Elements (Tear of God Book 1) (18 page)

“Yes.”

“Had you finished your training?”

“No.”

“You stated earlier that your father is able to communicate with you through Silent Signal Fire, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Had he put other effects on you prior to that?”

Mink laughed. “Many, many times. Ever since I was very young.” The rest of the room chuckled.

“So,” Durren continued. “I guess you’re not a Body user.”

“That would be impossible, yes.”

“Okay. And yet, you were able to make it here from Rift Ridge in less than three days using an intermediate level Body effect? Are you sure it was Quick Legs?”

“Very sure. My mom has carted me around with Quick Legs my whole life. I’m familiar with the effect.”

“But how many times have you used Quick Legs before?”
“None.” Mink was confused. His mom had quite possibly just made history as the first known person to change a self effect into a target effect. He couldn’t have used Quick Legs before. Stupid question.

“And yet, you are positive, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was Quick Legs?”

Brop shot up from his seat. “Objection. Asked and answered!”

“You are right, Advocate Brop. I have asked the question before and he has answered it. I will withdraw the question.” With that, Brop sat back down.

“When did your mother put Quick Legs on you? Before or after touching the alleged Tear of God?”

“After, sir.” Mink began to see where Durren was going and he liked it.

“How long after making contact with the stone? Minutes? Hours?”

“A few hours. First, she had to dig her way up through two miles of dirt, rock, and ore. We met up with my father, they deliberated over what to do about the scout, and she went off to kill him while my dad and I returned to our camp. She met up with us later. That’s when she put the effects on me and trained me on how to use Quick Legs.”

“She dug through two miles of dirt?”

“Yes. Straight up from the geode.”

“Are you telling us that a Body user was able to dig up through two miles of Soil and then, after first completing other tasks, she found a way to put a self effect on someone with no discernable Elemental affinity?”

“That’s right.”

“Well. How do you account for that?”

The majority of the assembly hung on every word. “After we got up close to the geode, my mom reached through a crack that was already there. While she was touching it, she grew visibly more and more powerful and… wise, you know? Like as soon as she touched it, she knew exactly what she had to do and how to do it.”

“Please describe the stone for us.”

“It’s huge. I would say all of the Main Cameral building could fit inside of it easy. Maybe with some other buildings. And it’s round.”

“What did you sense from the geode?”

“Before we got there, I started feeling a steady pressure pushing on me. That’s about when my dad complained of some loud noise and broke off the Silent Signal Fire. The closer we got, the more intense the pressure, but I never heard a noise. It was like all the sound got muted. Then, when my mom touched the crystal, I felt pins and needles inside, like they were growing out of my bones.”

“Did you touch the crystal yourself?”

“No.”

“And yet you felt its effects through your mother?”

“Yeah. It was intense.”

“So, what is it, Mink?”

“As best I can tell, it’s a Tear of God. I don’t know what else it could be.”

“Earlier, you said that you knew you were using the Quick Legs effect, even though you’re not a Body user and you’ve never used it before. Now you’re saying that you know the geode is a Tear of God, even though you’ve never seen one before. Do I have that straight?”

“Yes.” Mink felt empowered. He loved his uncle.

“And now your parents are standing guard at the Tear of God, waiting for us to send people to remove it and bring it here. Is that right?”

“They have been for two days. Yes.”

“I have no further questions and will pass the witness.” Durren sat down and sent a small, quiet salute to Mink.

Mink swelled with pride. He could feel the collective attitude of the High Council turn favorably toward him. Indeed, the rest of the questioning went much more smoothly. It simplified Mink’s perspective that he had not listened to his father’s report. Durren had easily walked Mink through just about everything he could verify, and dodged the subjects that Mink would rather avoid. Somehow, enough sympathy was gained from his uncle’s questioning that even Plisthb treated Mink with respect for the remainder of the proceedings.

Once each prefecture was satisfied, Thurbst called for a two-hour recess. It was time for the sixty-four person assembly to work some closed-door deals to best serve the country, and by extension, Mink’s parents. He was glad enough for it. The Gleem ballooned his bladder to epic proportions and, as he shuffled his way to the bathroom, Mink made a note to correct his dad that Gleem posed more of a danger to his kidneys than his teeth.

After relieving himself in an ancient bathroom tiled in stone and crystal, Mink hunted his Uncle Durren down in the chambers of Dyarna. Durren excused himself and led Mink back into the hall. As casual and relaxed as his uncle was, Mink couldn’t help but notice that Dyarna seemed giddy with the expectation of whatever Durren was promising in exchange for support. Afterall, Durren had quite the reputation for finding ways that everyone could get what they want without compromising his own needs.

“I’m very sorry about this, Mink. But… I will need you to disappear for a while. There’s no telling how long this process will take and I’m sure you appreciate how quickly we need to wrap it up.”

“I’d rather wait here. Maybe in your office?” Mink felt like things were going so smoothly and he hoped his uncle didn’t have a different read on the situation. “I’m sure I can help a little more. Speed things up.”

Durren shook his head and spoke more quietly to Mink. “As of now, everyone thinks you’ve already given all the information you have. We danced on the edge of some potentially compromising lies. It had to go that way to match Juré’s report. If anyone prods further, especially a Spirit user, it could bring into question all of the information in the report. Your dad knew what he had to say and what he couldn’t. I backed his play.

“You would do best to head back home and act as casual as possible under the circumstances. Any suspicion you raise will invite an Eavesdropping effect. This isn’t like the intelligence you’ve been trusted with in the past. You need to be more protective. The only way to keep a secret is to never let anyone know you have one.”

Mink processed all that his uncle just told him. It made sense on one level, but Mink didn’t want to wait in an empty house without knowing what the government intended to do to rescue his parents. “Is there somewhere better than going all the way back home?”

“I’ll send you word there as soon as a decision has been made,” Durren promised, giving Mink as much assurance as he could. “The quicker you can get away from the capitol, the easier it will be to get the three-quarters majority we need. We simply can’t risk the exposure to anyone’s spies.”

“I trust you.” Mink’s grasp of strategy told him it was the right thing to do. On the other hand, his heart told him he could do more for his parents here than at home. “Just let me know what the decision is as soon as you can.”

“I promise.” Durren gave Mink a parting hug. “God’s grace be your keep.”

“And my parents’ rescue,” Mink added as he released his uncle and walked away, heavy with thought.

Mink made for the exit of the building. He returned his visitor badge, thanking Gumy by name. The friendly guard gave him a salute and sent Mink off with regards to deliver to his parents. Descending the front steps and standing at the road, Mink pulled the piece of Wood out of his pocket, looked it over, and then broke it in half. Dreh Sledded up to the curb within seconds.

“How does this effect work?” Mink asked, handing the pieces over and fastening his helmet.

“First, I Materialize the Wood. Then I use it for months to rub my thumb on when I’m bored. Then I come up with the idea to hand it over to you and watch from a distance as you break it like a puppet. Then I drive up.”

“Ah.” Mink settled into the back seat. “Make fun of the guy with no Element. I get it. That’s a good one.”

Dreh pulled away and started down the road. “The mud bath was excellent. Thanks for asking.”

“Sorry that took so long. Maybe we’ll make the next party.”

“It’s all good.” Dreh wove fast through traffic. “We’ll just be the final decorations.”

They were headed out of Protallus City before Mink knew it. He looked back over his shoulder toward the Main Cameral building. He hoped it wouldn’t take the High Council too long to send people out to help his parents. For the moment, he was glad Dreh was forcing him to go to this party. Being alone at home would give him too much time to feel their absence. He reminded himself that they were both capable users and had the Tear of God amping up their power.

M
INK AWOKE
at night on the back of Dreh’s sled feeling more tired than before. He had no sense of the time, or where he was. A network of branches was wrapped around his Body, and held him to his seat. Four moons shone brightly enough to give a twilight glow to the neighborhood’s surroundings. They must have just stopped because Dreh still had his helmet on and thumbs in the handles. They were parked in front of a house in an area Mink didn’t recognize. Dreh pulled his thumbs out and slowly removed his helmet.

“Whew! Feeling it. Mud bath’s wearing off.” Dreh dismounted and stretched.

“I can’t reach my helmet.” Mink struggled against his Wooden harness.

“Sorry. I saw you dozing.” Dreh started chanting in the low, soft rhythm of Wood users.

“Atriarb undoes the effect.

Take back the power which you gave.”

The branches disappeared so fast that Mink almost fell off the sled.

“I’m so wiped out. What time is it, anyway?” Mink removed his helmet and rubbed the grit from his burning, swollen eyes.

“Time to party. Sleep deprivation kickstarts your buzz.”

Mink suddenly remembered the promise, and couldn’t believe Dreh was still making him go through with it in their current condition. “You rot, man. I’m just gonna crash on your sled.”

“Come on now.” Dreh hoisted Mink up off the sled and walked him to the house like an injured soldier. “Just thirty minutes and then we’ll go.”

“Where are we?”

“It’s my cousin Pirk’s birthday. This is my uncle Cralto’s house.”

“Ever notice how you never talk about the same cousin twice? Your family’s too big, man.” Mink could never remember if Dreh was the fifth oldest or fifth youngest in his family. When they were in Elementary school together, one or two of Dreh’s siblings were already enrolled in universities.

As they approached the house, Pulti came out. Mink couldn’t tell if it was the moonlight or makeup, but her skin looked lighter. Her shoulder-length brown hair had been twisted into corkscrews and highlighted. Mink couldn’t ever remember seeing Pulti so dolled up before. She wore a tight-fitting jacket and a shadowy skirt that flared out as she walked.