“Shield!” snapped Rain Dancer. “You don’t need to tell them things like, you know?”
Shield Maiden laughed, and then let out a small sigh. She waved a hand to one of the serving girls.
“If you’d be so kind to bring some wine over to the table,” she said. “Two bottles, at least.”
CHAPER 18
The food was delicious, and the wine served to lubricate conversation around the table. Malcolm found himself being more forthcoming with his questions and answers, and even Rose seemed willing to let her guard down enough to engage with their captors.
“Rose says she doesn’t remember much from the time right after she became a spryte,” said Malcolm. “Do either of you remember? Or is that a sensitive question?”
“I was in prison,” said Rain Dancer. He held Malcolm’s gaze with an intensity that made it feel like a fight was an instant from breaking out, and then burst out into deep laughter.
“Haha, good one,” said Malcolm.
“He’s serious,” said Shield Maiden. “He was in prison at the time of discovering his gift. He used it to try to break out, and ended up pushing himself past his limits, becoming a demon in the process.”
Malcolm nodded, finding it interesting that Shield Maiden had used the word demon instead of star touched, which seemed to be what Rain Dancer and the rest of the cult defaulted to.
“And what about you?” asked Rose. “Do you remember where you were, when you became a spryte?”
Shield Maiden smiled sadly and shook her head.
“I do not,” she said. “And strangely, many of the sprytes I’ve spoken to also have trouble remembering such things. I suspect that it’s a difference between demons and sprytes that hasn’t been properly researched.”
“You think sprytes have more trouble holding onto memories?” asked Rose.
Shield Maiden shrugged.
“It’s impossible for me to know without having more examples to draw from, but yes,” she said, with a sad smile.
Rose leaned in closer to her. Malcolm was drawn away from their conversation by Rain Dancer, who tapped him on the shoulder and held out something in his other hand. A thin trail of smoke ran up from the tip of what looked like a cigar, and smelled like weed.
Seriously? This dude is too much.
“I don’t really smoke weed,” said Malcolm. “I mean, I’ve tried it before, but it’s not”-
“Take a small puff,” said Rain Dancer. “It’s just a normal blunt. You’re among friends, you know?”
“For the record, I don’t actually know that,” said Malcolm. “This could easily be a ploy to get me to let my guard down.”
“I beat you and your girlfriend while you both had your guards up,” said Rain Dancer, with a smirk. “Now, come. It’s good weed, you will see what I mean.”
Malcolm chewed on his lip for another second before accepting the blunt. He shook his head, wondering at the series of events that brought him to this moment, and then took a very small puff.
Almost immediately, he broke out into a fit of coughs. The smoke hit his throat harder than he’d expected it to. He passed the blunt back to Rain Dancer and took a long sip of his wine, which only made his head feel that much lighter.
“You know how to go for it!” said Rain Dancer. “I am impressed. Feel good?”
“Oh…” Malcolm rubbed his forehead. “I feel… something.”
He looked over at Rose and Shield Maiden. They were sitting on opposite sides of the table, but they were both leaning into their quiet conversation. Malcolm was struck by how beautiful and exotic they both looked, but also by something more than that.
She seems so comfortable. How many other sprytes and demons has she actually had to talk to, outside of the riffraff at Terri’s Tavern?
“You’ve got a question on your mind, ya?” said Rain Dancer.
Malcolm nodded, folding his arms. It was a little hard for him think through the fog of alcohol and weed.
“I’m just curious…” said Malcolm. “The dream you said you had. What was it about?”
Rain Dancer grinned. Apparently, Malcom had asked the right question.
“It was of a world where my people, the star touched, are safe to live and love and be happy!” He slammed his hand down hard table. “I have a dream, Wind Runner!”
Rain Dancer jumped up, climbing so that he was standing on the table.
“I have a dream!” he bellowed. The acoustics of the underground chamber made his words echo for what felt like an eternity. Over at the other table, the Awakened Children were all bowing in Rain Dancer’s direction.
“He gets a little over the top whenever he gets stoned,” said Shield Maiden. “Ask him to tell you about it when he’s sober.”
“I have a couple of questions about the whole Zodiac thing,” said Malcolm. “How does it relate to demons and sprytes?”
“It’s… complicated,” said Shield Maiden, with a subtle eye roll. “You should direct those questions to Rain Dancer.”
“The genocide will come to an end!” shouted Rain Dancer, still on the table. “We will create a new world.”
He extended one of his hands up and let loose a flash of lightning. The ceiling in the main chamber was high enough to allow for it, and light flickered across the faces of everyone watching. Malcolm wasn’t sure what to think.
Okay, this is a little over the top.
“Show them!” yelled Rain Dancer. “Show them what we can do!”
He gestured to Shield Maiden, who looked like she’d rather not, but proceeded to join Rain Dancer in his theatrics. Surprisingly, Rain Dancer also pointed to Rose. She furrowed her brow, as though she was declining his offer, but Rain Dancer leaned over, took her by the wrist, and pulled her up onto the long, rectangular table.
Malcolm started to stand and join them, but Rain Dancer caught his eye and slowly shook his head. He felt a sudden flash of irritation, being the odd man out, especially given the fact that Rose was going along with it.
“Watch the power of the star touched!” Rain Dancer tapped Shield Maiden on the shoulder. She waved one of her hands through the air, creating a circular pattern of spherical bubble shields above them.
Rain Dancer blasted lightning upward, creating arcs between the bubble shields. He grinned and looked over at Rose, giving her a nod of approval. Rose hesitated, glancing back at Malcolm with a strange look in her eyes.
Slowly, she lifted her hand and summoned her shadows. She made tendrils of darkness swirl around in the space underneath the bubble shields, the path of each one affected by the light from the electricity.
It was a scene unlike anything Malcolm could have imagined. Special effects in movies might be able to come close, but it was such a strange and specific combination of superpowers that he doubted it could ever be replicated.
Malcolm felt like he was watching a kind of strange initiation, and became all the more aware of the fact that he wasn’t a part of it. He wasn’t a demon or a spryte. He could only watch Rose, standing on the table in a triangular formation with the other two, using her abilities freely in a frivolous display of power.
Malcolm sipped on his wine and looked over at the Awakened Children. Their faces were filled with unbridled awe. Some of them were making gestures with their hands, probably related to another facet of the church’s worship.
He looked back toward Rose and the others on the table. Rain Dancer was holding her hand, along with Shield Maiden’s. The display was spinning now, turning in circles like a carnival ride made of magic. Malcolm tapped a finger on his chin, feeling as though he couldn’t help himself any longer. He stood up.
Summoning the wind, he gave all of bubble shields a hard push. They flew toward the side of the room, taking Rain Dancer’s lightning show along with them, bouncing harmlessly off one of the walls. Rose looked over at him and he winked at her.