? A bottle of vodka?¡±


    Ella thought about it, ¡°Cheap vodka. And I don¡¯t think South Africa will make it in.¡±


    ¡°No? Won¡¯t they need someone from Africa?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they will pick someone with smaller clout as a token.¡±


    A joint naval task force under the command of the UN representing all of the security council members will be preventing ships from landing there. This naval force is authorized to use force.


    At that, Anatoly¡¯s bushy white eyebrows raised up. ¡°Whatever is on that island, they really don¡¯t want anyone on it. Fucking Russians.¡± And he took a swig from his coffee mug.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The feed cut over to reporters who asked questions that went unanswered. Then to the talking heads who were obviously just as clueless. People had nicknamed the island Atlantis.


    ¡°Have you seen the news from CERN?¡± Doctor Fedoriw asked her.


    ¡°What? No. New measurements?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡± And he slid over a piece of paper, a printout of arXiv chatter.


    ¡°This makes no sense.¡± She said. The readings they were getting were just ridiculous.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He took another large gulp from his mug. Ella, and the other students knew it was his illicitly-brewed pertsivka, a strong liquor which reeked of pepper.


    ¡°They are shutting it down to investigate.¡±


    Ella hmmmed and went back to grading papers.


    ¡°So what are you saying?¡± Jade asked her.


    ¡°I have to move out for a while. I am supposed to be working with¡­ well with a group of magic folk.¡± Ella didn¡¯t know how to bring this up and was making a mess of it. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I will still cover rent. You get the place to yourself!¡± Ella tried a smile.


    Jade sat there, her eyes narrowed. She wasn¡¯t buying it.


    ¡°Charlie told me all about your ¡®adventures¡¯ in Miami. You are moving in with those¡­ those¡­ mdudu!¡±


    Ella wondered what an mdudu was. Maybe something not polite.


    But Jade was incensed and kept going, ¡°Are you trying to get yourself killed? You are a killer now, a soldier? That is your life?¡±


    Ella sat there and thought about it. She was someone who had killed. And it hadn¡¯t bothered her. And, if she was honest with herself, she had enjoyed the adrenaline rush, the planning of the attack, and pulling off a plan. The immediacy and vibrancy of the outcome. It was so removed from trying to model eleven-dimensional vibrating strings or thinking about baryon asymmetry or Yang-Mills theory. Those had their pleasures, and Ella truly loved physics. But there was something¡­


    She sat and thought about it while Jade watched her before she slowly said, ¡°I can¡¯t deny what you are saying. This was thrust upon me. But, I¡¯d say there are two reasons for me to do this.¡±


    Ella held up her first finger, ¡°What other choice do I have? I have been attacked repeatedly and almost killed. I have taken the limits of my own defense as far as I can.¡±


    Then the second, ¡°And, there is something about mattering. It is all kinds of pride, but the world is changing, and I am in the middle of it. As someone said ¡®¡­great tests are a great gift. To fail the test is a misfortune. But to refuse the test is¡­ ummm¡­ worse.¡¯¡±


    Jade looked at her. And she said, ¡°Do you really not have a choice? Or do you refuse to see the ones in front of you?¡±


    Ella sat back and thought about hubris.


    ¡°I will be mostly out of contact for a while. It is kind of like the military¡­ need to get leave.¡± And she moved out.