For the first time in a very long time Cole felt a sense of accomplishment. He was nowhere near as fast as the others, but he, Cole Carter, had just climbed the tallest thing he had ever laid eyes on. He allowed himself a moment to soak in his victory as he gazed out upon the ocean of lights from the city below, the lights below mixing with the stars above like mirrored gardens. The air was cooler up at this altitude and a gentle breeze caressed his face, carrying a flowery scent. He took another moment to gawk at the immense moon, which watched him from low on the horizon. He was content to stare at that colorful ball until fate decided to bring him back home. Cole’s cheeks and forehead glowed as if he were bathing in the sun itself. Waiting so long, he knew he risked punishment from Roth, but the moment was too tempting. From deep inside his chest Cole felt something stirring in him, something that stood out like a flower in the dead of winter. Budding hope took hold inside him. Hope that he was not as doomed as he once thought. Hope that he could figure out a way to save Lexy and find a way back home. He knew those were tall orders, just far-off dreams, but in the meantime this place didn’t seem so bad, at least not in this beautiful moment.
Descending the tree took much longer. Cole was almost thankful for the darkness of the middle layers because he couldn’t see how high up he was. Though he tried to avoid it, he found himself facing a branch he’d had to jump from on the way up. The branch was not directly below the one he currently sat on. He would have to swing himself over a couple feet, hoping to land on it. With no other options, he lowered himself until he was holding on by just his hands, which he covered in some of the wrappings that he tore from his arms. His grip held fast as he started a gentle swing back and forth. While he readied himself for the lunge, a crash jarred his hands, loosening his grip. Wood chips pelted him from above.
“How pathetic.” A familiar voice chuckled from the shaken branch.
“Hey! Don’t do that! I almost fell!” Cole pleaded.
White light flashed into being above him. Cole looked up around the branch to see Valen staring down at him.
“I thought Underkin were better suited for holes in the ground. How did you find yourself in such a lofty place?” Valen’s tone was soft, yet dangerous like a wound spring. Through the light, Cole could see that Valen’s uninjured hands and feet were wicked black claws once more. A cruel smile played across Valen’s face. “Your place is on the ground.”
The branch gave an ear-splitting report as it broke from the tree. An odd weightless feeling caused Cole’s guts to lurch up into his chest as the light vanished. He knew he was falling, but it was too dark to see how high he was. Nevertheless, he flailed into the darkness, reaching for anything that might slow his fall. His chest hit a branch, hard. Then something else struck him across the back, sending him tumbling. Seeing the distant ground spinning towards him, Cole knew there was no way he would survive the fall. An empty blackness greeted him accompanied by a deafening ringing. Broken, choking, pain dragged him back to consciousness as dulled voices clamored about him.
“Hold him still. I said hold him still!”
“I can’t, he’s too damn slippery with all this blood. Sitra, get some water and rags if you can find them.”
“There’s no time, something’s broken and bleeding on the inside too, feel it? No, put your fingers here, see?”
“Did anyone see what happened?”
“The Underkin was too small to reach one of the branches. He fell.”
“Somebody get Roth! I don’t think the kid’s going to make it.”
“Roth went to get Alvani. Wait, Lileth. What about you?”
“I cannot, I’ve not the skill.”
“What are you talking about? He was all but dead when we found him in the lagoon and you had no problem patching him up. Just do it, we won’t tell anyone.”
Cole struggled as the unknown voices and hands ministered to him. He could feel broken bones tearing at his insides as he thrashed and tried to breathe. He knew he should lie still, but the blood pooling in his lungs gave him the sensation of drowning and set him into a panic. The pain ebbed and flowed with such intensity that he walked the line between agonizing awareness and blacking out.
“Step aside, all of you. And dismiss your spells, Eliza.”
Cole was dimly aware of the hands releasing him, but he was acutely aware of a sudden increase in his senses. The pain shot up tenfold, shocking his vision to white and filling his ears with a deafening roar. He screamed, or at least tried to through a mouth full of frothy blood. The tinkling of wind chimes filled his mind. His vision cleared and he saw a woman looming over him, her raven hair tied in a high bun, save for a few ropes that clung to the sweat on her glistening cheeks. Her hands hovered over Cole’s chest, fingers wide and emitting a soft rosy light that poured into him. Cole felt his lungs clearing, and a few things popped and snapped inside his torso, followed by an immediate release from the pain. Her hands traveled over each of his broken limbs, tears leaking from her eyes like a shower of diamonds. Within a minute the pain was entirely gone. Cole sat up, breathing heavily.
“I know you.” He breathed.
The woman wiped the tears from her eyes, which looked familiar to Cole, as though he’d seen them in a dream. Her eyes were fierce and burned with intelligence, yet her quivering lips were full and inviting. Without a word she rose and stormed off into the shadows beyond the glow of the tree gems, a short cloak whipping behind her back. Confused, Cole inspected his body. As far as he could tell he had no injuries whatsoever. Even his old surgery scars were gone. His wrappings, however, had suffered such damage that the only function they now served was a meager preservation of his modesty. He tore off the tattered pieces, leaving him almost as naked as when he’d met Habbad and Lexy. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he tore off the final strap. He was surrounded by five Aenerians, all towering over him like the trees above.
“How do you feel, Cole? Your name is Cole right?” asked Sitra, her rugged features softening with concern.
“I, I feel great actually. Hungry, but great.” Cole’s Gaze traveled up the tree he had just fallen from. “How high was I when I fell?”
“You were more than halfway up, that’s for sure.” Sitra gave a gruff laugh. “Lucky for you, you hit every branch on the way down. Not so lucky for you, one of those branches landed on you when you hit the ground. Do your legs work okay? Your back was broken.”
Cole stood, amazed at the sensation of well-being that permeated his body. “Yeah, everything’s working fine. Better than fine actually. What was that woman’s name? I want to thank her. I don’t know what she did but it felt so…” Cole trailed off, still basking in the residual euphoria left by the magic. It was as if she was inside him. “It felt really good. Still does.”
The one called Valen hissed with dissent and marched after the cloaked woman.
Sitra scowled after him before turning to Cole. “Her name is Lileth. Do her a favor okay? Don’t mention to anyone that she healed you.”
Cole frowned, “Why not? Is healing people frowned upon? Somebody healed me not too long ago, and Chiron said that the person who did it wouldn’t receive my gratitude or something.”
“That was also Lileth. We found you floating belly up in the lagoon. Alvani was certain you were dead, but Lileth felt something. She wouldn’t explain it to us. She swam out and got you, then healed you like she did just now.” Sitra let out a slow breath as she ran her fingers through her hair. “It’s a big deal, her healing you. Where she comes from, Passion is sort of embarrassing. Not only that, but she performed it at a master’s level. To her, it’s…shameful. This will all make sense to you after a few lessons. But until then, just shut up about it.”
“Yeah, no problem. I don’t have anyone to tell anyway,” Cole admitted, wishing he had Goran by his side. “I’m glad she was there though.”
“So how did you fall anyway? Seemed like you were doing all right whenever I passed you.” Sitra eyed him suspiciously.
Cole hesitated, remembering Valen looming above him with that gargoyle sneer. Part of him wanted to rat Valen out, but it was his pride that responded instead. “I was too small to reach a branch below me. I tried to swing to it but the branch I was holding onto snapped.”
Sitra eyed the large branch next to him. It was thicker than Cole’s leg and still smelled of fresh sap. “Hmm. Maybe one of us weakened the branch before you got to it.”
“Probably,” Cole said, glancing at the rest of the group.
The shortest member of the unit stepped forward, extending a clawed hand. He had a heavy, jutting jaw like a bulldog. “I’m Storn. Roth put me in charge of you -sorry,” Storn wiggled his hand as it transformed from jagged black knives to something more human and less dangerous.
Cole grasped a couple of Storn’s fingers and shook them awkwardly. “Nice to meet you, Storn.”
“You’re a lot smaller than I expected.” Storn gave Cole an appraising look. “Can you at least do magic?”
“Not at all,” Cole said, slightly ashamed. “I wish I could. Definitely would have come in handy.”
“Can’t be very common for Underkin to use magic, can it? Where are you from anyway?” Storn asked, crossing his bulky arms.
Cole paused, remembering Roth’s instruction. “I’m from Costas.”
“Never heard of it. But that doesn’t matter now. This is your new home, and we’re your new family. There’s six of us, seven now including you. You’ve already met Sitra and Valen. And you’ve sort of met Lileth already.” Storn jerked a thumb over his shoulder: “The two behind me are Deekus and Eliza. Deekus is the male. They’re our healers, Passion followers.”
Two Aenerians smiled warmly as they stepped to either side of Storn. “Greetings, Cole,” they said in unison. They each wore a gentle, comforting smile. The claws on their hands and feet faded into smooth hands that reached out towards him. Cole shook the fingers of Deekus, who wrapped both his hands around Cole’s and held them for a moment.
“You are welcome here, Underkin,” Deekus said, patting Cole on the shoulder. He had the gentlest face Cole had seen so far. His eyes seemed to emanate kindness. “Do not fear us, you are amongst friends.”
Cole felt every muscle in his body relax. “Thank you Deekus.” He realized he was grinning ear to ear. Something about the way Deekus and Eliza looked at him made Cole feel safe and elated.
Cole stuck his arm out to shake Eliza’s hand, but she picked him up like a child, squeezing and rocking him in a warm embrace. It was as warm and wholesome as a hug from Nana Beth. Cole laughed and hugged her back.
“I sense that you’ve been through much, Cole,” Eliza said in a motherly tone. Her face was round with soft features, while her honey-blond hair was chopped in a short pixie cut. “Too much, if I’m not mistaken. Don’t worry, you are safe now. We will take care of you.”
“Thank you, Eliza.” Cole wiped happy tears from the corners of his eye. “That means a lot to me. It really does.”
Sitra drew their attention as she pointed towards the sky. A heavy flapping echoed off the trees. “And there’s our help. Little late now.”
Something large blocked the starry canopy above as the flapping slammed louder. If the rest of the group hadn’t seemed so calm, Cole would have run to the nearest hole for fear of being eaten.
A golden creature the size of a school bus landed heavily before them, buffeting grass with its wings before tucking them to its sides. Its snout was long and feline and it had tall, wispy ears. Its paws were catlike as well, with curving ebony claws that were almost as long as Cole. Starlight reflected off its shining golden feathers, making the proud creature look like a moving metallic statue.
The beast tucked its wings and lowered its head as a woman in snow white robes dismounted from between its shoulders. She dropped from the beast’s wing, alighting on the grass before giving her steed a gentle caress under its chin. She appeared to glide instead of walk, and Cole thought he saw a lavender aura around her, as though someone followed her with a spotlight. Her blonde hair fell straight and smooth to her lower back, held in place by an ornate silver circlet.
Roth, who emerged from the shadows farther down the trail, barked, “Line up! You’re still on my time. Don’t think I don’t see you, Lileth. Grab Valen and fall in.”
“That means you too,” Sitra whispered to Cole.
The six, now seven, lined up in front of the three evergreens. Bark and branches littered the forest floor around them. The woman in white walked down the line, inspecting each of them. She stopped in front of Valen, eyes sad as she took in his crippled arm.
“Rothael, this is indeed a gruesome injury, but I would think one of the students could handle the likes of this. Was a crippled arm worth the trouble of bringing me here?” She grasped Valen’s broken arm with tender fingers.
“No Alvani, no not that one,” Roth barked at the woman in white. “The Underkin at the end. The idiot fell from damn near the top. A minute ago he was well beyond our skill to heal.” Roth stepped in front of Cole, inspecting his tattered, yet perfectly healthy state with an accusatory glare. “What happened?”
Rising panic bubbled in his gut as his momentary pause bordered on hesitation. He could feel Lileth shift next to him. “I…”
“He was healed, Rothael,” Alvani said and smiled, caressing a tear from Lileth’s cheek. “By this one. Please Lileth, do not regret it. It is a beautiful thing. If only we could all be so lucky to give the gift of life to another.”
Lileth blinked hard. “Of course, Master Alvani.”
Alvani nodded, eyes sad. Moving down the line she stopped in front of Cole. She bent down to his height, her smile warm and welcoming like Deekus’s and Eliza’s. Recognition flared in her eyes as she gripped Cole’s face, searching his eyes as though she’d seen something urgent. Flustered, she collected herself, releasing her grip.
“My apologies, Underkin. I must be losing my touch on this reality in my old age.” As though nothing had happened, her face resumed its contagious expression of joy. “I am Alvani, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Cole, and the pleasure is all mine.” Cole didn’t bother hiding his stupid grin.
“Lileth seems to have done a thorough job on you. How do you feel?” she asked, looking him over.
Cole patted his chest. “I feel great, honestly. Though I’m so hungry I could eat my own hand.”
Alvani laughed. “Please, don’t do that. I don’t think young Lileth has it in her to heal such a wound. Cole, would you let me have a look at you, inside and out? I sense something off-center, though I can’t quite put it to words.”
Cole was slow to respond. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lileth. He could almost feel the anger radiating from her. Why would she regret saving someone’s life? Feeling Alvani’s gentle gaze still lingering, he shook himself straight.
“Uh, sorry. Yeah, please go ahead.” He didn’t know what magic Alvani was capable of, but her mere presence felt so warm and wholesome that he trusted her implicitly.
Alvani placed a finger an inch away from his chest. Satisfied, she moved towards his forehead, and a lavender spark flickered in between her finger and his skin. “As I suspected. Someone has been meddling. A tainted cypher if I’m not mistaken. It doesn’t appear to be causing any harm, but you don’t feel quite yourself, do you?”
“I feel as normal as I can given the circumstances.” He felt Roth’s eyes burning into him as he wondered how much he was allowed to say. “Someone did put a cypher in me. I don’t remember his name.”
“Can you tell me where you are?” Alvani asked, looking pleasantly curious.
“Of course.” Cole almost laughed, but just as he went to answer, the thought slipped out of his grasp. “I…I can’t remember the name. I know Chiron told me.”
She nodded, raising an eyebrow. “How about the name of our moon?”
Cole was at a loss. “Chiron told me that too, but no… I can’t remember it. It ju
st keeps slipping away.”
Alvani pursed her lips. “Cypher indeed. There is something unwholesome in you, I can feel it. Would you like me to remove the fetters? I promise you won’t feel a thing.” Alvani placed her hands on her thighs, awaiting his answer.
Cole hesitated. He didn’t want someone tinkering around in his head after Kreed, and the only people who ever said ‘you won’t feel a thing’ were doctors, right before they stabbed you with something. Alvani however did not seem like a doctor, or a liar. Cole looked up at her. “Ok.”
Alvani situated three of her fingers in certain spots over Cole’s scalp. Holding his breath, he waited for something to happen.
“Done.” She smiled.
“Really? I didn’t feel a thing.” Cole rubbed his head.
Alvani gave him a sharp nod. “Of course you didn’t. Now if you would be so kind as to tell me where you are, the name of our moon, and what my name is?”
Struck with a sudden case of the giggles, Cole opened his mouth to answer, but realized he still couldn’t find the words. It felt as if he were wading in waist deep water, chasing fish too fast to catch. He looked up at the moon with all its scintillating craters and its melting rainbow hues. Something slipped into place.
“This moon is called Oberon.” His giggling subsided as more thoughts fell into their rightful place. “We’re in The Sill, and your name is Alvani.” He could also feel something else inside him, apparent now only because of its sudden absence. He couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but he no longer felt as scared and vulnerable as before.
“Right you are Cole.” Alvani squeezed her hand over his shoulder before standing up. “Whoever placed the cypher in you intended to keep you in the dark on certain things.” She turned to Roth. “I know you still have a little more time with the students, but I think it is a good time to address young Valen’s injury. I don’t want to know how he sustained it, so I won’t ask. However, this would be a most useful exercise for the arts of Passion. Is this agreeable? May I start early?” Alvani approached Roth, picking a leaf out of his bladed hair.
Saving The Dark Side: Book 1: The Devotion Page 20