Ba’ize studied her for a time and took a sip of some fruit juice. “Jenni, I’d like to try something if you don’t mind.”
“Okay, I guess.”
Ba’ize got up and walked to the elevator shaft. “Come stand over here, please.”
Jenni got up and went to him. Ba’ize guided her by the shoulders and maneuvered her so her back was to the open shaft.
Then he pushed her.
Jenni screamed and lost her balance, arms windmilling. She reached out for Ba’ize, but he stepped back and she grasped at air.
Crank jumped up and yelled, but Ba’ize held him back.
Jenni felt a rush of energy and heard a ripping sound from behind her. Her back muscles strained with effort, and she realized she wasn’t falling.
Crank’s mouth fell open in astonishment and Ba’ize had a surprised, but thoughtful look on his face.
Jenni looked behind her and saw she had grown leathery wings, five or six feet long, that were flapping to keep her aloft in the elevator shaft.
She stopped flapping momentarily, in her surprise, and fell a couple of feet before regaining her composure. She propelled herself forward awkwardly and landed on the floor next to Crank and Ba’ize.
Almost immediately, she felt the wings being absorbed back into her body, and she stood there much as she had moments before.
She looked at him, suddenly angry and afraid. “You could have killed me!”
“Nonsense,” Ba’ize replied. “The venti’i that operate the lift won’t let anyone fall farther than the next floor. You were in no danger, but you didn’t know it. Thus, your body reacted to save itself.”
Jenni thought about what he said and caught her breath. “So, what am I?”
“Let’s sit back down,” Ba’ize suggested.
Jenni’s legs were wobbly. Sitting sounded like a good idea. Crank took her hand and helped her to her chair.
Ba’ize took a breath and held it, then began, “First of all, let me say that everything we talk about from here on out should only be discussed amongst the three of us, and only within these chambers, or my apartment above.” He held up a hand to halt Jenni’s question. “I will explain momentarily.” He took another sip of juice.
“Jenni, you are a shapeshifter.”
Next to her, Crank hissed briefly.
Jenni shook her head. “I don’t understand. What does that mean?”
“It means that, in theory, you can take the form of, well, anything,” Ba’ize said.
Jenni was stunned. Anything? “But I haven’t seen anyone else who could do that, I don’t think anyway.”
“No, I don’t expect you have. You see there has only been one other being with that ability in history.” Ba’ize paused. “His name is Mogritas.”
27
Mogritas? The name sounded familiar but Jenni couldn’t place it. Then she remembered: that was who Brandon said was helping him when he’d flown off with Alisha and the others outside Lodir’naie.
“But what does that mean?” she asked again.
Ba’ize sighed. “Unfortunately, it means that people will fear you.” He indicated Crank. “Even your friend here reacted involuntarily when I mentioned it.”
Jenni looked at Crank, who blushed, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Jenni. Mogritas is the embodiment of evil. We spoke about him in the forest after Mrs. Osorio saved us from the Gobinstratstorai.”
Yes, Jenni remembered, Crank had called him the darkness to Mother’s light.
“And this is the reaction from a close friend. Imagine how others who don’t know you would react if they found out,” Ba’ize said softly.
“But I still don’t get it. I have this ability, it doesn’t make me evil … does it?” Jenni suddenly feared she might lose control of herself — maybe even hurt her friends!
“No, of course not,” Ba’ize assured her. “But, because the only example we have of someone with these powers stands against everything that Mother stands for, people will jump to conclusions.
“Also, the nature of the ability tends to make people suspicious,” Ba’ize said.
Jenni had seen movies and television shows featuring someone who could “shapeshift” as the villain. Was that your friend, or the bad guy posing as your friend? She, of course, didn’t have any control over what she did, but no one else would know that. They would only know her as someone to be feared.
“I think I understand,” she said.
They were quiet for a time, while Jenni tried to absorb what she had learned. Then she asked, “So, how come you aren’t scared of me?”
Ba’ize smiled and said, “Because I tend to see beyond these outer shells,” he said, plucking at his robes, “to the person beneath. I see Mother in you, Jenni. And I see Her hand in bringing you and your friends here.”
Jenni thought about that. “But if Mother brought us here, why would She bring people that would turn against Her, like Brandon and Alisha?”
Ba’ize sat back and took another bite of bread. “The thing most people don’t understand about Mother is She is ultimately about balance. Not necessarily about good, or law, or order. So, in bringing you here, She had to bring forces to balance that action.”
“That is contrary to the teachings I received as a boy,” Crank said.
Ba’ize nodded. “I understand that. Good and evil are much easier concepts to grasp than balance. Good and evil exist, mind you, but Mother recognizes one cannot survive without the other. Their very existence becomes meaningless without the counterpart.
“And that’s another reason why what we discuss here, stays right here,” Ba’ize said, smiling.
Crank nodded slowly, struggling with ideas in his mind. Jenni trusted Crank more than anyone in her life besides Sara, and knew he would get it all sorted out.
For her part, what Ba’ize had said just felt right. She couldn’t really explain it, but she knew this person could teach her what she needed to know.
Another thought occurred to her. “So, what am I here for?”
“That, young lady, remains to be determined. In the meantime, we need to do what we can to teach you control and command of your ability. Though I have no first hand experience with it, I believe I can help you.”
Jenni nodded. “I would like that very much.”
“Good! That’s settled then. I’ll have Rodrin see to getting you some quarters in the hub, something much closer than the guest house you were in.”
Crank cleared his throat. “Excuse me sir, but, what shall I do?”
Ba’ize looked at him in surprise. “Do? Don’t you want to stay with Jenni?”
It was Crank’s turn to be surprised. “Of course! I just thought …”
“You just thought that since the Nomenstrastenai, and the Elvorstrastenai , didn’t accept you that you’d have to leave the city?” Ba’ize grinned. “Nonsense!” He crooked his finger to beckon them closer. “Let me tell you a secret. Most people don’t realize this, but Mother has been out of balance on the side of order and law for a very long time … I expect we are in for a big dose of chaos and disorder very soon, and you two are part of it,” he said with a wink.
* * * *
Rodrin turned out to be the guide that had brought them to Ba’ize. He found them what Jenni thought to be lavish quarters in a tower very close to the Seat of Governance building — as they discovered the large dome was called.
Jenni and Crank each had a bedroom, and shared a living area and a small kitchen. It was on the fifth floor and had a balcony with a beautiful view of Lodir’naie in between a couple of other towers.
Rodrin also had all of their belongings delivered from the guest house. Everything ended up piled in the living area since Jenni wasn’t sure what to do with it all. She and Crank had sorted and organized it somewhat in the various packs and bags, but they hadn’t thrown out much, not knowing what might prove useful later on.
Jenni rummaged through a bag of extra clothing, looking for another shirt. She had ruined th
e one she had on during Ba’ize’s demonstration of her ability. She found another that worked, but it was too big. I’m going to go through a fortune in clothes before this is done. That reminded her of her questions about money, so she asked Crank about it.
He didn’t understand the idea of money either, but explained that everyone had tasks to perform. Some built machines, some grew food, some cooked, and so on. Everyone benefitted from everyone else’s labors. When Jenni asked him what they did when someone decided they didn’t want to work, he gave her a blank stare. The concept of laziness was completely foreign to him.
What an amazing society! Jenni wondered though what she was expected to produce. She had no skills to speak of that anyone here would find useful. As she thought further, she realized the fragility of a society like this. If just a few people decided to stop doing their jobs, the whole thing could come crashing down. It was too dependent on the good nature of its citizens. She began to understand some of what Ba’ize had been talking about earlier.
They found they had been supplied with a few plates, bowls and eating utensils. Jenni also discovered they had running water. She had no idea how it worked — something else to ask about. They ventured out and found a market a couple of streets away from their building and picked up some bread, fruit and vegetables. Jenni longed for a cheeseburger, but the only thing she knew how to cook was macaroni and cheese from a box. Crank was no culinary expert either.
They took their groceries back to the apartment and had a pleasant, if simple, dinner. They chatted about many things during the evening, then retired to their rooms for some much needed sleep after an eventful day.
* * * *
They spent the next couple of weeks in either their apartment or Ba’ize’s offices.
Jenni was given mental agility and focusing exercises to work on while Ba’ize performed his normal daily tasks. Crank became a kind of second assistant, running errands for Ba’ize, when Rodrin was busy with other duties, and tidying up the work areas.
Crank became familiar with the city and contacted the others to let them know where he and Jenni were. He explained they worked in a government office and left it at that.
Jenni practiced diligently, even though the exercises were exceedingly frustrating at times and made little sense. Ba’ize took time when he could to explain their purpose.
“Do you remember your first day when you made wings to fly?” he asked her.
“Of course,” Jenni replied.
“What happened to them when you were back on solid ground?”
“They disappeared.”
“Exactly. You did not need them anymore and lost the concentration — the will — to keep them. Any form you take will require an effort of will to keep. As you practice, that effort will become easier and easier to maintain. But first, we must discipline your mind.”
Jenni had nodded then in understanding and continued to practice. She had started by simply extending the nail of her index finger into a sharp claw and timing herself to see how long she could hold the shape before losing her concentration.
Ba’ize had also given her some block puzzles, made of smooth stone, to sharpen her thinking skills and her spatial awareness. She would sit, sometimes for hours, working the puzzles as quickly as she possibly could, then pull them apart and start over again.
Denny and a group of other Nomenstrastenai came to meet with Ba’ize at the end of their first week with him. Ba’ize asked Jenni and Crank to sit quietly in some chairs along the wall during the meeting.
Denny was there to demonstrate, along with Matt, their ability to communicate with the elemental spirits. They showed Ba’ize how Matt could form words in stone in response to Denny’s questions, and question Denny back in return. Charles was there too, still in his bottle adorned with the red cloth that Jenni had given him. They talked with Charles through Matt, in addition to Charles’s own bubbling responses. Ba’ize sat quietly through the demonstration, only asking one or two questions.
The Nomenstrastenai seemed nervous throughout.
Once the show was complete, Denny and all but two of the delegation boarded the lift and left the office. Denny gave Jenni and Crank a small smile and wave as he and the others disappeared down the shaft.
Ba’ize sat back down at the conference table with the two Nomenstrastenai that had remained.
“We seem to have a problem,” Ba’ize said into the tension-filled room.
“We don’t know that all the elemental spirits are capable of independent thought!” the older looking of the two gnomes blurted out.
“Have you tried communicating with any that aren’t part of the group that arrived here from Earth?” Ba’ize asked.
The second gnome replied, “Yes, and so far all the tests have been positive.”
Ba’ize sat back in his chair and folded his arms. He stared at the older gnome for several seconds.
The gnome lost the contest and spoke first. “Your Honor, think of the implications!”
“I have, First Seat. I am also aware the bindings on the spirits throughout the city are fading. We lost several undei’i a few weeks ago that had performed canal filtration, did we not?”
The older gnome averted his eyes and nodded.
Ba’ize continued, “It seems to me we will be faced with the task of operating the city without spirits fairly soon, one way or another. Personally, I’d like that to be on our terms, rather than face their complete abandonment of tasks, or worse, an outright revolt!”
First Seat’s face reddened. “Madness! They wouldn’t do such a thing!”
“On the contrary, I think the attack on the youngsters in the river north of here indicates otherwise,” Ba’ize countered. “In fact, it would not surprise me if those undei’i were the very same that escaped their bindings in the canals.”
Ba’ize studied the two of them, but no more outbursts followed. “I would ask you to make your findings known to the rest of the Council, and keep me informed of any further discoveries. I would like to make a proposal at the next Council session.”
First Seat grumbled but nodded his assent.
“Second Seat,” Ba’ize addressed the other gnome, “are we in agreement?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Second Seat said, bowing his head in respect.
“Good. That will be all gentlemen.” The three rose from the table and the two Nomenstrastenai stepped onto a lift platform and descended from sight.
Ba’ize stood in silent contemplation briefly, then turned to Jenni and Crank. “So, what do you think?”
Jenni and Crank looked at each other in surprise, then Jenni said, “I don’t really understand what’s going on.”
Ba’ize sighed and chuckled. “I suppose some history is in order.” He sat down again and beckoned them over. “Many of the basic functions of Seren’naie are handled by elemental spirits.” He indicated the elevator. “Lifts, drinking water, waste removal, and countless other things are all taken care of by these spirits. The city itself was built by them nearly a thousand years ago, under the direction of Strodin’i. These people had the power to control and bind spirits to perform tasks.
“But,” Ba’ize continued, “no one has been born with the ability of a Strodin’i in many, many years. Now the bindings that were placed on all the spirits to operate the city are becoming weak. Soon they will break and the spirits will be free.”
“But why would you enslave these spirits in the first place?” Jenni asked him.
“Why indeed?” Ba’ize sighed. “People were unaware that the elemental spirits were capable of thought or had desires of their own. No one has been able to communicate with them for a very long time. We were ignorant.”
Jenni thought about this. “But what about the Strodin’i? They must have known.”
Ba’ize nodded. “I suspect they did, but they kept that secret to themselves. Most Strodin’i were Gobinstratstorai. They have always been more willing to subjugate others for their benefit than the ot
her races.”
Crank spoke up. “We have a few spirits in my village. What of those?”
Ba’ize nodded again. “Eventually, we will need to carry any reforms we can make here out to the rest of Mother. Your village is by no means unique. Most communities have bound spirits to aid them in everyday tasks. They have been part of our lives for so long they are taken completely for granted.”
Jenni came to a realization. “And you wouldn’t have known of their ability to think and communicate if we hadn’t shown up?”
“Probably not,” Ba’ize agreed. “A few of us have been aware of the failing bindings for a while now, which has been a big concern, but this adds a whole new level of complexity to the problem.” He shook his head slowly. “I shudder to think just how angry they must be at us for keeping them prisoners for so long.” He slumped a bit in his chair and sighed.
* * * *
One evening, during the next week of Jenni’s training, there was a knock at the door of their apartment. Jenni opened it to see one of the city guard standing before her. Then it dawned on Jenni just who it was.
“Sara!” Jenni leaped up and gave her friend a tremendous hug.
Sara laughed. “Hey, take it easy, you’ll dent my armor!”
They spent the next few hours catching up. Sara had been kept busy, seemingly night and day, training with weapons, armor, and any number of other things that a sword-bearing city guard needed to know.
The Saromstrastenai people Sara was now a part of were a rare breed. There were perhaps two hundred of them left, and all were involved in the defense and guarding of Seren’naie.
Sara had been given a set of armor and a sword and dirk. The armor was made mostly of bronze with copper trim and was looked impressive to Jenni. It consisted of a breast plate, bracers for her wrists, as well as guards for her thighs and shins. Underneath she wore a suit of thick, but supple, leather. They fought more with grace and agility than brute strength and didn’t like to weigh themselves down with heavy armor. Her sword was razor sharp and about four feet long from hilt to tip. Sara joked that it had been hard to give up her tree branch for it. The dirk matched the sword in style and had a blade roughly a foot long.