Ba’ize chuckled and put his other hand on her shoulder. “You are stronger than you realize, Jenni. I have great faith in you.”
Crank stood up in his chair and said, “I have faith in her also, but she doesn’t have to go alone. I’ll go with her.”
Jenni smiled at Crank, then turned to Ba’ize. “He’s small enough that I can carry him. But I don’t know how I can get Mr. Kain back once we find him.”
Ba’ize nodded. “Your return trip will have to be accomplished by different means, but getting inside undetected is the crucial step, and I see no other way to do it.”
Denny spoke up. “You should take Matt, and Charles or Bonnie. I think they would want to go. Matt should be able to get you into the dungeon, and you might be able to get back by river, like we got here in the first place.”
Marco nodded. “They wouldn’t add much weight either.”
“I still don’t like it,” Sara objected. “Captain Herina is always drilling into us you can never have too much backup. How would we know if something happened to you?”
They got quiet, thinking of alternatives. Then Carrie spoke up. “What about Tori?”
Jenni smiled. “Yes! She and Merlin can fly with us. If something does happen once we’re inside, they can fly back and let you know.”
Ba’ize nodded slowly. “All right. Rodrin, will you please find out where Tori has been assigned? And Denny, if you can ask Matt and the others if they would agree to go?” Both nodded their assent. “We’ll plan to meet back here tomorrow morning and see them on their way, unless anyone has anything further to add.”
No one did and they all got up to see to their tasks.
“Sara,” Ba’ize said, “please inform Captain Herina of our plans. I trust her with Jenni’s secret and if she has any additional insight, I’d be happy to hear it.”
“Yes, sir … uh, Your Honor,” Sara said with a smile.
Ba’ize smiled in return. “Splendid, we’ll see you all in the morning.”
Jenni unplugged the speakers to her MP3 player and packed them up. Then she handed the player to Marco. “I’m sorry you won’t have much time together.”
Marco smiled and put one of the buds in his ear. “It’s okay, I’m just happy to know she’s alive. I’ll check and see if the player Carrie and I have been using is any better for her and we’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Jenni said. “Lori, you can come with me and Crank or stay with Mrs. Osorio, whichever.”
Jenni felt a breeze across her cheek.
Marco said, “She’ll stay with you for now.”
“Okay. Crank, sounds like we’ve got some packing to do!”
31
Jenni and Crank spent the remainder of the day deciding what was absolutely essential so they could travel as light as possible.
Crank got them a few days’ supply of Tolenton’naie fruit, which he put in a small, over-the-shoulder pouch. Jenni packed two extra shirts and a pair of pants — she was getting better but was still rough on clothes. She found the smallest pack that would fit everything, then adjusted the straps so it could ride comfortably on her chest. Crank could then have room to sit between the wings on her back while they flew.
Feeder was upset about Crank leaving, but Deena assured her she would stay with her, and Jenni and Crank offered to let them stay in the apartment while they were gone. That mollified her somewhat. Jenni could see Feeder had a crush on Crank and Jenni thought it was cute.
They ate a light dinner, and Crank told them some stories he overheard in the market while he was getting the fruit. A lift had failed in one of the other towers in the hub, and a building had collapsed in the Gobinstratstorai quarter. Luckily, no one had been seriously injured, but everyone had become visibly upset on hearing the stories. Things like these had never happened before.
Jenni and Crank both went to bed early knowing they had a long, hard trip ahead of them.
* * * *
Jenni woke up anxious, but she washed up and checked her bag for the umpteenth time. Everything was set and she felt a breeze tousle her hair.
Jenni laughed. “Okay, Lori, we’re going.”
She and Crank said their goodbyes to Deena and Feeder, then closed the door behind them and walked to the lift at the end of the hall.
It descended from an upper floor with an Elvorstrastenai couple, chatting about a concert they had seen the night before, and a Gobinstratstorai woman. Jenni and Crank boarded, and the lift resumed its descent.
In between floors, the lift lurched, then Jenni’s stomach tried to climb out through her mouth as the stone platform dropped in free fall.
Crank yelped and the other three passengers screamed. Jenni grabbed Crank and instinctively created her wings. She hit the male Elvorstrastenai in the head with her left wing, and her right scraped painfully against the sides of the shaft as they fell. She didn’t have enough room to extend or flap to get airborne.
A floor before the bottom, the lift slowed and settled peacefully on the ground floor. The other three passengers were frightened, not only from the fall, but from the appearance of a monster on the lift. They ran out of the building, garnering much attention. Embarrassed and scared, Jenni quickly reabsorbed her wings and checked on Crank.
“I’m fine,” he said, “just shaken.”
“What happened?” Jenni asked.
“I’d guess the venti’i that ran the lift broke free of its binding. Lori, did you slow us down?” Crank asked the air around them.
A rush of air greeted them in confirmation.
“Thank you!” Jenni said. “I panicked and tried to fly out, but my wings were too big.”
Crank patted her on the arm. “It’s okay, let’s just get to Ba’ize’s office so we can be on our way. I’m starting to think our trip might not be as dangerous as it’s going to get around here in the next few days.”
Jenni nodded and they picked up their things.
Fortunately, all the lifts in the Seat of Governance building were still operating, but the place was like an anthill that had been kicked by a mean-spirited boy. People were running everywhere.
Jenni and Crank arrived to find everyone else already there and waiting.
“Sorry we’re late,” Jenni apologized. “We had an issue with the lift in our building — it tried to drop us five stories.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Ba’ize asked in concern.
“No, luckily for us, Lori was there and was able to bring it down safely,” Jenni answered, then blushed. “Although I think I gave some people a heart attack when I tried to fly inside the shaft.”
“No matter.” Ba’ize shook his head. “People will attribute it to the stress of the event. Let’s get everything collected.”
Denny had brought Matt, who was shaped like a six-inch stone gingerbread man, and Bonnie in her bottle. Jenni laughed when she saw Matt, which helped lighten her mood.
Marco handed Jenni her MP3 player and said, “Here’s yours back. Ours has more memory and Mom seemed to find it easier to work.” He then handed her another player which had a touch screen.
It glowed brightly in Jenni’s hand and Mrs. Osorio’s voice came through the player’s built in speaker. “Good morning, Jenni! Are you ready for this?”
Jenni chuckled. “As ready as I can be, I guess.”
They had found a small pouch and attached it to one of the pack’s straps. It had a Velcro closure that held the player securely. Then she packed Bonnie’s bottle and Matt formed a stone loop around Jenni’s neck. He made himself smooth as glass so she could hardly feel him. She looked at Crank and he nodded.
“I guess we’re ready,” she said with a catch in her throat.
She hugged and thanked them all, leaving Sara for last. Jenni squeezed her friend tight. “Be careful! I hope they taught you how to use that thing,” she joked, referring to the sword on Sara’s back.
“You’re the one sneaking into the enemy fortress, and you’re telling me to b
e careful?” Sara laughed.
Jenni brushed away a tear and hugged Sara a final time.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Jenni said, and saw Tori, riding Merlin, outside the wall to the east.
Ba’ize stepped forward. “Matt, can you create an opening in the wall here?”
Jenni felt a prickling at her neck and took hold of Matt. He reformed in her hand, a strange sensation, like holding a snake, that startled Jenni and she almost dropped him. Matt created a tendril and reached out to touch the crystal wall. Almost immediately, the crystal melted away and a strong breeze blew into the room from outside. The hole grew to about ten feet wide and stopped.
“Excellent!” Ba’ize said, impressed.
Jenni picked up her pack and put her arms through the straps backwards, so the bag lay across her chest. Then she bent down so Crank could climb on. He tucked his arms through the straps, securing himself to her back with little effort. She stood up and took a calming breath. Jenni formed her wings, stretching out on either side of Crank.
She flapped a couple of times and bounced up and down to make sure everything and everyone was secure. Ba’ize smiled and nodded.
“Take care and come back to us safely,” he said.
Jenni smiled back and lifted off the floor. She carefully maneuvered out the hole in the wall and turned around, hovering outside.
She held Matt to the wall and he closed the opening just as smoothly as he’d opened it moments before.
“Lori, are you with us?” Jenni asked.
Mrs. Osorio’s voice sounded, muffled from the pouch. “Yes, she’s here.”
“All right,” Jenni said, smiling at Tori on Merlin, who was hovering next to her. “Here we go!”
She waved to her friends inside, then turned and gathered speed.
* * * *
Tori gave Jenni flying lessons as they went. She and Merlin showed Jenni the best air currents, where they could glide with minimal effort and still maintain their speed and height. Jenni found when she reshaped her wings and added more surface area, it became easier to glide and catch the wind.
They had to backtrack the path of Mogritas’s army, rather than go straight over the forest, even though it was a longer trip. Mrs. Osorio still wouldn’t be welcome in Lodir’naie and Jenni didn’t want to chance Lori getting lost, taking more time to find the castle.
They passed the eastern river Jenni remembered from the map sometime mid afternoon. A few hours later, they saw a dark mass on the ground, far below, and Jenni realized it was the army, on its march to Seren’naie.
The sun was setting and Jenni needed to rest. They had eaten Tolenton’naie while they flew, which had helped, but muscle fatigue was winning out over the magical fruit and adrenaline. Merlin, too, showed signs of strain. Jenni told he and Tori to sit on her and rest while they put some distance between themselves and the army below.
Another half hour or so passed and Jenni could go no farther. She descended and searched the ground below her. The forest loomed to her left but all around, in front and to the right, was a vast, grassy plain.
Tori and Merlin lifted off from her shoulder and Tori reminded Jenni of the instructions she had given earlier about landing.
“Everyone hold on, this might be rough,” Jenni called out.
She skimmed the grasses and put herself into a stall, flapping her wings to brake and bleed off the excess energy and speed. She stumbled when she put her foot on the ground, having been in the air for so long; gravity was a shock. Jenni fell to her knees and Crank tumbled from his perch on her back. Jenni tore her pants, but the damage wasn’t bad, and she rushed to check on Crank.
He had a bruise or two, but said he was fine. All in all, not bad for a first landing, she joked to herself.
They ate again and then pulled out some thin blankets they had packed to use as bedrolls. Matt created an earthen dome to cover them and Jenni fell asleep almost immediately.
32
Sara watched the crowd file into the Seat of Governance stadium and wondered how Jenni was doing.
She stood guard at the top of a stairway leading into the seating areas of the arena. People moved past in an orderly fashion, but the nervous and worried looks in their eyes betrayed the emotions of the last couple of days.
Breakdowns and structural damage continued after Jenni and the others had gone. Ba’ize had ordered all buildings over three stories evacuated, which meant almost the entire central hub of the city. The city guard had been dispersed throughout Seren’naie to make sure everyone found a safe place to stay until the situation could be resolved.
The Council meeting had been moved up a day from its original schedule to deal with the crisis. The citizens wanted answers and needed to be reassured. Sara didn’t think the answers would be very reassuring.
The last of the seats filled and a hush washed over the crowd. Far above, a platform slowly descended from the apex of the dome. The Council members, seated around an oval stone table, were majestically lowered onto the stage in the middle of the arena. Sara wondered how many venti’i it took to perform that piece of magic. It did have the desired effect, though: calming the crowd and drawing their attention.
The Council consisted of two Seats for each of the four major races: Elvorstrastenai, Faerstrastenai, Gobinstratstorai, and Nomenstrastenai. Ba’ize occupied one final chair in the middle of the table on the far side, for a total of nine. Sara was too far away to see them clearly, but she pictured Ba’ize’s calm features, with a hand stroking his short, white whiskers. This place needs a big screen, she thought.
Ba’ize picked up a fist sized ball of smooth rock in his right hand and hit it against the stone table, firmly, one time. “This meeting of the Council of Seren’naie is called to order.” His voice carried clearly throughout the arena.
Everyone sat attentively as he continued, “We are here to pass along information in relation to events that have occurred with increasing frequency over the past several days. The failure of lifts, water systems, and the structural integrity of buildings is being caused by the absence of elemental spirits to operate them. Centuries ago, when the city was built, elemental spirits were bound to various systems and structures throughout Seren’naie. Those bindings are weakening, and, in some cases, failing entirely.
“The Strodin’i who created the bindings no longer exist, and so we are faced with a problem.” Ba’ize paused and cast his eyes around the stadium. Most sat nervously, waiting for his next words.
“Can we develop ways to operate and live in our city without the benefit of these spirits? And, if not, can we persuade the spirits to aid us in mutual benefit?”
Hundreds of conversations and shouts broke out in the crowd. Sara focused on those around her, keeping an eye out for any malicious or violent behavior as Captain Herina had instructed.
Ba’ize waited calmly for the initial furor to die down before addressing the Second Seat of the Gobinstratstorai, who had stood up after Ba’ize’s opening remarks. He hit the stone ball against the table twice and the noise of the audience subsided.
“Yes, Second Seat Arlaugh,” Ba’ize said in acknowledgement.
“Your Honor,” the Gobinstratstorai began, “your second point sounds as though you expect to negotiate with these spirits. How do you propose to do that? We don’t even know if they are intelligent.”
Ba’ize turned and nodded to some people behind him. Sara recognized Denny. He carried a wide crystal bowl, filled with water, to the Council table and placed in front of Ba’ize. He smiled his thanks and Denny returned to his seat.
“In this bowl is an unbound undei’i. His name is Charles.”
The water in the bowl bubbled.
Ba’ize proceeded to ask Charles questions meant to establish that he was, in fact, a thinking being. Charles bubbled his answers quickly and efficiently.
Second Seat Arlaugh did not seem impressed. “This is what you’ve brought to demonstrate the intelligence of the elemental spirits? A bowl of
bubbly water?”
Uncertain rumbles rolled through the crowd. Sara could see now what a huge sacrifice Ba’ize had made in allowing Matt and Mrs. Osorio go with Jenni and Crank on their rescue mission.
“You have been given the reports of the communication with other spirits the Nomenstrastenai have been performing,” Ba’ize stated calmly.
“Communication that no one else has been allowed to witness,” the Gobinstratstorai Second Seat retorted icily.
The Nomenstrastenai Second Seat hopped up to stand on his chair. “I have witnessed the conversations myself! Are you calling me a liar, Arlaugh?”
“Of course not, Second Seat,” Arlaugh said with a smile. “I’m merely trying to point out the evidence is scant for the Council to waste time attempting to talk to creatures about lifts and sewage when we have a more important matter to discuss.”
Ba’ize held out his hands. “Very well, we will table this topic in favor of the second item on the agenda.”
The two Second Seats sat back down and the audience murmured restlessly.
Ba’ize tilted his head up to address the audience, “For the first time in several centuries, Seren’naie appears to have need of its guard force for something other than internal disputes. An army of about five hundred is approaching the city from the east and will arrive in little more than a week.”
Gasps of surprise, and shouts of anger and fear surged through the crowd. Sara tensed, watching those closest to her, but, order reasserted itself and Ba’ize spoke again.
“The purpose of this army is unknown, but it is believed to have been sent by Mogritas.”
More shouts and cries of disbelief sounded around the stadium. Second Seat Arlaugh stood up once again.
“Your Honor, what evidence do you have of this claim?”
Even at the distance she stood from the Council table, Sara could see the anger on Ba’ize’s face. It was a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor.
“Second Seat, you already know of the evidence, as does the rest of the Council, and it was agreed it would not be spoken in open forum.”
The other Council members nodded and more shouts and grumbling could be heard from the throng of onlookers. It was obvious the Gobinstratstorai Second Seat was up to something, but Sara had no idea what it might be.