I chuckled again. Thanks for proving my point.
Determining I was as clean as possible without removing my clothes, I made my way out of the water.
“Wait, how are you done?” Raikidan asked. “You’re still in your clothes. Why would you even get them wet?”
“Because there’s no way I’d undress in the open, especially with someone around.”
“I don’t understand you. What it is with you and clothes?” I didn’t answer him. He followed me out of the moving water. “Is this strange reaction the reason why you’re so adamant I wear them?” His hot breath met the back of my neck suddenly, surprising me. “Does this form I take make you uncomfortable? Look too human for someone your age, causing confusion?”
I elbowed him. He grunted and then backed off. “No.”
He chuckled. “If you’re concerned something may happen between us, don’t be. I’m able to discern between our two species, even in this form.”
“You have an active imagination. Clothes are customary for humans. To walk around without them is considered indecent, and sometimes illegal, depending on where you are. I care not for how you appear, and I’m well aware you’re not human. I also care not for the engagement of sex or companionship. Both are a waste of time. Now would you please go put your clothes on, so we can leave? We’re burning daylight.”
“Sure.” He walked off.
His easy compliance confused me, but I brushed it off. While he retrieved his clothes, I produced some fire and encircled my body, drying my skin and clothes. By the time Raikidan returned, I had finished throwing my hair up into a modified ponytail.
“I’ve never seen someone wear their hair like that,” Raikidan said.
“Is that a problem?”
His brow furrowed. “No, just an observation.”
“Right, well if we can, I’d like to get moving. You know where this town is, roughly, so it’s on you to get us there. Or at least close.”
He stared at me for a moment and then looked skyward. “It would be faster if I flew us.”
“Yeah, no,” I said in a flat tone. “We’ll walk.”
He gave me a perplexed look, but my expression remained neutral. There was no way he’d convince me to allow him to fly us anywhere. My feet are to stay on the ground.
He sighed and waved me to follow. “Have it your way. It’s a good three or four days from here on foot. Hope you like walking.”
I snorted and followed, hoping this conversation wouldn’t be an indicator of how painful the next few days would be.
Chapter Three
Raikidan and I made our way through the forest. The gaps in the canopy casted dapples of light over the forest floor and our skin, giving it refreshing warmth over the cool air. Raikidan led the way without hesitation, even alerting me when we left his territory. That was two days ago. We’d yet to come across a road of any kind, but I didn’t complain. The two of us were better off not risking being spotted in such an open location.
“So, the reason your weapons don’t rust is due to a special material it’s made of?” Raikidan asked.
Yet another question… I nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. It’s a commonly-used material for weapons, even among the other races.”
He glanced my way. “What was it like being part of the military?”
My fist clenched. We’d managed a full day before he started playing twenty questions with me, again. At first, I was willing to answer, as the questions were harmless enough and hadn’t been personal. But as the days passed, they continued, making them more annoying than anything, and some of them, like this one, were getting personal. I knew we needed to work together, but I had no intention of making some personal connection with this dragon. “I ran away and couldn’t care less if I lived or died. What do you think it was like?”
He looked at me, his brow creased. “It was just a question. No need to snap at me.”
I didn’t answer him and continued our direction forward.
“Okay… what about this question. What do you like to do for fun? Besides killing others.”
Pain pulsed in my chest. “I don’t enjoy killing.”
“Then why did you become an assassin?”
I shook my head. “Did you forget I was created for a purpose? I didn’t choose what I did. Making choices against my creator ended with me dealing with you!”
“No need to shout… or be rude. I’m just trying to understand you. If we’re going to work together, I need to know things about you.”
“It’s one thing to inquire information to know your partner of a tentative alliance. It’s another to ask personal questions. I have no intentions of being your buddy.”
“Seriously, what is wrong with you? One minute you’re fine, the next you snap at me, and then you’re fine again, only to cop an attitude the next. It’s like your emotions are all messed up or something.”
The pain in my chest returned, and I looked in a different direction, my shoulders involuntarily sagging. There’s that phrase again…
Raikidan stopped walking. “I see. I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you smile once since we met. And I mean a real smile, not some sick twisted grin. Not even when I’ve complimented you, which would have made others smile. You act this way to protect yourself. You don’t want anyone close, so you can’t be hurt.”
“Watch what you tell him.”
More pain flared in my chest. I stopped walking, but didn’t look at him. “No, that’s not it…” My hands balled into fists. “I lack the capability to express and feel most emotions.”
He came up to me. “What?”
“I was created to be the first soldier without any emotions.”
“Wait, you mentioned your creator deemed you unworthy because of emotions.”
I nodded, my eyes focused on the ground. Where to start on that explanation… “Nu-humans and humans differ, but living weapons like myself are different from regular nu-humans. Nu-humans have enhanced physical characteristics—greater physical strength, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Living weapons have all that, but to a much greater degree.
“Further, almost all living weapons are experimental, with changes to their DNA such as adding other creature-type characteristics, more desirable human characteristics, or removing them. Once they find a characteristic they like, they keep it in all new designs.”
I took a deep breath. “My design was to be emotionless, but the design failed. I experience emotions, but not the way others do, nor am I capable of expressing them correctly. So, in emotional situations I get confused, and that confusion comes out as frustration.”
I crossed my arms. “They did, however, manage to get something out of it. I’m unable to express sadness in the form of tears, experience fear, or possibly even feel happiness.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Possibly?”
I nodded. “I understand how happiness works. I know the right responses and how it can affect others. Still, because you cannot teach someone how to be happy, it’s unknown if I’ve never experienced it.”
“You’ve gone this far living like this. What is your opinion about it all? How do you really feel about being created this way?”
How do I feel? No one had ever asked me that before. They’d always just accepted it and moved on. Why is he the first to ask?
“Personally, I don’t really care. It’s not like it can be magically fixed.” I started walking away. “It’s not like I’m worth fixing.”
For a good minute I walked by myself, but Raikidan finally caught up. I chuckled when a thought came to me at the same time. “It’s weird. I’ve never talked about myself so much to a stranger.”
“Maybe that’s a sign not to see me as a stranger.”
I snorted. “Not likely.” I regarded him for a moment. “You know, you’re a lot more curious than I would have expected you to be.”
Raikidan was the one to look away this time.
“What? Curiosity isn’t a bad thing—most of th
e time. It’s how we learn.”
His eyes narrowed. “Your tone now is confusing. You’re not tensing to bite me again.”
I chuckled. “Might as well get used to it. I’m temperamental.” He snorted, and I had to stop myself from laughing. A realization came to me. “Hey, you’re going to need to change the form you take. If you’re going to help me in Dalatrend, you’ll need to look like a nu-human, and if we’re going to this town, it’s best if you use an appearance that’s more acceptable.”
His brow furrowed. “More acceptable? What are you talking about?”
I paused a moment. “Oh, right, you don’t know the history between humans and nu-humans.” I took a deep breath. “For as long as recorded history goes, humans have felt insignificant compared to the other races of the land. We were generally considered the weakest, even though it’s said we were the first, and other races evolved from us. To change our position, humans advanced their technology, and thus their culture, but even after doing this, they were ill-equipped for surviving in Lumaraeon compared to the other races. Therefore, they collected the best human scientists, engineers, chemists, and biologists of the time, and started experimenting on a genetic level.”
I stopped a moment and rubbed my arm. Raikidan seemed completely engrossed in my story. “After hundreds of failed attempts, they finally had a breakthrough, and as a result a new breed of human was born. That new breed took shape in the form of a little girl. The little girl’s life force was stable and growing, so more were soon created. They called this new breed of human… nu-human. As the nu-humans grew and developed, they were integrated into society. Ordinary families took the children in to teach them how to live normal lives, and all was good. That is, until the nu-humans became greedy.”
Raikidan still listened intently, as if he were feeding off this information.
“With their enhanced senses and looks, they felt they were superior to the regular humans. Their arrogance drove a rift between the two types of humans, and civil war broke out. The battles raged until the humans lost the will to keep control. The nu-humans imprisoned their makers and turned them into their slaves. They had planned to slowly drive the humans to extinction, but after realizing the work they would have to do once the humans were gone, they spared the poor, lesser versions of themselves.”
I looked Raikidan in the eye. “So, now that you’ve heard the history, you can understand why you can’t look like an ordinary human.” I smirked. “Unless, of course, you want to pose as my slave.”
Raikidan’s eyes darkened, and there was a dangerous edge to his voice. “Not going to happen.”
I closed my eyes and nodded. Despite my protests, this dragon was starting to grow on me. “I’m glad you said that. To be fully honest, I’ve never liked the idea humans were beneath us. While that fact had been taught to us since day one, it never set well with me.” I looked to the sky; a bird darted through the trees catching my eye. “When I escaped, I learned how closed off my city was. Humans had more freedom the farther west I went. It was as if those in power were perpetuating a lie to keep us controlled.” I grunted in contempt. “Not too far from the truth. The citizens are slaves in their own right. They’re so brainwashed they believe they shouldn’t leave the city. When in reality, Zarda’s greed for power keeps them contained in their cages—where he can control them easier.”
Raikidan stepped closer to me. “Sounds like a rotten way to live.”
I looked at him and grimaced. “That’s why there’s a resistance movement. We want him gone and the people free.”
Raikidan responded with a slow nod. “Noble goal. I hope to help you achieve that, especially since it’ll sate your desire for revenge, but there’s one slight problem.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that?”
A sheepish grin crossed his face. “I can’t take a nu-human form yet. If the difference between the two human types were cosmetic, it wouldn’t be an issue, but as you’ve indicated, there are other differences as well. I need to observe you longer before I can make that change.”
I eyed him for a few moments, then let out a long sigh. “Very well. We’ll just have to have a good story if you meet someone as a human and then happen to again later as a nu-human.”
Raikidan crossed his arms. “You act like I’m new to being a dragon. We’re good at being secretive.”
“Right, that’s why you saved a nu-human.” He gave me an unamused look and I chuckled before waving him to follow. “Now let’s keep moving. This conversation isn’t helping us get places.”
At some point, the forest thinned, and before long we stepped out onto a dirt road. Few towns had the ability to produce the materials to sustain vehicles, so there wasn’t a need to maintain roads like they did in cities. Even advanced technologies were limited. Such were the perks of living in cities in a broken land on the verge of war again. Will we ever see peace, like before the War of End?
Raikidan peered around. “I think we’re close. I wasn’t expecting to find a road just yet, so I’m not sure.”
I also gazed around, the sounds of the forest alive even here. The trees swayed in the breeze, and small birds flew above in the blue sky. Something is familiar about this place.
The wind, no more than a gentle breeze, was a welcome relief to the midsummer heat as I strolled through the forest. I walked the familiar path as I had so many times during the past years. But this time was different. This time I hadn’t tread this path for some time.
My stare caught Raikidan’s attention. “What’s up?”
I shook my head to clear it and peered around again. “I know this road.”
His brow rose. “You recognize a road?”
“I traveled it a lot.” I spotted an old wooden sign and ran over to it. Elemental symbols were carved into the wood. “I was right. I have been here.” My eyes shifted to Raikidan as he approached. “And we were correct in our assumption about the nearby village. It’s the West shaman village. We’re close. Follow me.”
Before he could protest I took off, an eagerness adding to my speed. As I led the way, my pace slowed, the memories of why I’d left coming back.
Everyone here who knew how to was fighting. Instead of turning me in, instead of making it safe for them to live, they chose to fight for me. They were choosing to die for me.
My shoulders sagged. Maybe going back isn’t a good idea.
I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder. I looked at Raikidan, whose brow creased with concern. “Are you okay, Eira?”
“Don’t let him know.”
I nodded. “I’m fine. Lost in thought. It’s been a while since I was here last.”
“Is that why you led us off the road?”
“I what?” I looked around to find he told the truth. The forest around us had thickened and the canopy choked out the sun. “Shit. Well, no going back now. Stay close to me. If you wander off you may have to deal with the Guardian, and you’re not equipped with the knowledge to convince it you’re not an enemy.”
“What do you mean by ‘guardian?’”
“They’re ancient beings, created during the War of End to protect towns and villages. They’re humanoid in shape, but featureless, and without emotion or independent thought outside their programming. Many would call them golems.” I glanced his way. “The West tribe has one to protect their people from invaders. They had more, but only one has survived the sands of time. It’s programmed to attack outsiders who stray too far from the three main roads leading to the village.”
“Sounds dangerous for those wandering the woods with no ill intent.”
I nodded. “True, but the shamans have a safety measure in place in case that happens. Those trained in the way of the Guard are sent out on daily patrols, keeping an eye out for such situations. It also keeps poachers at bay, as this area is a prime target for wild game.”
“So, say I did get separated from you, and it attacked me, h—”
“How would you fight it?�
�� I chuckled. “By running. There isn’t a mortal alive that could kill a Guardian on their own. A group may be able to do it, but due to their design, they can take all sorts of damage.”
Raikidan’s shoulders pulled back as he crossed his arms. “Don’t underestimate us dragons. You nu-humans may be stronger than this human form I take, but even I know you’d struggle against me in my natural form.”
I looked him up and down, a smirk spreading across my lips. “Of course, I’ve never fought a dragon, so you could be right. Though I doubt you’d make it out unscathed if you could take it out.”
Raikidan’s head lifted as he eyed me. “You tried to fight it once, didn’t you? That’s how you’ve come to your conclusions.”
I held up my hands. “Guilty as charged. I stumbled upon the tribe by chance. A Hunter perused me through these woods when I stumbled upon a resident of the tribe. My presence, along with the Hunter’s, called the Guardian to the very spot to protect the villager.” I shook my head. “What a mess that was. But I learned quick how strong these creatures are, and will never make an attempt against one again if I can help it.”
Movement in the forest caught our eyes. Raikidan’s stance changed to a defensive one. I chuckled and shifted my path toward the movement.
“What are you doing?” he hissed. “You don’t know what it is yet.”
I snickered. “What are you, a dragon or a mouse?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m trying to be sensible.”
Several hundred feet away, a tall humanoid figure with a shadowy appearance came into view. Closing my eyes and placing my hand on my chest, I looked within myself until a pulsating warmth called to me. This warmth wasn’t the same as the flame I contained in my body. I pushed the warmth into my chest while muttering an ancient incantation, mixing it with my flame, and then extracted it by forcing the will to my hand. Pulling my hand away, a red and white flame rested on my palm—fire mixed with spiritual energy. Several symbols of unknown origin to me rotated around the flame.
Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1) Page 4