“Oh, God, yeah.” Tessie nodded cheerily. “Whatever you do, don’t
ever
break ‘em.” She got to her feet. “Now, let’s amscray.”
“You’ve said that before, but I have no idea what it means. What language…?”
“Shh!” Tessie grabbed hold of Job’s arm as she felt Kay’s presence coming closer. “We have to go.” She all but dragged him out of the closet. “
Now
.”
“Where are Cross and Teja? I can’t just abandon them here.” Job still wasn’t picking up on the urgency. That was the downside of being
the
Elemental superpower for a thousand years running. It took a lot to make Job genuinely anxious.
“Teja already jumped. Cross…”
“Tessie!” Kay sing-songed, bouncing into the room. Her French manicured fingertips tapped together in excitement. “Tessie’s here! My baby sister’s come for a visit. Yay!” Her eyes fell on Job. “Oh.” The Skipper doll smile dimmed. “You’re not dead.”
“Not dead.” Job agreed mildly.
“Well, phooey.” Kay’s lips formed a pout. “That’s what I get for finding information from
human
websites, I suppose.” She looked over her shoulder as Kingu came into the bedroom behind her. “Look, he’s not even dead.” She waved a hand at Job.
“How very disappointing for you, Mother.” Kingu murmured.
Tessie tried to get a grip on the fear filling her. Kay’s lovely blonde shell was like plastic Halloween mask propped-up in front of an abyss. The blankness behind it just made the disguise all the more horrifying.
Her sister’s empty gaze flicked to the Health Tablet in Tessie’s hands. Kay made a ‘tisk’ sound. “Ooohhh, Tessie. You’re being a bad girl and stealing from me, now? That makes me so sad.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Tessie’s grip tightened on the box. “You don’t have any genuine emotions and we both know it.”
Cross came stalking into the room, all revisibled, again. “Damn it, Job, I was waiting for you to jump, so
I
could jump, but you’re still…” He trailed off as he took in the Tablet. “Oh hell. Is that stupid box
it?
All this work for a square disco ball.”
Kingu slanted him a glare.
Kay just smiled. “Why don’t you give me that Tablet back, Tessie? Don’t make me have to take it.” There was a swell of the Khaos’ powers and the house itself seemed to shake on its foundations. “You know, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Oh, please.” Tessie snorted. “I hold the Quintessence and I’m not giving it up. So you
can’t
hurt me or we all go down with the ship, genius. Save the cage rattling for Parald or the other poor suckers lame enough to buy your parlor tricks.” She took in Kay’s poufy party dress with a shake of her head. “And what the hell are you wearing, by the way? I know that there’s a serious lack of shopping options in the Air Kingdom, but you look ridiculous.”
Kay’s mouth pressed into a thin, disgruntled line. “Okay, now that really
did
hurt my feelings.”
“Yeah?
Good
.”
Job’s hand came over to grip Tessie’s arm as if he was preparing to jump her out of harm’s way.
But, they couldn’t leave, yet.
This time Tessie wanted to strike back at her sister for what she’d done. No one tried to kill Job and then got to prance around like Donna Reed on crack. This time, Kay was going to
hurt
.
“She really should give me the Tablet before I lose my temper.” Kay fluttered her Bambi grade eyelashes at Job. “She’s right. I can’t kill
her
, but I can still play with
you
. Tell Tessie how much having that strain of the Fall hurt you, Elemental. Tell her I can make it about a thousand times worse for you if she doesn’t cooperate. I think she’ll understand better if
you
say it.” Kay lowered her voice I’ve-got-a-secret-to-tell-you-in-study-hall style. “I think my sister likes you.”
Job glanced down at Tessie. “I like her, too.” He arched a brow at Kay. “You, I’m not so fond of, though.”
Cross snorted.
“I am the Khaos.” Kay’s voice got harder. “My power far exceeds even yours, Elemental, and my sister is nothing more than a human with a very long lifespan. If you knew what was good for you, you’d be wary of angering me.”
Tessie’s palm came up to fist around her necklace, her gaze still on Kay. “Job is mine and nobody threatens him.” She pulled down so the silver chain snapped, leaving the pendant in her hand. “Wanna see what the nothing-more-than-a-human can do, Kay?”
Kay’s mocking expression faded as if reading Tessie’s resolve. Cinderella blue eyes narrowed, slipping from the Tablet to the necklace and then back, again. “Tessie…”
Tessie slid the pendant across the surface of the box like a barcode reader. The asymmetrical lines in the enameled medallion glided over the white writing and the box started to glow… Started to move… Started to open.
Kingu paled.
Kay took a step back. “What are you doing?!”
Tessie felt her mouth curve. “Uh-oh. Guess who’s not the Great and Powerful Oz in this room anymore, sis?”
The box started unfolding in Tessie’s grasp. Its sides shifted into the form of a Tablet, the words lining up so its full message could be read. The energy the thing gave off was like a high dose of plutonium; a hot, throbbing discharge that sizzled across your nerve endings and burned your insides. The power was safe unless it was unleashed, but the leash was pretty fucking thin to be holding back something so massive. Tessie felt it straining to be free.
For the first time ever, she felt her own limited powers working, though. Connected to Job’s vast wellsprings of strength, she felt in-control and utterly confident in her plan… Even if she was making this part of it up as she went along.
“Holy Gaia.” Cross breathed as he took in the Health Tablet’s true form. “Okay, I’m starting to get why we’re here, now.”
Job stared down at the Tablet with something like awe. It was still only the size of a notebook, but it was deep and moving. Layer upon layer of data flowed past in every language that had ever existed. There was so much information there that it was impossible to comprehend the vastness of it. The ultimate power of the thing was terrible and beautiful at the same time.
“Tess, be careful.” He whispered, transfixed by the Tablet’s shimmering display. “It’s too big to be stable.”
“That’s okay. I’m not feeling real stable myself.”
“I am a
god!
” Kay shouted. “The Tablet is mine!” She started forward, intend on grabbing the Tablet from Tessie. An open box was like bait on a hook to Kay. All the secrets of the Health Tablet were exposed and hers for the taking. She could destroy the rest of the universe within two seconds of laying her acrylic-tipped fingers on it.
Except she wasn’t going to get near it.
Tessie really didn’t think about what she did next.
She just threw the Tablet to Cross.
He didn’t even have time to curse as it sailed towards him. Tessie had a vague impression of his mercury eyes widening in horror as Cross lunged for it and then she was launching herself at her sister.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Cross snagged the Tablet out of midair and sounded like he was trying not to hyperventilate. “Job, did you see what she just did?!”
Tessie ignored that. She couldn’t really hurt Kay, but not even the Khaos was immune to physics. When Tessie plowed her weight into her petite sister and the delicate, pink stick-figure went down. Tessie wrestled Kay to ground, using the element of surprise and her sister’s curly blonde hair to drag Kay towards the wall.
Kingu’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Job quickly stepped forward to help Tessie.
“Everybody just watch it with the fighting!” Cross bellowed, hugging the Tablet to his chest. “Jesus! Don’t make me drop this thing! What would happen if I drop it?!”
“Don’t drop it!” Job and Kingu ordered simultaneously.
“You’re going to be super-duper sorry you fucked with me, Tessie.” Kay hissed. Her eyes flashed red and her energy swelled. Kay’s powers were some of the oldest in the universe; fathomless and dark, they scorched the air. Kay’s energy ricocheted off the Health Tablet’s pulsing emanations and caused the entire room to glow.
Tessie’s jaw clenched as she felt Kay’s power wrapping around her neck, trying to strangle her. She fell to the floor, Kay looming over her. In her peripheral vision, she saw Job, Cross and even Kingu begin to gasp as if they couldn’t breathe, either. Killing Cross or Tessie would end the world, but Kay seemed beyond caring.
“I am
Divine
!” She screamed. “You think you can stop me?!”
The necklace was still in Tessie’s hand. Her mother’s final gift to her. The key to the Tablets, worn by the Keeper of the Quintessence as a mystical Swiss army knife. The pendant could do all sorts of cool stuff and it was the one thing in the world Tessie’s power had total command over. She felt it heating in her hand, following her instructions and preparing to strike.
“I
know
I can stop you.” Tessie wheezed and slammed the pendant against her sister’s forehead.
The second the metal touched Kay, it reacted like a branding iron. There was a horrible acrid stench of flesh smoking and Kay reared back with a blood curdling scream. Tessie drew in a ragged breath and pushed Kay away from her. The necklace, still harmless to her, stayed clutched in her palm.
She had to get Kay against the wall. “Job!” She shouted, already knowing that he’d understand and help her.
Tessie had no idea how he did it. Elemental forces didn’t work on the Khaos. But, Job’s power suddenly slammed out like a freight train. So much energy that Kay stopped fingering her scalded skin and spun around to face him for a brief moment before the tidal wave of Earth forces roared into her.
Kingu sat on the floor dazed and bewildered by what was happening.
Cross still had the Tablet clutched against him. His eyebrows shot up as his uncle drove Kay right into the wall. “Jesus, Job. How powerful
are
you?”
“Very powerful.” Job said flatly.
Tessie was on her feet and grabbing the manacles. In two quick movements, she had them fastened around Kay’s wrists, chaining her sister to the wall.
Kay let out a shriek of pure rage. “You think this will hold me?” The Doris Day camouflage splintered, revealing the nothingness below; a furious and swirling chasm of madness. She pulled against her bindings and they groaned in protest.
“No, I don’t think they’ll hold for long.” Tessie told her. The massive restraints were reinforced with some kind of power, but they all knew that Kay would be able to break through them within a matter of minutes. She was one of the most powerful creatures in the universe… For now. “Cross,” Tessie glanced over at him. “Tablet, please.”
Cross didn’t throw it back to her. He carefully walked it over and placed it in her hands. “Do you know what you’re doing?” He muttered, even as he stepped back to give her room.
Job came up beside them. “Tess always knows what she’s doing.”
Tessie winked at him and looked down at the Tablet. Endless volumes of information whizzed past like a data stream, words on top of words, libraries on top of libraries. Luckily, being the Keeper of the Quintessence also meant she could access the Tablet’s index pretty darn quick.
“Kingu!” Kay twisted her wrist so the manacles bent against her skin, but she still didn’t get free. “Come and help me! Come and help Mommy!”
Cross and Job turned to glare at him, ready to physically intercept Kingu if he did try to save his mother. Which wouldn’t have been pretty. Even with Kay stifling most of his powers, Kingu was still built like the Incredible Hulk. He towered over Job and Cross.
“Don’t even think about it, dragon guy.” Cross warned, anyway.
Kingu didn’t even bother to respond to that. He didn’t move, at all. He just watched Kay expressionlessly as she struggled against the manacles that had bound him for so many days and nights. “It will destroy me if I even try to break the manacles. You created them that way, remember?”
“I don’t want to hear you’re pitiful excuses, you ungrateful, misshapen, toad!” Kay’s wild eyes latched on her son. “Who cares if you die?! You
owe
it to me to sacrifice yourself! Without me you’d be nothing!”
“Oh, shut-up.” Tessie ordered, still scanning the Tablet. “Kingu, she just tried to kill you along with the rest of us. Don’t be a putz. Get outta here.”
Kingu blinked. His gaze went to the layers of dried blood staining the pink carpet. His hand massaged the base of his throat as if reliving Kay’s oh-so-recent attempt to strangle him along with the others.
“
KINGU!
” Kay screeched. “If you don’t give me your useless help, I’ll make you sorry. I promise you that!
You’ll be very fucking sorry!”
He glanced at a barely healing slice on his scaly arm and then back up to his mother. “Actually, I’m not sorry, at all.” He took a step backwards into hallway, turned, and walked away.