“Umm, good question.” He scratched his head.
“I don’t weigh that much if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said icily as her eyes narrowed.
“No, no of course not. Well, okay, you plus your backpack—”
She glared at him.
“Okay, right. Let’s do this.” He stooped slightly to pick her up, his right hand sweeping behind her knees and his left hand behind her shoulders. “A little awkward with your backpack,” he said as he stood up and adjusted his hold on her.
She draped her arms around his neck. “I know you can manage.” Then she added in a whisper. “Don’t drop me into the water. Please.”
“Yeah, will do. Or won’t.” He shook his head. “Okay, gotta concentrate.” He closed his eyes and started his breathing cycle.
Sally giggled.
“Sally!”
“I know, I know. You just look cute when you do that.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Something rustled in the woods behind them, and she gripped him even tighter.
“What was that?” she said.
“Never mind. We’re out of here.” Breeze took a deep breath and lurched upwards.
As they flew across the river Breeze wobbled as he struggled to stay aloft, which prompted Sally to shriek several times.
They landed on the opposite bank as he stumbled upon touching down and almost dropped her. He twisted around so she could fall on top him, and fell onto his back with a thump as Sally lay across him, her face close to his. She stared at him for a moment, then quickly got up and dusted herself off. “Thank you. For not dropping me.”
“Right. Let me go get Ray.” He flew back across the river and found Ray staring off into the forest. “Ray?” he called out to him as he landed.
Ray motioned toward the trees. “There’s something back in there. I swear I can hear it.”
“I know, I think it’s following us. Let’s just go.”
“You don‘t have to tell me twice.” He turned to face Breeze. “Okay, how do we do this?”
“Just hop on my back,” Breeze said as he squatted.
Ray jumped on and gingerly draped his hands over Breeze’s shoulders. “Boy, I bet we look stupid.”
Breeze brought his arms around to grip Ray’s legs, then stood up and wobbled. “Okay, this is awkward. Get off, get off!”
Ray slid down. “What now?”
“Let me think about this.” Breeze looked across the river where he could see Sally silhouetted in the moonlight, and stared at her until the sound of a branch snapping from behind them broke him out of his trance. “Change of plans. I’m going to hover a few feet off the ground while you spread your arms out, then I’m going to lift you up and fly you across.”
“You’re not going to flake out and dip me in the water—” the sound of leaves rustling and branches snapping cut him off in mid-sentence.
“Ray, let’s go!” Breeze shouted.
Without another word, Ray held his arms out. Breeze floated above him, then hooked his hands under Ray’s shoulders and hoisted him off the ground. They streaked across the river, occasionally dipping toward the surface as Breeze tried to maintain altitude while forcing Ray to lift his legs up to keep his feet from getting soaked.
Breeze released him upon reaching shore. Ray tumbled to the ground as Breeze continued flying, coming to a stop by slamming into a tree as it cracked and toppled over.
“Breeze!” Sally shouted as she ran over to him.
He sat up and waved his hand. “I’m fine. My shield took care of me. Can’t so much about the tree.”
“Hey, I’m good over here!” Ray called out, “thanks for asking. No protective shield for me. But I’m fine.” He walked slowly over to them while brushing dirt off his clothes.
The moon shined brightly above them as a sudden gust of wind made them all shiver. Their breath was visible in the cold air as they all turned to look at the farmhouse.
“With all the racket we just made, you would think someone would come out to investigate,” Breeze said.
“Well, I’m cold. Let’s just knock on the door. Maybe Raza is a heavy sleeper,” Sally replied and began marching toward the farmhouse.
Sally arrived first and stopped to wait for Ray, and together they climbed up the steps. Breeze trailed from behind and came to a stop at the porch steps where he stood his ground.
Sally raised a hand to knock on the door, and then hesitated. She turned to look for Breeze and saw him at the foot of the steps. “What are you doing down there? Come up.”
He shrugged. “Just…not sure about this place.” He took a few steps back and looked up at the second floor windows.
“Well,” she hissed at him, “do you want me to knock or not?”
“Go ahead. I just don’t think….,” Breeze trailed off as he watched a hand pull a curtain back, followed by a face shrouded in long white hair staring at him from a window above.
“Yep, somebody’s home,” he said.
As soon as Breeze spoke, the face quickly withdrew, and the curtain dropped back into place.
Sally was exasperated. “I’m knocking. I don’t want her or anybody else inside to think we’re intruders. Besides, we’re guests here right? She knows we’re coming?”
“I’ll do it,” Ray said and reached up to grab the heavy iron knocker that was bolted to the center of the door. He lifted it and rapped the door several times, then dropped it back into place. “Sorry, couldn’t wait.” He grinned while she glared at him.
A light turned on in the window next to the door, followed by the heavy shuffling of feet. Then silence. The sound of several deadbolts sliding back rang sharply in the night, followed by more silence. Then the door creaked open slowly.
A figure emerged from the doorway. It was a woman in a white sleeping gown with a heavy robe over her shoulders stepping onto the porch. She had long white hair that was tangled and unkempt. Her face was wrinkled, and her hands shook. She looked at them with a vacant stare. “Yes?”
Sally was the first to speak up. “Good evening, my name is Sally. These are my classmates, Ray and Breeze. Oslo sent us here. Are you Raza?”
The old woman slowly looked over Sally as her hands began to tremble even more. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Eventually, she spoke in a whisper. “Nina?”
Sally shook her head. “No ma’am. Sally. Sally Trumbull. Oslo, your husband, sent my classmates and me to be here with you.” Sally shifted her feet. “You are Raza, Oslo’s wife?”
The woman nodded her head slowly. She moved her lips, but again, no words came out. Then she took in a deep breath. “Oslo, yes. Is he here?”
“No ma’am, he’ll be here shortly.” Ray stepped forward. “May we come in? It’s getting awfully cold. We’ve traveled far to come here.”
She looked him over. “Military, yes?”
“Ma’am?”
“Yes, of course. You come from a military family. Officers, no less. Am I wrong?” Without waiting for an answer, she cast her gaze back to Sally and looked her over. “And you, you come from the same town as him, don’t you? Even went to school together, this much is obvious. And what about you?” She pointed a finger down at Breeze.
Breeze took a few steps back from the porch all the while keeping his eyes locked onto hers.
The old woman brushed Sally aside as she shuffled to the top of the steps. “Well, what do we have here?” She chuckled. “Ahh, the outsider. I recognize my own kind. You came from a remote area, not unlike this one.” She waved her hand. “And now here you are, encountering new things, new experiences.” She chuckled a little more, and then turned to look at each one as she spoke. “He did quite a number on all of you, I see. ‘Come to my school’, he said, ‘Come and learn how to use your gift
s’, I’m sure that’s what he said to you.”
“We’ll, actually ma’am, it was our parents that sent us to him,” Ray replied.
“Of course” she cackled loudly, “even better!” She then stepped back inside while leaving the door open.
Sally looked at Ray, then at Breeze. “It’s cold.” And she entered the home.
Ray waved to Breeze to follow as he went in after Sally.
Breeze stood and watched them disappear into the house. He looked up at the moon as its brilliance grew brighter by the minute, then over to the river, casting his eyes along the tree line and half expecting to see the red glowing eyes that hid within the forest. He then turned back to the farmhouse as his teeth chattered from a gust of cold air. He slowly walked up the creaky steps and onto the porch, and then with one last glance back toward the river, he stepped inside and closed the door.
SIXTEEN
BREEZE STOOD IN THE foyer taking in the sights and smells of the home. The air was thick and warm and smelled of coffee. And smoke. Lots of smoke. The floor was wooden and creaked loudly with the slightest step. He could see holes in the walls and the plaster was chipped and peeling.
He poked his head into a room off the hallway. It was dimly lit, and the walls were adorned with pictures, paintings and an oversized map. He stepped inside and gritted his teeth as the wooden floor creaked loudly. He stood still for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the map.
He quickly recognized the surface features on the map from what he saw earlier in the evening when he flew over the area. He spotted Raza’s farmhouse and the winding river next to it. He followed the river south and spotted the markings of a bridge to a trail leading into a narrow ravine that cut through the same mountain they had just walked around. The ravine led directly to where they left the scout ship. He made a note of it, wondering why Ray didn’t see it on the charts he found on the ship.
He then turned his attention to several framed pictures next to the map. Images of young people laughing and clowning around were prevalent throughout all of them. He leaned in for a closer look at one in particular. It was a picture of a tall young man, who bore a striking resemblance to Oslo, and a petite woman, obviously pregnant and hugging him at the waist. Next to them was a young man with a stern face glaring back at the camera. Breeze remembered Oslo mentioning how close he and Raza were to Bram. Perhaps that was him, he thought to himself as tried to remember what he looked like during his encounter in the basement. And lurking in the background of the picture was a lone RF with bright, shining eyes.
Breeze scratched his head. He knew they all worked closely together and that Oslo and Raza were married on the island. But he couldn’t understand why Raza appeared so much older now than Oslo. Puzzled, he stepped away and headed back to the foyer.
He took off his backpack, leaving it behind with the others as he headed down the hallway. He could hear the clinking of dishes and the sounds of cabinet doors opening and closing as he approached the kitchen. Sally and Ray were seated at a table. No sooner did he step inside that Raza spoke to him.
“Glad to see you found us. Sit down young man. Join your friends at the table. I’ll get some coffee and cake for you. Just be patient.”
Breeze nodded as he sat down. He looked over at Sally. She was sitting upright with a wide smile across her face and with her hands neatly folded in her lap.
She turned to Breeze. “Such a lovely kitchen,” she said.
His eyes widened as he scanned the room. The walls were filled with trinkets of all shapes and sizes. Small paintings of farm life hung on the walls. The kitchen appliances were old and worn out. Raza was cooking on a gas stove as an ancient coffee maker bubbled and gurgled next to it.
“Yes, it’s nice,” was all he could think of saying
He looked at Ray, who was sitting stone still, his eyes never leaving Raza as she shuffled around the kitchen.
Breeze waved a hand in front of him, prompting Ray to snap at him. “Stop it!”
“What’s gotten into the two of you? Why so formal all of a sudden?” Breeze joked.
“Manners, young man. Something they possess in abundance. The result of going to the finest schools. But this is something you wouldn’t be familiar with now, would you?” Raza turned and winked at him.
“How do you know so much about us?” Breeze asked.
“Oh, Oslo has told me so much about all of you. He was so excited to re-open Perihelion. So proud of himself for finding all of you. He honestly believed he was going to make a difference in this world. I told him he was mad.” She sighed loudly, and then took a sip of coffee.
“Funny. You say he’s been talking to you? How? He’s been telling us the comms were down on the island and that he could barely reach anybody on the mainland. How did he get in touch with you to talk about us, let alone inform you we were coming?” Breeze said.
“The comms are down? Is this what he has been telling you?” She grinned and shook her head. “He hasn’t changed one bit, has he?” She turned to look directly at Breeze. “There are many ways to get in contact with others. Surely you understand that,” she said and turned to look at Sally.
Sally burst into tears. “My parents are missing! My home has been destroyed!”
Raza was visibly shaken as she watched Sally bury her face in her hands and sob. Her mouth twitched as her hands began to shake and tremble. She turned to Ray. “Is this true?”
“I’m afraid so, ma’am. When we decided to leave Perihelion and return home-,” he paused for a moment and took in a deep breath, ”—we found our city on fire from an Elephim attack but we never did confirm if our parents died as we were attacked ourselves and had to fight our way out and were later rescued. Breeze was attacked by Elephim who ambushed his ship as he tried to get back home to the western desert. It just seems like the world has gone dark with the comms not working. We were surprised Oslo was even able to get in contact with you.”
Raza nodded slowly as she returned her attention to Sally who was sniffling with her head buried in her arms and resting on the table. Raza raised a hand to stroke her hair, and then quickly withdrew it.
“No, not again,” she muttered and walked to the kitchen window to stare out into the moonlit night. “You are playing with fire with these children, Oslo, and then you drop them in my lap and expect me to clean up your mess. And I still don’t have my daughter.” She touched the window pane as her head drooped. She stood still for a while.
“Get out,” she finally said.
Ray and Breeze exchanged puzzled glances.
“Ma’am,” Ray spoke up, “I’m afraid we don’t understand. Oslo sent us—”
“Get. Out.” She repeated.
“We have no place to go. Our ship is broken. Please, let us stay,” Sally pleaded.
Raza turned to face them. Her eyes were narrow slits and her body trembled.
“I think there’s some kind of creature out there following us. We would really like to stay,” Breeze blurted out.
She closed her eyes and raised clenched fists high to the ceiling. Lights began to flicker, and the house shook as plaster dropped off the walls and ceiling. A growing roar began to fill the kitchen.
“Get out!” Raza shrieked as everything around her began to bend and morph as if reality were a sheet of cloth being folded.
The three got up and ran for the door. It swung open on its own as they barreled toward it. They scooped up their bags and dashed down the steps. The door slammed shut behind them and the lights of the farmhouse were extinguished all at once.
They kept running until exhaustion made them collapse to the cold, hard ground. Resting for only a moment, Breeze scrambled to his feet as Ray and Sally slowly staggered to theirs.
“C’mon, let’s head back to the river!” Breeze yelled at them.
A bone chilling scream erupted from the farmhouse prompting them to freeze in place.
“Would you prefer to deal with that? Let’s go!” Breeze shouted and they all broke out into a sprint.
They arrived at the river bank and came to a stop. They dropped to the ground to catch their breath and rest.
“What was that? What just happened?” Sally said.
“What happened? We were abandoned and let down, again. First, by Oslo and now, by his wife. It seems like a pattern here,” Breeze quipped.
“Don’t say that. Oslo is coming,” Ray declared as he got back to his feet and loomed over Breeze.
“Of course he is! Oh, wait, let me check.” Breeze stood up and squinted his eyes as he scanned the area. “Nope, don’t see him yet.”
Sally spoke up. “This all has to be a great misunderstanding. I want to go back and explain everything to her, make her understand—”
“Are you kidding me? That woman just threw a psychic tantrum at us and just about demolished her own home to get us out of there. You want to go back to that?” Breeze said.
Ray jabbed a finger at him. “Back off. Sally—”
“Sally is what? Not feeling well? Depressed? Sad? Name it. News for you; I’m not happy either.”
“So what do you suggest then, since I’m too sad to figure things out?!” Sally shouted at him.
“Well, Miss ‘Oh, what a lovely kitchen’, I say we head back to the ship as it’s the only shelter we have. Crack of dawn, I’m going to the town on the other side of that mountain,” he pointed to the east, “to see if I can find some parts for the ship to get it running, or at least parts for the comm system so we can get in touch with Oslo or Excort and find out where they are. But I’m not staying here.” Breeze threw his backpack over his shoulder started walking south along the river bank, then stopped and turned. “Are you guys coming?”
Ray held out a hand to Sally. “Let’s just go. We can’t stand around here all night.”
Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter Page 33