Guardian of the Earth House (19 page)

She was looking for the Tablet that Parson had found.

In her heart, Tessie believed that the Tablets were better off far away from her and from everyone else who understood their power.  They were lost for a
reason
.  Parson knew that she felt that way, but he’d blown her off.  Said she was wrong and the Tablets were more dangerous out there unprotected.  Wood Phases were all about protecting.  So, he’d actually tracked down one of the fucking things.

And he’d died because of it.

Until now, Tessie had been content to the Tablet stay wherever Parson hid it.  God, knew she didn’t want it.  As long as it stayed gone, it couldn’t hurt anyone.  But, she needed a new plan and that lost Tablet might just be it.  Plus, with all the Elementals in town, Parson’s words could be true.  It might be even more dangerous to leave it unprotected, if the Air House and the Reprisal were tearing up the place.

Especially, now that they knew Parson was related to Sullivan and Melanie.

Shit.

Tessie had inadvertently put bounties on their heads.  Now, Tessie had to do what she’d sworn
never
to do and go on a scavenger hunt for the damn thing.  The Tablet definitely wasn’t in the mobile home rubble and Tessie would know if Kay had it.  So where else would Parson have squirreled it away? It had to be with his family.

Had
to be.

Probably.

Sullivan crossed his arms over his chest.  “Can you be more specific than ‘stuff’?”  I’m not letting you go digging through my house without a clue as to what you’re searching for.  Is it valuable?”

“Only in a sentimental way.”  Tessie assured him.  Which was true.  Sort of.  As
objets d’art
the Tablets of Fate weren’t exactly worth a lot on a human auction block.  Their value came from unlocking their powers.  “Look, I won’t take anything out of your house without letting you see it first.  I swear.”  She held up a hand, Girl Scouts honor style.  “Believe me, you’re not even gonna care about this thing.  It’s a piece of junk.”

A piece of junk that could potentially get Sullivan killed.

Sullivan still didn’t look convinced, but he did finally lift one massive shoulder in dismissive shrug.  “Yeah.  Alright.  I guess, you can check out the attic if you want.”

“Thank you.”  Tessie said sincerely. “When do you think…?”

“Tess?”  Job came up to them and cleared his throat.  “Are you ready to go?”  He shot Sullivan a frosty glance before settling his gaze on Tessie’s face.  The King of the Earth House may have noticed Sullivan’s rapid climb up the Elemental’s social ladder and he might have needed the guy to find a Match for the good of the entire Phase community.  But, he apparently
really
hadn’t liked Sullivan touching her arm, earlier.

The Elemental world had really strict rules about putting your hands on someone’s Match and Job did love himself some strict rules.  Sullivan had completely pissed Job off by breaking a policy that no one had even told him about, enacted by a species that he didn’t know existed.

Tessie made a face and decided to force a little casual touching on her faux-Match, so he’d get that humans were different than Phases.  “This is Sullivan Pryce, honey.  The chief of police here.  Sully,” she gestured to Job, “this is Job Earth-House.”

“You two are what?  Dating?”  Sullivan automatically held out a hand.

“Just once.  Mainly, I use him for his body.”  Tessie winked up Job.

Job’s mouth quirked, even as regarded Sullivan’s palm.  Elementals really didn’t do handshakes.  Humans were much freer about touching.  But then, humans didn’t have to worry about other Phases possibly freezing them into place, like the Stone House could do if someone touched them.  Still, Job needed to see that humans were okay with bodily contact and that Sullivan hadn’t been trying to kidnap her, seduce, or hurt her.

Job flashed Tessie a look, even as he shook Sullivan’s hand.

She arched a “get it?” sort of brow.

Job nodded, somehow conveying, “You’re right.  Sorry,” without actually saying anything or changing his expression more than a fraction of an inch.   It was sort of disconcerting how easy it was getting to communicate with Job without words.  Tessie just felt connected to him.  She could read his moods and thoughts just by looking for subtle variations in his stoic features.

“Nice to meet you, Job.”  Sullivan sounded like he was lying, because he was.  “You look like a fairly normal, banker-y type guy to be hanging out with these Heaven’s Gate wannabes.  Just giving you fair warning.  I’m keeping an eye on all of you freaks as long as you’re around here.”

Job’s eye brows soared obviously shocked to have a human threatening him.

“Sully!”  Tessie snapped.  “God!  Way to welcome the new citizens.”

“Hey, their papers might check out, but I don’t trust weird religious sects, or whatever they are, moving into my town.”

Tessie had no doubt that all the Phases had fairly convincing human documentation.  The Wood House could create all sorts of paperwork .  Still, Sullivan didn’t
know
they were forged.  As far as he knew, hassling Job was really hassling a perfectly legit human.  “I don’t care.  You don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

“I’m not, Tessie.  I’m just warning your boyfriend not to start slaughtering goats down at the park.”

“I see.”  Job clearly had no idea what to say to any of that and just fell back on his stock answer.  “Well, I appreciate you being so forthcoming with me, Chief Pryce.  In exchange, I’ll try not to conduct any blood sacrifices on your public greens.  You have my word.”

Tessie laughed.

Job glanced down at her and his lips twitched, again.

“You’re such a wiseass.”  Tessie reached over to grab his palm, wrapping her fingers through his.  It was a really bad idea to let Job inside her defenses; to think that he was so cute and funny, and to care for him so much.  But, Tessie just couldn’t help it.  She just adored this man.  Something connected them, even beyond the imaginary Phazing energy.  Something that felt… real.

Job’s mouth curved into a genuine smile as Tessie squeezed his hand.  His eyes met hers and Tessie felt something shift deep inside of her as she stared into his vivid green gaze.

And then, somehow, Tessie couldn’t see him anymore.  She looked around and, instead of standing on the courthouse lawn, she found herself smack dab in the middle of Job’s memories.

Aether I should interpret as aeitheer; this
may be said, because the

element is forever running
in a flux about the air.

Plato- “Cratylus”

It was impossible.

Job looked around Tessie’s memories, so utterly shocked that it defied words.  He knew what was happening, but it
couldn’t
be happening.  This just couldn’t.

A memory sharing.

Phase Matches shared memories so that they could understand each other better.  Each person vividly experienced key moments in their Match’s life.  It might seem like a long while passed during the process, but really it all happened automatically and instantaneously.  It usually happened
after
Phazing, but it could happen before hand, as well.  Gaia or God or
something
picked the memories and played them inside the Matches heads.  Often, the recollections were so clear it was if the event was being relived right in front of you.

It was an amazing, unexplained feature of having a Match.  There was no way
any
amount of energy could fake memory sharing.  It was too powerful.  Something only a Match could experience.  It only ever happened between Matches.  You
had
to have a Match to share memories.  You.  Had.  To.  Have.  A.  Match.

Match.

Match.

Match.

Job felt the word hitting him with the force of bullets.

This was
real
.

Inside Tessie’s memories, Job felt himself start to breathe faster and faster.  Not even the Quintessence could do something like this.  This wasn’t a phony Match.  Tessie hadn’t done anything to create the bond.

Tessie was really his Match.  His
real
Match.  This was
really real
.

“Oh Gaia.”  Job whispered.  How the hell could he have been so
stupid
?  He’d been so set on the idea that he was meant to be alone that he completely missed the fact that the universe had finally sent him his Match.  He waited and waited for over a thousand years.  And when Gaia finally listened to his prayers and gave Tessie to him, he’d been too blind to know it.

He’d told Tessie that the Match was fake.

Job squeezed his eyes shut.  He was an idiot.

The sound of the childish laughter interrupted his thoughts.

Tess.

Job opened his eyes again and immediately saw his Match.  Job felt his mouth curve as he watched her.  Tessie sat on a blanket beside a beautiful blonde, who could only be her mother.  Job recognized the necklace Tessie always wore hanging below the woman’s throat.

Tessie was a little girl in memory, with black pigtails and brilliant violet eyes.  He had no idea where the memory was taking place.  It felt like the Elemental realm, but the kingdom didn’t seem familiar.  There were so many unexplored places in the universe.  Wherever it was, there was magic all around.  Rainbows disappeared behind stunning vistas of emerald green mountains.  The sky looked like an endless blue bowl above them.

Tessie didn’t seem impressed with the grandeur of the surroundings.  Her pure white dress was covered in dirt and grass stains.  Leaves clung to her hair and mud caked her knees.  She was a delightful little mess.

Job had never played in the dirt as a child.  For some reason, it made him very, very happy that Tessie got to experience that for both of them.  He moved up next to her and, for the first time in his life, sat down without being invited.  No one in the memory could see or hear him, because all of this had already happened.  He wasn’t actually there.  But even if they
had
been able to interact with him, Job
still
would have sat down.

He looked over at Tessie and was just so incredibly happy.  Nothing else mattered, at all.  Certainly not the rules of etiquette that he’d always abided by.  He had a Match and, more importantly, his Match was
Tessie
.  It was real.  Everything else just fell away.

“Momma.”  Tessie looked up at her mother, speaking in some language that Job didn’t know, but could still understand perfectly.  “How come Kay has powers and I don’t?”

Job’s exalted mood took a nosedive.  “What?”  He demanded out loud.  What did she mean she didn’t have powers?  She was the Quintessence.  She
had
to have powers!

Didn’t she?

Job’s heart rate sped-up as his mind raced.

If Tessie hadn’t created the Phazing between them --which she obviously
hadn’t
, since it was real-- then what else had Job ever seen her do?  Her energies never felt particularly strong.  She could jump into the Elemental realm, but that was the full extent of the powers that she’d displayed.

In fact, when he’d asked Tessie to show him some of her powers, she’d lied and took credit for manufacturing the “fake” Phazing energy between them.  She’d known all along that she hadn’t done it, though.  She must have really thought that
Job
created the energy and that he just didn’t realize it.  Obviously, she’d had no idea what Phazing truly meant or she’d know that was impossible.  How could anyone who wasn’t an Elemental understand how unique it was, though?

When Job said the connection wasn’t real, Tessie had believed him.  Since she hadn’t done it, she couldn’t undo the bond when he ordered her to.  Instead, she’d told him that her “vast powers” worked differently on Elementals and urged him to work on the problem from his end.  She pretended that the connection was all due to the Quintessence, even while believing that Job himself had unconsciously caused the bond.  Why had she taken the blame when Job accused her of manipulating him that first night?

Job swallowed hard as realization dawned.

Because, Tessie didn’t have any powers.

Because she didn’t want to expose the truth and leave herself vulnerable.

Oh
shit
.

Job actually leaned forward, trying to keep the world from spinning.  She was helpless. His Match was the most sought after being in the universe and she was utterly
helpless
.  How in God’s name had she survived this long in the world?  How was he going to keep her safe?

“Well, having powers like Kay isn’t everything.  You have a lot of wonderful attributes, honey.”  Tessie’s mom assured her.  “You’re a smart and beautiful girl.  You have a sense of humor and a kind heart.  Those are all very powerful gifts.”

“Not as offensively useful as the ability to liquefy people’s brains would be, though.”  Job muttered.  “Damn it, Tess.  How could you have not told me about this sooner?  Do you realize how much trouble you’re in?”

“Kay doesn’t have sense of humor or a kind heart.”  Tessie told her mother.  “But, she can do all kinda cool stuff that I can’t.”

“Kay is jealous.”  Tessie’s mother petted a hand over her daughter’s braids.  “You’re different because your father is human and I love him very much.  You came out of that love.  Kay wishes that she could go into the human realm, too.  That’s why she’s mean to you.”

Tessie didn’t look convinced.  “Really?”

“Really.  You mustn’t ever trust her, though, honey.”  Tessie’s mother met her daughter’s eyes.  “Kay needs to stay locked in the Elemental realm.  After I’m gone, the Quintessence will go to you and you must keep her here.”

“Kay says I’m not strong enough to hold it.”

“Well, she’s wrong.  You have enough energy to hold it and it’s a very big job.  You’ll have to make sure that Kay doesn’t take it.  Because, she won’t understand how to use it for good.”

“I will.”  Tessie assured her.

“I know you will.  I believe that you have more power than you think, honey.  And, as long as you use it for love, then you’ll be using it for good.”

The scene shifted, the edges going fuzzy and changing, dreamlike, into more memories.

Tessie had so many memories.  She remembered things that happened long before Job’s grandparents were even born.  He saw Tessie as a young girl, laughing with her human father.  Tessie wandering around human temples so ancient that Job couldn’t even identify them.  Tessie in the Middle Ages, standing over the grave of Antoine, her dead knight.

And then they were back in the Elemental realm.  This time it looked like the Air Kingdom, but Job wasn’t sure why they were there.  Especially, since they seemed to be inside a cave of some kind.

“You killed them!”  Tessie shrieked at a lovely, Hollywood’s Sweetheart looking woman who could only be Kay.  “You killed mom and my dad.  You killed Antoine.  You killed
everyone
.  How could you do this!?”  Her voice broke.  “Why would you
do
this?”

“I want out, silly goose.”  Kay smiled a horribly empty smile.  “I have to get out of the Elemental realm.  I know that some of the Tablets are with the humans and I can’t get to them stuck here, now can I?”  Her tone suggested that Tessie was being completely unreasonable.  “Mother could have released me with the Quintessence, but she refused.  What was I supposed to do?  Just give up?”

Tessie shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.  “You’ve destroyed my life.”  She sounded dazed.  “You took everything I had.”

“Oh, don’t be such a crybaby.”  Kay waved a dismissive hand.  “Honestly, did you track me down just to complain?  You still have the Quintessence, don’t you?  It was passed to you.  That’s the important thing.  I mean, she was my mother, too, but I’m not wallowing in self-pity.”

Job wondered if he could somehow murder Kay in this memory.  The woman was terrifyingly amoral.  She didn’t have any emotions, at all. It was like staring at some calculating and unfeeling creature hiding inside a human looking body.  Job could feel the immense power of her and the utter disregard she had about controlling it.

“Sweetheart.”  Job glanced at Tessie.  “You need to get out of here before she hurts you.”

Tessie picked up a rock and heaved it at Kay’s skull.

Job winced.

The stone bounced off of Kay’s blonde head without making a dent.  “Oh dear.”  She made a “tisk” sound.  “Now really, Tessie, you know that won’t work.  Nothing can kill me.”

“Mother?”  A man called from further back in the tunnel.  “Is everything, alright?”

“Yes, Kingu.  Keep searching for the Tablet.  I’m just having a spat with your Auntie.”  Kay chuckled.  “He’s such a dear boy.  Even if he does have hardly any powers.  But, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, sis?”  She tilted her head so a curl fell across her brow.  “You really should just give me the Quintessence, you know.  You don’t have the energy to wield it.”

“The Quintessence is mine, now.”  Tessie’s voice shook with anger.  “You’re right.  I might not have a lot of power, but the one thing that I
can
do with the Quintessence is keep you right here.”

Kay’s empty smile dimmed.  “What?”

“I’m locking you in the Air Kingdom.”  Tessie repeated coldly.  “Which, I’m sure the Air Phases won’t thank me for, but it’s the best I can do to stop you from finding the Tablets.”

“You can’t do that.”  Kay took a step towards her sister.  “You can’t just leave me in this backwater, hole-in-the-wall kingdom.  I am the Khaos!  I was worshiped as a god.  I will be again, as soon as I have the Tablets.”  She shook her head.  “You
can’t
stop me, Tessie.  Not forever.”

“Maybe not, but I can make sure your endless days are as difficult as possible, you miserable bitch.”

Job nodded.  “Good.  Yes.  Do that.”  He completely supported Kay’s confinement.  It would keep her away from Tessie.

“Tessie dear, things don’t have to be this way between us.”  Kay tried blinking her long lashes.  “We can work together to get the Tablets.  I need you.  We’re family.”

“You’re not my family.  I don’t have a family, anymore.”  Tessie’s eyes narrowed as Kay maneuvered closer.  “And you’ll
never
get those Tablets opened, even if you do find them.  I’ll destroy the Quintessence before I let you use it for that.”

“You’ll take the universe down with you, then.”  Kay reminded her sweetly.  “Nothing can exist without the Quintessence.”

Tessie shrugged.  “I don’t care.  Better the world end than have you in charge of it.”

“Agreed.”  Job nodded.

Kay gave her hair a toss and got ready to pounce on her sister.  “You don’t have a choice, Tessie.  I’m going to get the Quintessence, eventually.  I’m so much stronger than you.”  She was very close to Tessie, now.  Job found himself stiffening with panic as she reached out a dainty hand.  “You might as well not fight the inevitable, dear.  After all, it’s not like you can hide from me.”

Tessie smirked.  “Want to bet on that?”  She jumped into the human realm, inches from being caught in her sister’s clutches and leaving Kay grabbing at thin air.

More memories drifted by.