Torrent(99)

“If it turns out to be true, it’s quite fascinating,” Simon said. “I wonder how widespread the phenomenon is. All of those warriors in the stasis chambers must have the shared genes if Eleriss expected them to be able to wield his sword. If we started wandering through the population testing how many people could make it glow, would there be a lot? One in four? Or would it be exceedingly rare, and it’s random chance that Temi can use it?”
“If agility is one of the defining traits,” I said, thinking of Jakatra’s combat skills—even Eleriss had shown uncanny grace in his mundane movements, “then maybe it’s common in certain populations.”
“Like we should stroll through the Olympic training center and do the sword test?”#p#分页标题#e#
“Assuming we could without getting arrested,” I said.
Temi lowered the phone and stared at us as if we were both nuts.
We were returning her stare with frank don’t-you-see-it? stares of our own when someone knocked at the door.
If I’d been sitting, I would have fallen out of my chair. It was almost midnight. Far too late for normal people to come calling.
And elves? I didn’t know.
“Someone with a big sword want to get that?” I asked.
“No,” Simon said.
“I said big sword, not big toothpick.”
“I’m comfortable here,” Temi said.
For a muggle, I sure had to take charge a lot. I peeked through the curtains. Two familiar figures in black leather jackets stood outside. Jakatra had reaffixed his wool cap.
For a moment, I wondered what they’d do if I didn’t open the door. I had too many questions that they might deign to answer to contemplate the notion for long. I opened the door and stepped aside so they could enter.
Wordlessly, they walked inside. Eleriss slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out another of his odd coins. He laid it on the television stand. “As we agreed, the second half of your payment.”
“Oh.” Simon slid into his seat and pulled up his calculator program again.
“Thank you,” I said since he was otherwise occupied.
“Did you come for your sword?” Temi asked. She’d been eying it as if it were a viper since I suggested her tainted—or enhanced, depending on the point of view—bloodline.
“No,” Eleriss said. He exchanged long looks with his comrade before going on. “We have come to offer you training on how to use it.”
Temi’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“We have been unable to locate the other human capable of wielding it,” Eleriss said. “You slew the jibtab. You may be your people’s only hope.”
Temi’s mouth was still hanging open.
Mine probably was too, as I was wondering how they knew everything that had happened. They’d been busy getting sucked down a drain at the time, hadn’t they? “How did you make it out?”
“We were swept through a channel that eventually connected to the lake. The jibtab had destroyed much of the support structure. You are fortunate to have escaped, as most of the cave system collapsed shortly after the water poured in and filled the chambers.”
“Yes,” I said. “We heard.”
“The human warrior is not important, not now when another option is amongst us, one that may be superior for this occasion.” Eleriss met Temi’s eyes with his own strange blue-green ones. “You are not a criminal, so will be predictable and less dangerous to train. You are from this time, as well, so you will not need to be educated again.”
Temi finally found her tongue. “But I’m not a warrior. I’ve never even smacked anyone. Besides—” she gestured at her leg, “—I can’t move that fast any more. It was nothing more than luck that we managed to trap that monster beneath the rock. I couldn’t have killed it if it hadn’t been pinned. I’m not even sure I did kill it. It might have simply drowned.”
“Modesty is an admirable quality in a warrior,” Eleriss said.
“You’re not listening to me.” Temi faced me. “They’re not listening.”
“We have noted your injury,” Eleriss said, “and it is a minor obstacle. I can find someone to heal the wound.”
Jakatra’s nose twitched. I wasn’t yet sure how to read all of their body language—some was similar to ours while some wasn’t—but I read that one as skepticism. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as Eleriss thought to find someone skilled enough—or willing enough—to heal the wound.
Still, Temi’s eyes lit with an intensity I couldn’t remember seeing before. Intensity and calculation. Right, if her leg were fully functional again, there’d be nothing stopping her from trying to get her career back, ostracized or not. You didn’t have to be popular to win tennis matches.