Torrent

EPILOGUE

Thanks to the curfew, the town was quiet, and we didn’t see another soul on the way back to the Motel 6. Temi had brought the sword inside, and it lay next to her on one of the beds. It didn’t glow when she wasn’t holding it, but it started up like a touch lamp whenever she brushed the hilt.

“Not too bad,” Simon said from the desk. He had the calculator up on his MacBook and had dug a scale out of the van. Our flakes of gold rested on its surface. “Given the spot price of gold, an estimate of the amount of pure stuff in our ore sample, and a subtraction of our expenses, including new headlights, a new windshield, food and motel bills, medical services-” he nodded toward Temi’s bandaged hand and my bandaged leg, “-and also minus the coin you won’t let me sell until you’ve researched it further, we’ve made over three thousand dollars for our work this last week.”

“Technically we didn’t get paid for the week’s work,” I said. “We got paid for scraping gold out of a crack before a tunnel filled up with water.”

Simon waved my objection away. “One must find a way to fund one’s philanthropy efforts. This was no different. Oh!” He leaned back toward the screen. “I forgot about the money we made from our web traffic. I wish we could have taken a few pictures of the dead monster to throw up there.”

“Three thousand dollars,” Temi said as Simon crunched more numbers.

I could tell from the wry twist of her lips that she found the amount more amusing than inspiring. Simon and I hadn’t made much more than that in the entire previous month, so I could hardly complain. But then I hadn’t won prize money at Wimbledon in a previous life either.

A sickly bleep came from the heater. My phone had been as unresponsive as Simon’s after the flood. I’d taken it out of its supposedly waterproof and drop-proof case to let it dry in hopes that it would come to life again. The bleep, however anemic, was promising.

“Text message from Autumn,” I announced with a sense of guilt. I’d forgotten that Eleriss and Jakatra had been after her before our diversion.

Three messages sent an hour or two apart offered variations of, Are you all right??

Yes, I tapped in, the cursor responding with irritating sluggishness. I’d have to find someone who could do more for the phone than setting it to dry by a heat vent. Are you? Has anyone bugged you?

No, made it to Phoenix safely. Ran the blood.

I paused, afraid to ask. Aside from a gold coin, an item that could have been minted anywhere, and the sword, an item a soldier had dismissed as a toy at first glance, we didn’t have any proof that there were strange… people from a strange culture roaming Arizona. Without proof, any article I attempted to submit about our encounter would be laughed into the rejection pile. But the blood… the blood was something tangible.

And? I prompted when a follow-up didn’t come through on its own. A long message popped up as soon as I sent mine. Autumn must have been working on it already.

It doesn’t match anything in the database, and the database is extensive. We have the DNA of weeds from the Galapagos Islands in here. Just about every mammal and reptile, and lots of birds and fish as well. Interestingly your sample is closest to human, albeit with a few inexplicable anomalies.

Aside from the fact that it exists?

Yeah. It’s closer to us than chimpanzees, as close as Neanderthals maybe. We’re perplexed by the fact that it doesn’t have a recognizable blood type.

We? I almost hit the icon to call her-I wasn’t ready to have this turned into some highly publicized find for reporters to paw over. But if she wasn’t alone… text messaging might be more discreet.

Autumn wrote, I’ve had a couple of perplexed scientists and professors in here with some interesting ideas. Outer space came up. Normally I would have LOLed at the guy, but he’s a chemist and pointed out the mercury level in the blood would probably kill a human-he thought it might make sense that its owner had evolved on a different planet with a much higher concentration of mercury. The biologist is still arguing with him, saying it’s too close to human DNA to have evolved anywhere except here. Being the science fiction fan I am, I suggested it was a traveler from the future, from when we’ve finished goobering up our environment, and there are higher concentrations of mercury on the planet.

“Why don’t you two talk to each other?” Temi whispered when she leaned in and saw the amount of text on the screen.

I shook my head. “We’re almost done.” As I spoke, I texted, File it as weird, I guess. I’m not sure the owners of the blood are still alive. We had a terrifying adventure today. Stop by on your way back, and I’ll tell you about it.

“Weird?” Simon was kibitzing over my shoulder now too. “File it as weird? Tell her to file it as the first elf DNA in the database.”

I snorted. “I don’t know why but that sounds even less plausible than aliens and travelers from the future.”

“Yes, but we don’t have a ray gun. We have a magic sword.” He lifted up the long blade, which did absolutely nothing magical for him. He held it out to Temi. She touched the cross-guard, and the sword lit up.

I blinked slowly. Things I’d been too busy to think about down in that cavern started clicking into place. “Oh.”

The others looked at me.

I held up a finger and sent another message to Autumn. Hey, one more question. Does your biologist think the owner of that blood could mate with a human and produce viable offspring?

“Ohhh,” Simon said, watching over my shoulder again. “Interesting.”

Temi leaned forward, wanting a look too. I held up a finger while we waited for a response. I imagined the debate that must be going on in some genetics lab at U of A. If these scientists had been there all day on a Saturday, it probably involved pizza and beer. A lot of beer if aliens had been proposed.

Maybe, came the response. We already tested it for compatibility with human blood types.

And?

It’s academic at this point, but the blood group-we’re calling it Tomko after the hematologist who came in to take a look-isn’t… incompatible, not on paper anyway.

Not a resounding yes, but probably as close as you’d get from a bunch of scientists. I tossed the phone to Temi so she could read the dialogue, but I couldn’t resist sharing spoilers.

“Congratulations, Artemis. Somewhere in your bloodline, there was a…” I groped in the air for a word that probably didn’t exist in our language.

“Elf,” Simon supplied.

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t contradict him. Unless Eleriss and Jakatra showed up and told us what they called themselves, we’d never know.

Temi’s “Uh” response managed to convey skepticism and a lack of enthusiasm at the same time.

I supposed it was a testament to my oddness that I was jealous. I wanted to be able to make the sword glow so I could fight any heinous monsters that showed up to trouble humanity. I didn’t want to be the grunt, as Simon had called us. Though I was somewhat mollified to realize he was in the same boat. Not special. A muggle. So much for being a mastermind.

“If it turns out to be true, it’s quite fascinating,” Simon said. “I wonder how widespread the phenomenon is. All of those warriors in the stasis chambers must have the shared genes if Eleriss expected them to be able to wield his sword. If we started wandering through the population testing how many people could make it glow, would there be a lot? One in four? Or would it be exceedingly rare, and it’s random chance that Temi can use it?”

“If agility is one of the defining traits,” I said, thinking of Jakatra’s combat skills-even Eleriss had shown uncanny grace in his mundane movements, “then maybe it’s common in certain populations.”

“Like we should stroll through the Olympic training center and do the sword test?”

“Assuming we could without getting arrested,” I said.

Temi lowered the phone and stared at us as if we were both nuts.

We were returning her stare with frank don’t-you-see-it? stares of our own when someone knocked at the door.

If I’d been sitting, I would have fallen out of my chair. It was almost midnight. Far too late for normal people to come calling.

And elves? I didn’t know.

“Someone with a big sword want to get that?” I asked.

“No,” Simon said.

“I said big sword, not big toothpick.”

“I’m comfortable here,” Temi said.

For a muggle, I sure had to take charge a lot. I peeked through the curtains. Two familiar figures in black leather jackets stood outside. Jakatra had reaffixed his wool cap.

For a moment, I wondered what they’d do if I didn’t open the door. I had too many questions that they might deign to answer to contemplate the notion for long. I opened the door and stepped aside so they could enter.

Wordlessly, they walked inside. Eleriss slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out another of his odd coins. He laid it on the television stand. “As we agreed, the second half of your payment.”

“Oh.” Simon slid into his seat and pulled up his calculator program again.

“Thank you,” I said since he was otherwise occupied.

“Did you come for your sword?” Temi asked. She’d been eying it as if it were a viper since I suggested her tainted-or enhanced, depending on the point of view-bloodline.

“No,” Eleriss said. He exchanged long looks with his comrade before going on. “We have come to offer you training on how to use it.”

Temi’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“We have been unable to locate the other human capable of wielding it,” Eleriss said. “You slew the jibtab. You may be your people’s only hope.”

Temi’s mouth was still hanging open.

Mine probably was too, as I was wondering how they knew everything that had happened. They’d been busy getting sucked down a drain at the time, hadn’t they? “How did you make it out?”

“We were swept through a channel that eventually connected to the lake. The jibtab had destroyed much of the support structure. You are fortunate to have escaped, as most of the cave system collapsed shortly after the water poured in and filled the chambers.”

“Yes,” I said. “We heard.”

“The human warrior is not important, not now when another option is amongst us, one that may be superior for this occasion.” Eleriss met Temi’s eyes with his own strange blue-green ones. “You are not a criminal, so will be predictable and less dangerous to train. You are from this time, as well, so you will not need to be educated again.”

Temi finally found her tongue. “But I’m not a warrior. I’ve never even smacked anyone. Besides-” she gestured at her leg, “-I can’t move that fast any more. It was nothing more than luck that we managed to trap that monster beneath the rock. I couldn’t have killed it if it hadn’t been pinned. I’m not even sure I did kill it. It might have simply drowned.”

“Modesty is an admirable quality in a warrior,” Eleriss said.

“You’re not listening to me.” Temi faced me. “They’re not listening.”

“We have noted your injury,” Eleriss said, “and it is a minor obstacle. I can find someone to heal the wound.”

Jakatra’s nose twitched. I wasn’t yet sure how to read all of their body language-some was similar to ours while some wasn’t-but I read that one as skepticism. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as Eleriss thought to find someone skilled enough-or willing enough-to heal the wound.

Still, Temi’s eyes lit with an intensity I couldn’t remember seeing before. Intensity and calculation. Right, if her leg were fully functional again, there’d be nothing stopping her from trying to get her career back, ostracized or not. You didn’t have to be popular to win tennis matches.

“How long would I have to be the warrior you need in exchange for this… healing?” she asked.

Eleriss tilted his head. “The warrior we need? Do you not yet understand? This, all of this, is for your people’s sake. There is nothing here for us. Rather, it would be easier on us if we’d never come at all.”

“Indeed,” Jakatra said dryly. “Our presence isn’t sanctioned.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that-some division amongst his people? — but filed it away to remember if it became important later.

“I see,” Temi said. “Let me rephrase my question, please. How long do you think it would take to fight all of these… jibtabs you believe are coming?”

“Jibtab may be singular or plural without modification,” Eleriss said. “As to the rest, who can know? Not I.”

Not for the first time, I sensed he knew more than he was telling us.

Temi didn’t look happy with the answer, but she didn’t press for more. “Who would do this training?”

“Jakatra has volunteered,” Eleriss said.

I had no trouble reading the flare to Jakatra’s nostrils; if he’d “volunteered,” he’d been strong-armed into doing so.

“Oh.” Temi considered him. If she’d been intrigued by his handsome face before, she seemed to have lost some of that now, for she regarded him with wariness. “When would we begin?”

“Soon,” Eleriss said. “There won’t be much time. If you agree, I’ll search for a healer for you.”

A hint of doubt returned to Temi’s face. “I’ve been to all the best surgeons already.”

“I will not search here,” Eleriss said.

“Here? Prescott?” Temi asked.

“Earth,” I guessed.

Eleriss did not agree out loud, but he inclined his head toward me. And now I was really jealous. Maybe I could go along and hold Temi’s scabbard for her. Like a golf caddy. Except with swords. Just because I hadn’t encountered the “sword caddy” profession in RealmSaga didn’t meant it wasn’t a thing.

The skeptical expression hadn’t left Temi’s face. Either she didn’t believe-which was understandable-or she didn’t think this was a job for her. I gave her an encouraging nod when she looked at me. For as much as I’d love to take the job, if she could get her leg fixed, she’d be the ideal choice.

“I’ll have to think about it,” Temi said.

Jakatra tossed a few surprised words to his comrade. What, was he shocked someone would have to “think about” training with him? Maybe he was something special where he came from and his own people would line up for the opportunity. Personally, I’d rather have Eleriss.

“We will leave you time to do so,” Eleriss said. “But we cannot give you too much time. If your decision is no… another alternative must be sought.”

“Are there other alternatives?” I asked.

“If the criminal did not survive the flood, there are not. Not that we have discovered yet. And time… time is a concern.”

Jakatra said a word in his own language and walked out the door.

More polite, Eleriss said, “Good night,” before heading in the same direction.

“Wait,” I blurted, a thousand questions on the tip of my tongue. They’d told us so little. Who was responsible for making the monster? Why had it been made? Would the next one be the same or worse? Where were his people from? How long had they been visiting our world and why? Why had they plucked humans out of history and locked them up? What crimes had those people committed? “What are your people called?” I asked, thinking he might at least answer a simple question like that.

Standing in the doorway, Eleriss gazed back at us thoughtfully. Perhaps he wouldn’t answer even that question. Then he glanced over his shoulder into the hotel parking lot. Checking to see if Jakatra was out of earshot?

“We call ourselves the Dhekarzha,” Eleriss said quietly.

Simon stepped forward. “Are you at all aware of our people’s mythology stories that speak of elves?” He wriggled his eyebrows, silently asking if Eleriss would like to confess to being an elf.

My first inclination was to jab him with an elbow, but I found myself watching for a response instead.

“I am aware of some of the mythologies of your numerous cultures,” Eleriss said.

“And?” Simon prompted.

“They’re very creative.” Eleriss inclined his head again, repeated, “Good night,” and stepped outside.

As soon as he was gone, Simon and I faced Temi together.

“You’re going to do it, right?” I asked.

Simon nodded, though he looked like he wanted to say something too. Apparently, now that the life-and-death situation was over, he was back to having a hard time speaking to her.

“I… don’t know,” Temi said. “It sounds ludicrous. I don’t really believe…” She frowned toward the parking lot. “But if there’s even a chance…” Her hand drifted to her knee.

“You have to take it.” I kept myself from adding that the only way we’d get our questions answered was by having further contact with that pair. That wouldn’t likely be Temi’s driving motivator.

“The idea of having my leg back is appealing,” she said. “Fighting monsters and risking my life every day is less so.”

“I’m sure you’d make a fine Xena Warrior Princess,” Simon said and smiled, proud perhaps to have offered this compliment without stuttering.

Temi’s brow furrowed. “A who?”

“Xena.” Simon’s smile faded. “From the… uh, did you not ever see that show?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

While Simon studied his socks, I told Temi, “Think of it this way: today you killed a creature that was killing innocent people. You’re being given the opportunity to save more lives in a way nobody else can. I’d think that’s a much more important contribution to the world than entertaining people by playing a sport.”

Temi’s lips flattened. “Have you been talking to my parents?”

“Nah, they’d tell you to wander off the grid, plant a big garden, and have a small carbon footprint. This is way better. You get to wield a magic sword.”

Simon had grown tired of studying his threadbare socks and lifted his head to nod at this notion. “That would be the selling point for me.”

“Because you’d want the honor of defending your world and making this a better place for your fellow man?” I asked him. “Or because you think a glowing sword would be a chick magnet?”

Simon grinned. “Absolutely.”

Temi traced a finger along the runes engraved in the blade. “Perhaps it would be a chance to be… somebody again.”

With a wistful sigh, I wondered if I’d ever get that chance. All I said was, “Yes.”