Authors: Cyndi Friberg
Charlotte flipped off the television and tossed the remote on the couch. Nothing. There was nothing on the news about an alien spaceship crashing in Colorado or anywhere else. Had good old Uncle Sam pulled another Roswell?
“How far away should we be considering?” When he didn’t answer, she glanced over her shoulder, and whispered, “This just gets better and better.” He hung suspended in the air about six inches off the floor. His arms extended away from his sides and his hair fanned out like a cape. Bursts of light pulsed from his body, expanding until they disappeared. His eyes remained open but they now glowed with colorless light.
Shocked and fascinated, Charlotte wasted precious moments staring at him. Clearly he was unaware of his surroundings. She couldn’t just stand there and wait for him to emerge from…whatever this was.
He’d demanded her vow, but she hadn’t actually promised a thing. It wouldn’t be dishonorable for her to take advantage of this opportunity. His powers were obviously restored. He could take care of himself. Quickly tugging on her boots, she snatched her coat from the back of the chair and tiptoed to the front door. It didn’t surprise her to find the handle
“fused” but she groaned all the same.
The front wall of the living room housed a massive picture window but functional windows were situated to either side. She tried the lock on the nearest window and nearly cried when she was able to rotate the latch. She pushed the pane up and reached for the screen.
Glancing once at Tal, Charlotte pulled on her coat and grabbed her purse. This wasn’t a betrayal. He could use the cabin for as long as he liked as long as it took for him to… She wouldn’t say anything about what she’d seen. This wasn’t a betrayal.
Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God
. She repeated the words in a silent litany as she stepped through the tall, narrow window and ran across the yard toward her car.
* * * * *
A faint, Mystic signal responded to Tal’s seeker pulse and his entire being exhaled with relief. Vee. If Vee still existed, then likely the ship had survived as well. He formed Trey’s image and transmitted it to Vee. Soothing warmth and a sense of wellbeing responded to the inquiry. Trey was alive. All was well.
Tal nearly ended the link when he sensed one final image approaching. He saw a mountain peak with a distinct shape. Why Vee wanted him to go to this place, Tal didn’t know. Their tenuous connection only allowed them to communicate basic impressions not specific thoughts.
Transmitting his understanding of the request, he felt Vee add a sense of urgency. Something was wrong. Tal responded again and then severed the psychic connection. He came out of the trance with a grunt. His legs buckled and his palms met the floorboards with a painful slap. Panting and shaking his head, he struggled to clear the last of the psychic haze.
They were alive. Joon had failed to collapse the vortex entirely. Hopefully the effort was costing him dearly. Tal lifted his head and coiled his hair. Rolling his shoulders, he hefted himself to his feet and felt a cold draft brush his back. He turned and cursed. His hair snapped like a whip, expressing his frustration.
The female had crawled out the window.
Unbelievable!
With an impatient wave of his hand, Tal reshaped the latch and yanked the door open. Her conveyance hadn’t moved but she was nowhere in sight.
Curse the ghosts of the night moon, why was she being so difficult? Everything he did on this world drained his energy. How was he ever going to Summon the Storm? He sent out another seeker pulse and located his wayward companion. The moment he had her back in the cabin, he would tell her in explicit detail what was at stake and the sort of fate awaiting should Joon find her.
Shifting his shape to her location, he firmly closed his arms around her as she crashed into his chest. She cried out but Tal conjured a gag and swept her up in his arms. Wiggling and kicking, she struggled against his hold and protested frantically behind the gag. Tal ignored it all. He was finished indulging her useless antics. He opened a transport conduit and emerged in the main room of her cabin.
Halfway through the spinning vortex, Charlotte stopped struggling. Fear shouldered aside her indignation and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Every imaginable color twirled and spun in dizzying patterns. A roar like gale-force winds drowned out every thought and all she could do was hang on and experience the awesome spectacle.
He stepped out into her living room and Charlotte released her pent-up breath. Could he do that any time he wanted?
I’m a Master-level Mage. I don’t require a vessel for
interdimensional transportation
. His words echoed back to her. No wonder he had been insulted by her assumption.
As he lowered her to the couch, her purse slid off her shoulder and landed on the cushion beside her.
He snapped out several words she didn’t understand.
Suddenly, her entire body felt weighted. She struggled merely to keep her head up.
“Has it not occurred to you to wonder what brought
aliens
to Earth?”
Seething behind the gag, she glared at him. She
had
wondered. She had
asked
him, but he refused to answer any of her questions!
“My companions and I are pursuing a man named Dez dar Joon.”
She shook her head and tried to form words, making it as obvious as she could that she wanted him to remove the gag. The show of defiance exhausted her. She stopped fighting the invisible pull and her head sagged against the back of the couch.
Slowly, the gag disintegrated and the pressure lessened. She took a deep breath and sat up.
“What…did he do?”
“He has yet to do anything on this world.” He paused ominously.
“What do you expect him to do?”
“No, Charlotte. The question is, why did Dez dar Joon come to Earth?”
Her eyes narrowed at his patronizing tone, but she resisted sarcasm’s familiar call. “Why did Dez dar Joon come to Earth?”
“He is searching for a woman.”
“There aren’t any women on… I’m sorry. Please, don’t put the gag back on. Why is Dez der Joon searching—”
“Dez
dar
Joon. Dez, head of the House of Joon. And again, that is not the correct question. The question is, who is this woman?”
“Who is Dez
dar
Joon searching for?”
“You.”
“Why would the head of the House of Joon be searching for me?”
He released her entirely and crossed his arms over his chest. “Joon is a Master-level Mage in everything but name.”
“I don’t know what that means and it doesn’t explain why you believe he’s looking for me.”
“He has not earned the title but he has a skill-set similar to my own.”
“Is he dangerous?”
Tal laughed harsh and scornful. “Am I?”
“You didn’t answer my question.” She bit out each word, clenching her fists to keep from shaking him.
He just stared at her, nostrils flared, lips compressed. “I need your assistance. I will exchange the information you want for the information I need.”
“What information do you need?”
“Give me your hand.” He held out his own expectantly.
“Why?”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
She was not as certain of that as she had been earlier but she extended her arm and placed her hand in his.
“Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Because this will be less startling if your eyes are closed,” he answered impatiently.
Hesitantly, she closed her eyes.
“Where is this place?”
The image of a mountain peak gradually formed within Charlotte’s mind. “That looks like Pyramid Peak. It could be Maroon Bells… No, it’s definitely Pyramid Peak.” She opened her eyes and pulled her hand out of his light grasp.
“Take me to Pyramid Peak.”
Charlotte laughed, moving farther away from him.
“I can’t create one of those vortex things. Pyramid Peak is over fourteen thousand feet up and this is January.”
“We will not stay long.”
“I don’t think you understand. I have a friend who’s an avid climber but I can’t—”
“Can you take me to a place where Pyramid Peak is visible?”
He had threatened to put her in some sort of stasis.
She had no doubt now he could do that and a lot worse. It really did make more sense to cooperate with him. “Why is Dez dar Joon looking for me?”
“We aren’t certain.”
“Oh, what a stinking cop-out,” she flared. “This is supposed to be an exchange. Knock me out—I don’t care. Find Pyramid Peak on your own. Go walking around Aspen looking like that and see how far you get.”
One corner of his mouth curved in a mischievous smile and a ripple passed from his toes to the top of his head. His appearance was swept away, replaced by the exact likeness of James Miller, a local business owner.
Charlotte gasped softly and walked around him in a wide circle. An advertisement for Miller’s Bistro had been on TV right before she switched it off.
“You’re a shape-shifter,” she murmured, feeling foolish stating the obvious.
“No, I am an Ontarian. Being able to change my natural shape is a Mystic ability, not the definition of who I am.”
The cocoon. He must have gotten stuck in between forms. She shuddered, remembering the undulating mass.
“How far will I get in Aspen in this shape?” he asked when she continued to stare at him.
Shaking away her shock, she pointed out, “James Miller would know where Pyramid Peak is.”
“Then I will shift to another form.” He exhaled impatiently and stalked toward her. “Something is wrong, Charlotte. I don’t know what, but I must get to Pyramid Peak. If I can see it, I can transport myself to the location. Will you help me or not?” Swallowing awkwardly, Charlotte pushed her fingers through her hair. “What did you do to my car? I couldn’t turn the ignition.”
“I can reshape it. Is your conveyance necessary to reach this place?”
“Yes. Is everyone on your world able to do this?”
“Does everyone on Earth have the same abilities?” he sneered.
“It was a reasonable question, you arrogant jerk.”
“Something is wrong. I cannot make myself any clearer. Will you help me?”
Her heart fluttered as she debated her options.
“Will you let me go after I take you there?”
“It depends what I learn once we reach our destination.”
All that nonsense about her being Joon’s target was doubtless to gain her cooperation. Still, what choice did she have? If she refused to help Tal, he’d put her in stasis and set out on his own.
“People will probably see us. Can you keep that basic shape but change the hair, maybe make it darker and a little longer?” He shifted effortlessly and Charlotte shivered. “You’re good at that. Sharpen up your cheekbones. Make them more like your own.” He quickly complied. “May we go?”
“You need a coat.”
“I can adjust—”
“You will draw attention to yourself if you aren’t wearing a coat and gloves.”
He formed a jacket identical to hers. “No. This is a woman’s coat. Make it shorter and gathered at the waist. Now, lose the hood. Most men wear knitted caps that conform to their heads. Wait, I have one.” She rummaged through the box on the top shelf of the coat closet and found a stocking cap. He pulled it on and she folded it up to form a small cuff. Tucking his hair behind his ears and his ears under the hat, she decided Tal made one handsome Earthling. Trying to disguise her laughter, Charlotte found her gloves.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I just thought you looked nice as an Earthling but didn’t think you’d appreciate the observation.”
“This is not my appearance. It is a minor variation of the man on the monitor,” he said stiffly.
“Good point. Make yourself some of these and let’s go.”
Tal looked at the hand protectors she held and shaped similar coverings over his hands. Her brow furrowed and she asked, “Can you take them off or are they actually part of your hands?”
“All of my garments are part of me. I cannot remove them as you do. I simply reshape myself without them. I can give you a more in-depth demonstration later if you like.”
The provocation snapped her back to attention as he had intended. She shoved her hands into her coverings but turned toward the padded bench.
“Are we departing?”
She rolled her eyes in an odd expression he had no trouble interpreting as impatience. “I need my keys.” He had no idea what keys were but didn’t bother asking. If he attentively watched, he often learned more than demanding information. She rummaged through her bag and retrieved a ring bearing several small, jagged pieces of metal. After swinging the pouch onto her shoulder, she motioned toward the door.
This was the complication with the rapid infusion of languages. All of the words were in his brain. It just took time to connect the words with their meanings.
She led him to the conveyance and he shifted through the nearest door. Her eyes widened and she emitted a soft gasp. She was not used to someone with his abilities. He must attempt to curtail their use until she had time to adjust. She opened the door and slid in behind the navigation controls. Lowering the shoulder bag to the floor behind her seat by its long strap, she inserted one of the pieces of metal.
Keys
, he corrected.
When she attempted to rotate the mechanism with no success, Tal realized he had not reshaped the device. “My apologies,” he muttered. “Proceed.” The conveyance made a mechanical growl and she shifted several levers, one deactivating a cacophony of sound he suspected had been Earthling music.
“How close do I need to get you?” she asked while she maneuvered the vehicle away from her dwelling.
“If the vehicle is meant to travel in that direction, why are the seats orientated to…”
She paused to readjust the levers and the conveyance began to travel in the opposite direction.
“It’s either back out or back in. My drive is too narrow to turn around in. I find it easier to back out.
Have no fear, Tal of the House of Aune. The vehicle operates the majority of the time in the same direction the seats face.”