Darcy didn't speak until she had dragged Naomi-- rather roughly-- through the dark to the ladder and gave the fifth rung a twist, opening the entrance above, allowing a small square of light to penetrate the thick darkness.
"It's only a matter of time before I savagely attack him," she muttered darkly as she began to climb the ladder. Naomi followed. She didn't need to ask for clarification on who Darcy was talking about.
"So, what did you two talk about?" Naomi asked as she climbed towards the light.
Darcy only growled in response.
"Okay," Naomi said. "Different question then. Alec told me he was an alchemist, so what kind of Changeling are you? Or, what's your Family, I guess?"
"My Family is my family," Darcy said, reaching the top and pulling herself through. "The hint's in the name. I'm a Jogah."
"And that means...?"
Darcy offered Naomi her hand and pulled her through the hole in the ground. She twisted the third rung and the hole sealed itself shut. "According Iroquois lore, Jogah, or 'little people,' are nature spirits that watch over crops and harvest."
"So, what can Jogahs do?" Naomi asked.
"Do?" Darcy rose to her feet and flipped on the air hockey table and started to hit the pucks violently into the goal. Slam! Slam!
"Yeah, you know. Like how Alec can transmogrify inanimate objects. What can you do?"
"Oh, you mean, what are Jogahs' powers?" Slam!
"Um, yeah, I guess." The question sounded a bit strange said in a serious tone.
"It depends on the sub-Family of jogah. There are three of them, and each one specializes in a different form of magic," Darcy explained. "Gahongas can bend stone to their will; Gandayah control plants and crops; and Ohdows can have influence over monstrous creatures." She hit a puck into the goal as she listed off each one.
"And which one are you?" Naomi asked.
Darcy set down her "stick" and opened her mouth to answer when suddenly the door to the rec. room opened and Ezhno poked his head in. "Is it necessary to make that much noise?" he asked.
"Sorry," Darcy mumbled, not sounding sorry at all.
"I've been calling you for that last five minutes," he said. "Lunch is ready."
Darcy and Naomi followed him up the stairs at a distance. Naomi leaned close. "Is he... you know?" She tilted her chin at Ezhno's back.
"Oh, yeah. Hey, Ezh!" she said loudly. "Guess what?"
"Hm?"
"Naomi's a Changel-- ow!" Darcy grabbed her arm where is was red from Naomi pinching her.
"That's not for you to tell," Naomi hissed.
"I told you he was one!" Darcy pointed out.
"That I was one what?" Ezhno stopped and turned around to face them. Understanding dawned in his eyes. "No way," he said. "Naomi, you're a Changeling?"
Naomi sighed. It felt so wrong to discuss so openly what she had kept hidden from the world for the past seven years of her life. But it was out in the open now, and there was no point denying it. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I guess I am."
"That's so awesome!" Ezhno said. "What's your Family?"
"I don't know," Naomi said, feeling embarrassed again.
"Oh, well, that's okay," Ezhno said. "Finding out is the fun part, anyway."
"And what kind of Jogah are you?"
"I'm a Gandayah. Wood is my specialty, just like Great Uncle Sahale. That's why I'm going to work with him as an apprentice."
"That's really neat," Naomi said. "So, are all Jogahs Gandayahs?"
"Oh, no," Ezhno said. "Many Jogahs aren't even Changelings. But for the ones we do have, we have a nice mixture of the three sub-Families."
"So, what kind of Jogah are you, Darcy?" Naomi asked as they sat at the giant dining table. They took up so little room that the table still felt empty.
Darcy sat up a little straighter and smiled, obviously proudly. "I'm an Ohdow."
"I do have something that's confusing me," Naomi said. "Well, many somethings, but one in particular right now."
"And what's that?"
"If the three different sub-Families of Jogah all have different abilities, how can they all be from the same Family?"
"Because," Ezhno said, "all Jogahs have a shared key ability."
"What ability?"
"Should we show her, Ezh?" Darcy asked her cousin with a smile.
Ezhno smiled. "I'd love to."
The two Jogahs closed their eyes and Shifted. Darcy looked the same as she had when she'd Shifted before. Ezhno's skin was glinted black and his dark eyes looked like the moon during a solar eclipse.
"Ready?" Ezhno asked.
Darcy nodded, and, at the same exact time, she and Ezhno vanished.
"What the--" Naomi rubbed her eyes, sure they were playing some sort of trick on her, but when she opened them her companions were still nowhere to be seen. "You... you can turn invisible?" Naomi asked in an awed whisper.
Naomi jumped as Darcy's voice giggled right in her ear. "No, we're not invisible."
"We're standing on your shoulders," Ezhno's voice said in her other ear.
Naomi looked carefully at each of her shoulders, and sure enough, Darcy and Ezhno where there, shrunken down. They were both about three inches tall, and they stood on Naomi's shoulders like a shoulder angel and devil.
"Whoa," she said as they jumped from her shoulders back to their seats. In the blink of an eye they were their normal heights and their skin returned to their copper hue. "How...?"
"'Jogah' means 'little people', remember?" Darcy said.
"Have you ever seen the movie Ant-Man?" Ezhno asked. When Naomi nodded he continued, "Basically everything Scott Lang's suit can do, Jogahs can do naturally through our magic."
"That is so cool," Naomi gushed.
"Enough about magic," Ezhno said. "Let's eat. I'm starving." He dove into his plate of macaroni and cheese and ate ravenously. Naomi had already eaten Alec's funeral potatoes, so she gave herself a small helping. She noticed Darcy doing the same.
Darcy had said they'd return to the underground hideout after lunch when Ezhno took a nap, but Ezhno seemed to have different ideas. After lunch was finished and cleared away, he decided they should all do something together.
"Let's take a walk," he said. "We've been in a car all day long; we need some exercise."
Naomi had thought that receiving at least some answers would satisfy her, but she could not have been more wrong. Impatience burned in her like a bonfire. The last thing Naomi wanted was any delays in returning to the hideout, but she couldn't think of any way to wriggle out of the walk and sneak away without raising any suspicions, so she agreed. Darcy did, too, though Naomi suspected that was because she wasn't too eager to see Félix again.
And so Naomi walked next to Darcy as Ezhno led the way on a path that he claimed led up to "an awesome cave!" Had Naomi not had other matters on her mind, she would have enjoyed the walk. The rain had stopped and the sun was just peeking out as the clouds slowly started to disperse, so the temperature was pleasantly cool and the air smelt of wet, fertile earth and pine. The wind rustled the trees gently and the air was crisp and clean.
It was truly ideal circumstances for a walk. If only Naomi could have enjoyed it.
Ezhno talked the whole time. He commented on how bright the yellow aspen trees were ("They'll probably all be gone by this time next week!"). He told a story of an encounter he had with a bear when he was out exploring when he was young ("It was massive! The size of a car!)". He pointed out different shapes in the clouds ("That one looks like a bunny!").
The cave was pretty cool when they got there. It echoed their voices and the view of the valley on the horizon was beautiful, and normally Naomi would have enjoyed it.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ezhno announced that he was tired and they should return to the lodge. They did so, and as soon as he took his shoes off and sat on the couch, Ezhno started snoring softly.
"Okay, let's go," Darcy said after making sure her cousin was really asleep. "He naps for about an hour, usually, so I'm setting a timer for fifty minutes."
Naomi nodded and followed Darcy back down the stairs, behind the slide, down the ladder, through the dark room, and back into underground hideout.
"I thought you'd be back earlier," Félix said as they entered the room with the crystals hanging everywhere, which Naomi had come to think of as the living room. Félix was sitting in an armchair, quietly reading a book.
Darcy glared at him. "I said we'd be back once my cousin fell asleep. He's asleep, so now we're here."
Félix shrugged like it didn't matter and turned the page in his book. Without looking up, he gestured his hand at one of the armchairs across from him. "Have a seat," he said. "I'll be with you in a moment. I'm almost done with this chapter."
"Where's Alec?" Darcy asked, ignoring him.
"What am I, his babysitter?" Félix asked. "I don't keep tabs on him every second of every day."
"Your constant whining about staying here with him would suggest otherwise," Darcy growled.
Félix sighed and put his book down. He looked down at his watch. "It's nearly four o'clock. Going by his regular routine, I'd say he's in his lab with that cat of his, turning all my books into cardboard."
"I think I'll go help him while you two talk," Darcy said. "Sorry to leave you alone with him, Nomi, but I can only handle so much irritating." She disappeared down one of the halls.
Wow, Naomi thought. Whatever else they talked about must have really set her off.
When they were alone, Félix shook his head the way a parent might when a child is being particularly difficult. "I must apologize for Darcy's... shall we say gruff behavior? She and I don't always see eye-to-eye and it can often be the source on conflict between us."
"Do you guys usually argue this much?" Naomi asked. "Or is today just a bad day?"
"Today is a particularly good day, actually."
"Why is there so much tension between the two of you?"
"Explaining that would take longer than I have patience for," he said. "And, unfortunately, my patience is already worn a little thin today. But enough about Darcy's and my dysfunctional correlation. You have questions."
"Yes, a lot of them," she admitted.
"I'd imagine so. Best not to waste time. What are your questions?"
"How do I stop myself from Shifting?" she asked immediately. "How do I control it?"
Félix didn't hesitate. "You don't," he said simply.
Naomi blinked. "What? But Darcy--"
"You cannot stop your yourself from Changing any more than you can stop a river from flowing," he said. "It is as much a part of your natural needs as breathing or blinking or eating. If you were to somehow gain enough control over your Changing to stop it happening for longer than is natural, the magical energy in your body would tear you apart inside-out."
"H-how could it do that?" she asked, her voice a little shaky, thinking of the sporadic timing of her Shifts. How many of them had been close calls to her death?
Félix sat back in his chair and tucked his finger beneath his chin. "Are you familiar with the concept of chi?" he asked.
"You mean the flow of energy in a person's body?"
"It's a little more complicated than that, but to put it simply, yes. Chi is the very life force in all living things. In other words, it is the magic in all life. Just as all things have energy, all things have magic, or chi, as the Chinese call it. I explained to you that the Oberonian Veil is the very life force of King Oberon. The Veil is the Fairy King's magic."
"You told me Oberon became one with the Veil," Naomi reminded him. "So, what, he like, achieve Moksha or something?"
"The Hindu belief of release from the birth cycle is very similar to King Oberon's conjoining of his magic," Félix condeeded.
"But how did he do it?" she asked. "I mean, Moksha is achieved through years and years of study and dedication to the Hindu religion. How did Oberon become one with his magic? Did he open all his chakras or something?"
"A Changeling's Changes, or Shifts, as you like to call them, happen when their build up of magic is dangerously high. When this--"
"Hold up," Naomi interrupted. "You told me that Shifts, Changes, whatever you want to call them, were caused by the spikes of magical energy from the Veil."
"That is true for untrained Changelings. Changelings who have gained enough control over their magic to allow their magical energy to flow through them, however remain relatively unaffected by the Veil's surges. They must still Change from time to time, however, because we are, unfortunately, still partly human. It is human nature to hold back this energy, and while it can be quieted, it cannot be silenced completely. Very few have this amount of control of the magic in their bodies.
"This is where the Veil comes in. While the surges of energy still affect Changelings who are practiced in their flow of magic and have learned to suppress their human instincts are better able to allow the magic to flow through them and remain unaffected. For the untrained, however, it acts as a release of the pent-up magic that their human side has held back. It acts almost as a reset button."
When Félix was finished talking, he sat in silence, waiting for the information to sink into Naomi's head.
"Okay," she said slowly. "I can kind of understand that. What I still don't understand is how King Oberon conjoined with his magic."
Félix nodded, as if he approved of her question. "He did what no child of magic ever ought to-- he blocked his magic. Magic flows through our bodies in the same principle way as a river flows downstream. You can try to dam the river, but that will not stop the flow of the water. The water will rise and flow over the dam, or it will seek out cracks in it. Tell me, Naomi, what were to happen if you were to put an exuberant amount of force on a dam?"
"The dam would crack and break."
"Precisely. This is what blocking your magic is like. Without the Veil to offer release, you would unknowingly destroy yourself trying to hold back the energy. This is what happened to King Oberon. King Oberon blocked his magic; he refused to us it at all. He dammed up his magic until it nearly destroyed him. It took months, but, just before he would have died from his magic, he released it all in one go.
"Using magic is like a muscle. It must be used frequently to remain in prime condition. But because King Oberon had gone so long without using his magic, it tore him apart, and in order for his soul to survive, it clung to his released magic."
"Like how Voldemort's soul latched onto Harry when the Killing Curse backfire?"
Félix thought for a moment. "One could look at it that way, I suppose," he admitted. "Though, the Dark Lord trying and failing to take the life of an innocent child is a little different than the Fairy King sacrificing his life to protect his people."
"So... more like Lily sacrificing herself to save her son?"
"Yes, more like that."
"Okay, so if I can't control my Shifts, how do I learn to..." She didn't know how to word what she was trying to ask, by Félix seemed to understand.
"You cannot stop the flow of your magic-- not without a very messy result that you won't be present to witness. Learning to control your flow means learning to let it control you, to suppress your natural human instincts and feel the magic at work. Once you do that, you will have control of your flow."
"And how exactly do I do that, Mr. Guru? Breathing exercises, drinking tea, meditation?"
Félix's face told her he didn't appreciate that nickname anymore than Sunshine. "You cannot. Very few Changelings in history ever have. It is simple in theory, but it is much harder to ignore our human instincts than we think."
"What am I supposed to do, then?" Naomi asked hopelessly. "I can't go the rest of my life running to hide in the bathroom every time I feel a Shift coming." She tried not to feel like all her hopes got dashed, but it was hard. She was so frustrated at herself, her Shifting, everything, that she almost wanted to cry.
"Think, Naomi," Félix scoffed. "If you are forced to Change because the Veil is releasing your collected magic, how do you ensure that doesn't need to happen?"
Realization dawned on her, and the answer was so obviously she actually hit herself on the forehead with a loud smack! "Of course!" she said. "Using magic, releasing the pent up magic!"
Félix nodded. "This is the tactic most Changelings choose to practice."
"Using your river metaphor," Naomi said slowly, thinking, "rivers can dry up. Can you ever run out of magic?"
"I also compared magic to a muscle that needs frequent use. Like a muscle, the more you use your magic, the stronger it will become and more of it you will have. In the beginning, very few Changelings have very much magic to spare, but as they practice, their magic will grow."
"But I thought too much magic was a bad thing."
Félix shook his head. "Too much blocked magic is a bad thing. If you use your magic often enough you'll be fine."
"Where did you learn all this?" Naomi had to ask. "Where did you get all this information?"
Félix sighed. "Changeling powers don't manifest until past the age of five, and, unlike most Changelings, my family-- small F-- has passed this knowledge down from generation to generation. There are other families who have kept the traditions going, the Jogahs being a prime example. I've been taught these things since before I can remember. Élphame, Changelings, magical creatures-- they've always a part of my life."
"Have you ever been to Élphame?"
Félix's expression darkened. "Yes. I have."
"Doesn't sound like you enjoyed it all that much," Naomi noticed.
"No, it's not that," he assured her. "Élphame is everything I dreamed it to be and more. I just left unfinished business there."
Naomi itched to ask what that business was, but Félix's face said he clearly wasn't going to tell her. Instead, she asked, "Do you think I could ever go there?"
If possible, Félix's face got even darker. "Had you asked me that question six months ago I would have said yes. But now I do not know."
"What do you mean? What's happened?"
Félix looked her dead in the eye, and his voice was as unnerving as his striking grey eyes as he said, "The Veil is completely sealed. Élphame is closed."