A Measure of Disorder (16 page)

The next morning, after breakfast, a tall
Elvorstrastenai
man walked into the sitting room of the guest house. He had blonde hair and green eyes and wore a gray shirt and pants, with a light jacket that was dark maroon. The jacket had some sort of badge embroidered on the lapel. He looked at Crank, then Jenni and asked, “Are you the one known as Jenni?”

Jenni nodded.

“If you would please come with me,” he said and waved toward the door.

“What about my things? Should I take them?”

He shook his head. “Matron Zalandra will see to them if it becomes necessary.” He turned and opened the door.

Jenni took Crank’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go then.”

The
Elvorstrastenai
looked back. “The summons was only for you, Jenni.”

Jenni straightened. “Well either he comes with me, or I’m not going.” Crank stared at her in surprise.

The official pursed his lips and then relented. “Very well, follow me please.”

They exited onto the street and their guide led them to the center of the city.

Jenni lifted Crank onto her shoulders so he wouldn’t have to run to keep up. He patted her hand in thanks.

Soon they found themselves at the heart of
Seren’naie
. A huge domed building loomed before them with a crystal tower jutting from the top at least thirty stories high. Jenni could see figures throughout the tower, moving like ants in an ant farm at various tasks.

They climbed a set of stone steps into the dome. It looked like a football stadium from the outside, and the inside continued the theme. People of all shapes and sizes wandered around the outer ring. Farther in, Jenni could see a large open area, sunk into the floor, with seating for hundreds, if not thousands, surrounding a stage in the middle. The roof transitioned from stone to crystal so sunlight illuminated the stadium and stage. The very center of the roof held a large circular section of stone again, probably the width of the tower that rose from the top of the structure. Jenni could see several walkways extending from areas around the dome toward the central stone at the peak of the roof.

Their guide, evidently used to the reaction the building produced, was courteous enough to give them time to gawk for a minute, then showed them over to a platform at the edge of the dome.

He stepped on and beckoned them to follow. “Be sure to hold onto the railing,” he said.

A moment later, the platform smoothly slid up the curved wall of the dome.

Crank panicked for a second and almost let go, but Jenni held his other hand to steady him.

They reached one of the walkways Jenni had seen before and the platform stopped. They stepped off and the guide strode purposefully toward the center, which, Jenni could now see, extended down from the roof several feet. She had a mild sense of vertigo looking down and quickly refocused her vision on the stone circle in front of her.

She held tightly onto Crank’s hand and said, “Keep your eyes forward, don’t look down.”

Crank nodded quickly. “You won’t have to tell me that twice.”

The summer sun shined brightly through the crystal roof, but, strangely, the interior was not hot. Jenni wondered again at the construction prowess needed to create such a building.

They reached the end and walked through a doorway. The center section was hollow, fifty or sixty feet across, and held four more platforms in the middle. Each platform was connected somehow to a single stone shaft, about two feet thick, rising up into the tower above.

Their guide stepped onto one of the platforms and Jenni and Crank did likewise, knowing more what to expect.

Each floor and ceiling was made of a darker crystal or stone, which helped with some of the feelings of vertigo once they had climbed a few floors. The outer walls, however, were completely transparent. Jenni got brief glimpses of the city and surrounding countryside as they glided through each floor.

They didn’t stop until they had almost reached the top. Their guide motioned for them to step off and said, “Wait here please, he will be down shortly.” Then he rode the platform down, leaving Jenni and Crank alone with an amazing view.

This floor of the tower was open across the entire width. There was a large oval table in front of them. Chairs surrounded it, made of a dark wood, unusual since they were not made of stone. Jenni approached and saw the table was formed from a monstrous piece of agate, polished to a high sheen. Swirls of different colors of brown and some clear crystal formations appeared within. It was probably fifteen feet long and Jenni had never seen anything like it.

Looking out the window/walls — Jenni wasn’t sure what to call them — she felt like she could see the whole world. To the north, lay the enormous
Lodir’naie
forest. She thought briefly with sadness of Ms. Pap, now a part of that fantastic entity. The mile-wide
Baer’naie
river flowed out of the forest and ran to the west of the city, heading south, presumably to an ocean somewhere. To the east, Jenni could see a vast plain, some of which near the city had been cultivated and she could also see herds of grazing animals wandering through the rich grasses.

Crank touched her hand and Jenni turned to see another figure standing in the room with them.

He was of
Elvorstrastenai
stock, but looked much older than any other she’d seen. His long hair had gone silvery gray, almost white, and he had a closely cropped beard of white whiskers. His eyes were a piercing orange-yellow, where most she had seen had been green or brown. He wore robes that were gray in color, like that of their guide, and were trimmed with maroon embroidery on the lapels and around the cuffs of the sleeves. His hands were clasped in front of him, hidden by his sleeves, and he wore a simple smile that seemed open and honest. Jenni hoped her first impressions were right, at least.

She smiled back and flushed with embarrassment, though she didn’t really know why.

“Greetings, Jenni,” he said and stepped forward to offer his hand. “I am called Ba’ize.”

Jenni met him and shook his hand automatically before remembering it was not a customary greeting on Mother. He must have seen the confusion on her face and continued. “I was briefed on some of your customs. Please, let’s sit and visit.” He indicated the chairs around the big table. Jenni took the one closest to her and Crank climbed up on one to her right. Ba’ize pulled the one to her left out slightly and sat.

“Are you hungry or thirsty?” Jenni and Crank both shook their heads. “Very well, then. Please, tell me about yourselves.”

Jenni let out a breath and laughed. “Wow, where do I start?”

Ba’ize smiled and chuckled with her. “The beginning is usually best.”

So, Jenni told their tale, with help from Crank. She spoke of the field trip, their uncertainties and fears, and the hardships that befell them in their first few days. She told of their first meeting with Crank and their subsequent flight to his village. She related the need to leave some of their group behind to be cared for by Crank’s people, and wondered again what had happened to Deena and the others.

Jenni talked about the changes that occurred to them, how Brandon had disappeared, and reappeared at their time of greatest need — only to take several of their number and fly off again. She told of the bravery of Mrs. Osorio and her sacrifice so the rest might flee into the forest. And she tearfully spoke of Ms. Pap and her final transformation into a tree of the
Lodir’naie
.

She described their passage through the forest, their discovery of Matt’s change, and reunion with Charles. Jenni talked briefly about their fight in the river with the water spirits, and finally about how they had built the boat which brought them to
Seren’naie
.

Some time during her story, Ba’ize called down for refreshments, and they ate and drank between the last few passages of Jenni’s tale.

Ba’ize chewed thoughtfully on a piece of bread, then said, “So, as I understand it, all of you that came through from Earth have undergone transformations, except you, Jenni. Is that correct?”

She nodded. “Well, I don’t know about Deena, and the others we left in Crank’s village, but yes, that’s right.”

Crank touched her arm. “Jenni, you should tell him about your experience in the river, and your dream.”

Ba’ize looked at her expectantly.

Jenni sighed. She hadn’t wanted to say anything since the experiences hadn’t seemed real to her — not like the changes in everyone else. She felt though, that she could trust Ba’ize. He had been patient and understanding through her telling of their story, grandfatherly almost. So, she recounted their struggle in the river and how she had saved Crank from drowning. She described what she felt when she saw him being dragged under, and how quickly she had moved to save him. She also told of her flying dream and how she found her shirt torn open when she woke.

Ba’ize studied her for a time and took a sip of some fruit juice. “Jenni, I’d like to try something if you don’t mind.”

“Okay, I guess.”

Ba’ize got up and walked to the elevator shaft. “Come stand over here, please.”

Jenni got up and went to him. Ba’ize guided her by the shoulders and maneuvered her so her back was to the open shaft.

Then he pushed her.

Jenni screamed and lost her balance, arms windmilling. She reached out for Ba’ize, but he stepped back and she grasped at air.

Crank jumped up and yelled, but Ba’ize held him back.

Jenni felt a rush of energy and heard a ripping sound from behind her. Her back muscles strained with effort, and she realized she wasn’t falling.

Crank’s mouth fell open in astonishment and Ba’ize had a surprised, but thoughtful look on his face.

Jenni looked behind her and saw she had grown leathery wings, five or six feet long, that were flapping to keep her aloft in the elevator shaft.

She stopped flapping momentarily, in her surprise, and fell a couple of feet before regaining her composure. She propelled herself forward awkwardly and landed on the floor next to Crank and Ba’ize.

Almost immediately, she felt the wings being absorbed back into her body, and she stood there much as she had moments before.

She looked at him, suddenly angry and afraid. “You could have killed me!”

“Nonsense,” Ba’ize replied. “The
venti’i
that operate the lift won’t let anyone fall farther than the next floor. You were in no danger, but you didn’t know it. Thus, your body reacted to save itself.”

Jenni thought about what he said and caught her breath. “So, what am I?”

“Let’s sit back down,” Ba’ize suggested.

Jenni’s legs were wobbly. Sitting sounded like a good idea. Crank took her hand and helped her to her chair.

Ba’ize took a breath and held it, then began, “First of all, let me say that everything we talk about from here on out should only be discussed amongst the three of us, and only within these chambers, or my apartment above.” He held up a hand to halt Jenni’s question. “I will explain momentarily.” He took another sip of juice.

“Jenni, you are a shapeshifter.”

Next to her, Crank hissed briefly.

Jenni shook her head. “I don’t understand. What does that mean?”

“It means that, in theory, you can take the form of, well, anything,” Ba’ize said.

Jenni was stunned.
Anything?
“But I haven’t seen anyone else who could do that, I don’t think anyway.”

“No, I don’t expect you have. You see there has only been one other being with that ability in history.” Ba’ize paused. “His name is Mogritas.”

Mogritas?
The name sounded familiar but Jenni couldn’t place it. Then she remembered: that was who Brandon said was helping him when he’d flown off with Alisha and the others outside
Lodir’naie
.

“But what does that mean?” she asked again.

Ba’ize sighed. “Unfortunately, it means that people will fear you.” He indicated Crank. “Even your friend here reacted involuntarily when I mentioned it.”

Jenni looked at Crank, who blushed, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Jenni. Mogritas is the embodiment of evil. We spoke about him in the forest after Mrs. Osorio saved us from the
Gobinstratstorai
.”

Yes, Jenni remembered, Crank had called him the darkness to Mother’s light.

“And this is the reaction from a close friend. Imagine how others who don’t know you would react if they found out,” Ba’ize said softly.

“But I still don’t get it. I have this ability, it doesn’t make me evil … does it?” Jenni suddenly feared she might lose control of herself — maybe even hurt her friends!

“No, of course not,” Ba’ize assured her. “But, because the only example we have of someone with these powers stands against everything that Mother stands for, people will jump to conclusions.

“Also, the nature of the ability tends to make people suspicious,” Ba’ize said.

Jenni had seen movies and television shows featuring someone who could “shapeshift” as the villain. Was that your friend, or the bad guy posing as your friend? She, of course, didn’t have any control over what she did, but no one else would know that. They would only know her as someone to be feared.

“I think I understand,” she said.

They were quiet for a time, while Jenni tried to absorb what she had learned. Then she asked, “So, how come you aren’t scared of me?”

Ba’ize smiled and said, “Because I tend to see beyond these outer shells,” he said, plucking at his robes, “to the person beneath. I see Mother in you, Jenni. And I see Her hand in bringing you and your friends here.”

Jenni thought about that. “But if Mother brought us here, why would She bring people that would turn against Her, like Brandon and Alisha?”

Ba’ize sat back and took another bite of bread. “The thing most people don’t understand about Mother is She is ultimately about balance. Not necessarily about good, or law, or order. So, in bringing
you
here, She had to bring forces to balance that action.”

“That is contrary to the teachings I received as a boy,” Crank said.

Ba’ize nodded. “I understand that. Good and evil are much easier concepts to grasp than balance. Good and evil exist, mind you, but Mother recognizes one cannot survive without the other. Their very existence becomes meaningless without the counterpart.

“And that’s another reason why what we discuss here, stays right here,” Ba’ize said, smiling.

Crank nodded slowly, struggling with ideas in his mind. Jenni trusted Crank more than anyone in her life besides Sara, and knew he would get it all sorted out.

For her part, what Ba’ize had said just felt right. She couldn’t really explain it, but she knew this person could teach her what she needed to know.

Another thought occurred to her. “So, what am I here for?”

“That, young lady, remains to be determined. In the meantime, we need to do what we can to teach you control and command of your ability. Though I have no first hand experience with it, I believe I can help you.”

Jenni nodded. “I would like that very much.”

“Good! That’s settled then. I’ll have Rodrin see to getting you some quarters in the hub, something much closer than the guest house you were in.”

Crank cleared his throat. “Excuse me sir, but, what shall I do?”

Ba’ize looked at him in surprise. “Do? Don’t you want to stay with Jenni?”

It was Crank’s turn to be surprised. “Of course! I just thought …”

“You just thought that since the
Nomenstrastenai
, and the
Elvorstrastenai
,
didn’t accept you that you’d have to leave the city?” Ba’ize grinned. “Nonsense!” He crooked his finger to beckon them closer. “Let me tell you a secret. Most people don’t realize this, but Mother has been out of balance on the side of order and law for a very long time … I expect we are in for a big dose of chaos and disorder very soon, and you two are part of it,” he said with a wink.