When Jensi, Amy, and Jeri glittered onto the swampy fields of Everfalls, the battle had already started. Jensi saw Purities swarming from behind slabs of rock, away from the waterfalls they'd hidden behind and toward only one.
Nhyontuitouffhtoea. The Fountain of Youth—so Amy called it.
It was even more breathtaking in person. Two rocks, black as obsidian, protruded from the earth like spires from a buried castle. Between them, flowing from down the cliffside, foamy white water ran in a smooth stream and gathered into a large pool at the base.
Two elves were crouched there, one releasing sparks from her hands—Maruca—and the other flexing her fingers then shaking her head. That had to be Linh.
Defending the waterfall were Sophie, Wylie, Prentice, and the previous Collective. Even Councillors Bronte and Alina were here.
How did they know? Jensi wondered, but he didn't have time to worry about it. His gaze was, instead, locked on the Purities. Now he knew they were human, so much of his perception had changed.
"I'm ashamed to say I could know them," Amy whispered from beside him.
Jeri snorted. "I'm not. What are we waiting here for anyway, acting like a bunch of dreamlilies in a field in the middle of nowhere—BORING. Let's show them Purities what fire really looks like!"
She skipped forward with her fists raised, but Jensi grabbed her cloak and pulled her back. He was starting to regret bringing her along. "What fire?"
Her answer was swallowed by the shouts of alarm coming from his friends as a Purity barreled for them with their arm outstretched, a large flame belching from their hand.
"How is that possible?" Jensi asked. "They're human!"
"Yeah, but they must have scientists and inventors working with them," said Amy. "That's why we thought a Technopath was in their rebellion, but I'd bet all that technology is either provided by elvin supporters or based off of elvin tech."
"Except it's human," Jensi finished.
Had Dex come to the same conclusion? Or was he still at his house, trying to figure the addlers out? They hadn't had time to communicate to their friends their revelation... but maybe that wasn't necessary; it looked like a lot of them already knew something.
"We have to help," he decided, and Jeri let out a long "Duuuuuuuh."
Amy eyed the battle—Juline freezing a Purity's leg to the ground, Wylie temporarily blinding members so the others could detain them, Alina beguiling the enemies to do as she willed. "I... don't know, Jensi. I don't know what I can do—not without an ability. I'm not a warrior."
"We have knowledge. In any battle, that's worth something."
"Saving the world by knowledge?" Jeri whined. "I'd rather be a verminion's chew toy!"
"It doesn't matter what you'd rather—you're not fighting," said Jensi. "I need you to go tell Keefe, Biana, and Dex about what's going on."
Her eyes widened in rage, and she stomped her foot. "NO! You said you'd let us help! You can't take that back! I don't care if I'm Talentless; I'm not USELESS!"
"Jeri, it's not about you being Talentless! I'm Talentless, and Amy doesn't have an ability."
"It's about grown-ups being so mature, isn't it? I'm mature!" She emphasized the point with another foot stomp.
Amy smiled encouragingly.
I don't have the time for this, Jensi thought, rubbing his forehead. "I don't want you getting hurt. It would be my responsibility."
"No, it would me mine, since I'm the one who gets to decide what I do. Not some dumb rules about Talentless being forbidden to do things."
"You're right; those rules are pretty dumb. And, Jeri?" He put a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to meet his eyes. "I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself without shouting death threats."
"Maybe my motivation has gone down five million levels because I'm so bored sitting here talking about saving the world instead of actually saving the world. THE DELIVERER OF PAIN AND DESTRUCTION SHALL RAIN HER FIERY WRATH UPON ALL THOSE WHO STAND IN HER WAY!"
Amy shared a smile with Jensi as he shushed the young elf. "We're going to try to reach everyone without encountering a Purity. But if we do, I want you two to try to get away. I'll use whatever skills I have—and yes, I know you know some skills too, Jeri, but save those for the real battle."
Her eyes lit up with something he intepreted as either recklessness or excitement. Either way, it scared him.
It would take too much time to persuade her to leave, though, so he put his trust in each girl's capabilities and took off. They followed him across open field to hidden places behind hills or crags. As they drew closer to the bluff and the waterfall, they passed more and more Purities. The one using fire did indeed have a device hooked to her wrist; there were also water-, wind-, and "shadow"-users.
"It's sad," Amy said as they peeked out from behind a rock. "They're trying so hard to fake abilities, to be elvin... It's just demeaning."
"What'll be demeaning is when I RAIN FIERY VENGEANCE UPON ALL THOSE WHO DARE DEFY ME!" Jeri shouted with a wide grin.
Amy clamped a hand over Jeri's mouth, but it was too late. Two Purities startled and started walking their way—the fire-user and one with a strange black melder in his hand.
"Go!" Jensi urged them, and Amy started backing away. Jeri shrieked and brought her foot down on Amy's, causing Amy to yelp and instinctively let go.
Jeri charged.
"NO!" Jensi yelled, but there was no stopping her. The Purity with the black melder got over his shock and lifted the weapon...
Aimed at her.
It was as if a new person had taken over Jensi's body, because suddenly he was still and calm. His hands lifted, a pull in his stomach... The trigger was pulled...
Amy gasped from behind him. He was shaking from the effort, but the bullet was hovering. I caught it with my telekinesis.
Jeri didn't seem to notice he'd saved her life, pushing herself off the ground with levitation and tackling the fire-user. The Purity with the weapon—Jensi now realized it was not a melder—shot at Jensi instead. He didn't have time to react, but a heavy weight rammed into him, knocking him over. The bullet missed.
"Your welcome," Amy huffed.
"Help Jeri! I've got this guy."
Amy seemed to realize he didn't "got this guy," but she obeyed anyway.
Which left Jensi with mediocre skills and no ability faced against the wielder of a machine that shot metal balls.
Great.
"You're a coward if you won't fight fair!" he said, diving behind a rock to dodge another shot.
"Ha—says the elf who thinks you're superior." The Purity went silent, and Jensi inched along the crag's perimeter.
"I'm what we call Talentless," he said. He wasn't sure what chance there was of convincing the guy to back off, but it was worth a shot. "I don't have an ability. No fire, water, shadows, that sort of stuff."
"Liar! You have one of those hidden superpowers; you have no proof that what you say is true."
Jensi scaled part of the rock as the Purity rounded the corner with his gun at the ready. He had almost reached the top when his hand slipped on the wet surface and he let out a hushed "Gah!"
The Purity jerked his head up. "Hey, there."
"I'm not a liar!" Jensi said, feeling the urge to prove to this human he wasn't a bad guy. He wouldn't die being told he was a liar. "You just can't accept someone who thinks differently than you expect them to! I don't have an ability, but I don't want to kill people to get to a dumb waterfall, even if it'll make me 'powerful'!"
The man's face was blurred, but Jensi could tell his lip was curled in disgust. "You're getting paid to say this, aren't you? If anyone's a coward, it's you."
PAID? Jensi thought in bewilderment—but he didn't have time to ruminate. The Purity raised his gun and pulled the trigger. Jensi let go of the rock wall and tucked his head next to his body. He hit the ground with enough impact to make his shoulder crack, but he gritted his teeth through the pain and rolled to a stand.
The Purity already had his gun pointed at him again. Jensi sucked in a breath, terrified it would be his last, and threw out his hands to catch the metal with telekinesis.
There was a loud ping and a grunt. That was when he realized he'd closed his eyes to avoid watching his impending doom—but when he opened them again, he instead saw his salvation: Sophie shifting her weight in front of him and lifting the massive black-and-silver sword she'd used to deflect the bullet.
"Leave my friend alone," she growled.
A hysterical laugh escaped Jensi's lips. Friend. He'd been worth saving—worth noticing. Who knew he'd finally be appreciated in the middle of a battle?
The Purity looked paler than before, but that could've been the addler playing tricks on Jensi. "The Moonlark has come. I've been waiting for this."
Sophie rolled her eyes. "You talk like you're the star in an action movie."
The human roared and lifted his gun—but a bright pink blast of energy rendered him useless, and he crumpled to the ground in convulsions.
"Sorry—sorry!" Sophie turned off her inflicting and checked the man's pulse. "He's just unconscious. I tried to go easy on him; we're refraining from killing anyone, okay? That could start a human revolution, and that's the last thing we need."
"Makes sense," he said, bending over to catch his breath. "Thanks for saving me."
"No problem. Did you come with reinforcements?"
He jerked up. "Amy and Jeri!"
"Amy's here? Where?"
Jensi led her around the crag, where Jeri and Amy were taking on the fire-user. Their strategy appeared to be engaging the human as closely as possible so she couldn't turn on her fire. The Purity spun around, trying to decide which one to attack before choosing Amy. She thrust her hand toward Sophie's sister, but Amy blocked by hooking her hand around the Purity's wrist and pushing it upward. With her foot, she kicked the fire-user behind the knees, causing her to fall, and with that momentum, Amy pushed her all the way to the ground, pinning her arms behind her back at the same time.
Jeri jerked the fire device off the Purity's wrist, threw it to the ground, and stomped on it. "DESTINY HAS FARED YOU ILL THIS DAY!"
Sophie slowly went to a standstill. "Uh... Amy?"
"Hi, Sophie!" Amy gasped, wiping sweat off her forehead. "Can you, um...?"
"Right!" Sophie pulled a round device out of her pocket and clamped it around the Purity's ankle. "If you make a wrong move, it'll shock you unconscious," she murmured. Then, to Amy, "Now, before I get distracted, do you mind telling me where those moves came from?"
"I took a self-defense class this past year... and I may have stolen some ideas from those action movies Dad loves."
Sophie stared at her sister for a few seconds before shaking herself. "Yeah. Right. You... shouldn't be here. Your green eyes will confuse everyone; how will they know you're a good human?"
"Uh, because I'm the only one without a gun?"
"That's not the point, Amy!"
"Then why did you say it is? Honestly, I don't care what 'the point' is—I'm helping!"
"Amy—"
"No, listen to me! I get that I'm not you. I'm not an elf, I'm not a fighter, I'm not a Moonlark. But that doesn't mean you have to protect me. I can take care of myself."
"Besides, I don't think the Purities' goal is to kill us," Jensi cut in. He didn't want to ruin Amy's moment to stand up to her sister, but this couldn't wait. "We found out the Purities aren't just after purity—if that's what they were after in the first place. In reality, they want power. And that waterfall, Nhyontuitouffhtoea? Its waters are where we get Youth—what we drink now isn't the same as what's in that pool, but it has similar properties, which is how we can stay so healthy."
"Sophie, it's the Fountain of Youth," Amy added. "And the Purities either want to take the water for themselves or destroy it so the elves can't have it. That's why they're here; somehow they found out about it."
"How did we not know about this?" Sophie whispered.
"Because the more people that know, the more people can take it for themselves," Jensi answered.
"We have to do something," said Amy.
Sophie sighed. "Fine. I want you to go around the rock and take that Purity's gun, and once you've done that, you three head over there by Maruca and Linh. If our defense breaks, you step up. If anyone needs help, you step up. Otherwise, stay put."
"Yes, master," Amy muttered, jogging to get the human melder.
"Take care of her," Sophie pleaded to Jensi. He nodded, and she ran off to help those still fighting. Jeri moved to follow, but Jensi held her back.
"Not this time, kiddo."
When Amy joined them, they sprinted across the rest of the field to the base of the Fountain of Youth. She handed a knife to Jeri after they'd stopped.
"I don't know—" Jensi started, but Jeri cut him off with a squeal.
"Awesome!" She held it up like it was something holy. "NOW I FINALLY HAVE A WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION AND SUFFERING!"
Linh and Maruca jumped and glanced over at them. "Uh, hi?" Maruca said.
Amy waved. "Hullo—I'm Sophie's sister. I don't know you, but you"—she pointed to Linh—"are the girl who saved Atlantis, right?"
"I helped," Linh said with a blush.
"I'm trying to create a shield around Nhyonuitoufhoa," explained Maruca readily. "Wylie says it's important, so..."
"Nyhonuit—what?" Amy asked. "Don't you mean Nhyontuit... uh, whatever it is, Jensi?"
"Nhyontuitouffhtoea. That was the name in Ulla's book."
Maruca gave him a weird look. "Well, language changes over time, so maybe that explains it? And what book are you talking about?"
"The one that explains why Nyhon—whatever-it's-called is so important," Jensi said. "We don't have time to explain everything right now, but you should hurry."
"What are you talking about?" a deep voice called, and Wylie jogged over to them. He motioned to Jensi and Amy. "You guys know about the waterfall?"
"It's the source of the elves' indefinite lifespans," Amy said. "Without it, elves would die just like humans—and the Purities want it for themselves."
"What?" Maruca exclaimed.
"Maybe because the water is different, it affects your force fields somehow," Linh suggested.
Wylie looked stricken, but before Jensi could ask what was wrong, there was a popping noise, one after another after another. Someone on their side screamed, and then Juline stepped forward, raising her hands. A thin sheet of ice coated the ground in front of them, and then more water was added onto it, the wall growing taller and taller until it was more a shield.
Jensi saw his brother run to support Juline as she strained against the massive display of her ability. The popping continued, blowing holes into the ice.
"Machine gun!" Sophie yelled, running toward Bronte. "Help me isolate the shooter! We have to take them down!"
Maruca moved to stand, but Wylie pushed her back down. "The waterfall, Maruca—we have to protect it!"
"At the cost of our lives?" she shot back.
Amy pulled Jensi aside with trembling hands. "Jensi, we're obviously losing. It's like they just keep on coming... I'd bet almost all of the Purities are here, trying to fight. Trying to get the waterfall. We can't let them, right?"
"If they do, it will start a war—humans versus elves. And who knows if the other species will even get involved?"
"Right." She wrung her hands. "So I have an idea. But it's kind of a reckless one, so I didn't want to say anything in front of everyone else."
"I think we'll take anything at this point."
"Okay, well... the Human Reinstatement Program has been a thing for over a year now—and I was the first human Sophie called to help get it started. So... I've had a lot of time to think about things. If the humans and elves coexist, but the elves have indefinite lifespans, that essentially means the elves will make friends and loved ones in the humans—ideally—but... then all those people will die. It's like this twisted torture system. Learn to love these people, but oops, they die, so here's another round. At some point the elves are going to get tired of it, aren't they? And they'll resent the humans for it? And all of this will start all over again?"
"What's your point...?"
"I'm not saying to give the water to the humans, but... take the water away from the elves."
"You mean destroy it." Jensi turned to look at Nhyontuitouffhtoea. The Fountain of Youth. The real source of the Purities.
It was also the source of the elves' indefinite lifespan—something Jensi had hated anyway. It was a lie elves told themselves—more time, more time—so they could justify doing nothing. Being nothing.
All Jensi had ever wanted was to be someone. He didn't have to be important or the best at everything... He just wanted a purpose.
Without death, what purpose did any of them have?
"If we do this, we'll be taking away years off of elvin lifespans."
"It may not be so bad," she reasoned. "There's still an abundant supply of Youth, which has properties of the fountain's water. Your lives may not be forever, but they'll still be long."
He started to pace. "Why are you telling me?"
"Because... I trust you. You're a good leader. And you understand."
You understand.
He understood what? What it was like to feel useless in a battle centered around what your ability could contribute? What it was like to feel inadequate?
"You understand what it's like to be human," Amy murmured, proving even humans could read minds sometimes.
"But I'm not," argued Jensi. He felt the need to argue, like what she was saying was pushing him somewhere he didn't want to go.
"You're not, but you listen. Sometimes I think Sophie hears, but doesn't process, you know?"
"I don't want to be compared to your sister."
"That's not what I'm doing. But Sophie is the only other elf I've confided in, and... she takes what I have to say and does nothing about it. I know she's busy saving the world, but elves aren't the only ones with good ideas."
"No one's saying that—"
"I know, Jensi. But no one's asking us for them either."
You understand what it's like to be human. Those words kept on ringing in his ears, as if they hadn't finished telling him something.
Amy wanted to be heard, so she turned to him. Why? Did that mean something, or was it just because he was a friend?
You listen. Sometimes I think Sophie hears, but doesn't process.
So what? He was supposed to make up for Sophie's mistakes?
He was supposed to be the hero?
"I'm not the hero," he said out loud.
"Says who?" Amy fired back.
"I-I don't know!"
"You're not worthless because you're Talentless, Jensi! Maybe that makes you better equipped than someone that is!"
"Better equipped for what?!"
But he knew. He listened. He understood.
He related to humans more than Sophie did—Sophie, who'd been raised by them. So... did that mean his purpose was to be a spokesperson for the whole species?
The thought was too overwhelming to deliberate, so he pushed it aside for now. They were still in the middle of a battle—the Battle for Everfalls. For the Fountain of Youth.
And maybe neither side would win.
Amy was right—with such a powerful resource at their hands, the elves would never take the humans seriously. What mattered wouldn't be what they wanted, because the elves were the ones who would live forever.
Unless they ran out of water to drink.
Unless Nhyontuitouffhtoea was destroyed.
"I know how to do it," he announced, and Amy's face broke into a smile.
"You're going to?"
"Yeah, but I need Jeri's help."
____________________
"Why can't I tell anyone?" Jeri whined as they sat cross-legged before the sheer cliff. "Won't people want to know who their savior of mighty awesomeness is?"
"We don't have time to let everyone in on the plan," Jensi said. His heart palpitated from fear, unsure if he could do this.
If he didn't...
He didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't.
If they didn't. He wasn't doing this alone—Jeri was with him, and Linh and Maruca behind them. Amy was on her way to let Sophie know too. She wouldn't be able to help with her skills—she and Bronte needed to inflict on as many Purities as possible—but maybe her telepathy would come in handy.
Jeri squirmed. "I don't like sitting still for this long."
"You have to focus to channel, Jeri. Place your energy—"
"Inside the object I'm trying to explode, and BAM—explodey things happen! I got it. Stormy told me about her channeling lessons at Exillium, and I taught myself how to do it."
As you keep on saying, Jensi thought. She claimed she'd taught it to herself, which he didn't doubt, but... how much energy did she have to give?
If hers and Jensi's wasn't enough, Plan B was to have Sophie join them. The group would lose a valuable fighter, though, and seconds of the Moonlark away from the battlefield could cost someone their life.
And, honestly, Jensi was hoping he and Jeri could do it alone. Maybe he wanted to prove to Amy she was right about him, or maybe he wanted to prove it to Fernan, or maybe himself.
This was something he could do—and he would see it through.
Jensi? a deep voice said in his mind.
Jensi jumped. Whoa—when did Sophie's voice get so low?
He wasn't entirely sure, but he felt like he could hear Prentice laughing through their "channel." Sophie's busy, so Amy told me to connect my mind with yours.
Right. Um, okay, it'll take too long to explain WHY, but I need you to open a link between Maruca and Linh too.
A moment passed, and then, Done. Now what?
When I say "ready," relay the message to them. The rest will be taken care of.
That's all?
That's all.
Okay, then. On your ready.
Jensi nodded, even though Prentice couldn't see that, and nudged Jeri. "It's time." The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was her maniacal grin, and he sent a plea into the universe that this would work.
The Coaches' lesson from almost ten years ago relayed in his memory: Stop thinking of the energy as core energy. It's simply your energy—and it does not need to remain connected to you in order for you to manipulate it.
Since then, he'd read countless books on the subject, eager to perfect this skill—as well as the others. He'd wanted to be the Talentless that showed the world he wasn't nothing.
So much had changed since then, but maybe he'd still get that chance.
He started buzzing in his head—it was a weird trick, but one that worked for him. Whenever he was stimulated, that buzzing would be there. Then he planted his figurative self in the center of the cliff, directly behind the waterfall. He was small, powerless, but he added another person and then another, all little sparks of energy conglomerating into one large crowd.
The further he went, the louder the buzzing got, until it was all he could hear or see or smell or taste. His whole body was consumed with the energy inside him, and still he had more to give.
Somewhere from his intuition he recognized another force, and he converged into it, growing growing growing.
The popping sounds, the cries, the shattering of ice—what had those been again? He couldn't remember. All that was, all that is, all that will be—it was this.
And then he knew, and he wrenched his eyes open, half in the real world, half inside the rock before him.
Ready, he thought softly.
The water soaking the ground, the moisture in the air, the sweat on their backs—it all lifted to the sky, bending into an orb that hovered over them all, human or elf. A force field flickered around Jensi and Amy—he didn't have to look to know they'd surrounded everyone else too.
"Are you ready?" he whispered, grabbing Jeri's hand.
She squeezed it weakly.
So he pushed the rest of his energy outward, and Nhyontuitouffhtoea exploded.