Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) (50 page)

Anyone who develops shields that fart in the opponent’s
face is either insane or has too much free time on their hands.

Ponix was Dnnac Ledo's ambassador to everywhere. He'd been
to every city, town, and village on the continent and had a puzzle book from
each to prove it. They occupied an entire wall in his study. The sign above it
proclaimed, “The basis for unity between humans and elves.” He was serious.

That was why he visited Roalt the previous spring during
its opening joust. He discussed their cultures, difficulties to overcome, and
future goodwill visits. He even invited his daughter so she could speak with
the king's daughter.
To his dismay, the topics shifted to elven
technology, the trade embargos restricting it, and the possibility that his
village might be on Ataidar sovereign soil, and thus subject to its laws and
authority.

"They are such controversial subjects, in fact, that they
became the cover story for the Black Cloaks' attack," Ponix said between
bites of mashed potatoes. "Humans want to know where we are because we
know where they are. Because of this, not all humans want to depend on elven
technology and not all elves want to share it; they think it'll be turned
against us."

"It’s happened before," Forge insisted. "It
was the cause of the Conversion War."

“It was
one
of the causes of the Conversion War,”
Annala corrected. “The real situation was far more complicated than is taught
at Dnnac Roots primary school.
Roalt presents a much broader and
balanced view of the war that incorporates their own motives and those of the
elves. However, there are humans just as bigoted as Meza and so the plot
succeeded.”

“
Chaos
….I forgot how pedantic you are.”

Annala stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down at
her brother. “The Black Cloaks were there to kidnap then-princess Kasile as
part of Duke Selen Esrah's plot to usurp the throne of Ataidar. It had nothing
to do with driving a wedge between Ataidar humans and elves."

“Thanks to your sensational sister,” Ponix said, “another
wedging attempt was thwarted and we may take a step forward. For the first time
in eight hundred years, there might be a pan-sapient conference right here in
Dnnac Ledo.”

"Temps are coming?" Forge whined.

“A variety of
mortal
races might come,” Ponix said.
“Your sister will have to convince the Supreme Council to allow them past the Chaotic
Curtain. This means convincing your Aunt Alexis, Carnegie Sallsman at the
library, Tea Polug at the Trickster’s Shelter. Honey’s a good choice too;
delicious chocolate for the meeting…”

That night, Eric dreamed he was trapped in a mirror box.
Everywhere he looked, the human Eric stared back at him. He was later joined by
Eric in grendel form and Eric in elf form. Behind all three of them stood Grey
Dengel.

“Did you live here?” Eric asked the latter.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m a figment of
your imagination.”

When Eric came down for breakfast the next morning, no one
was there except Annala. He asked Grey Dengel for advice on elven morning
rituals, which led to a shrug of the ghost's shoulders and Annala smacking him.
He shrugged sheepishly.

“Sorry. It’s become a habit. So where is everyone?”

"Mom's at Hariana Inquires preparing and evaluating
the Medical Mana Mutation demonstration, and ensuring that it will be useful without
being too revealing for the Supreme Council's guidelines. Dad's at the
Universal Embassy preparing for the arrival of the diplomats, and Forge is at
the forge."

“What about breakfast?”

“That’s where humans and elves are more similar than they
both think. You know how humans continually search for faster and more
convenient early morning meals?”

“Yeah?”

“Elves take the next step and don’t bother at all. Once we
reach maturity, daily nutrition is no longer as important as when we are still
growing in our formative years and so it’s easier to recite the Chaotic Prayer
for Energy than grab a granola bar.”

“I’d prefer the granola bar.”

He reached for the pantry’s handles, but Annala smacked
his hand. He turned it into a grendel’s and reached again. Slicing the wrapper
down the center with the claw on his other hand, he took a bite out of the bar.
Chewing deliberately, he returned Annala’s irritation with deadpan apathy.

“The last time Tasio answered my prayer, I was dumped into
a monster-infested forest.”

Annala crossed her arms. “Now you’re in a forest infested
with elves,
including your girlfriend.
”

Eric shrugged and took another bite.

“Do you want to learn how to shapeshift or not?”

“Yes.” Eric swallowed again. “That would be nice.”

“Then you need to create an elven identity. You yourself
said that you couldn’t control your grendel side until you accepted that you
were the grendel side.”

Eric finished the granola bar with one more bite of his
grendel teeth. Then he wadded up the wrapper and tossed it back into his
grendel stomach as well. It was all the same to a creature such as himself.

“Incorrect! I gained control over my grendel side by
realizing that there
is no
grendel side
. There is only
me
.”

Annala sighed and took his right hand in both of hers.
Looking into his eyes she asked, “You want to be with me, right?”

“Yes.”

“And get along with my family?”

“Of course.”

“And fit in with my culture?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then you have to do this! At least pretend and go through
the motions.”

“Fine. What do I do?”

With her right hand, Annala touched her forehead and then
her left elbow. With her left hand, she touched her forehead and then her right
elbow. Pushing her fists together, she bowed her head and said, “Lady Chaos,
hear my prayer. Fill my soul with hope, my mind with clarity, and my body with
zeal; give me the fuel to make my dreams real.”

She released her hands and lifted her head.

“That’s it. It works better than coffee. I should know because
I’ve done both, or rather, I used to.” She tugged her ear. “It doesn’t work as
well for me anymore, but it’s a habit that I developed.”

Eric bounced on his toes. “I feel pretty good! Imagine the
money I could save on energy drinks...yeah, I could get used to this!”

 “It worked for you? But how?!”

“He may not act like it, but he’s a pious believer at
heart,” said a voice above them. “He keeps a shrine to me in his home and pours
his heart out every day.”

Both of them looked up to see Tasio clinging to the
ceiling.

“What are you doing?” they asked.

“Pretending to be Arachnidman.”

Neither teenager could think of anything to say. Then Eric
pointed at him and said, “
This
is what you want me to pray to?”

Tasio dropped from the ceiling, flipped in midair, and
landed a foot above the ground. His feet were spread out and he was bent over
with one hand on the ground and the other in the air; a three-point landing.

“That’s strange,” he said. His face was hidden by his
hair. “Why didn’t my sticky abilities work? Why didn’t my senses warn me?
Oh...that’s right...”

He raised his face and Annala gasped. The Trickster wore
her own face.

“I’m not really Arachnidman, so I don’t have his
abilities. If I said, ‘by the power of Redskull,’ that wouldn’t work either because
I’m not Him-Dude.”

His clothing morphed to mirror her own. From every angle,
he was identical to her.

“I’m the real Annala,” he said with Annala’s voice. “You’re
a hydroclone pretending to be me.” He grabbed her and spun in circles so fast
that the two were a blur. Then he stopped. “Now your sticky rope doesn’t work.
How odd is it that the danger sense still does!”

Then he disappeared. Annala’s eyes became glassy and she
turned away from Eric.

“Don’t worry about it,” Eric said. “It’s probably because
of my enlightenment in Dengel’s Lair. It’s not your fault.”

She rubbed her eyes and turned back. “No, I know it’s because
I’m apostate.”

Eric reached into the box and tossed her a granola bar.
“How does that work anyway? An apostate is someone who has renounced their
religion and you clearly haven’t.”

Annala caught it and tugged her ear with her other hand. “I
said things; blasphemous things. I did sacrilege in Tasio’s shrine and profaned
Arin’s statues. There was rage and disbelief in my soul, and I haven’t worked
them out yet.”

“You’re measuring the marigolds,” Tasio said. “That’s
impossible in the Sea of Chaos because they’re constantly changing shape.”

“Go away!” To Annala, Eric said, “Let’s talk about
mysticism and its Dominican branch on the way to the Guardian’s Lodge.”

He grabbed Annala’s hand and led her out of the house and
away from the chaotic deity that was making a nuisance of himself.

“Eeeerrriiicc....”

He stopped.

“What is it that your mentor likes to say? That quote from
the Mother Dragon?”

Reluctantly, Eric recited, “There are two things men will
never understand: Chaos and women.”

The Guardian’s Lodge was their first stop. If they couldn’t
convince the Priori Guardian, then they wouldn’t be able to convince anyone. It
was a tall and grand oak reaching several stories tall with branches reaching
higher still. If the trees around the village were light infantry, then the
Guardian's Lodge was their heavy infantry commander.

Given the sapience of plants, it might be a leader of
some sort. If so, then that big tree, Dnnac, must be their Commander-in-Chief.

A simple hinge door led to a reception office. There was a
desk, chairs, and a table with both local and foreign newspapers and magazines.
Both of them were dated to the day. Annala explained that people with
complaints came here to report them. Then they were passed on to a guardian for
investigation and resolution.

This receptionist was leaning back in her chair and
reading a comic. Trickster grin apparent, Annala held a finger to her mouth and
crept to the front desk. Eric stood back and watched her work. She grabbed the
other girl’s feet and pushed them off the desk. Her chair rolled back and she
rapidly pinwheeled to regain control.

"Annala!" she shouted. “Why are you here!?”

“It’s the Festival of Arin's Ascension. Did you think I'd
be gone forever?"

The girl's shoulders dropped. "Sorry, I didn't mean
it like that. Uh, who’s your friend?"

Annala draped herself over him. "This is my
boyfriend
,
Eric."

“Wonderful! See? I told you it wasn’t the end of the
world. Although you could have done better than Dengel’s Conduit….”

“
Landlord,
” Eric said automatically.

“He hates Dengel as much as we do,” Annala said. “Maybe more.”

She stood up and offered her hand to Eric. “Fair enough.
I’m Nilo Filef.”

He shook it. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Eric Watley.”

"Otherworlder, Dengel's Conduit, and a human turned
sapient grendel who is also The Trickster’s Choice. Annala, do you want to live
in interesting times
that much
?"

Annala simpered. “As the
Elven Tome
says,
it’s
better to live in Interesting Times than to be immobilized by fearful roots.”

Nilo head-butted her. “Hypocrite! You only left because you
were too scared not to!” She pointed to Annala’s collar. “You should have
mastered your own fear and stayed.”

Annala startled. “Maybe I should have…For sure this collar
of control wouldn’t be on my neck, but neither would this necklace of love.
That is the nature of chaos.”

Nilo was silent.

“Anyway, I came to see Aunt Alexis. Is she here?”

“Yeah, she’s here. She’s in the recreation room.”

From the reception area, they could go to other areas in
the tree, such as the mission control, pantry, weapons cache, exercise area,
and the recreation room. All of this was contained within a single enormous
oak. On their way, they bumped into Forge because his sight was obscured by a
clipboard and a pen. In his other three hands, which grew out of his back, he
carried dinged or damaged weapons.

"Oh hey, Sis." He scowled at Eric.
"Sis-stealer."

"But I would so much like to
forge
a better
relationship with you. I'm sure that with our mutual affection for Annala, we
can
smelt
the—”

"Not. Funny. I'll have you know that I'm named for
two of the greatest pranksters in elven history: Fredly and Georgia
Sneezely."

He held his nose high as he walked out the exit.

"Who are they?" Eric asked.

"
He
is an elf ten thousand years old and who
cultivated a female split personality out of a desire for a sounding board. He
spent those years harassing everyone from emperors to village fools. The last I
heard of him/them, he/they were at the Pole teaching penguins dog jokes."

Eric decided not to question further; it was likely to only
get weirder.

The recreation room reminded him of the ones in his guild.
There were war trophies on display and machines providing food and drink. There
were tables ringed with chairs and just as many guardians. They sat around
talking, playing cards, singing warrior songs, watching CV, and sparring. The
major difference was that these warriors looked bored.

"Another slow day, Aunt Alexis?"

Annala asked this of one of the card sharks. She was a
dispirited young woman in loose-fitting light armor. A sword hung limply at her
side. The only thing that looked well cared for was her long hair; it was shimmeringly
healthy. She finished the current hand before replying.

"They're
all
slow...The walls keep everyone
out."

She dealt the next hand.

“What wall?” Eric asked. “You mean the line of trees?”

"No, I mean the Chaotic Curtain. We haven't used
physical walls in centuries," Alexis said with a scoff. "We use a
barrier, invented by our sister village in Najica, that both disorients and
repels anyone lacking a Seed of Chaos."

"If that fails, our trees will fight off anything
that gets too close," her first opponent said.

"If
THAT
fails…" Her second opponent
simply patted the sword at their waist.

"All that on top of being hidden from everyone,"
Eric said, mostly to himself.

"You'll never find a safer place."

The only reason to create so many defenses is a
tremendous fear of something on the other side. Are elves really that scared of
humans?

They fear for their way of life,
Grey Dengel
explained.
The village is a sanctuary. My real self is thought a villain
because he defiled that which is sacred.

“Considering that it’s so safe and its guardians are so
powerful,” Annala said, “might you be interested in a proposal that would
please Grandmother Chaos?”

All at once, all activity ceased. Every guardian turned to
stare at Annala. She tugged her ear and Eric felt his fingers shift into claws.

“You’d better not be talking about Nunnal’s idea,” Alexis
said. “There’s
absolutely
no reason for mortals to come here.”

“The world has changed, Auntie,” Annala said. “I made
friends with someone who claims to hate elves. We just have to meet and get to
know each other.”

“The guardians may not leave the village often,” Alexis
said coldly, “but we regularly receive reports of what happens in the world. We
know what you’re proposing and such a thing has not been done for over eight
hundred years.”

They returned to their games and usual boring activity.
The snubbing enraged Annala so much she flipped her aunt’s card table.

“Cowardly! Lazy! Hypocrites all! You claim to hate boredom,
yet you fear a handful of humans? You proudly call yourselves Grandchildren of
Chaos, yet you shy away from fulfilling her divine will? My powers may be
dormant and I may wear an Orderly Subjugation Collar, but I have done more to
advance the mission of Lady Chaos and heal those afflicted with mutations in
the last two days than all of you have in two decades!”

“Watch yourself, Annala,” Alexis said. She didn’t give her
niece the dignity of looking at her as she spoke. “You were almost barred from
the village for fear of Order contamination. It would not do for the elders to
hear that the collar is affecting your thinking.”

“Who enforces the elders’ decisions? The guardians. Who
leads the guardians? You do. Are you going to banish your sister’s daughter for
following the will of Lady Chaos?”

“Medical Mana Mutation research isn’t the will of Lady Chaos,”
said another guardian.

“Yeah, that’s Order,” said a different guardian. “He wants
to control the transformation. I heard Latrot is already making super soldiers
with it.”