Cole was at a loss for words. The thought of Lexy at the top of that tower filled him with crippling despair, but it also ignited a spark of urgency. “How long does she have?”
“What do you mean? She is already lost!” Habbad blinked, annoyed.
“No, she isn’t lost yet. How long until the tower burns again?” Cole was the one annoyed now.
“The tower will burn as we leave the house of Allias, which is the next after Pastori. But you are wrong, she is lost. Kreed has her now.” Habbad locked his eyes with Cole’s, as if to burn the words in.
“How can you just give up on her?” Cole felt heat return to his cheeks. “We saw her just moments ago and you’re already crossing her out like there’s no chance. Do you even want to save her?”
Habbad’s voice was calm, but his eyes told Cole he had just crossed a line: “Of course I want to save her, but want is not reality. You haven’t the dimmest notion of what you’re suggesting, or what will happen to us if we are caught. We stand no chance. Even with my limited Wisdom it would be no hard task for me to kill you now, and there wouldn’t be a thing you could do about it. Kreed on the other hand has powers I can’t even comprehend. And as for The Three, they might as well be gods. What would you have me do anyway? You must have a plan, what with your vast experience on this planet. Please, tell me.”
“I certainly wouldn’t leave my little sister to rot; that would make me a coward,” Cole spat.
Habbad jumped to his feet and stormed towards Cole, his right hand glowing green. Cole knew he had gone too far, even in the darkness he could see murder on Habbad’s face.
A tortured howl tore through the night air. Habbad extinguished the light in his hand and dropped to all fours. Goran retreated back into the tree, hiding behind Cole.
“I’m not dying in this tree,” Habbad whispered. “Follow me if you choose to not be eaten.”
Cole’s legs could not yet support his weight, so he crawled after Habbad. The Corpulant wailed again, closer this time.
“It must be just on the other side of the shore. I don’t know if they can swim,” Habbad hissed, peeking out of the tree.
“Well let’s not stick around to find out. Do you have any ideas?” Cole asked.
Habbad squinted up into the canopy. “It’s foolish, but it’s our only chance. Do you still have your blade? I dropped mine.”
Cole tossed the sharpened rock to Habbad, who tucked it under the wrappings behind his back before scaling a nearby fern. Water droplets showered the sandy beach as Habbad disappeared to the canopy. Goran followed Habbad with a look of mingled interest and confusion.
“Move aside, this thing is heavy,” Habbad called from above.
Something massive fell to the ground, splattering mud onto Cole’s face. Habbad scurried down shortly afterwards.
“What is that?’ Cole asked, wiping his eyes.
“This is a sun lily leaf,” Habbad said, indicating the large round object. “It is heavy, but it will float. We can use it to escape, but it’s too heavy for me to move. Can you stand yet?”
Cole wobbled to his feet, legs cramping. “I don’t know how much I can help, but I’ll try.”
Together they dragged the leaf to the water’s edge. Gasping, Cole flung himself onto its waxy face when it was finally on the water. Habbad hopped on, pushing the leaf farther out into the water.
“Wait for Goran!” Cole breathed.
A splash sounded towards the mainland. Cole could make out a large, hump-backed form powering its way through the water. It was close enough that Cole could hear its strangled breathing getting closer.
“Goran let’s go!” Cole bellowed. A second later a furry shadow flew through the air, crashing into Cole’s stomach and knocking the wind out of him.
“Coo Cha!” Goran barked.
“Habbad help me! We both need to paddle. Why are you just sitting there? That thing is almost on us!” Cole shouted at Habbad, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the leaf with his hands flat on its surface.
The Corpulant let out a gurgling howl. Cole could hear water sloshing around in its huge mouth. Desperate, he cut both hands into the water and paddled with all his might. To his relief, the leaf began to move, though he realized it was moving much too fast to be powered by his hands alone.
“Habbad, are you…” Cole asked, confused.
“Don’t distract me,” Habbad hissed.
The leaf was moving steadily now, but the Corpulant was moving faster still. Seeing that it was still gaining, Cole resumed paddling, which didn’t seem to make a difference, but he needed to do something. He wanted to tell Habbad to go faster, but it looked as if it was taking all of his concentration to maintain the pace they were already at. Realizing he only had a few more seconds before the Corpulant reached them, he crawled over to Habbad and retrieved the sharpened stone. When Cole turned back around he gasped, dropping the stone.
A white hand gripped the edge of the leaf. Another hand joined the first as solid black eyes and purple lips rose from the water. The Corpulant let out a gurgling howl. Its saggy neck jiggled and writhed as it pulled its upper body onto the leaf. The outline of a tiny hand stretched the skin from the inside out, causing the Corpulant to cough as it sprayed buckets of water onto the leaf.
As if waiting for a moment of weakness, Goran pounced on one of its hands, slashing with his long canines. Seeing the other hand reaching for Goran, Cole hacked at it with the stone. The hand went for Cole instead, closing around his wrist with fingers longer than his forearm. Cole felt two muffled pops from under the crushing grip as he lost his footing and slipped towards the edge. Goran shrieked, clamping his jaws around one of the spindly fingers, shaking like a dog while Cole stabbed at the hand. A second later Goran spat a severed finger onto the leaf and set himself on another. The pressure lifted from Cole’s wrist as the hand released him. With a final whack of the stone the Corpulant slipped off the leaf and sank into the black water.
Without the extra weight Cole could feel the leaf gliding swiftly now, the waxy skin rippling under his knees like a water bed. Growling, Goran took up a defensive posture at the edge of the leaf, scanning the black water. Cole scooted towards the center, crying out in pain after putting weight on his throbbing wrist. When it seemed safe, Goran joined Cole and Habbad, sniffing Cole’s injured arm.
Habbad stood from his meditative state, peering over the edge of the leaf. “Is it gone?”
“I don’t know, but it’s going to have a hard time swimming. We messed up its hands pretty good, though not before it could do this to me.” Cole raised his tender arm, which was already starting to swell. “Don’t suppose you could fix this?”
Habbad placed his fingertips on the swelling skin of Cole’s forearm. “Kreed didn’t teach me that type of magic. I doubt he knows it anyway. He has no use for healing others. I might be able to immobilize it, but it’s taking all my focus to keep us moving.” He bent down and picked up the Corpulant’s finger, which flapped like a scared fish before Habbad tossed it into the water. “It seems you gave as well as you got. I’ve never heard of anyone surviving an encounter with one of Decreath’s minions. We are very fortunate.”
“We’re just lucky Corpulants aren’t very good swimmers. Goran did most of the work anyway, didn’t you?” Goran replied with a snort. “I don’t think I can handle much more of this running and fighting for my life. It’s breaking me down.”
“This is how things are on Aeneria. You must break and remake yourself if you are to survive. Life on Terra seems much easy from what you described. Here, death and fighting are commonplace. We all experience it.” Habbad’s eyes fell over Cole’s arm.
“I know, but I could still use a break. This is too much. Do you know where we’re going anyway? I don’t think I can walk right now if we go ashore.” Cole lay on his back, holding his wrist.
Habbad scanned the water ahead. “Right now it appears we are headed towards the mouth of a river. I’ve no idea where it
leads, but the current will help take us as far away as possible, which is where we want to be. I’ve never been this far from Costas before. We are beyond my knowledge of this world.”
“Great. The Corpulant’s probably not the only thing in this river that wants to eat us.” Cole felt the water running under the leaf, wishing it were a bit thicker.
“I would assume so, but nothing could be as dangerous as a Corpulant, which we have escaped twice now.” Habbad craned his neck, examining the sky. “It’s difficult to tell, but I believe we are traveling towards the Dark Side. If so we must take care not to cross the barrier. From the books I’ve stolen from Kreed’s house, Costas is not far from the Dark Side.”
“How will we know if we cross it, and what will happen if we do?” Cole asked.
“I don’t know what it looks like, but after the banishing anyone who crossed it would cease to exist somehow. Kreed said that people crossing would die a terrible death, but the books made it seem like people would just vanish,” Habbad replied.
Cole inched closer to Habbad. “You learned a lot in Kreed’s house, didn’t you?”
“Yes. And, like I said, there are a great many things I wish I could unlearn.” Habbad sat down quickly, causing a wave in the leaf that made Cole gasp in pain. “Sorry.”
“It’s getting worse,” Cole said through clenched teeth. “I’m pretty sure it’s broken, I can barely move my fingers,” He waited a moment for the throbbing to subside. When it became apparent that it would not, he looked to Habbad. “So why didn’t Kreed choose you? You said he chooses people that set themselves apart and using magic isn’t common among your people, so wouldn’t that set you apart?”
“Kreed told me he wanted me for something else. He was going to make me his apprentice until I refused him. When he killed my parents he left Lexy alive so that he could use her against me should I ever disobey him again. He eventually lost interest in me, focusing instead on other children who were more accepting of his desires.” Habbad turned his head, looking away.
“Could you teach me how to use magic? You seem pretty convinced that I’ve been doing it already.” Cole had wanted to ask this question since first learning magic was a real thing here.
Habbad’s wrinkles deepened. “You certainly have been taking part in magic, but usually people have conscious control over it. Have you ever done something with magic intentionally?”
“Not that I know of.” Air rushed in through Cole’s teeth as a fresh spike of pain shot through his arm.
“Then I’m not quite sure how to teach you. I am not even a novice of Wisdom, but it was the only school of magic that I show an aptitude for. Kreed helped to awaken my latent abilities.” Habbad leaned over the edge of the leaf and scooped a double handful of water, pouring it in a neat little puddle in front of Cole. “This should be harmless enough. Do you know what this is?”
“Um, water?” Cole said plainly.
Habbad tapped the puddle. “Of course, but do you know it? Do you feel a complete understanding of its nature and its properties in this form?”
Cole thought back to everything he’d learned about water. “I know it’s a liquid, and what its boiling and freezing points are. We learned about its properties in school. Even the particles that make it up.”
Habbad shook his head. “Don’t focus on facts and numbers. Instead, shift your focus to the base concepts of the thing. Close your eyes and focus on the very idea of what this puddle is. You need to feel the concept with utmost intimacy.” Habbad chuckled quietly as Cole’s face strained with effort. “First you must relax, this is not a thing you can achieve through brute force.”
“Hey I’m trying!” Cole snapped. “You try focusing with a busted arm.”
“My apologies, but I’ve never seen someone make that face before. Now, empty your mind and focus on the puddle. You need to feel its properties as a whole. Sense them all. Do not attach yourself to a single aspect.”
After a moment’s strained relaxation, Cole spoke: “All right, I don’t know if I’m doing it right but this is as close as I’m going to get.” Cole’s eyes bored into the puddle as he warded off stray thoughts.
Habbad nodded. “If you truly understand the puddle and all of its properties, pick one now and change the rules. If your conviction is strong enough, the puddle will oblige.”
“What do you mean change the rules? Like change a property of the water?” Cole asked, feeling slightly stupid.
“Yes, but do not lose sight of its other attributes while you make changes to one,” Habbad pointed out.
Cole bit his lip, deep in thought. He felt as if his mind were struggling to juggle the simplest idea. As soon as he got a good rhythm with one property, he would drop the others. After a moment’s deliberation, he decided upon changing the freezing temperature of the puddle, though he quickly realized he now needed a concept of what heat was. He tried to imagine all the little molecules vibrating and bouncing off one another, willing them to slow their movement. He swore under his breath as he dropped the other thoughts he was juggling. Concentrating, he tried again. When he felt like he had it, he followed his instincts and extended a finger towards the puddle, not knowing why it felt right to do so. Anticipation prickled up the back of his neck. He could feel something, like an idea twisting and changing its color. He poked the water, which hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Cole panted, not realizing he was holding his breath. “Did it change?”
“I haven’t a clue. What did you try to do anyway?” Habbad brought his nose down to the puddle, smelling it.
“I tried to make it freeze. I don’t know, it feels a bit cool to me.” Cole rubbed the moisture in between his thumb and forefinger.
“Perhaps. The only advice I can offer is keep trying, and stick to simple things. Cooling something off is a good start. You could also try to move a small object such as a pebble. Keep in mind you are very tired and injured at the moment, which makes it much harder.” Habbad blew a sharp breath and the puddle gave a high-pitched creak. Cole threw out a hand to steady himself as the leaf suddenly slowed. Habbad gave Cole an awkward smile as he tossed the now frozen puddle into the water. “As you can see, I am no master of the Wisdom.”
Cole watched in awe as the little disc of ice bobbed and trailed behind them. “I’ll keep trying, that’s for sure.”
“You should sleep. I don’t need to be a healer to see that you are at your limit,” Habbad said after Cole let out a big yawn.
“You’re probably right,” Cole yawned again, laying himself down on the leaf. “My body is spent, though my mind is still running all over the place. I don’t know if I can sleep. My arm isn’t about to let me sleep either.” Cole was silent for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the water rippling under the leaf. “We’re going to save Lexy you know. I promise, we’ll find a way.”
Habbad crawled over to Cole, placing a finger on his forehead. “I believe that you believe that. Now sleep.”
• • • •
Cole woke with a start, feeling as if he’d just fallen from a great height. He was disoriented, though Goran’s ruby eyes anchored him to the present. Habbad’s eyes on the other hand made Cole reach for his stone blade.
“What’s wrong, why are you looking at me like that?” Cole asked.
Habbad’s eyes sharpened. “Where have you been?”
“What do you mean? Did I go somewhere?” Cole rubbed his eyes, realizing his arm was no longer broken. It was sore, but felt sturdy and he could move his fingers again.
Ignoring Goran’s warning growl, Habbad rushed over to Cole, placed his hands on the sides of his head, and looked into each of his eyes, searching for something. He frowned, releasing his grip. “Your body became a ball of light. Green light. Then you shot up into the stars faster than I could follow. You were gone for some time, I woke and slept four times. I thought Goran would leave me too when we stopped to forage for food. Do you remember anything?”
“There were a few dr
eams, mostly about my home.” Cole scratched his cheek, which was soaked. Apparently he had been crying. “I saw my mom with Nana Beth. They were both so sad and I could only watch. I tried to reach out to them, but the harder I tried the worse things got. Nana Beth had to give my mom some pills to calm her down. I felt like I was making it worse, so I left. I felt like a ghost. No one could see me.” Cole felt a fresh tear chase after the others.
“Those were no dreams!” Habbad’s eyes popped wide. “You Traveled, I saw it myself! And to Terra no less! We are not even in Terra’s house. This is important, Cole.” Habbad deflated as his eyebrows wrinkled together. “None of this should be possible, the banishing was supposed to be permanent. You are changing the rules. Please, tell me everything you remember.”
Cole had a difficult time meeting Habbad’s eyes. He knew they weren’t just dreams. There was the same feeling of falling into himself and flowing through the river. He had been there with him the whole time of course, though for some reason Cole was not ready to tell anyone about Him. He could feel Him now, watching and observing, though the feeling was quickly fading as he became more alert.
“I think you’re right,” Cole admitted. “Some of those dreams were so vivid. I still have no idea how I’m doing it though, and I only remember flashes of it. And why is the sky lighter down river, is that the local star?” Cole pointed to the faint glow over the small patch of horizon that the river exposed for them.
Habbad crossed his arms and huffed, looking as though he had been denied a great treat. “We have drifted very far, but not that far. Pastori’s star is on the other side of the planet. I’m not sure what that light is but it’s been getting brighter.” Habbad paused, looking Cole up and down. “I think the next time you fall asleep I will be watching you very closely.”
“Go right ahead, but that won’t be for a while. I feel like I got the best night’s sleep of my life. I feel great, actually, not even sore. Well, my arm is sore, but it doesn’t feel broken anymore.” Goran cocked his head as Cole’s stomach let out a long, low moan. “You wouldn’t happen to have any food left?”
Saving The Dark Side: Book 1: The Devotion Page 16