Wings of Arian (50 page)

“Listen,” he said wiping the tears from her eyes, “although I did not like being ordered to leave you, watching you these last couple of days has been eye opening. You have a gift, an ability to know what needs to done. Kiora, you truly were born for this. The further into this we go, the more I see that. You will be a force to be reckoned with, my Solus.” He kissed her forehead. “Morcant already knew that, and he would want you to remember it.”

She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm herself, but the mention of his name had brought back the tears. She leaned on Emane’s shoulder, letting them flow freely down her face.

Emane half smiled. “Kiora, if he knew you were blaming yourself for his death, he would be so mad he would have started spraying fire already.” She smiled in spite of the grief. “And burned down my tent too!” Emane laughed.

Kiora couldn’t help but laugh herself.

“Alright?” Emane gently asked, squeezing her hands.

She tried to say alright, but all she succeeded in doing was opening her mouth before nodding instead.

“Now, you need to get dressed and have some lunch. I would hurry. A little boy keeps asking to see you. Something about being invisible?”

“You mean indivisible.”

“Yep, that’s the boy,” Emane laughed. “You better eat first though, you need your energy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Kiora! I think deep down you like the arrogant prince attitude.” Chuckling, he pulled back the tent flap to leave.

“Emane?””What, no ‘Your Majesty’?” He asked sarcastically.

“I...” she hesitated. “I...” she looked in his eyes, hoping desperately he could see it, what she was feeling.

The annoyance was replaced with a grin from ear to ear, “I told you I would wait Kiora. But for what it’s worth, I love you too.”

He was so devastatingly gorgeous when he smiled like that. It made Kiora’s heart flutter and her stomach twist as if it was the first time she had ever seen him. Emane ducked underneath the tent flap and she collapsed back onto her bed with a sigh.

***

After lunch, Kiora spent the rest of the day amongst the people. Eleana had erected tents throughout the camp, one for each family. In the middle stood several large tents for eating, and an empty area where the people would gather to talk one to another and the young men could practice their swordplay.

The Guardians and Shifters had returned already to their homes with the promise that they would return if needed. The people had many questions for Kiora, although none asked of those that were lost. She had a suspicion Emane had instructed them not to. But the most repeated question of the day was, “Are we going to have to stay here forever?” It was the worst question because Kiora really didn’t know.

Emane came to her after dinner with two swords and handed her one.

“What is this for?” she asked as the weight of the sword jerked her arm to the ground.

“I have decided you need to learn how to fight,” he said, laying his blade across his hand, examining it.

“You have, have you?” She grunted trying to wrench the sword back up.

“Well, Aleric and I decided.” Emane shrugged, dropping the sword back to his side. “If I do get separated from you and you happen to run out of magic, you need to be able to defend yourself. I have already spoken to the Guardians and they have promised to make you a sword that is your size. But for now, we will practice with these.”

“Emane, I don’t even know how to hold one of these things.”

“Lesson number one, it is called a sword.”

“Alright, a sword,” she said placing a hand on her hip. “Problem number two, I can’t lift it.”

“Try,” he said jerking his head towards her sword.

Rolling her eyes she grabbed the hilt, struggling under the weight of it, managing to pull it up a few inches before the weight dragged her back down to the ground. Emane burst out into laughter, taking it out of her hands.

“Well worth it!” he grinned, shouldering her sword. When she looked at him confused, Emane leaned forward as if telling her a secret, “I really just wanted to watch you not be able to do something.”

“Are you serious,” she sputtered. “You gave me that sword just to laugh at me? Did you even talk to Aleric?” Her face flushed.

“Of course I talked to Aleric.” Emane was trying to stifle his laughter but it wasn’t working. “And I am going to teach you to fight.” He buried the swords into the ground so that they were standing straight up. “But we normally don’t start with those. He pulled out two wooden swords he had stashed behind a tree. “Normally we start training with these,” he said, spinning them around in an arc before presenting her with the much smaller, much lighter wooden sword.

She snatched it out of his hand. “You really are a jerk you know.”

“Hmmm,” he said smirking, tossing his sword from one hand to the other. “I’m happy with jerk. It’s much nicer than what you used to call me.”

“You’re that too,” she half grinned.

“Nope, we have downgraded to jerk and I am keeping it.” He started circling around her. “First things first, you need to protect yourself. I will try to get past your guard. If you block me, you win. If I get past your guard, I win. And,” he drug out, “I will expect to be paid with a kiss.”

“What do I get if I win?” she asked.

Emane took advantage of the question and jabbed in quickly, connecting with her arm. “One kiss for me,” he winked, backing out again.

“That was cheating!” she objected. Emane swung around the blade, lightly connecting the flat side of the sword between her shoulder blades.

“Two kisses for me.”

“Oohhh,” she growled. “You
are
an arrogant horse’s ass!” She took a protective stance and blocked the next blow.

“Nice job.” He danced around her and connected with her opposite shoulder. “Three kisses for the horse’s ass,” he gloated. “Come on, Kiora you have to move your feet.” His eyes glinted mischievously.

She started to move and circle, following his lead. She blocked blow after blow, but missed at least one out of every three. “Come on, Emane,” she complained, “take it easy on me. It’s my first day.”

“I am taking it easy on you,” he laughed. “You’re terrible!”

“Thanks a lot,” she said trying to force a glare at him. “You’re not exactly encouraging.” She lifted her sword to block another shot.

Pushing his sword down over hers he leaned in, “I actually like the fact that you’re terrible, more kisses for me.”

Kiora heard a few snickers from behind her and noticed that the camp was turning up to watch the training session. Pushing back, Emane jabbed in and caught her in the stomach.

“HEY!” she yelled, doubling over.

“That’s at least 15 kisses, I am losing count.” Spinning in a wide lazy circle he asked the spectators, “Anyone want to keep track for me?”

“You… are such a ...”

“Uh uh,” he said shaking his finger at her, “we have little ears amongst us, watch your language.”

“JERK!” she yelled.

“That’s better.” Emane swung again and she soundly blocked. It went on like this for longer than she had wanted. The crowd cheered when she blocked a shot and they counted kisses when Emane made it past her guard. And they laughed at every joke he made, which only encouraged him on.

“Please,” she gasped. “I am dying, can’t we take a break?”

“Breaks are for girls!” He taunted her, dancing around her with the stupid, albeit gorgeous grin, plastered on his face.

“I
am
a girl, Emane.” He moved in to take another shot, which she barely blocked. “I mean it, Emane, I am going to cheat if we don’t stop.” He raised his sword over his head. With a flick of her wrist she swept his feet out from under him. He reached for his sword, but with another flick of the wrist, the sword slid across the ground out of his reach. She dropped to her knees, putting her sword to his neck, “Do you yield?”

The crowd was in hysterics. Emane stretched his neck looking around. “How many kisses am I owed?” he shouted to the crowd.

“Seventy-two,” the answer came.

“Hmmm, seventy-two kisses,” he put both arms behind his head. “That should be enough. Yes, I yield.”

“Thank heavens!” Kiora collapsed on the ground next to Emane as the crowd cheered and laughed with approval.

Emane rolled over and leaned on his elbow, looking down at her through half open lids. “I think the Lady should pay up.” He leaned down and kissed her “One down, seventy-one more to go.” Emane jumped to his feet and offered her a hand up. “Alright folks, that’s it for today.” There were some moans and groans as the crowd dispersed.

“You are shameless, you know that?” she said, brushing off her pants.

“So you tell me.” He threw his arm over her shoulder. “Let’s go get some lunch.”

That evening she sat and talked with Aleric at the campfire. Emane sat beside her, holding her hand. “Where is Eleana?” she asked.

“She and the Shifters are evaluating, making sure that things stay quiet,” Aleric replied.

“She made me a promise” she sighed staring into the fire. “I was wondering when she was going to keep it.” Looking up she asked, “What is ‘old magic?’”

Aleric furrowed his brow, “Where did you hear that?”

“Eleana. She enchanted Emane’s snake with ‘old magic’. It bit Dralazar and his magic started failing.”

“That would explain the silence,” Aleric mumbled. “Are you sure that is what she said? ‘Old magic’?”

“Yes. Dralazar seemed shocked.”

Aleric stared into the fire. “I am shocked myself.”

Kiora waited, hoping for more of an answer.

Aleric took a deep breath, “Old magic is powerful and dangerous. It is filled with incantations and depends less on the magic of nature and more on the power of the user. Old magic is rumored to have created some very powerful sorcerers that almost could not be controlled. It is my understanding that a spell was placed, preventing old magic from being used.

“By who?”

Aleric pulled his gaze away from the fire to look at Kiora, “ By Eleana.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

THE GATES

THE NEXT FEW DAYS were swirls of the same— questions, the little boy Rayen’s invisibility trips, and sparring with Emane. Nights by the fire were quiet as both Kiora and Aleric avoided any more conversations of old magic. As the days passed, Kiora’s anxiety, as well as her irritation grew that Eleana had not appeared to make good on her promise. The Guardians claimed to not know where she was, and Kiora’s calls to her had gone unanswered.

Heading to bed, Kiora noticed the sky was abnormally dark. The stars were nowhere to be seen. She scowled, it didn’t look natural, which meant it probably wasn’t. Kiora found Leo and Malena conversing on a tree branch on the border of camp. Even they weren’t sparkling as much as usual without the evening light.

“Kiora,” Malena said, turning, “How are you?”

“Fine. I was wondering about the sky,” she said pointing up. Leo and Malena gave each other a meaningful look. “Something’s not right is it?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Malena answered cautiously.

“That… is debatable,” Leo added, looking at Kiora as if he had never seen her before. Spreading his wings behind him he inclined his head. “Have a good night, Solus.”

That night she dreamed of the gate.

It was just as she remembered it, beautiful scrolling iron, pictures of creatures she had never seen, the two halves melted together. And standing before it was Dralazar, his hand still red and inflamed, two puncture wounds oozing liquid.

Putting forth his good hand he laid it on the gate and began muttering words that she did not understand. The melted iron that had held the two halves together split with a thunderous crack and the gate began to creak open. He yelled to the sky,
“
This is on you, Eleana!” Thunder boomed and lighting clapped as the sky overhead offered an ominous warning.

Kiora awoke with a start to thunder and lightning pummeling the camp.

Dralazar opened the gate,
she thought. But what did that mean? Kiora had no idea what was on the other side, and neither did anyone else. A fear seeped through her. She needed answers, now. Shoving her feet into her shoes, she ran out into the rain weaving around tents and trees until she passed the magical boundary. Worried she would wake the others, she ran further before throwing back her head and yelling, “ELEANA!” She turned in a circle staring up at the purple, rain dripping sky. She was already soaked to the bone, her hair stringing together and feeding little rivulets of water down her face. “YOU MADE ME A PROMISE!” she shouted.

She was answered with nothing but the sound of rain falling around her. She kicked angrily at a rock, spraying mud and water in the process. Was there really no one she could trust? She had put aside her anger, her confusion to fight this battle— and now, another lie.

“Kiora?”

Whirling around, she saw Eleana, standing dry in the rainstorm.

“Kiora, here,” she said reaching out her hand. “You’re sopping wet.”

“I don’t want your help!” Kiora yelled, her ferocity surprising even herself. “I don’t want your help,” she repeated softer. “I don’t care if I am wet, or cold. Dralazar opened that gate.” She waited for a reaction, there was none. “I don’t know what it means, or if it’s good or bad, because you have told me nothing!” she shouted. “You promised, Eleana, I trusted you, even after…” she pointed in the gates direction. “And you lied to me! I have called you, and you ignore me! People died! Morcant died! For what?”

“I’m sorry Kiora, I have been watching Dralazar.”

“Wh- what?” Water stuck to Kiora’s eyelashes, blurring her vision.

“I needed to know if he suspected why I opened the old magic.”

Kiora stared at Eleana through the rain, shoving a wet and dripping piece of hair behind her ears, before swiping the water out of her eyes the best she could “Why did you?”

“Kiora, I promised you answers. But I,” she drooped, “I can’t give them to you.”

“What do you mean you can’t give them to me?” Kiora burst out, wanting to run at Eleana, shake the answers out of her.