Chapter Twelve — Part 4

“Always curious.” He chuckled. “I’ve brought you here to give you a gift from Level Ringbreaker. I’ll have to find it though, it’s at the bottom of this lake and I may be gone a long time.”

“How did it end up at the bottom of the lake?”

“It’s a simple warding stone. I got bored and tried skipping it — you know, like a regular rock. It bounced three times, which was a severe disappointment. Usually I can skip a stone a good twenty times.” The Satrap put his arms around my neck. “Take care of the planet for me, in case something happens while I’m gone.” He kissed me on the nose; a serene and loving gesture. It felt nice, like rose petals being rubbed against my skin.

My pain was lifted for a moment. Before I could ask him why he kissed me, he ran away from me, caught the edge of the stone with his toes and jumped into the abyss. He was fifty feet above the lake’s surface, without wings, and yet he feared nothing of the fall. He arched into a dive, breaking the surface and disappearing deep below. His blue skin camouflaged him within seconds.

I flew nervously around the lake, wondering if the poor boy had drowned. Two more nights passed while I waited, worrying. At daylight on the third morning, the water broke and Falcon was propelled on a fountain of water back out of the chasm. He stepped onto solid ground with the sluggish grace of a sloth. Shivering violently, he clutched something in his tiny hand. He was nearly too frozen to talk, and I carried him to a patch of sunlight.

The morning was chill, making him shake even worse. The water began to freeze on his skin, forming a white cake of ice crystals. I put my wings around him, warming him. Within an hour his shivering stopped. The chill past from his body to mine, my teeth were clattering, despite the sun’s brightness. He forced open his palsied hand, cramped into a tight fist, and pulled a small, gold loop from an Otherspace pocket.

He looped whatever it was that he had gotten from the bottom of the lake onto it, and held it up for me to see. It was something of a fascination, really, about half the size of Earth’s moon as seen from the Earth. Small, flat, and pitch black, the stone was worn through the center by years of exposure to the elements, so that a hole peeked through it. Lightweight and smooth as satin to the touch, it stole the sun’s light as it hung on the gold loop.

“Now stand still.” He said.

I couldn’t have moved, I was caught in the beauty of his eyes. His hand slid deftly across the side of my face, and I felt a slight stinging sensation on the lobe of my ear. With a touch of his finger, the pain was gone and my ear was pierced and healed. Though I hadn’t recognized, the loop was actually an earring, and now the stone hung from my ear. I flew down to the still lake surface, and saw my reflection, then flew up to Satrap Lotus.

“Do I look pretty?”

The Satrap giggled. “Yes, you look pretty. I needed you here in angel form, so I could give your angel body the stone in Realspace.”

“But, why?” I asked.

“The stone is a guardian. It uses your will to create a psychic shield. Like the bell, it’s old magic.” He paused. “I hope you like your jewelry.”

He moved his finger down twice, and I was whisked away, back to my ship. When I opened my eyes, Uruza was staring at me, as if stunned.

“You’re truly a creature of great power, to teleport like that.” Her eyes widened with momentary fear. “That stone is dangerous. Who gave it to you?”

“Your Grandfather did.” I looked at myself in the mirror. The bell on its thin leather thong and the stone were both very complimentary of each other, but I couldn’t tell if they were all that pretty on me. “Tell me, does the jewelry make me more attractive?”

Uruza studied me closely. “That would be impossible, Captain Bit.”

I smiled, then frowned. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Forgive me.” Uruza paused. “Elfin culture isn’t very emotional, and we always assume a positive tone. I’ve been jealous of your beauty ever since I first met you. Both your angel and human forms put my Elfin body to shame.”

“It appears we have a lot in common. I’ve often felt the same about you. Let’s practice together, shall we?”

“Only if you take that stone off your ear.”

“I can’t. What could it possibly do to you?”

“Legend says that Elves and fairies should beware all sacred stones. That stone is sacred, I can feel it in my bones.” Uruza said, taking an involuntary step back.

I could remember no such legend. “Touch it.”

Hesitantly she did. The stone didn’t even issue a warning sparkle.

“See, nothing happened. It only hurts those who try to hurt me. Uruza, you never tried to hurt me, so it won’t hurt you.”

Uruza smiled. “If the legends are true about that stone, I wouldn’t want to be your enemy.” She drew her sword, and snarled savagely. “It’s time to play.”

We thrust slowly and carefully, our swords moving at quarter pace. Uruza was a warrior, and had probably spent many hours practicing with live steel. When I bested her for the first match, I heard an Elf giggle for the first time. It was an impressive, beautiful tone. Pretty soon she was laughing so hard that she had to sit down, her sword cast aside, her hands raised in surrender.

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