THE JEALOUSY OF JALICE

Annilasia gaped at Korcsha. Her mind and body snapped to attention. “The smoke . . . ” she trailed off, regarding the haze around her with a newfound unease. Dying stars, why didn’t I recognize the smell?

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” zie asked, still smirking. “I tired of your demanding demeanor on our last visit, so I thought I’d lighten the mood.”

Whatever lingering spell of relaxation Annilasia had absorbed now vanished. Instead, a swift agitation replaced the vibes. She’d been inhaling secondhand hopper’s weed, which meant her mind was compromised. She suspected her consciousness was already partially fused with the Apparition Realm. Now all of it—the tempered emotions, the floating sensation, her slow thoughts—made sense. Annilasia berated herself for having missed the signs.

“You filthy, deceitful . . .” She shut her eyes and reigned in her anger. She’d been in the tent too long. With the new revelation that her mind was in an altered state, the night’s urgency resurged. She groaned and raised a hand to rub her temples. Attempts to focus clashed with the weed’s dampening effect, resulting in nausea. She opened her eyes, determined to end this interaction.

“You mentioned leeches, which I assume would be quicker than smoking this death-dung weed,” she said sternly. “Between the leech itself or venom injection, which way is more discreet? I suppose they both leave a mark.”

“Yes,” Korcsha replied flatly. Zir teasing manner relented, perhaps with the realization that Annilasia no longer cared to banter. “Both leave a mark, but the leech will be less noticeable if you plan to keep this a secret.”

“What’s the price?”

“I’m not sure where your scheming is taking you, but for this trade, you’ll need to make a detour along the way.” Korcsha bent down over a nearby book pile and retrieved a volume from the stack. “Deliver this to a man named Iveer. He used to reside in the Orphan Mountains, but he tends to relocate. He’s a well-known aetherwielder, so just check with covens as you travel. I do hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience for you.”

Annilasia huffed. “How am I supposed to find a nomad? I’ve never met this man, and I don’t have time to run errands for you.”

“You’ll find the time if you want my services.”

Annilasia mulled over the price her leech shortcut would cost her. The Orphan Mountains were nowhere near the Nova Oasis. She moaned as a dull throbbing eroded her concentration.

“How much time do I have to deliver it?” she asked.

Korcsha placed a finger on zir chin. “A month.”

“So be it,” Annilasia muttered. She shot her hand out to take the book, but Korcsha drew back.

“I require a word binding that you’ll deliver this within the agreed upon time frame.”

Annilasia gritted her teeth. “What does that involve?”

“We bind ourselves to this deal struck between us.” Korcsha held the book out again towards Annilasia. “Grasp it with me.”

Zie waited for Annilasia to comply before zie continued. As they held the book, Korcsha closed zir eyes and took a deep breath.

“By the powers that grant me the ability to wield aether,” zie said loudly, as if proclaiming for an audience. “I swear by my life, my blood, and my soul that I will fulfill this woman’s request, so long as she abides by her end of the deal.”

As zie spoke, a strange tingle traveled over Annilasia. An electric vibration pulsated through the air. The space around her bled into a blurry waterfall of shimmers as if a wet paintbrush had stroked across the entire room. Only Korcsha, the book, and Annilasia remained untouched by the bizarre canvas effect.

Annilasia attempted to appear nonchalant despite the unnerving change of surroundings. The shimmering only dissipated once Korcsha had finished speaking. She suppressed a relieved sigh when her vision settled.

“That was quite a mouthful,” Annilasia said sarcastically. “Maybe you should warn me first next time.”

Korcsha slowly opened zir eyes, clearly unamused. “You’d do well to take this part to heart, sweetling. You don’t want to find out what’ll happen if you break an aether binding.”

Annilasia ignored the threat. “I don’t swear by spirits or powers. I refuse to let them have any part in my life.”

“You must swear by something or this isn’t going to work.”

Annilasia sighed. “By my presence of mind, able body, and will to live, I swear I will deliver the book in exchange for your services.”

The vibrations returned and rippled around them. Once again, only Korcsha, the book, and Annilasia were unaffected by the shimmering canvas that smeared the tent’s space. When they finished speaking, the air stilled, and the murky texture tainting their environment solidified again.

“Good enough,” Korcsha murmured. Zie released the book, transferring its hefty weight fully to Annilasia. “I’ll know if you go back on this promise. Our minds are partially fused with the Apparition Realm from the hopper’s smoke.”

Annilasia grimaced, vividly aware of how promises functioned when bound by aether. She held out her hand expectantly. “I’m sure I’m covered for two leeches now.”

Korcsha moved to a tall cabinet that housed numerous jars. After plucking one from the sea of options, zie returned and handed it to her.

“Two leeches soaked in a film of aether. This breed has been created for just this purpose. The glands between their teeth secretes a venom containing the aether. When they bite into your skin, they’ll be injecting it into the bloodstream.”

“This seems a lengthy route,” Annilasia grumbled. “Why not drink the liquid?”

Korcsha threw back zir head and laughed. “Oh, sweetling, you don’t play around. I like that about you. Got to know the why’s and how’s of the miracle rather than trust the hand that gives it to you.” Zie chuckled and gazed at her with a bemused sneer. “We aetherwielders have spent years figuring out swift ways to translate. Injecting aether into the body is no easy feat considering it can easily kill you if done incorrectly. It took generations of these vermin being bred to perfect the proper excretion from their glands. It had to be diluted enough for our bodies to handle. Needless to say, don’t drink the liquid they’re swimming in unless you want a hallucinatory experience followed by a prompt death.”

“Next time, start with ‘it’ll kill you first,’” said Annilasia.

Zie crossed zir arms, unamused. “Place them anywhere on the skin, and it’ll do the trick—translating you within seconds to the Apparition Realm. You’ll be stuck there until the aether is filtered out of your bloodstream, which could take up to an hour.”

“That’s too much time!” Annilasia yelled. When Korcsha cocked zir head at her, she groaned. “Never mind, it can be done.” Dokojin curses on this twister.

She turned to leave but stopped. Delivering the book to the Orphan Mountains would cost her time that she hadn’t anticipated. Delilee would have a much longer wait for Annilasia’s return. The memory of the decoy’s face, deformed and swelling with sudden tumors the night of Jalice’s abduction, sprang to Annilasia’s mind. Her stomach twisted.

“That potion you gave me,” she said. “The lyprow root . . . I believe it worked.” She hesitated. “I need some more of it.”

Korcsha observed Annilasia’s figure and rubbed zir chin. “Since you still retain your natural features, I assume it was your shy friend who ended up drinking the concoction.”

“It’s none of your concern who took it.”

Korcsha rolled zir eyes. “Come now, sweetling, I’m not a dunce. You come to me with a red-haired girl. Delilia was her name, wasn’t it? Then, you demand I place very specific wards on her and provide lyprow root potion. I did my research. Those wards were more powerful and complex than anything I’ve ever encountered. I suspect you’re trying very hard to make that girl look like someone else. To be someone else.”

Annilasia’s throat constricted. Her hand itched for a knife, this time too aware of the smoke’s effect to be influenced by its distillation of reason.

“I paid you well for your silence,” she stated firmly. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve figured out in your spare time. That deal remains.”

“And your willingness to deliver my book helps extend that silence,” murmured Korcsha. “But what do you need more of the root for? Craving some personal alterations for yourself? I don’t know if you’ve stepped in front of a mirror lately, but if you cleaned yourself up a bit—between that serene skin, those driven earth-tone eyes, and your powerful physique—”

“Korcsha!” she interjected. “It’s not for me. It’s for Delilee. She needs regular doses of it. I can’t remember how long that vial was supposed to last, but I doubt it’ll be for the duration of my absence. You’ll deliver her more doses until I return.”

“The lyprow root is not something to fool around with,” Korcsha warned. “We went over the risks upon purchase. Do you recall the addiction she’ll develop just from one dose? Or the withdrawal symptoms she’ll endure when she stops taking it? Or the side effects if she doesn’t?”

Annilasia tensed as her imagination conjured the horrifying potentials now sealed into Delilee’s fate. “I remember what you said.” She broke her gaze. A pang of guilt pinched her, but she reminded herself that Delilee had known the risks.

“The amount in the vial I gave you will last a week,” Korcsha added.

“Then you’ll be setting up weekly meetings with her until I return. Or less frequently if you can supply her with larger doses.”

“I’m warning you one last time. If she continues to take it, she’s going to have fatal skin peeling. She’ll crave the root in violent compulsions the moment she tries to wean herself off it.”

“No more!” Annilasia glared up at Korcsha. “I’m not debating this. You will give her more.”

Korcsha’s eyes flared. “I hope you realize that you don’t get to demand anything of me,” zie hissed. “Your request comes at a steep price, one I highly doubt you’ll be willing to endure.”

“Name it.”

Korcsha’s impish smile returned and zie drummed zir fingers together. “Your dream energy for the next week.”

“As long as it doesn’t cost me my life,” replied Annilasia without a flinch. It seemed less inconvenient than the book errand, and it ensured the survival of her plan with Delilee’s infiltration.

Korcsha beamed with gleeful disbelief. “Sweetling, I’m impressed at your boldness! You’re becoming a natural in aether trading.” Zie threw zir head back and gave out a smooth laugh that made Annilasia’s skin crawl. “Excellent! Fantastic! Joyous! What great mischief the stars shine on my evening.”

Annilasia moaned as the room suddenly lurched. The smoke’s effects were beginning to sour. She tried to fix her eyes on one spot, even though part of her wanted to give in to the carefree embrace of the smoke and revel in its dilution of reality.

“I need to get back to the bunker,” she blurted. “Make this quick.”

Korcsha obliged her impatience. Opening a nearby drawer, zie picked up an item from within and turned back to Annilasia to display the object for her. A line of pastel beads of various shapes clung to a single leather string. The sequence ended with a hollowed-out stone in the shape of an eyelid that dangled in the air.

“A medresa,” explained Korcsha. “You’ll braid it into the hair. Since you Vekuuv aren’t novices to artistic hair weaves, perhaps you’ll appreciate the new jewelry piece.”

Distracted by the contraption, Annilasia jolted when she spotted the slender piece of glass jutting from Korcsha’s other hand. She unsheathed her sword in a quick flourish.

Korcsha glowered at her. “We’ve been through this already. No point in waving that thing around.”

“Then what do you need that for?” growled Annilasia, her eyes latched on Korcsha’s wand.

It was a simple looking object—a translucent white stick with a needle-thin point that grew denser as it reached the opposite end. Korcsha’s wand appeared to be made from clear quartz. A thin wrapping of animal hide around the base served as a protective barrier for the twister’s grip. Like any other Terrestrial element, the wand could prove fatal to Korcsha if mishandled—thus the animal hide. Despite its simple composition, Annilasia knew better than to underestimate the object’s power. She’d seen what aethertwisters could do with their accursed tools.

“It’s needed for this exchange,” Korcsha said sternly. The playful banter in zir voice was entirely absent, replaced with irritation. Without indulging her paranoia further, Korcsha lunged forward.

The movement caught Annilasia off guard, and she had little time to react. In the blink of an eye, Korcsha had pounced forward, then back again to return to zir original position.

Annilasia’s heart pounded as she inspected her skin and armor, growing rigid upon spotting an abnormality. A silver chain of tiny oval links encircled her ankle. The chain continued through the air to the medresa held in Korcsha’s hand. Present for only a moment, it faded like a dream before Annilasia’s eyes, gone within seconds. She jerked wide eyes up to Korcsha, unable to process what’d occurred.

“What did you do?” she croaked. Her voice strained between fury and terror.

Korcsha cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, stop it, sweetling. It was nothing. I tethered you to the medresa. And see? I’ve put away my wand. So don’t burst a vessel over it.” Zie held up zir free hand as proof.

“What do you mean it’s tethered? My lifechain was connected to that thing—I saw it.”

“Your dreams will now soak into the medresa, and the medresa feeds into my wand. You must wear it, starting this upcoming night. Take it off only after a full week’s time. Again, I’ll know if you don’t comply.” Zie waved a dismissive hand. “Stop fretting. Your chain’s connection to the medresa will dissolve at the end of the week.”

Annilasia’s stomach clenched. Her dreams would power the twister’s damn wand. A curse escaped her lips from the profanities floundering in her head. She snatched the medresa from Korcsha’s hand. With the book in tow, and the leech jar and medresa tucked in her pocket, she turned to leave.

“How am I to find this friend of yours?” asked Korcsha.

Annilasia twisted her neck to regard zim. “You didn’t offer much in my quest to find your friend.” She rolled her eyes when Korcsha arched an eyebrow. “You’ll find her on the arm of the Sachem. She still has red hair.” Annilasia turned and darted for the exit, unwilling to waste more time amid the smoke.

“I like you, sweetling. Don’t go forgetting about me!” Korcsha cooed behind her. “And don’t lose the book. I’ve got tracker wards on it . . . so I’ll know if you do.”

“Dardajah’s spit be on your soul, Korcsha,” whispered Annilasia. And good riddance. She pushed past the tent flaps and emerged from the smoky space. Acclimated to the sparse warmth of the candle, her muscles flexed in the cold breeze. A queasy throb swarmed through her, crippling her intent to run. She doubled over unsteadily. Fighting off the hopper’s weed was going to prove difficult.

Lifting her head to the sky, she noted the slightest shift of color. Clouds still reigned, but it was obvious dawn was encroaching on the night’s darkness. She’d spent far too long with Korcsha.

I swear on the Star Alignment, I will kill Jalice if she’s left that damn bunker.