Eclistan: Snapshots

 

I couldn’t remember the last time the landline had rung. It was bordering on obsolete since telemarketers were the only ones who called, and we should have rid of it.
 

‘Should have’ being the operative words.

My mother, like most in our family, liked to hold on to things as they “could be important later” and then let them take up space while they weren’t being important. I had pretty much forgotten it existed since I had convinced my mother to let me hide it in one of the unused cabinets.

Literal years had passed since I hid it, so my heart was not ready for the dead silence to be broken by the shrill BRRRRING of the phone going off. I put my book down as I went to the kitchen, opening the cabinet that housed the phone. It should have been dead, but there it was, still ringing in my hands. Despite my confusion, I answered.

Three things happened all at once: my vision went dark, the floor was ripped from under me, and my body went completely numb.

When my vision came back, I was staring up at a dirty tarp, three faces looking down on me. None of them had time to speak, because suddenly feeling came back, and I leaned over and threw up.

* * *

“Oh, my gods.” A woman with a long cloak and flowing robes took about ten steps back from me, waving her hand in front of her nose. “I didn’t expect that from a Djinn.”

“I don’t think any of us expected that.” This one was tall—unnaturally tall—and skinny. Lithe with nimble fingers wrapped around an equally staff. He peered at me with glowing green, pupilless eyes. “Are you alright, Djinn?”

I blinked at him, unsure if I should ask for his help sitting up. I did feel a lot better after throwing up—a first if there ever was. “I would like to say yes, but I’m really not sure what’s going on.”

“I thought Djinn’s were omniscient.” The third person who spoke was the most startling of the three. They were slender with pale-white skin, colorless eyes, and stark white hair. It was hard to look away once I’d caught their eyes. They quickly looked away, their hair turning dark, eyes grey, and skin brown. “Sorry.”

“Uh, no. I’m sorry for staring.” I sat up, taking in my surroundings. I was in a tent of sorts. Only three sides were covered by the dirty brown tarp. A table was to the left with tons of paper and cups strewn on it. It was like I was thrown into a Lord of the Rings movie set.

“Are you sure you don’t know what’s going on?” The woman stepped closer, waving her hand to make the throw up disappear. “I mean, if you don’t, why are you so calm? Being dropped in the middle of a secret rebellion can’t be easy to adjust to after your easy life.”

“My easy— Were spying on me?” Of all the things that had been said and done in the last five minutes, that was the most disturbing. There were things literally no one needed to know about me.

“Only a little.” She lifted her hands in a placating manor. “I just needed to see if you were the one we needed.”

“Perhaps,” the man said, cutting off the rest of her spiel, “we should introduce ourselves before we put her in a tense situation.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Under different circumstances, maybe I’d be freaking out. But given the circumstances of my entire life, I wasn’t. Weird things just sort of happened to and around me for as long as I could remember. Fairies took up residence in our bushes, and I often had to shoo gremlins away from our cars. That was just life.

“I’m Farid Liadon. Druid and Elf. Tashika Rein. Human witch.” The woman smiled. “And K’ebeto Nix, our Changeling cleric. I don’t believe our races exist in your realm.”

“Not that I’ve seen.” I stood, brushing the dirt off my pants. “Bonnie Fitz, by the way.”

“Very nice to make your acquaintance.” Farid bowed his head, and I wasn’t sure if I should curtsey or bow back, so I did neither and awkwardly tugged at my shirt. “Skipping to the chase, we brought you here because we need the power of a Djinn to defeat the power of a Genie. I know that this is sudden, but—”

“Gonna stop you there.” I put my hand up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Weird shit happens to me, but I don’t have any powers unless you count perfect balance. I can’t help you.”

K’ebeto looked at Tashika. “I thought your spell was foolproof.”

“Almost foolproof.” Tashika hustled back over to the table, looking the scraps of paper over. “I said almost. Nothing is foolproof. I didn’t mess it up though.”

“Tashika hasn’t messed up a spell in a very long time,” Farid said, looking me over. “Perhaps the spell picked the wrong timeline.”

“That would be some bullshit if there ever was.” Tashika muttered. “Djinn, are you sure you don’t have any powers?”

“No, because life is weird. But I can guarantee you I have no control over them if they exist.”

She sighed, leaning her forehead on the table. “I can’t send you back because we were hoping you could send yourself back.”

“I’m sorry, what?” K’ebeto flinched at my shrill scream. “Don’t you have any contingency plans?”

“Yes and no,” Farid said. “We had a plan if we couldn’t get a Djinn, but we didn’t have a plan if the Djinn wasn’t able to use their powers. For the most part, Djinns are born in full use of their powers. I’ve never known a Djinn to be without their powers, and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing two.”

Before I could even think of how to respond to this, someone came swooping in. Specifically, a red dragon-looking humanoid who seemed ready to kill. Her daggered belt clinked as she came to a stiff halt. “Farid, sir.”

“Speak, Akra. What have you?”

She cleared her throat, her eyes scanning the tent before landing on me. “The others have been wondering if, perhaps, the Djinn had arrived. They’ve gotten a little anxious.”

“She’s right there. However,” Farid continued, before Akra could speak again. “She’s not in full possession of her powers. For now, tell the others that she’ll be in my care until she has some control.”

Akra looked like she would have rather done anything else, but still she bowed her head and turned on heel.

“Do I really have to stay here?”

Tashika chuckled, “If you’d like to last longer than a few hours, I’d suggest you stick close to Farid. The king doesn’t take well to newcomers.”

* * *

“You’re much more useful than I thought you’d be.” Akra looked at the map of the land I had drawn with a critical eye. “Much more useful.”

I sighed. “I’m going to ignore you.” Akra had been less than helpful in the entire time I had been stuck in Eclistan—the earth-like world I had been unceremoniously pulled into. I had been put to work as the designated topographer since, for some reason, no one really had a good layout of the land. Not that there wasn’t a map; it was just so unbearably bad I made it a point for Farid to take me out—between the unfortunate near-death training to get my powers working—to get a good lay of the land.

Since the powers I had managed to get control over were useless, I had to make myself useful while I was still learning. It was weird that my minor in college had come in handy in any capacity when I had only taken it for fun.

“Everyone has a part to play in the coup.”

That was the other thing about it: the king was a tyrannical asshole who I was supposed to help defeat because air elementals beat out fire elementals. I wasn’t exactly invested in their rebellion, but I found it hard to turn away from them when they needed help.

There were, of course, some people who were less than happy about my being here. I was supposed to be some grand Chosen One™ savior, but instead they were stuck with a mostly useless human who couldn’t even fight.

It wasn’t until I was almost killed that I even realized how much these people resented me.

I didn’t sleep well in Eclistan. The air was different, almost heavy, but I still managed to sleep more deeply than on Earth, if for shorter amounts of time. I often woke up the same way I did when I was first dragged here: dingy tarp or with my head on the mapping table.

I did not expect to wake up with my hands tied, tossed over a goliath’s shoulder, stripped to my underwear.

"Oh, look, the savior is awake.” I just barely recognized the voice of the woman speaking. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was so high up or because I had gotten better at recognizing the different races, but I was pretty sure she was a dwarf. “And here I thought Madame Tashika’s sleeping drafts were extremely powerful.”

“Do I even need to ask what’s going on?” My heart was beating fast as I took in my surroundings. I was pretty sure we were close to the castle, even though Farid had never let me get close to it.

“Smart girl.” The woman smiled maliciously. “Don’t worry. You won’t even remember what happened.”

I tested the rope tied around my wrists and ankles. It was strong and felt almost like steel. My heart was beating faster as we traveled closer to the castle. There were a lot of things that were said about the King, and even though I wasn’t sure how many of the stories were true, I wasn’t eager to find out.

My breath started to hitch as my heartrate hiked, the goliath carrying me squeezing his arm tighter around me in an attempt to quiet me. I was sure I was going to pass out, my heartbeat thundering in my ears, my vision getting blurry until neither were there.

Three things happened at the same time: every cell in my body obliterated itself painlessly, reforming in what could only be a cloud of swirling air in the vague shape of my body. The goliath stumbled, my weight gone and ropes falling to the ground, and we were falling through nothing.

They fell on the ground of the command tent, Farid and K’ebeto drawing their weapons in surprise. “Bonnie?”

I could feel my consciousness fading and only managed, “Kidnappers,” before I fell to the ground, my body infinitely heavier than I remembered.

* * *

A few weeks after my kidnapping, we implemented the plan. Farid had been furious and wanted to banish them. I may not have been who they thought I was, but it was my fault. I wanted to be mad or even hurt, but I couldn’t muster it. Sure, they had planned on giving me to the king to do gods knows what, but had I been in their shoes, I wouldn’t have been too happy with me either. Easier to get rid of me than tolerate me.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Tashika was pacing, her hands clenching and unclenching. “You could have been killed or worse.”

“Very true, but on the other hand, I can use my air mimicry and teleport now, so that’s good.” She stared at me. “Really though, they’re just misguided and angry. Besides, we need all the people we can get. The plan would be a disaster if we threw away anything now.”

“I suppose that's true,” Farid muttered, glaring at Vimak and Falkrunn. “Anything else from either of you or you’ll be dealing with me.” They bowed and shuffled out.

K’ebeto shook her head. “You have a very soft heart. Under different circumstances, that would get you killed.”

I shrugged. “I’m not dead yet.”

* * *

After that, I had hunkered down in the tent, making a map of the area they had taken me, still trying to get used to my body again.

The day we infiltrated the castle, we were all split into three different groups. Tashika and her group would storm the front, causing a distraction for most of the guards. She and her fellow witches, sorcerers, and wizards would do most of the fighting.

K’ebeto and his group had infiltrated the palace as several different people of different ranks: cooks, butlers, and unarmed guards. When Tashika’s group started the fighting, K’ebeto’s group would take out any of the remaining guards, making an easy path for Farid and his group.

Farid, knowing I couldn’t fight very well, still insisted I be by his side even if I couldn’t physically be there. A little magic on Tashika’s part and a mirror were now my eyes and ears through Farid, tactical and moral support. My degree in history, specifically historical wars, had proven useful, so I had a small hand in tweaking the current plan. Our group was the smallest, most diverse, and strongest. We needed as much as we could to take down the king.

“Bon-Bon,” Farid murmured as they approached the doors. “The spell still working?”

“Perfectly,” I was sitting on the ground, mirror propped against the table, and maps spread out in front of me. Thanks to K’ebeto’s group, we now had a mostly accurate map of the castle, and I was guiding them through it. “There’s a hallway coming up; turn left and you’ll reach the king’s war room.”

I was shaking as they gathered, ready to charge in and face the king. When the door was shoved open, I almost ripped the map in my hands. Instead of a few guards surrounding the king, the room was filled with almost a hundred guards, the king nowhere to be seen.

I could barely get out the word “Retreat,” before all hell broke loose. Farid’s eyes were better than most as he was both old and an elf, but even he could barely keep up with the flurry of movement. I was all but panicking as I scrambled out of my pile of maps and out of the tent. I wasn’t too great at teleporting since I could only go short distances at a time, but I ran as far east as possible. Our main base was in a network of caves to the south of the castle, and the assault came from every possible direction so as not to give them any specific direction we would be coming from. Tashika had, along with the mirror, given me a “flare” to set off if Farid needed them to retreat at any time.

I glanced at the mirror, wincing as Farid took a heavy hit, flying back. I was almost as far east as I needed to be, just a few more yards.

“How did they know?” Someone was shouting at Farid as he held his staff up, casting a barrier spell against the guards.

“There must have been a mole,” he grunted. “It doesn’t matter right now. Get everyone out and to safety.”

“But—”

“Go!” The guards berated the barrier with their own spells and weapons, weakening it with every blow. The room was almost clear as I reached the retreat point, and the barrier began to flicker. The “flare” Tashika gave me was actually a seed that would sprout a huge, bright red and glowing flower before crumbling after a few minutes.

"Bon-Bon, can you hear me?” The mirror was lying on the ground next to me as I moved the soil and dumped the seeds in.

“Loud and clear, Farid. I’m getting the signal ready.”

“Good,” I heard the scratching of chalk and looked to see he was making what looked like a sigil. “Are you listening?”

“Always,” I covered the seeds with dirt, whispering the words Tashika had drilled in me.

“You’ve grown a lot these past few months. Much faster than I anticipated. It’s been really fun teaching you and just being with you.”

“Farid—”

“Bon-Bon, I’ve never had the opportunity to relax in my long, long life. Even with Tashika and K’ebeto—they’re my friends, but still look to me for guidance. You’ve never really done that outside of our lessons.”

I stared at the mirror as he sat on the sigil, placing his staff in this lap. My eyes started to burn with unshed tears. “Farid, what are you doing?”

“Thank you for that,” he whispered. “Thank you for seeing me as I am and giving me the opportunity to relax once in a while. I’ll see you on the other side.”

“Farid, please,” I cried. “We can’t do this without you.” He had always been there for me when no one else was. Tashika was far too busy to really help, and K’ebeto was in and out of the castle on infiltration missions. Somehow, between running a million missions and leading the rebellion, Farid had made time for me even when it was inconvenient.

“I’m sure you’ll find a way.” He chuckled, looking at the failing barrier. “You’re a smart woman after all. The king doesn’t deserve to live. You do.”

When the barrier fell, too many things happened at once for me to process. I only saw the guards charging him, a burst light, and a scream of pain.

It was only later that I realized that I was the one who screamed.

* * *

There was no time to mourn Farid’s death.

There was an odd power that I had never been able to use before we had congregated again—the power to compel the truth from people. I had never wanted to use it, but morality was subjective.

Three people came forward: Adrick, Vitstra, and Falkrunn, the asshole who’d kidnapped me.

I snapped their necks with the snap of my fingers.

We didn’t have long to make another plan, but my anger was making everything strikingly clear. K’ebeto and Tashika were looking to me for help—“Farid trusted you, so we trust you.”—so I put everything into making the next plan. There was no time to run too many mental simulations, just a week while we tended to the wounded and buried the dead.

I stuck mostly to the original plan, but I knew there were things we couldn’t do anymore and things we would absolutely need now that Farid was gone. I wasn’t a fighter, so Tashika insisted I use another mirror to lead the group. I didn’t put up a fight since I knew there would be very little that could be said to change her mind. K’ebeto also wasn’t on my side, insisting that I would need to be kept safe, the brains of the operation.

It wasn’t long before the week was up, and I was staring at another mirror, this time seeing through Akra’s eyes. Everyone had a goal. Tashika and her group would, again, be charging the front, occupying as many guards as possible.

K’ebeto and his group would be going through the castle, quickly and quietly disposing of anyone in the way and reporting back to Akra when they found the king and analyzed his defenses.

The only good thing that came from the last attack was that the king’s defenses were suffering as well. Magic users were at the top of their game, and fighters were still in need of rest, as they had to sweep the grounds constantly.

“The king is surrounded again,” K’ebeto said. “Magic users mostly, and a barrier around the throne room.”

“A barrier can be tricky to deal with.” I murmured, looking at the layout of the throne room. “Nalla and Torinn, work on dismantling the barrier from its basics: break it down without anyone noticing. Once that’s done, surround them. Take out the magic users first since they’re the most difficult to deal with. Tie their hands, take their staffs. About half of you should do that. The other half, deal with the guards. K’ebeto, take your group and trap the king. Bind him as quickly as possible and subdue him. Do not leave him alive. He doesn’t deserve to live.”

“Understood,” K’ebeto bowed, taking his team and breaking off.

“Akra, I’m trusting you to divvy up the work. You know these soldiers better than I do.”

“As you wish, Madame Bonita.” I looked over at the map again, trying to look for the best places to infiltrate. It had been a long time since anyone had called me Bonita. If I could recall, the last person to call me that was—

“Bonita?”

I turned to see my mother, hair frizzy and panting as she walked into the living room of our house.

Our house.

​

“Oh, Bonita, sweetie. Why are you crying?”

​​