“Thank you for including me today.” I looked up at him to find him staring at his spice jar. “And for buying this. It means a lot to me.”
I didn’t need to see his eyes to know what it meant for him to have that jar. If I had a food that reminded me of my mother, I’d sure as hell try to get it as much as I could.
I smiled despite myself. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Thirty
I pulled out another bundle of preserved meat and placed it onto the pile of other food I had already started. When Daren had said he had given me a lot of food, I didn’t think he meant this much. Raikidan and I had eaten quite a bit while we traveled, and there was still enough to feed an army.
Someone rapped on my door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Ryoko strolled in with a smile. “Checking to see what you’re up to.”
I pulled out another bundle. “Just seeing what’s in here.”
She raised her eyebrow. “You don’t know what’s in your own bag?”
“I didn’t pack it.”
“Fair enough. Need help?”
“I don’t need help, but you’re more than welcome to.”
She smiled and sat down on the bed with me. Together we pulled out more food, full meals and single-wrapped meat alike. “Geez, how much is in here?”
“A lot, that’s all I can say. Daren didn’t want us to go hungry, but even I know this would be overkill. But that’s him for you.”
“Who is Daren?”
“The Inn keeper at the West Shaman Tribe. Nice guy.”
“How nice?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t even go there.”
“Too old for you?”
I sighed and ignored her. Ryoko reached into the bag and pulled out another fur bag. She looked at me and I shrugged. She pulled out the contents and laid them across the bed.
I stopped what I was doing to pick up a few of the photographs she placed down and looked them over. “I’ve never seen these before…”
“Some of the people from this West Tribe you mentioned?” Ryoko asked.
I nodded. There were so many photographs. I had no idea there had been any type of camera around for most of them.
Ryoko laughed and held out a photograph. “Who is this guy with the chicken?”
“Nice tae meet ye, lass. Name’s Daren an’ this here be ma inn. She ain’t na five star hotel in some big ol’ city, but she’s got fine rooms an’ comes with three square meals a day.”
I chuckled. “That would be Daren.”
“He looks a little too happy to have the chicken in his hands.”
I shook my head, a smile on my lips. “That’s Daren for you. He is always happy and becomes happier when he gets gifts, like that chicken.”
Ryoko chuckled and picked up another photograph.
The woman smiled. “You know me, don’t you, my dear?”
“Your face. I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
“That’s Shva’sika,” I said.
Ryoko looked at the photograph closer. “She’s really pretty.” I nodded and ate a few pieces of dried meat. She picked up another photograph of Shva’sika. I was also in it. “She was your teacher, yes?”
I nodded again. “I couldn’t ask for a better one. Del’karo taught me how to use fire the way I do, but Shva’sika taught me everything else. I owe them a lot.”
Ryoko smiled and shook her head. “Who would have thought?”
I furrowed my brow. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember when we always teased you that you’d end up being a shaman one day?”
I blinked.
“Oh c’mon, you have to remember. You were so good with controlling fire right off the bat that we teased you, and you hated it! We told you, you had to be a shaman, and you kept telling us we were wrong. Who’s wrong now?”
I laughed. “I’m not a full shaman. Just half.”
Ryoko threw her hands up. “Who cares if you’re a half shaman or a full shaman?”
“There is a difference, Ryoko. I don’t have all the skills a full shaman has. There is still so much for me to learn.”
“Like what?”
“I still have to learn more about using fire and trying to tap into my opposite element if it’s possible. Not to mention I have almost no ability in communicating with spirits.”
She tilted her head. “Not communicating with spirits is a bad thing?”
“Communicating with spirits is what separates shamans from standard elementalists, though shamans do have a tendency to have a better innate control over their element than elementalists.”
“Oh, okay. But wait. I thought people went somewhere when they died.”
“They do, but they can come back for a short period of time when we need guidance or when they feel the need to give us a push in the right direction. Some also just like to talk. It’s not like they want to be dead. They want to feel like they’re part of the living.”
“So, are wandering spirits real?”
I nodded. “Yes, and hell is a real place, too. Wandering spirits refuse to move on, just as old tales claim. Mainly, they’re unavenged and angry, but others just want to keep living. They search for bodies that have just lost their host and try to live a new type of life or look for those who can tap into the spiritual plane and use their life force to have a physical form again.”
I ate some dried meat. “Hell is where people are sentenced to if they made a pact with Nazir or are just extremely horrible people. Restless spirits who cannot be convinced to cross over also end up in hell, as their refusal to move on slowly corrupts them. Because of their obvious corruption, they are deemed unworthy of peaceful rest and sentenced to an eternity of restlessness.”
Ryoko shivered. “Those sent to hell can’t come back, right?”
I shook my head. “No. They are imprisoned there.”
She nodded with relief. “That’s good. Makes wandering spirits a little less scary. Is it hard to communicate with the spirits?”
I nodded. “You have no idea. Between the mental training and physical training to handle the stress of going between the planes, it takes a lot out of a person. On top of that, you have to be willing to face any spirit that exists. There is no picking or choosing. The spirit who can give you the answers will come to you no matter your relation with them.”
“So, you could be forced to speak with someone you killed?”
I nodded. “That’s why I couldn’t do it. It’s why I’ll never be able to be a full shaman.”
“You feel regret again?” I looked at her and she crossed her arms. “Don’t be like that. We both know you felt regret at first, but Zarda tortured it out of you.”
I reclined on my bed and looked up at the ceiling, sighing. “Yes. I don’t regret killing in the moment, but after it’s all said and done, and the act has settled into my brain, I do.”
Ryoko smiled at me. “I know this may sound awful, but I’m glad. I like seeing you come back to the woman I once knew you to be.”
I shook my head. I hadn’t changed. And if I had, not to that person again. She was stupid and naïve. Sitting up, I decided to pile up the photographs one by one. I stopped when I picked up one particular photograph with me in it. I held it carefully as if I was afraid it would disappear, as if it had never truly existed.
“You probably already found out my name, but I figured I should tell you myself.”
“Oh, who’s the cutie?” Ryoko asked as she leaned over to take a closer look.
I didn’t respond. Ryoko snapped her fingers and my eyes fluttered. “What?”
She sighed. “Who is he?”
“Xye.” I handed the photograph over to her as if it no longer mattered to me.
“He a friend of yours?”
I snorted. “Hardly.”
“Oh, I forgot, you don’t have friends.”
“You’re my friend.”
Ryoko looked up at me with a furrowed brow. �
�You once told me you didn’t have friends. Friends lacked true trust.”
I looked down at my hands in my lap. “Friend means you have an attachment. You are my friend and my comrade. I am attached to you, and you have my trust.”
Ryoko smiled. “So, he is your friend.”
“No.” She gave me a stern look and I sighed. “Yes, he was my friend.”
“Was?”
I looked at her. “He’s dead.”
Her ears drooped. “Oh… I’m… I’m sorry.”
I piled up more photographs. “Don’t worry about it. It happens.”
“So…” She looked at me mischievously. I didn’t like it. “Were you just friends or more than that?”
I glared at her. “You know the answer to that.”
“I do?” She tilted her head to emphasize her fake innocence.
“Ryoko.”
“Okay, okay.” She held up her hands in defeat. “Can’t blame me for trying.”
“I beg to differ.”
She looked at the photograph again, ignoring my stubbornness. “He is cute, though. His ears are a little odd. They’re not the full length of an elf or nu-human, but not short enough to be a regular human. Is he a halfling?”
“Don’t call him that!” I snapped.
Ryoko flinched. “What? What did I do wrong? We’re halflings too.”
I sighed. Of course she wouldn’t know. “Sorry. It’s just being outside these walls you learn things. Even though two millennia have passed since the War of End, halfling isn’t a good word out there. It’s used by those who still see those of mixed blood as abominations.”
“Oh…” Ryoko looked down at the photograph, her ears drooping. “I guess the story of Peacekeeper Ryoko is true, in that aspect at least. Sorry, I had no idea.”
“It’s okay. You wouldn’t have known since you never leave the city.”
Ryoko placed the photograph on top of the pile of photographs and clapped her hands together. “All right, what’s next?”
I shrugged and reached into my bag. “Looking through my treasure trove some more, I suppose.”
My brow furrowed when I touched a small bag containing a hard object. Pulling the bag out, I opened it. My eyes grew wide when the bag fell down, revealing a bright red gem the size of my palm.
Ryoko leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. “Wow. It’s so beautiful.”
“It’s called the red dragon’s eye. It’s extremely valuable, and powerful if used correctly.”
I reached into the bag and felt around. If this one was in here, then so was the other. I smiled when I located the leather bag. Pulling it out, I opened the bag, revealing a large green gem.
Ryoko’s eyes grew larger. “Another one?”
“There are three in total. This is the green dragon’s eye. It’s just as valuable and powerful as the red.”
“How did you get them?”
My throat tightened a little. “They… they were gifts.”
Ryoko’s expression softened. “Laz, what happened between the two of you?”
There was no point trying to fool her. She knew Xye had given at least one of these to me. I tied the bag tightly over the green gem. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
She frowned. “It’s the same situation as Rylan, isn’t it?”
I sighed and cradled the red gem in my hands. “It was the most valuable thing he owned. I tried to refuse it, but he insisted I think it over.”
“Think what over?”
I looked at her. “He asked me to marry him.” She placed her hand over her mouth and looked at me sympathetically. “Elves don’t give rings like humans. They give their most valuable possession to show their commitment. I tried to tell him I wasn’t interested, but he wouldn’t listen. He was so infatuated with me. He would do anything for me. It’s what got him killed. I’m… I’m the reason he’s dead…”
“Laz…” She moved closer to me and embraced me in a tight hug. I didn’t fight it. A dark, suffocating feeling gripped my chest. But her hug made me feel a little better. “Let’s go do something fun.”
I tilted my head. “Like what?”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the edge of the bed as she moved. “Let’s go downstairs and clean the vehicles.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can’t stay away from those for more than one day, can you?”
She laughed. “Zane thinks I bleed oil.”
“You probably do at this point, but I should really get this all situated.”
Ryoko tugged harder. “Do it later! You have all the time in Lumareon. I want to do something with you for a change. Just the two of us.”
I smiled. “Okay, okay. I’ll go with you. It’s not like this food can go bad.”
She squealed and pulled me out of my room. She nearly ripped the basement door off its hinges when she opened it and flew down the stairs. I laughed at her excitement. She finally let go of my hand when we rounded the corner and crossed the invisible line that marked the garage.
I briefly looked at all the cars we owned before Ryoko tossed me a rag and container of wax. I nodded my thanks, and she walked over to her favorite car. It was a beautiful sapphire blue with white race stripes. It was sleek and sexy, and she made sure it went fast. Knowing her, I figured she had added more up-to-date modifications to it, but from an outside look, it appeared exactly the same as it had when I left. It still had the same hood scoop, tinted windows, and the same style spoiler. It wasn’t as modern looking as most of the other cars in the garage, but Ryoko was a fan of the classics. Of course, that wasn’t to say she didn’t have a few modern-looking vehicles hanging around.
Leaving her to her car, I searched for my motorcycle. If I was lucky, it would be in the same place I had left it, and it would have its tan cover over it. Finding it, I pulled the cover off and furrowed my brow. “Ryoko, where’s my bike?”
She looked up. “Isn’t she right there?”
“No, this is Rylan’s.”
She stood up and scratched her head. “I could have sworn I put her right there after I tuned her up after you left. No one touched her after.”
“What are you two looking for?” I looked up as Zane spoke. I hadn’t heard him come downstairs.
“My bike. Have you seen it?”
He smirked and flipped a light switch on the wall next to him. I turned around as a small overhead lamp turned on and illuminated a covered motorcycle tucked away in the back of the garage by itself. Tilting my head in curiosity, I slowly made my way over to it.
I grabbed the cover and pulled it off the motorcycle. “Zane, I think you need to have your brain checked. This isn’t my bike.”
“Are you sure?”
I looked closely at the bike. The sleek style was similar to my motorcycle, which had been uniquely designed to fit my body shape, but the color was different, along with how low the rider needed to lean over to steer.
Feet thundered down the stairs, but I paid it no mind. Slowly I walked around the bike, allowing my index finger to trail along the body. She was mostly ruby red, with blended black portions and a black seat that allowed for two riders.
Zane walked over to me. “So, what do you think?”
“She’s beautiful, but I’m still lost. This isn’t my bike,” I said.
Zane chuckled. “Yes, it is.”
I thought this over while I rubbed my hand over the gas tank.
“We’ve been working on that thing for months,” Blaze called over. “Zane made it our main priority when we weren’t under a lot of heat with the military and Ryoko wasn’t around. You can thank us now.”
I looked at Zane. “Why?”
He folded his arms over his chest and smiled. “You always said she could be improved, so I figured I’d give you that just in case you decided to come back.”
I smiled. Zane was so thoughtful. He had no idea I was coming back, but used up what little free time he and the boys had to improve my motorcycle in ways I had only dreamed of.
Argus strolled over, leaned on the motorcycle, and gave her a quick look-over. “She’s still not finished, but she’s highly functional.”
“She looks finished to me.”
“We wanted to add more to the color and add more to some of the advanced features we installed, but you came back, so we had to finish up and move her back here before you noticed she was missing,” he explained.
I was curious about these advanced features Argus mentioned. I knew he wouldn’t tell me outright, so I placed both hands on the handlebars and swung my leg over the body of the motorcycle. I left the kickstand down and focused on getting comfortable, which wasn’t hard to do. They really had done a spectacular job with styling this to fit me comfortably, which was saying something, because I had thought she had been comfortable as it was.
Letting go of the handlebars, I ran my hand over the gas tank, looking for the keyhole. Suddenly a blue light flashed quickly, and a section of the tank flipped over to a digital reader. I stared at it, my interest in this upgrade intensifying. Ryoko, now curious herself, tossed her rag on the floor and made her way over.
I hovered my hand over the reader, and it responded to my touch. I looked up at Zane curiously. He smiled and nodded, so I placed my hand over the reader and watched it scan my hand.
“Rider accepted.”
I pulled my hand away as the screen flashed. The engine of the motorcycle roared to life, startling Ryoko. I laughed at her, and she glared at me but didn’t say anything. I placed my hands on the handlebars and twisted the throttle, the motorcycle roaring to life in response. Slowly I let it die down to a quiet purr.
“So?” Zane asked.
I smiled. “She sounds nice. Much better than before. I like the hand-scanning feature. That’s quite inventive. Is that the only new advanced feature you boys added?”
He chuckled. “Place two fingers on the scanner.”
I did as he instructed, and the reader responded by projecting a small blue beam vertically into the air. I pulled my hand away and watched the reader go to work. A small ball was projected from the beam. As I waited, the ball became bigger and more detailed. “A map?”
Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1) Page 47