Of Gaea (14 page)

“
There
probably are, but you would need a thaumaturge for that. They have
books upon books of old magic. We only have Google.”

“I wish there
was a way to know whose life line I’m bound to.”

Nasya
reached across the table and squeezed Ari’s hand.
“We’ll make this work. Yes, the
script could be better, and yes, it would be nice to know who’s
tied to you but we can only work with what we’ve got.”

“I’m worried,
Nasya.”

“
Sasha
will take you to Goddess Ink tomorrow.
When you get there ask for Leonidas. If he gives
you any lip tell him Nasya Monoceros sent you.” Nasya smiled. “He
will help you whether he wishes to or not.”

“Nasya I’m not
sure threatening someone is a valid way to get their help.”

“
It’s
not a threat. It’s simply fact. He is Greek and of a bloodline
nearly as old as yours. He is required to be what he was made to be
whether he wishes it or not. He swims against the current, Ari. He
thinks he can outrun his fate. He cannot. No one can.”

“
I don’t
know, Nasya… it still doesn’t feel right to just jump right in and
toss your name at him. Are we swimming against the current too? Why
are there so many Greeks around, anyway? I don’t remember there
being this many before.”

Nasya
nodded. “It is and it isn’t. You were not supposed to die. Gaea
wants you here and so here you are. We are not to question why.
And,” She smiled coyly, “Why would you remember something you were
not meant to see?”

Ari bit
her lip. “Nasya, can you answer something for me?”

She
tipped her head curiously. “I can try.”

“
Why did
you reference me as Gaea’s child? Why did Erelah?”

Her eyes
grew sad. “You should ask Gaea.” Nasya stood. “I must go but I’ll
send Sasha over. You should try for more sleep you will need the
energy.”

Ari
watched Nasya walk away puzzled. What was Nasya hedging at? Ask
Gaea? Ask Gaea how? And was she really considering trying to talk
to a forgotten Goddess about a name?

S
chool passed in
a blur
on Monday. Ari
couldn’t concentrate on anything but what could go wrong that
afternoon at Goddess Ink. Being negative was foolish but she had
been down this road before. However, this idea had Nasya’s support
and felt more substantial than what she had tried on her
own.

Sasha
was quiet.
Far more
quiet than Ari was comfortable with. When she had shown him what
she and Nasya had created he had seem to withdraw. Now, as he
pushed her wheelchair in a direction she didn’t know, she felt the
weight of his silence.

“Are you going
to tell me what’s wrong yet?”

He
pushed the wheelchair from behind so Ari didn’t have the benefit of
watching his face as he spoke.
“There’s nothing wrong.”

Except
that if her plan worked he would lose everything that ever held
meaning.
The idea was
sound, so he couldn’t go against it. If he did it would make him a
coward and it would hurt Ari. He would do anything to keep from
hurting her. The fact was he just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to
Ari. And there was no way for her to be healed without saying
goodbye.

“
Sasha
if you don’t like this idea we can trash it and try something
else.” Ari tipped her head back as far as she could and smiled. “I
trust your thoughts, too.”

He shook
his head. “Nasya’s advice is sound. I trust her as much as you
trust me. It’s Leonidas I’m wary of.”

“You know
him?”

Sasha
scoffed.
“Of course. But
he’s a wild card. I don’t like relying on him. I wish there was
someone else.” Someone he could trust her life with but he didn’t
say it out loud.

“
Let’s
just see what happens.”
Ari tapped the notebook idly. “I don’t like using these
runes. If Leonidas can’t provide alternatives that feel right I
won’t do it.”

“
Let’s
just hope he’s not in a mood.”
Sasha muttered under his breath.

The
building reminded Ari of an old Native American pueblo. Other than
the front door there were no windows or other openings on the lower
level. There was a relief of the earth and moon in the stucco and
the scrolling banner announced Goddess Ink. Otherwise, she would
not have guessed it to be where they were going.

Sasha
held the door so Ari could roll in.
For a place with no windows it was surprisingly
bright and clean inside. There were skylights every few feet that
flooded the space with natural light. The floors were a natural
wood that reflected the light back. The walls were decorated like
an art gallery. There was a short bar in the same natural wood
color. A cash register and some thick leather bound binders sat on
the bar. Besides the minimal furnishings it was an empty space with
an archway decorated in red velvet curtains that led further into
the building.

“
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.