Chapter Two #3
Mik smiled. “I will send you the video of what happened. It’s spectacular. Too bad we didn’t do it at night. She would have lit up half the city.”
Ted blinked. “You took a video?”
“Eh, sort of. There was a speck of energy watching everything to make a three-dimensional projection. It will emerge from Sabin’s phone and be all creepy-like.”
Nora chuckled. “When you get it, Ted, send it to me. I can just imagine Sabin triggering it at work so the guys can be stunned.”
Sabin rocked their daughter. “That is something I would do. Yeah. That was amazing.”
Ted laughed. “I will be in touch soon.”
Nora said, “Promise?”
“Promise.”
A familiar ringtone sounded. Ted looked at the name, and her eyes welled with tears. She answered. “Hello?”
Raw sobs ran through the phone, and there were other voices in the background who were insistent, and Ted said hoarsely, “Tell Sven and Toby to calm down. They are acting hysterical.”
There was a pause and a laugh, and she heard. “Guys, calm down. She can hear you and is not impressed.”
“Thanks, Arty. So, how are the triplets?”
“Getting big. When can you come see them?”
Ted laughed. “I am getting used to some changes, but I will be with you by the end of the week unless Auntie hauls my ass in front of the family sooner.”
Arty chuckled. “I am pretty sure she’s going to.”
“Right. All you need to know is that I was under a curse. No one could remember me when I left their sight for the last six years, but I still saw your littles once a month. The shamrock teddy bears are from me. If you squeeze the right paw, my voice says Ted, Ted, teddy bear just for you.”
The small electronic sound of Ted singing was in the room.
Arty sobbed and sniffled. “You were here.”
“I was there. You will remember, but the closer I was to someone, the more complete the memory loss.”
“So...”
“We were uni buddies, Arty. Roommates. We were pretty fucking close, and then I was gone.”
Arty said, “You were at the wedding. I wanted you as my maid of honour.”
“I know. Toby did a great job as maid of honour. Devlin was a great kisser.” Ted chuckled. “Are you in town or at the lake?”
“In town. We are coming up on the first birthday. Please come!”
Ted chuckled. “Of course. Text me the details. I will put them in my calendar.”
“I need to see you.”
“And you will. Now I am being stared at by a whole bunch of weirdness, and I think some orcs walked through the door. What the hell? Gotta go.”
Ted stared at the newcomers, and Avor got to his feet and spoke to them rapidly in a language that Ted needed to look for in the archives. When she found it, she blinked and started laughing.
Mik whispered, “You understand them?”
“Yup. They are offerings. More are coming.”
“Offerings?”
“For the red djinns and the crazy mage. I think they mean you.”
Nemia said, “Not me.”
“No, apparently, Mik gave the emperor some scrolls with profiles for Mik and her associates. These guys were picked as matches for Mik and the red and green djinn.”
Mik was staring, and they slowly turned toward the orcs who were standing with Avor and staring at them all.
Avor asked, “You can understand us?”
Ted smiled. “Sure. It wasn’t private. You were talking in the middle of a kitchen with about sixteen people around. No expectation of privacy.”
Avor smirked. “Mik, can you send a profile for her and Nemia?”
Mik paused. “Seriously?”
“Why not?”
Ted blinked. “Whoa. What?”
Mik grinned, and she glanced at Nemia. A dark red scroll appeared in Mik’s hand, and then there was a second scroll that was silver, encrusted with glitter. “And away they go.”
The two scrolls poofed and were gone.
* * * *
Vaayu had his wife pinned against the wall when two scrolls dropped out of the ether and hit him in the head.
Kaido laughed until she wheezed.
He eased away from her and picked up the scrolls. Another red djinn appeared from the first, and a glittering mage with a wave of finely braided hair was the second.
Kaido smiled. “I have told you; they don’t have an emperor, and therefore, they don’t hold to protocol.”
He looked at the red djinn. “This is the third that world has produced.”
“How many dragons did you send? I am guessing this is the world’s way of restraining the threat.”
Vaayu looked at his wife. “What did you do?”
She laughed brightly. “This wasn’t on me. This is the world creating antibodies for your invasion. I think they are adorable. They are cute and the kind of crazy that comes when instinct is firmly in control. I am excited to see them grow into their power.”
Vaayu quirked his brow. “They are going to grow?”
“They will gain control. That is key to this. They have been at war without knowing it. The normal humans could not fight the shadows, but now they have a fighting chance.”
Vaayu sent the scrolls to the orcs and mages. They could have the headache of dealing with the powerful and whimsical women of the world that held their grandchildren.
He stood and pinned Kaido to the wall again. He gestured and formed a shield above his head. She laughed, and the laughter continued until soft sighs replaced it.