Book of Fates ✔

Wizardry

"Are you accusing me of drawing too much attention with the drinks machine?" Eirn queried, peacefully sipping his Coke through a straw. His curls fell over his forehead; he titled his head, striving to shake his hair away, but send them flying in mess instead.

Daphne watched him for a minute. "Astarta insisted on taking a human expert along with us," she turned her attention to Anya, offering her a look full of mocking seriousness. "Enlighten me, our new team member, were you to see a company like us in the street, what would you think?"

Anya froze, staring at the daityan with blank expression. The fork in her hand stopped halfway to her mouth. "What?" She was so surprised by the question, all her thoughts evaporated.

"You heard me." Daphne raised one eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

What do I have to say? Anya wet her lips nervously. Nikk, Rill and Eirn were staring at her, too, obviously inquisitive. People who threw me in Tibet and then in Brazil with a simple shining stone?

Anya struggled to recall her feelings the night she had first seen Nikk and Daphne in the theatre, but the attempt brought nothing, save for an image of Leir sniffing around her room later, and a whirl of other disturbing emotions.

Where is dad now? What did the neighbors think when they saw our vandalize apartment? Are my friends looking for me? And what will I do with my life after all this is over?.. Anya felt helplessness clutching her heart.

Apparently, her face reflected the feeling, because Rill hurried to Anya's aid.

"Come on, Daphne," Amarillis ran her tongue over her upper teeth. "Even if right now you stand up and announce that you were born on another planet, millions light years away, nobody will believe you."

"Nobody will believe me even if I turn into a dragon before their very eyes and fly away through the vent." Daphne gave a small shrug, "Too bad, I can't actually do so."

"Hah, I'd love to see that," Eirney snickered.

"Still," Daphne pressed, peering into Anya's eyes like she saw an extremely interesting exhibit. "What if I told you that it is possible, let's say, to revive a withered plant, would you believe me?"

"Yes." Anya blurted out without hesitation. The daitias proved to be capable of many unbelievable things. Rill once grew flowers in mere seconds, so why not?

"And if I asked you the same question a week ago, before we'd met?"

"No."

A mischievous smile tugged on the corners of Daphne's lips.

Yet, the daitias also proved to be skilled in deceiving with words.

Nikk's sister definitely loved her new game of questions, her finger ran around the rim of her brother's mug, her eyes twinkled with fervor. "And, what if I told you that you can do it on your own? Would you believe me then?"

"Daph," Nikk cast her a reproachful glance. "We're here not to conduct experiments. A few minutes ago you were complaining about extra attention, what do you think you're doing now?"

"Who cares," Daphne tucked a strand of her shaken loose lock of hair behind her ear and looked off.

"Wait!" Anya felt a sting of curiosity at the back of her mind. "I do want to conduct an experiment. How can I revive a plant myself? Using adris?"

Daphne's features brightened victoriously. "Exactly using adris." She brought a small malachite stone out of her bag. "All you need is knowing precisely what you want. And a drop of energy."

On the neighboring table was a vase with a lonely limp gerbera. Daphne squeezed the crystal in her hand, her gaze piercing the flower with scaring intensity. Like on a videotape running backwards, the gerbera stem started straightening slowly, and soon, the drab petals bloomed wine red, beaming life.

Satisfied with what she had accomplished, Daphne placed the adri on the table in front of Anya. "Your turn."

A moment of hesitation, and Anya took the crystal. After all, she was the one who volunteered—it was foolish to recoil now. Rill winked encouragingly and nodded toward a flowerpot on the bar.

A rose in the pot seemed dead to the point of no returning, but Anya could not give up so easily. She closed her fingers around the crystal so hard it hurt and stared at the flower, hypnotizing it.

Nothing happened.

Anya narrowed her eyes, feeling the blood pumping in her temples.

Not a move of a single petal.

How is this supposed to work?! Is Daphne playing with me? No, Nikk wouldn't allow it, right? Nikk. Anya caught his warm gaze fixed on her. She remembered him teaching her to teleport in a dream world. There, all you needed was...

Aspiration. Imagination. Conviction.

The petals shivered. Faster. And faster. The adri grew hot in Anya's palm, like a fire flame against her skin. She was afraid it would leave a burn, but didn't ease her grip.

The petals were moving swifter, dancing and swirling, turning the old herbarium into a blossoming piece of nature. In a couple of minutes, a languishing plant was no more—a thriving bud peeled apart into rich yellow.

"You're a quick learner," Daphne said in approval. Was it the first time she said something nice to Anya?

An elder lady was sitting at the bar. As she witnessed the flower coming alive like at the wave of a magic wand, her eyes widened in horror. The woman looked around and, when she realized no one else had seen the wizardry, grabbed her purse and hurried away without turning back.

The daitya and Anya laughed once again.

"I told you," Daphne said, a hint of triumph in her voice. "Nobody takes a miracle seriously. Even though it usually has a logical explanation."

A female voice announced the boarding of the flight to Cusco. The mission was calling.