Of Gaea Read online

  “Be with you in just a moment!” A man’s voice called out from behind the curtain.

  Ari slowly circled the room and studied the drawings on the walls. It ranged from simple black lines twisted in intricate designs to full color sleeves and back designs. She stopped at a Kirin and just stared.

  It didn’t look like the one that had been on her porch. This one felt less magical than the one she had seen. Ari’s Kirin was, for lack of a better word, pure. It wasn’t so much the imperfect Kirin that had stopped Ari but the barely visible scrolling script that wrapped around her.

  Ari heard him before she saw him. There was a tap then a pause and a tap then another pause. When the red curtain drew back she saw why.

  The man stood as tall as Sasha. But he seemed old, very old. His hair was nearly all grey. His eyes were clear aquamarines and made him look younger than his appearance imposed. He leaned heavily on the cane he held in his left hand. His left leg was clearly bound in a brace that kept it straight. It took Ari a moment to realize he couldn’t use the leg. His right arm was in a sling and looked just as unmovable as his left leg.

  He made no attempt to hide his scrutiny of her even as she studied him in return. His eyes barely paused on Sasha before he shuffled over to the bar and reclined against it.

  “What can I do for you?” When he spoke he looked at Sasha with a wicked light in his eyes that had Ari bristling.

  “We’re here for me.” Ari rolled over in front of Sasha. “I’m here to speak to Leonidas.”

  “Perhaps he is busy.” The man replied.

  “It’s important. I’m not leaving until I speak with him. If you wish, you can tell him Nasya Monoceros sent me.” Ari hadn’t wanted to drop Nasya’s name immediately, but the way this stranger looked at Sasha offended her. She suddenly wanted this over as fast as possible.

  He scowled. “She interferes more than she should. I am Leonidas.”

  Ari glanced at Sasha surprised, who gave a terse nod in return.

  “Very well.” Ari opened her notebook and held it out. “Can you do exactly as I’ve written here?”

  He studied the image. “These runes aren’t strong enough to do as you have them written to do.”

  “I am aware.”

  His eyes cut to Ari’s and studied her for a long moment. Ari didn’t shuffle or wither under his acrid stare, but met it with a level calm.

  Ari broke the silence first. “I imagine someone with your skill would have alternates available similar to the ones there?” She waved towards the Kirin. “Or so I’ve been told.”

  A muscle in his jaw twitched a moment before he tossed the notebook back in her lap. “I cannot help you. Take your serf and go.”

  “Nasya said you could. I’m not leaving until you give me a reason to give to her.” Ari rolled forward as menacingly as she could muster in a wheelchair.

  “Then tell her to do it her damn self.”

  “She can’t.” Sasha placed his hand on Ari’s shoulder. “You know very well she can’t. You know you’re the only one that can.”

  Ari studied Leonidas and Sasha. There was a history between them. Something she didn’t know about. Sasha had answers but she knew he wouldn’t give them to her if she asked. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t. Leonidas wasn’t hiding the fact that he knew something, but he wasn’t exactly volunteering it either.

  “Why don’t you want to help? What do you think will happen? It’s not like your life is on the line here, is it?”

  The fear in his eyes answered what Ari had thought of as a rhetorical question. “Get out. Take your damn dog with you.”

  Ari pushed the wheels as hard as she could and slammed into Leonidas. He fell heavily against the bar.

  “Ari.” Sasha’s voice held a warning but he made no move to stop her. Rather, he stood back, off to the side watching. He had no intention of stopping her, just curb her anger.

  “Don’t speak of Sasha like that. Don’t ever call him names again. You’re, you’re… you’re just a sad, pitiful, old man that likes to criticize those that are more able then yourself to make yourself feel better.”

  “I’m twenty years old.” Leonidas said quietly. “And I am destined to die before my next birthday. You understand why I have no enthusiasm for hurrying that along.”

  “Come on.” Sasha grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and drew Ari back. “He’s not worth your anger.”

  “Can I at least have the runes? I’ll get someone else to help, but I need the other runes.” Ari begged. Pride was no longer an option. Her one chance was slipping through her fingers. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She wouldn’t just give up. “Please. You may not care at all, and I really don’t care if you do or not. But, please, don’t condemn me to this wheelchair for the rest of my life. Please?”

  “Sasha.” Leonidas slowly righted himself. He wanted to ignore her pain. Wanted to pretend it didn’t matter. His ghosts, however, wouldn’t let him. His words were slow and resigned. “You’ll need to pick her up. Her chair cannot go where we need to go. Put it there,” he gestured next to the archway, “out of the walkway and follow me.”

  Sasha parked the wheelchair and carefully slid his arms under Ari. He was always very careful with her. Spun glass, was what she reminded him of, though, recently that glass was lined with steel. He waited for Ari to grab her notebooks and nod at him in confirmation before righting slowly and letting her adjust comfortably once upright.

  Leonidas watched bemused, but said nothing. It wasn’t his place to say anything, and if he had it would no doubt have met with defensiveness from Ari. While he wasn’t above being argumentative, he wanted them out. It hurt to look at them for too long. Their unit was too solid and it pained him.

  Leonidas had been right about the wheelchair. The hall behind the curtain was barely wide enough for them to walk. There was no way a wheelchair could have been navigated through. All the doors were closed so Ari could only guess at what was behind them.

  At the end of the hall, Leonidas pushed on a tile in the wall. The panel slid open to reveal an elevator. It was just as brightly lit as the main gallery which made the ride down a little more tolerable. Ari had no idea how far down they went before the elevator dinged to a stop.

  When the doors opened there were books as far as the eyes could see. They disappeared into the shadows. There were no windows and the lights were dim. Several of them flickered, dangerously close to blowing out. It made the entire room look like something out of a horror movie.

  “Charming.” Sasha quipped. “Do you keep your coffin down here, too?”

  “Welcome.” A woman’s voice whispered from the shadows.

  Ari blinked in surprise then realized Leonidas still spoke.

  “You want the runes so badly?” Leonidas gestured to the mountains of books. “I’ll give you an hour to find the book you want. If you find it, I’ll help you. If not, well. You get the idea.”

  Sasha stepped off and waited for the elevator doors to close. He sneezed once then sighed. “Do you have any idea what to even look for?”

  Ari looked around what could be seen of the room and sighed. “Nope. Golden needle in a stack of silver ones.”

  “Wonderful.” Sasha took a few steps and sneezed again. “It would be nice if he dusted once in a while.”

  Ari scanned shelves as Sasha walked. “How do you know Leonidas?”

  “Broken nose.” Sasha muttered.

  “Yours or his?” Ari gestured to a semi clean table. “Set me down here. I need to think.”

  “I’m waiting.” The woman Ari had heard from the elevator spoke again.

  Ari jerked her head in the direction of the sound but there was nothing there. “I’m officially spooked.”

  Sasha turned away from the shelf he perused. “What’s wrong?”

  She gestured in the direction she heard the woman. “I think we should go that way.”

  “How do you know?” Sasha scooped Ari back up.


  “There’s a woman, over there. I hear her.” Ari shifted nervously. “At least I hope I’m not hearing things.”

  “A woman?” Sasha danced sideways around some books. “Let’s hope she’s friendly at least.”

  “I hope so, too.” Ari gestured for him to stop. She closed her eyes and waited. No voice spoke but Ari felt the pull like a magnet. She held out her arm like a compass needle. “That way. I’ve never heard her before but I feel… connected. She doesn’t feel threatening.”

  Sasha cursed under his breath as he tripped. He hadn’t realized he stepped on a book, and it slid out from under him when he shifted his weight. He didn’t let Ari go, rather his hold tightened.

  Ari threw her hands around his neck and held tightly as they went down. There was nothing she could do about her flailing legs. All she could do was hold tightly and pray Sasha didn’t land too heavily on her.

  He turned so suddenly Ari barely registered the movement. Sasha landed with his back on the ground with Ari on top. The sudden impact slammed the breath out of her lungs. Her limbs were tangled in his arms.

  “Are you okay?”

  Ari looked up and their mouths briefly met. It was just a feather of a touch, just a whisper of contact. The surprise was enough to freeze them in place.

  He jerked away first. “I’m sorry.”

  Ari didn’t hear his apology over the pounding of her heart or the rush of blood. It had been barely a touch and yet… She saw the words form and the rush of emotions were stilted.

  He was sorry. He hadn’t meant to do it. It hurt a bit more than she was willing to admit.

  Sasha shifted and groaned softly. “I turned my ankle. I can’t get us up.”

  “Come to me. Come, my child. Show me your strength.” Ari looked in the direction of the voice. There was still nothing for her eyes to see but books and dirt.

  “It’s alright Sasha.” She looked around to get her bearings. She held her hands out to the shelves on either side. Her elbows almost hit the shelves. An idea came to mind; Ari had decent upper body strength; the bow and other activities Kleisthenes encouraged required it. “Can you stand Sasha? Just stand you don’t have to walk. I need to get up.”

  “I can’t, Ari. We’re not going anywhere.” He closed his eyes. His face briefly contorted in pain. “I’m sorry.”

  Not willing to give up Ari reached for the nearest shelf and began pulling herself up. Her legs were a useless annoyance. She felt rather then saw Sasha untangle and straighten her legs out.

  “What are you doing?” Sasha raised his arms to catch her if she fell but he didn’t stop her.

  “I’m going to find her.” Ari leaned heavily against the bookcase. It was the first time she had stood since the accident. She wasn’t even really standing but propped up. She was dizzy, scared and exhilarated all at once.

  “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, what are you doing?”

  Ari looked down at him and smiled. “Not giving up. I want that book.”

  She used the bookcases the way a gymnast did parallel bars. It was slow going, and Ari nearly fell several times as a shelf protested her weight. She gave Sasha an encouraging smile when she reached the end of the stack then turned back to the new predicament.

  Ari studied the way the shelves lined the wall and contemplated a moment. There was no way to crawl over the hazardous piles of books. There was a ladder propped against the shelf a few feet down that still looked to be on its track.

  Ari turned back to Sasha, “wait here. I’ll be back.”

  “Please be careful.” He shifted and winced. “As soon as I can get up I’ll find you.”

  “Take your time. I’m about to.”

  The gymnast routine worked well. Ari had to stop at the end of every stack to rest and reevaluate. Her arms were fitter than they had been when her legs worked. They didn’t burn nearly as badly as she originally thought they would. It felt like the hour depleted faster than she moved but there was no way to tell.

  Every time she stopped the woman was there whispering, encouraging. Always louder than the last time Ari had stopped. The book was a flame and Ari was the moth, helplessly attracted.

  As she got closer she grew more urgent. She had to have that book. She had to get there before time ran out. In her haste, Ari wasn’t as careful in testing the shelves before putting her weight on them.

  One minute her left hand was closed firmly around a shelf and the next it was gone, splintered in half. She fell clumsily against the case disrupting the books above her as well as the other shelves on her way down.

  Ari’s head cracked against the case and her hand jarred as it bounced off the other shelves searching for purchase. She hit the ground hard and barely had time to throw her hands up to protect her head from the falling books.

  It was very much like she imagined a gang beating would be. Books bombarded her from all sides as they rained from the shelves. She couldn’t hear anything over their thundering descent.

  “Ari! Ari! Ariadne! Answer me! Ari!”

  Ari could barely hear Sasha’s shout over the ring in her ears. “I’m alright.” It wasn’t loud and not as convincing as it needed to be. “I’m alright!”

  “Don’t move! Just stay where you are. I’m coming for you.”

  “I’m alright! Don’t worry!” Ari brushed her hand against her face to swipe her fallen hair out of her eyes and felt something sticky. When she pulled her hand away the crimson of blood was clearly discernible.

  She sighed and leaned up against the broken book case. There was no way to go further. Her ears still rang and her head throbbed in beat with the ring. The bruises screamed for attention and her left hand pounded viciously. She wouldn’t be able to put any more weight on it for a while.

  Ari tilted her head back and closed her eyes but something stood out. She turned her head slightly and on an undisturbed shelf just above her head was a slim, leather bound book.

  It looked like all the other books on the shelf. Except for the smooth etching in the leather of the elements swirling together and breaking apart. It was fascinating and somehow compelling. It couldn’t have been that easy, could it?

  Ari paused and waited. She didn’t hear anything. Nothing at all, which felt odd. It was almost as if the room held its breath and waited.

  She had to stretch to reach the book. Electricity jolted down her arm when her fingers grazed the smooth leather. Instead of being frightened, Ari only wanted to get it down more. She heard the whirl of the elevator and in panic forced her injured hand to bear weight on the nearest shelf to get the book. She was certain to pay for it later, but the pain was worth the prize.

  In her hands, it looked simple and ordinary. Ari couldn’t resist running her fingers over the beautiful elemental earth on the cover before opening it. Her eyes didn’t know the script that filled the pages, but her heart did.

  Ari couldn’t rationalize how she knew the lettering apart. She couldn’t justify why her chest felt tight. If she wasn’t so fascinated by the feminine lines she might have been scared.

  They looked almost like the elder Futhark but without the harsh corners. It was fluid, like calligraphy, and flourished in much the same way. The dots didn’t make much sense, but there was a distinguishable pattern in their placement. It was beautiful, simply beautiful.

  Ari knew but she didn’t know; it was like a memory that flirted just at the edge of consciousness. When reached for, it vanished. If ignored, it played just out of reach tantalizingly frustrating.

  She closed the book and held it close. Ari tipped her head back and closed her eyes. Relief flooded through her. She finally had what was needed to be able to walk again. She was sure of it. Now, it depended on Leonidas’s cooperation.

  As she sat there and waited patiently for Sasha and Leonidas, the air grew cold and the hairs on her arm rose in protest to the change. There was something else that changed in the room. Something she couldn’t describe but Ari recognized the smell.
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  Startled out of her calm Ari opened her eyes. The horror from her nightmare was advancing on her. It slowly took shape; a black horse with fearsome red eyes that oozed death in its wake. She recoiled, but had nowhere to go and no legs to take flight. She was essentially a sitting duck.

  Her eyes squeezed shut when the thing lunged. Ari didn’t want to see it up close. Panic rose and her throat tightened to scream. The attack never came.

  When she cautiously, opened her eyes Ari had trouble understanding what she saw before her. She had thought before that her life was weird and it couldn’t get any weirder. She had no idea how wrong she had been.

  There was something made of opposite material battling the evil thing. Its light was almost blinding and it looked soft and airy in comparison to the dark swirling ooze. It held the form of a bird of some kind, both graceful and pure.

  They lunged at each other, almost like peacocks flaunting their feathers. Their dance around each other gave her pause. They weren’t trying to hurt each other. They were showing off strength.

  They wanted something from her. That’s the only reason she wasn’t dead. They fought over something Ari had or something they thought she had. It made her nervous. She had no idea what she possibly could have or know that would draw their attention.

  When they both turned their attention on her, Ari said a quiet prayer to whoever was listening. There was no possible way she would survive a power struggle between the two. She couldn’t even bring herself to try and bargain over it.

  When they both lunged, Ari braced herself but they never came close. They were thrown back suddenly and between Ari and them stood the Kirin.

  Ari wasn’t as baffled by its appearance as she had been the first time. She had moved beyond baffled. She was stupefied. What did this mean now? Why did she protect Ari?