Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) (49 page)

After the trio crossed the Diplomatic Tree Guard, they
entered a flat meadow known as the Diplomatic Defense Zone. Eric imagined that
it looked pretty during the other months, but now it was snowy and barren. The
village proper was a quarter of a mile away and guarded by another ring of
trees. Annala and her father passed the time talking about some (and only some)
of the surprises waiting for the unwary in this area if they bore hostile
intent.

“Why do you have all this? It’s overkill.”

“We have a lot of time on our hands,” Ponix said. “We like
to stay busy. Also, it’s better to have paranoid hate mongers like Meza focused
on village security than working on some plan to hurt, or Lady Chaos forbid,
hunt
humans.”

“Preoccupation is only thing preventing him from attacking
humans at random?”

“Meza….is a complicated case,” Ponix said. “He’s a hero of
the Conversion War and many of us respect him for it, including me.”

“I grew up on stories of The Scourge of Chaos,” Annala
said. “All of them portray him as a rescuer of elves instead of a killer of humans.”

“The problem is that he hasn’t moved on since then,” Ponix
continued. “He saw the very worst of human nature and came to believe that
humanity was a slave race for Order. He’s spent every day since then preparing
for the next attack.”

“Fortunately, the Supreme Council convinced him to
transform his militant group into a largely harmless political one,” Annala
said. “It’s called the Elven Preservation Society, but a more indicative title
would be the Human Haters.”

“Is he getting therapy for that?” Eric asked.

Ponix sighed. “The therapist agrees with him.”

Marking the village proper was a truly colossal tree. Eric
estimated it to be in league with Roalt Royal Castle. Branches grew from its
trunk and all the way up its shaft to mingle with the forest ceiling and
beyond. They spread to every corner of the village; even the Embassy. Although they
lacked leaves or fruit, they were adorned with snow and ice that shined in the
sunlight. As majestic as it looked in winter, Eric could only imagine how
beautiful it must look in spring.

“That's the Sage Tree, Dnnac,” Annala said proudly. “The elven
Sage Ledo planted it when he/she founded the village.”

“He/she?”

“The other thing Ledo’s known for is switching genders to
prank humans. We're not sure which one she/he was born with.”

Once he drew close enough, Eric saw elves decorating for
the upcoming festival. He had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing
things. These elves were
flying
! Magically powered flight was impossible
for most human mages—his own mentor couldn't do it—and there were so many of
them! They soared through the air as if they were birds.

Is this the difference between human and elven magic?

The trio passed the second ring of tree guardians and the
elves flew right over their heads. They carried wreaths,
paidríns
, images
of Arin the First Elf, and ribbons of golden-brown. Annala waved to them, but
they were distant in their returned greeting in Eric's opinion. He was a
newcomer in a deeply paranoid village, but Annala was a native...
It’s not
like I was bosom buddies with everyone in my hometown...
He shook his head.
He was bosom buddies with no one in his hometown.

 Clustered around the grand tree were numerous smaller
ones, some in the standard shape and others grown into unusual ones such as a
cedar saxophone. Annala stepped over a fence of toadstools on her way to one of
the latter. This one was built like a puzzle cube three stories tall with moss
growing in what looked like plant-fur. It lay side by side with the snow,
making Eric think of mints, and making him hungry.

"Hey, everybody!" Annala called as she opened
the door. "I'm home!"

Immediately, an older woman wrapped her in a hug.

"Welcome home, sweetie! It’s so good to—Dear
Trickster! Is that the collar? It’s hideous!”

"I love you too, Mom," Annala said as she
embraced her.

Annala’s mother was a slender and beautiful woman; too
young for someone who could be Hasina and Nulso’s contemporary. She wore a
pristine white lab coat with pockets that overflowed with mysterious and
ominous things. This, Eric decided, was closer to Hasina. There were also goggles
on her forehead with odd attachments. As she spun her daughter around, Eric saw
pictures of tesla coils on her back.

The woman looked over her daughter’s shoulder at Eric and
her eyes sharpened into that of an eagle spotting prey. Her lips twisted
eagerly. Again, Eric was reminded of Hasina and her fascination with
otherworlders.

 "Who is this handsome young man?"

Annala flushed at her mother's tone. "Mom, this is my
boyfriend, Eric Watley."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma'am,” Eric said.

He was too unsure of elven customs to do much else. In
some cultures, extending one’s hand when introducing yourself was a grievous insult.
He tried not to worry, because Annala told him not to, but it was hard not to
fidget under that scrutinizing gaze.

"Likewise." She gave him a gentle hug. "I'm
Nunnal. Annala's told me all about you."

"Mom..." Annala growled.

"He's your boyfriend, right? What's there to be
embarrassed about?"

 "I don't want him to know I gush about him!"
She covered her mouth.

"My daughter tells me you're smart, kind, brave, and
possess, how shall we say, a great personal interest in her happiness."

Eric blushed deeply at the praise. "Uh…ah… Y-yes Mrs.
Enaz...that's true enough."

"I've got half a mind," Nunnal mused, "to
fetch Sister Sagart right now."

"MOM!"

"What? After that disaster with Ralm, I was afraid
you'd never find a nice immortal boy to walk the earth with...Well, don't just
stand there! Make yourselves at home!"

The inside looked like a hollowed-out tree that grew into
the shape of a house. There was no paint or wallpaper to hide the natural bark.
Eric tried counting the rings but stopped after three hundred.
How many
generations lived in this thing during that time?

With the comfy couch and big-screen CV, he assumed that he
stood in the living room. There was a fireplace next to the couch, lined with
the same sort of stone from the tunnels he spent ten minutes walking through. Above
it and on the mantel was the head of a creature that looked like a wolverine
with a fish gills and an overbite.

 The sound of a flute filled the air and a red banner
dropped from above with “Welcome Home, Little Sister!” in big gold letters.
While Eric's attention was focused to the front, something appeared right
behind him.

"Hello, Intruder," a smooth voice said in his
ear.

Eric grabbed whatever it was and threw it over his
shoulder. The something flew across the room and crashed through the door at
the other end, knocking it off its hinges and creating a great clatter.

"Wow! Those are great reflexes! Owww..."

Annala laughed nervously.

"Eric, this is my son, Forge," Nunnal said. "Forge,
this is Annala's boyfriend, Eric. He will be staying with us for the Festival
of Arin’s Ascension.”

An elf the same age as Annala walked through the broken
door, rubbing the bump on the back of his head. He suffered no injury more
serious than that from his crash landing.

He could be Annala’s identical twin, they looked so alike.
The differences were minor. His skin was a little more tanned than Annala's,
and her chest was only a little more endowed. His body was slightly bulkier and
her facial features were a little more delicate.  

"Pleased to meet you, Eric." Forge slipped one
arm from underneath his cloak and held it out. There was a hook on the end
where his hand should have been. Eric stared.

"Oh, this?" Forge glanced at the curved spike.
"I got this a few years ago when me and my little sister were out berry
picking. A Lomto ambushed us on the way home and bit my hand off. Annala called
for help and our parents killed it. That's the thing's head on the wall over
there." He pointed to the monster plaque Eric noticed earlier.

"Ohh...that's impo—”

"You get used to it,” Forge said quickly. “It was
actually a good thing it bit me because I could hold its mouth shut and keep it
from going after Annala." He glowered at Eric. "That's how important
my little sister is to me. I'd give up my other hand before I let another kind
of monster have its way with her."

Eric slit his eyes, stared into Forge’s, and said, “
What kind of monster
?”

Said little sister started laughing. She clutched her
sides, it was so intense. The confusion on both her brother’s and her
boyfriend’s faces made her collapse. Ponix, who was about to join Forge, lost
his words. Nunnal held a hand over her mouth to hide her own amusement.

"Forge, for the last time," she began when she
regained her composure, "you and Annala are twins; neither of you is older
than the other."

Forge pointed to the girl laughing on the floor.
"Which one of us is more mature?"

"She is, because she knows better than to deceive
guests. Now change back."

Forge dropped his shoulders and groaned. The single iron
hook split into five, with one rotating to the other side of the claw base. The
claws extended and widened; they became fleshy and segmented. Fingernails
followed and Forge flexed his reformed fingers.

"I am only emulating the Great Hubabub by following
his example," he said proudly. "I inspire laughter in others and
serve a greater purpose at the same time."

"And what greater purpose is that?" Eric asked, tired
of the conversation excluding him. "Threatening Annala's boyfriend?"

"I thought the Trickster's Choice would appreciate
what I'm doing." He put an arm around Eric and whispered, "You
know...he just might go away if you break up with Annala..."

"Forge!" mother, father, and sister said.

"But seriously…” Forge continued, “this guy's bound
to have an interesting life. Are you sure you want to be involved in
that?"

Without missing a beat, Annala replied, "As the good
book says, ‘A lover is one to whom you may say 'May you live in interesting
times' with a sincere heart.’" She clasped her hands together and held
them at her chest. "Sounds like fun."

Forge raised an eyebrow. “Since when do
you
care
what the 'good book' says? Before you left, you were calling it—”

"
Annala
, why don't you show Eric to the guest
room?” Nunnal said firmly. “Your brother will help me with dinner and I will
call you when it’s ready."

"But!"

"Cutting onions."

"But!!!"

"AND cleaning fish."

Forge moaned pitifully and dragged his feet to the kitchen.

"And when you're done, you can fix this door." 

Annala gave her mother a hug and Nunnal ruffled her hair
before following her son. Heaving her bag, Annala motioned for Eric to follow.
A flight of stairs grew out of the wall across from the door and near the
kitchen, and spiraled up to all the floors of the house. On the second floor,
Annala stopped and pointed to the first room on the left.

"This is my room." She pointed to the room next
to it. "This is my brother's room." She pointed at the right side and
said, "That's my parents' room." She pointed next to it. “That’s
Kallen’s room, but she never uses it.” She walked down the hall and stopped
next to Kallen’s room. "Here's the guest room."

It was furnished with a bed, a desk, and a chest of
drawers and all of them grew out of the walls. There were no gaps between the
furniture and the wall; it really did grow out. The floor was carpeted with
soft and smooth moss. The window above the bed appeared empty, but Eric felt a
wall of solid air inside. He put his bag down and spun around slowly, taking it
all in.

"I guess you've never seen a literal tree house,
huh?"

“No, but I made one with my older brother. We stopped
playing in it when he became more interested in…other things.”

“Then it’s the same. My ‘older sister’ stopped playing
here after she became interested in other things too. When she found out Mom’s
research would never leave this village, she spent far less time here, and with
me.”

“She still visits, right?”

“Sometimes.” Annala swayed back and forth. “After she got
her pilot’s license, the sometimes became ‘rarely.’ After all, her real little
sister needs a cure for her mutation.”

“Yes, she talked about that at the Summit. Lunas said he
was keeping her as a pet. What’s up with that?”

“I don’t know all the details myself, but there’s a story
about it in the
Elven Tome
, latest chapter. I can ask the Muses of Remho
to set up a presentation for you later.”

“Muses of Remho?”

“One of the many cults around here. There’s also the Voice
of Zaticana, the Glory of Belldandy and, of course, Tasio’s shrine. I’ll show
you around tomorrow.”

Before that, Annala showed him the rest of her home:
basement, bathroom, balcony, etc. Other than a few doors marked “Entry
forbidden under any circumstances!” it was a familiar and comfortable home. During
dinner that night, he came to know the Enaz family better.

Forge talked about his blacksmith and flute training; yes,
working in a forge and playing a flute. Eric commented on the oddness and Forge
replied that it showed how little he knew about elven-style materialurgy. He
then went on a long and detailed explanation of the interplay between
temperature, physical chemistry, and musical harmony that proved beyond a doubt
that he was Annala’s twin.

Nunnal was the director of Hariana Inquires, a company
that researched everything and developed new technology from it. Because of
their immortality, elves had a lot more time to tinker, ponder, and invent.
They also had a religion and culture that encouraged change, innovation, and
flaunting the laws of nature. As a result, she was a fixture in the community,
something like a laywoman high priestess.