“No! Stay here with me. Please.” Tessie sat down again and a strange thought occurred to her. With Job in the room, she really did feel… safe.
All she’d ever wanted was to feel safe and he gave her that.
Job nodded. “Of course.” He watched her for a beat. “Would you like to elaborate on what you’re so scared of? I don’t think the Quintessence would be this concerned about Parald and Chason. You’re more powerful than both of them, aren’t you?”
Tessie winced at the suspicion on his tone. Like he’d said earlier, why would a Divine being need help from the Elementals? If Job kept going down that road, he’d reach the truth of her uselessness pretty quickly. She needed to throw him a bone and there really wasn’t a better story to tell than the truth. Or, at least parts of it. “What do you know about the Tablets of Fate?”
Job obviously hadn’t been expecting that. “Not a lot. They’re a myth.”
“
I
was a myth until a couple hours ago. Now, I’m staying in your guest room. The Tablets of Fate are real. Trust me. What do you know about them?”
“Well,” Job put his hands behind his back, again, “there are, I believe, nine of them.”
“Liberty, Health, Love, Happiness, Compassion, Justice, Valor, Peace, and Reason.” Tessie rattled off the names, counting them on her fingers as she went. “Nine separate Tablets separated from one
larger
Tablet. Think the
Voltron
cartoon.”
“I have no idea what that is.” Job reported seriously.
Tessie rolled her eyes. “Smaller pieces that can do stuff on their own, but when you put them together, they’re invincible. Right? If you have
all
the Tablets, you supposedly can control the ultimate destiny of the universe.”
Job eyed her cautiously. “Do
you
have all the Tablets?”
“Hell, no!” Tessie exploded. “Dude, if I had the fucking things, would I be so terrified, right now?”
Job’s mouth tightened as if he didn’t like the idea that she was terrified. “Where are the Tablets, then?”
“It’s an Easter egg hunt for them. They’re scattered. Which is good, because putting them together would be a real lousy idea. But, individually the Tablets still pack a wallop. They’re not good or bad by themselves, but they can do things. And, if someone twists their powers, they can do things that should never be done.” Tessie braced herself because he really wasn’t going to like this next part. “Now the Tablets are sealed, so no one can read them. Only one thing can get through the supernatural locks.”
“The Quintessence.” He guessed and closed his eyes briefly. “You can open them. And people know it.”
“Yep. More bad news: even if they
aren’t
opened they have the energy to do… smaller stuff.”
“Magic tricks small or Chernobyl small?” Job asked in resignation.
“Well.” Tessie rubbed her hand against the leather of the couch and looked down at the marble floor. “It depends on how motivated you are. If you really wanted to get some revenge, for instance, and you had the Health Tablet… Theoretically, you could create a disease to punish your targets. Say… a plague.”
Job froze.
Tessie shot him a worried glance and hoped he wouldn’t kill the messenger. “Parald has some of the Tablets. At least, two that I know of.” She whispered. “That’s the real reason the Air House wants me. To open the Tablets and allow them to create some bigger turmoil.”
“The Fall wasn’t big
enough
?” Job’s lips barely moved as he spoke.
“Some of the Elementals survived the Fall. All the humans did. All the rest of us ‘none of the aboves’ did, too. If the Health Tablet was opened completely, the universe could be a wasteland in seconds.”
“The Council always wondered how he started the Fall.” Job’s voice was unreadable. “How did Parald get the Tablets?”
“My sister gave it to him.” Tessie admitted. “She’s the one I’m really running from. Kay’s more powerful than I am. She’s… Did you ever see that movie
The Bad Seed
? About the sweet, little girl who murders people for kicks?”
“No.”
“Well, she’s like that. She likes hurting people and I’m her favorite target.”
“Wonderful.”
“I should’ve told you this before I asked to stay here, because I’ve put you in danger from her.” Tessie sighed. “Kay holds the Khaos. Nothingness. That’s her endgame, although I’m sure that she hasn’t told the Air House her plans. She wants to wipeout everything else and take total control.”
“And so she’s searching for the Tablets.” It wasn’t a question. “Parald, I assume, isn’t smart enough to deduce that Khaos probably
doesn’t
plan on handing the ultimate power in the universe over to him once the Tablets are reunited.”
“I never met the guy, but rumor has it that he’s not the brightest star in the firmament.”
“He’s a fucking moron.”
Tessie’s lips parted. That was the first time she’d heard Job really swear and he sounded venomous.
Job’s jaw developed a tic. “We’ll need to locate the Tablets ourselves and keep them from Parald. Can you help with that? Do you know where any are?”
“Well, they’re hard to find. Especially, while working a fulltime job and trying not to get kidnapped by your psychotic sister.” Tessie knew where to start looking for some Tablets, but she wasn’t sure it was such a great idea to share that news. Truthfully, the Elementals having the Tablets didn’t exactly fill her with confidence about the fate of the world. They tended to screw things up. “The Tablets are elusive little bastards.”
A few minutes ticked by in silence as Job digested the information. “The Council has books and records going back for millennia. We’ll have to start there.”
“Yeah, I think that’s probably a good idea.” Tessie lied. She was such a good liar.
“No, you don’t.”
Or not.
“What?” She gasped.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea, at all. I can tell by your voice. You’re just saying that to appease me.”
“Well, kinda. Yeah.”
“Why do you disagree? I’d like to hear your opinion.”
Tessie wasn’t used to someone asking for her opinion. Especially, not someone as powerful as Job. It was sort of… flattering. “Well, if the Tablets locations were written down someplace, Kay already would’ve found them. You can try a library or whatever, but I know my sister. She’s scoured every relevant scroll, journal, book, and internet-site there is.”
“What would you suggest, then?”
“Leave the Tablets wherever they are. Kay hasn’t found one in years and neither has anyone else. They’re lost and they should stay that way. Sometimes things are lost for a reason.”
“No.” Job shook his head. “If one Tablet has already caused the Fall, then Parald cannot be allowed to acquire any more of them. I need to do something. I can’t fail, again.”
Tessie’s brows drew together. “Job, I was serious earlier. The Fall and all the rest of it wasn’t your fault.”
He stared at the wall, sightlessly, and didn’t respond.
Tessie realized that they had to get off the topic of the damn Tablets. It was making her edgy and Job morose-
er.
Her fingers twisted around the chain at her neck. “Look, Job, I’m really sorry about all this. Dragging you into it. You’re not nearly the asshole I thought that you were and if you want me to go, I will.”
Job’s attention snapped to her face. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Really? Because…”
“Tessie.” He interrupted. “If I’d known all of this, I’d have come looking for you, myself. I would have helped you sooner.”
He really meant that. All of Tessie’s previous worries and complaints about Job melted away. He was kind of official and proper, but he still felt things. The pull of the false connection grew tighter and Tessie didn’t really mind. In fact, it helped her completely forgive Job for getting mad at her earlier and catapulted him up the ranks to become Tessie’s favorite person in the universe.
It wasn’t fair to Job for Tessie to like him, because it meant that Kay would add him to her hit list. Nothing could ever come of Tessie’s feelings. Even if they
weren’t
fake, which they
were
. Somehow. In order to save the poor guy, Tessie would have to get away from him as soon as possible. Still, for right now, it felt really good to have someone with her in the darkness… A really gorgeous someone, too.
“I wish you
had
found me a long time ago.” Tessie murmured. “Thanks for letting me stay here. Seriously. I love Mayport Beach, but I’ve been lonely and scared out there, lately. This,” she gestured around the room, including him in her hand’s sweeping motion, “is so much better.”
“Yes, it is.” Job agreed softly.
Violet eyes met green for a long moment. Energy built between them.
Tessie looked away first. “So, do you still want to watch
Days of Our Lives
with me?” She blurted out, disconcerted by Job’s gaze, and voice, and presence, and everything else about him.
Job glanced over at the TV and nodded. “Yes. Actually, I do.”
Tessie smiled. “Come sit back down, then. You can worry about the Tablets later. Right now, it’s late and I’m tired and I have a lot more important information to impart. Like the custody fight that’s at the bottom of this undercover, X-rated conspiracy.”
“Alright.” Job found a place on the couch much closer to her than he’d been before. “Thank you. This should be educational. Don’t leave anything out. Especially, the pornography parts.”
Tessie laughed.
This time, Job didn’t seem shaken or unsure by her amusement. His mouth twitched, as well. When he looked at her, there was something softer about his eyes.
No longer feeling alone, Tessie scooted even closer to his side and began her commentary on the show.
I marvel of what substance was the mould,
The which her made at once so cruel fair,
Not earth, for her high thoughts more heavenly are;
Not water, for her love doth burn like fire;
Not air, for she is not so light or rare;
Not fire, for she doth freeze with faint desire.
Then needs another element inquire
Whereof she mote be made—that is, the sky.
Edmund Spenser- “So Oft as I Her Beauty I Do Behold”
She didn’t like him.
Tessie had told him so just minutes after meeting him and, chances were, she wasn’t going to change her mind, no matter how much TV they’d watched together the night before.
Job wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much. Honestly, it should have been the
least
annoying part of having the Quintessence as a houseguest. The discovery that Parald and the primordial Khaos were plotting to destroy the world
AGAIN
, really should have been his main focus. Finding those damn Tablets was the important thing, now.
Except, no matter how many times he told himself that, Tessie still occupied most of Job’s thoughts.
In possibly the most immature move of his life, Job had slipped out of the Earth Kingdom that morning before Tessie got up, because he didn’t want to give her a chance to say good-bye. He’d left her a note, telling her to do whatever she wanted and that he would be back that afternoon. In an effort to ensure that she didn’t up and disappear on him while he was gone, Job had also lied a bit. He’d assured her that he was working on a way to undo the fake-Phazing and that he needed her to stay put.
Which wasn’t true, of course. He wasn’t working on anything of the kind.
Job just needed her stay put because… he wanted her.
He stared unseeingly at the paperwork in front of him. He had a Council meeting in twenty minutes that he should have been preparing for. Instead, Job was daydreaming about the violet eyed tornado that had swept into his life.
He hadn’t daydreamed about anything since he was a boy.
When Tessie first arrived, he’d been furious. The rush of want, and need, and caring blindsided him when his energy touched hers. He’d been agitated most of the night, caught between anger and amusement and concern and desire.
But, this morning, when he woke-up, Tessie was the first thought that went through Job’s head. In the two seconds it took him to open his eyes, he’d experienced more emotions than he’d felt in his previous thousand years of life.
Excitement that he could see Tessie again and irritation that the feelings hadn’t faded. Worry that she’d left during the night and confusion about why the feelings hadn’t faded. Determination to keep her safe and relief that the feelings hadn’t faded.
A surprising amount of relief.
It concerned him how quickly he was becoming attached to the woman.
Job was getting used to the connected feeling, now. And he… liked it. He wanted Tessie to like it, too. Or, at least, to feel it, so maybe she’d do something to sustain it longer.
Watching soap operas with her had been the best night of his life. Without exaggeration. The two of them sat on his sofa and he’d felt like he was part of something special and real. For once, Job wasn’t watching people laugh from the other side of the room. He belonged. Right there, next to Tessie, he’d belonged.
Job would never have a Match. He knew that.
If he actually
had
an authentic connection with any woman, then Tessie’s false Phazing would have been a violation. But, Job was destined to be alone, so what did it really hurt to have this? The feelings were artificial, but they felt so
right
that Job didn’t really care. This was as close as he could get to finding his Match and having a connection with someone.
And Tessie was so damn appealing and warm.
He wanted her so badly.
How could he get her to stay?
“Job?” The knock on his door and the sound of his name jolted him out of his thoughts.
Job blinked and he stared down at the forest of red-inked trees he’d drawn all over his meeting notes. The agenda was completely obscured by a sketch of a small house, surrounded by tall palms and flowers.
He’d been doodling.
It was so out of character that Job felt a rush of confused embarrassment. “Yes?” He called, automatically.
What was wrong with him?
His office was in the Council Hall, which was the oldest building in the Agora. As far back as Job could remember it had been decorated in a neutral, Classical style. The office had been his grandfather’s, before Job took over as High Seat. The severe, frowning face of Wiset scowled at him from the opposite wall.
Job never liked that painting.
It judged him.
Job actually preferred working out of his home, because none of the art there watched him. Plus, there were fewer interruptions. The Agora was always crowded and people constantly stopped by his office while he was there.
The Elemental realm’s open space, the Agora was a place where Phases could come and go without any barriers preventing their travel. It was a marketplace, a meeting center, and a capital all rolled into one. The Elementals’ largest store was there, as was their university and movie theater. Job dreaded the day when someone petitioned to build a Starbucks out in the public square.
Teja came wandering in. “Okay, there’s some weirdness, going on.”
Job flipped the page over so she wouldn’t see his drawing. “How so?”
“Fisher died last night. Computer fell in his bathtub, if you can believe that. Doesn’t seem like that would kill us, does it?”
“Oh, God.” Fisher had been one of the last two Crystal Phases alive. The Crystal House had always been small. Losing it probably wouldn’t end the world. The Stone House could pick up the vital processes. But, it would mean an end to all gemstones, LCD screens, and God only knew what else.
That also meant that Llian was the last Crystal Phase alive.
Nobody could support a House all by themselves. Unless, they were Cross. Job’s nephew held the Shadow House alone. Not everyone had Cross’ strength, though. “Is…?”
Teja cut off his question. “No, that’s weird part. Llian’s still alive and doing okay. She says she feels the added pressure, but…”
“That’s impossible.”
“Thus, the weirdness, I spoke of.” Teja agreed. “It can’t happen, Job. Not unless there’s another Crystal Phase out there sharing the load.”
“If there was another member of the Crystal House walking around, I think we would have noticed.” Job’s mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation. What was going on? “Could there be someone else like you out there?”
Houses interbred all the time, with most Elementals inheriting their mother’s powers and House designation. Typically, it was a matrilineal society. Maybe, someone from one of the other Houses was half-Crystal Phase. Like Teja, maybe they had somehow inherited two sets of powers. The odds of that seemed astronomically low, but it was the only explanation that Job could think of.
“There’s
nobody
like me.” Teja smirked, but there was no humor in it. That part of her died in the Fall. Job missed it. “What do you want to do? Llian’s freaking out, sure that she’s about to keel over at any minute.”
Job sighed. “Llian’s always been high strung.” And since the woman had lost her Match, she’d been ten times as bad. “Alright. Can you look into it? See if you can find out the answer for her?”
“Me?” Teja wrinkled her nose. “Are you serious? I’m already playing messenger here. Now, you want me to
investigate
this? I don’t even like Llian.”
“No one likes Llian. But, she’s what we all could have been, if things had gone differently. If we’d had Matches who’d died.” Phases weren’t supposed to go on without their other half. It never went well. After her Match succumbed to the Fall, Llian had held on for the good of her House and the world, but she was broken in ways that would never heal.
The Elementals had lost so many people that way. Survivors of the Plague wound up killing themselves or sinking into crazed depression because of the losses they’d endured. Hell, that’s all the Reprisal
was
. Phases from nearly every House, angry and desperate for vengeance, joined with Chason, of the Magnet House, because they had nothing else to anchor them.
And now, apparently, Chason thought that he could use
Tessie
to kill Parald and the rest of the Air House.
Chason had once been a good man, but the death of his Match festered inside of him. He wanted all the Air Phases erased from the universe. The resulting apocalypse, as all the Air in the world vanished, was just collateral damage as far as the Reprisal was concerned. Job couldn’t allow that to happen.
And he’d
never
let Chason get close to Tessie.
“Fine.” Teja rolled her eyes. “I’ll see what I can do. But, if I have to kill Llian out of sheer frustration, I don’t want to hear a lot of whining from you.”
“I appreciate that. I have a lot on my plate, right now.” He hesitated. “What do you know about the Tablets of Fate?”
“Aren’t they in some video game?”
“I have no idea.”
“No, wait, I remember. They’re -like- mystical things that have incredible fairytale powers. Reason, Justice, Donner, Blitzen, Sleepy, Doc and Dopey, right?” She snorted and got to her feet. “You want me to find those, too?”
“If you could, I wouldn’t say no.” Job shook his head. “Never mind. It’s nothing.” He waved a hand. “Go ahead. I’ll meet you in the Council Hall in a few minutes.”
“Yeah, great. I think it’s gonna be a fun meeting.” Teja went meandering out. “If anybody starts throwing laptops and bathtubs at you in there… run.”
Job sighed and flipped his agenda back over so he could study the drawing he’d done of the peaceful house, surrounded by palm trees and flowers. His gaze slid over towards his phone.
Tessie was probably awake, by now.
Regardless, of the feelings inside of Job, Tessie wasn’t really his Phase-Match, so he shouldn’t feel this compulsion to talk with her. To say or do something to
make
her like him. She’d put the fake feelings inside of him, in the first place. He should remind himself that he only
thought
he cared for her because she’d done something unnatural to mimic Phazing.
It was an insult, and blasphemy, and breach of the Elementals’ most important laws. Phase-Matches were sacred. Job was High Seat on the Council. Granted, Tessie wasn’t an Elemental, but he could still arrest her and hold her accountable for doing this to him. The Quintessence may be Divine, but she obviously wasn’t all-powerful.
Job could make her extremely sorry that she’d ever toyed with his energy and emotions.
Except, he really didn’t want to do that.
Job just wanted her to like him.
There was a logical basis for his behavior, of course. Job had spent the entire night going over all of the reasonable explanations for his strange longing to keep Tessie around.
First of all, even the false Phazing packed a punch. Tessie was so beautiful that Job would’ve wanted her, anyway. But, the added Phazing energy arcing between them meant that he’d basically give anything to have her, at this point.
Literally anything.
Job was a man who’d always held his desires in strict control. He was the Earth King. The oldest Elemental alive. Some of Job’s earliest memories revolved around his grandfather lecturing him on his duty to set an example for weaker Phases. This level of hunger for a woman was disconcerting and it short-circuited Job’s better judgment. So, lust was definitely playing a part in his reluctance to get rid of Tessie.
Also, she was very important. Tessie was the Quintessence and the universe needed her. Plus, she was the only one who could open the damn Tablets. Elemental’s everywhere were already searching for her, as was her sister Kay, apparently. Job had a responsibility to help Tessie and protect the world.
Had Gion touched her?
Job’s jaw clenched at the idea. Gion was one of the most powerful Elementals and he was extremely dangerous. If he came after Tessie, she could be seriously hurt before she had a chance to strike back with her own energy. She was scared and vulnerable to so much. Obligation and compassion definitely played a part in why Job let Tessie remain at the Earth Palace.
In fact, she might have to stay for a while. A long while, so that Job could be sure that she was safe. It was his job as High Seat on the Council to offer protection to the Quintessence. Maybe she could live in the Earth Kingdom. God knew there were enough empty houses. She could take her pick. Pragmatically, that was really the best option for her and Job was nothing if not pragmatic.