In Pursuit of Light

by Sarah B Meadows

  “This will help heal your mind, Kia, so you can understand Rolland and Sebastian.” Her eyes meet mine with trust and understanding as I gently place the stone in her hand. “I will do the work, just do not fight me, alright?” She looks back up and nods. As our hands touch, her eyes begin to swirl and her lips part. The memory of us kissing flashes through my mind and she gasps. I did not mean that to slip through - what is wrong with me?

  “What are you doing, Jack?” Rolland’s hearty voice comes from behind Kia.

  Ignoring him, I focus on the Gauldrix in her palm and begin sending my energy through it, which travels up her arm and into her shoulders. I can visibly see her body relax as she folds back into Rolland.

  The knock to the back of her head may well be the reason she cannot decipher all languages right now. The area of the brain that is responsible for speech is in the frontal lobe in humans. But an Ayrans’ brain is mapped out slightly differently and their speech center is in the back. It is slightly larger, and the neural pathways are always shifting, depending on what language they are listening to.

  Finding the part at the back of her mind that needs healing should be easy. The pressure on that one spot from the injury is causing a build-up of energy and the power from the Gauldrix will release the blockage, healing the injury. If only it could be used to heal the rest of her mind and body.

  “She should be able to understand most of what you are saying now, Rolland. Some words will be unfamiliar to her, but she should pick them up quick enough.” I open my eyes to find them both staring back at me.

  Rolland looks down at Kia, who continues to watch me for a heartbeat before sitting up and turning to face Rolland. She would be trying to speak if her vocal cords were not so badly injured. Rolland sits mesmerized by those deep blue sapphire eyes, just like a moth drawn to a flame.

  “How about a drink, Kia?” I ask in English. She nods in response but keeps her attention on Rolland. I walk around to the other side of the bed, filling a glass with water and passing it to Rolland, hoping he can coax her to drink it.

  “Kia, I promised my help to a few people, so I need to leave for a short period. Rolland will not leave your side until I return, and once you have the strength, Sebastian will try to heal some of your injuries.” She finally looks over at me and gives a small nod. Grateful for her acceptance, I make my way to the door. But before I can get halfway there, Rolland calls out, “Jack, wait.”

  When I turn back around, I see Kia, even in her weakened state, trying to get out of Rolland’s lap. With one hand still clinging tightly to Rolland’s shirt, she uses the other to pull me back to her. I run my hand soothingly down the back of her head, the action calming us both. If I stay any longer, I will not be able to leave her side at all, but I am comforted with the knowledge that there is a trace of my energy left in her mind, should she fall back into its depths.

  She finally releases me and I take a step back. Her eyes are swirling fast with her emotions, and in my own language I assure her, “you have my word, I will not be gone long, sweet Ayran.” With one last gentle touch on her cheek, I hurriedly make my way out of the room, before I can change my mind.

  Chapter Five

  Sebastian

  My mind is still going over Jack’s words about cleansing Kia. The infection that he spoke of is visible, but is often mistaken for rot, fungus, mould or disease as it drains the life out of all living things in Gaia, causing them to die in an unnatural way. Because of it, and the loss of our memories from The Swarm, we’re trapped here. Images will sometimes surface, like a teaser in a movie trailer, but then slip away, leaving me with nothing but a headache that lasts for hours.

  Jack still remembers a significant amount but trying to get information from him is like pulling blood from a stone. And even when he does share knowledge, it always feels like he’s only giving us bits and pieces of the whole. What we do know of our origins is that we come from the lands outside the ice circle that surround Gaia. But between the large amount of armed guards and the deadly snow storms that encompass the area, it’s virtually impenetrable and deadly.

  We do know that Mid Gaia, which is occupied by Atlantians, is free from the infection because of the barrier that surrounds it and the turning away of those that have been infected. My stomach churns at the thought of Kia being stuck here like us, without any memories, but then the thought of her leaving us makes my heart race faster than a hummingbird’s wings. What the hell is wrong with me? Jack’s words explaining how her connection to The Source enhances our natural traits play through my mind. Is that really what this is? Shaking my head to clear it, I turn my focus back to making some food.

  The kitchen is the heart of the house, where we all congregate, so I designed the kitchen with an open floor plan. In the middle of the room is a large island with an attached breakfast bar that makes it into a T shape, this is so I can still talk to the guys whilst cooking. A hob with eight burners is located in the middle of the island. As both me and Gerry have a passion for cooking, a regular hob just wasn't going to cut it. A small sink sits to the right of the hob and has instant hot water with a built-in filter to remove the fluoride - though Matt still won't drink it, preferring it bottled. To the far right of the island, from where I stand, is a beautiful, yet solid, long dark wooden table surrounded by a plethora of chairs. The main sink sits to my back, which looks out over the front garden of the house. Patio doors are located to the right of the main sink and open out onto the deck which has light wooden furniture scattered around. Spot-lights give the kitchen a freshness, along with the white doors and sandy tiles beneath my feet. The summer sun is just beginning to trickle in through the windows behind me, bouncing off the black marble worktops.

  Halfway through cooking the rice, I turn my head to see Matt amble through the doors from the main dining area, his head down and his focus fully on the phone in his hand. I chuckle quietly to myself. Every time I see him, he either has his nose in a book or his eyes glued to a screen - it’s a wonder he doesn’t ever run into anything. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s been in and out of the kitchen without noticing my presence. With any luck this will be one of those times.

  Matt’s the shortest of all of us at just under six feet, but his wide shoulders and chest are strong and solidly built. A sharp jawline and slightly pointed chin give his face a refined, almost aristocratic appearance which is further emphasized by the silver rimmed glasses that rest lightly on his perfectly straight nose. His usually fresh face, however, is still looking tired and a bit haggard from lack of sleep. Ash brown hair, which is still slightly damp from the shower, hangs down just past his ears and is in obvious need of a trim. He’s wearing a crisp, light blue shirt that he has rolled up to his elbows and a pair of khakis, his usual attire unless we’re out on a job or mission.

  My eyes follow him as he makes his way round the breakfast bar, heading toward the fridge on my left and I make sure to be as quiet as a church mouse in order to evade the questions I know he will have. I gave him the smallest amount of information when we got off of the chopper, but I know I’m going to have to tell him more. He grabs a bottle of water with his free hand and shoves it under his arm, before reaching for another, but that must be the last in the fridge as he fumbles slightly. Shit, that means he has to look up. As if hearing my thoughts, his head lifts and he finds me watching him. The bottle and phone slip from his grip, but his quick reflexes help him catch both items before they hit the floor.

  “What the hell, Seb! Make some noise, would ya?” Matt scolds caustically, running his charcoal grey eyes over me with a glare. He must be stressed to be using words such as ‘hell’. Matt never swears.

  “If you had looked up when you came in, you would’ve seen me. You should be more aware of your surroundings,” I tease, lifting a brow mockingly.

  He’s lethal with his fists, but useless out on missions. I’ve only seen him raise his fist once when he was defending a woman back in America a hundred years ago
. The only other time is when he spars with one of us.

  Sliding his phone in his pocket, he begins restocking the fridge with water from the cupboard beside the fridge.

  “So, how’s our guest? Care to share anymore intel, or is she going to stay locked away in your room?” he asks playfully, looking over his shoulder.

  Possessiveness rears its ugly head, curling its way up my back and I nick my finger with the knife. The cut heals instantly but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting like bitch. I try to pretend like nothing happened but unfortunately Matt’s sharp eyes didn’t miss it.

  “What’s going on, Seb?” he asks with concern, as he quickly finishes restocking the fridge and walks back over to me. His fresh mint shower gel hits my nose. I rub a hand over my face to try ridding myself of the feelings crawling around inside me.

  “Jack said she’s an Ayran. The closest race left to the origin of all humanoid beings. Every inch of her body is either bruised, burnt, broken or cut, and that’s just what’s on the surface. I can’t heal her because she’s too weak and has no nourishment within her. Jack’s been in her head twice now, and each time he comes out, he looks more lost than when he went in. Rolland hasn’t put her down since he found her, and it’s taking every ounce of his concentration to draw her pain away so that she doesn’t fall back into her own mind.” I take another deep breath and remove the rice from the heat. When I glance over at Matt, he’s stunned silent. Remembering I haven’t yet given him the bullets that I removed from Kia and Rolland, I dig them out of my pocket and hold them out to him.

  “Can you see if you can get a trace on either of these?” I ask. “I think Rolland’s was laced with something, but the other looks clean.” The last part coming out on a heavy sigh. There’s no response from him and he still hasn’t moved a muscle. Maybe I said too much?

  “Matt!” I say louder. He startles, bringing his gaze back from where it had drifted to the floor.

  Taking the bullets from my hand, he pushes his glasses up with the other as he takes a quick look at them, then nods. He says nothing as he grabs the bottle of water from the counter and lumbers out of kitchen. What was that all about?

  I finish putting all the ingredients together for the simple rice dish I’ve been working on and head back to my room, keeping my steps at quiet as possible, the only sound being the forks moving against the bowls. Light spills in through the front door to my left as I make my way through the corridor to my room.

  Thankfully the heavy door of my room is ajar, making it easier to push it open with my foot. Inside, I find the bed empty and my heart bottoms out. Sheer panic rips through me and I bellow, “Rolland! Kia!”.

  Curses come from the bathroom, and I take a deep breath as my relief floods through me. What the hell are they doing in there?

  “Seb, quiet voices, Brother! Quiet voices! Your shouting nearly had me knocking myself out.” Rolland’s deep voice urges me through my head.

  I start making my way over to the door to see what the hell is going on.

  “It’s not what it looks like, Seb, trust me. Well it’s kind of what it looks like, but not as bad as you might think. Just don’t freak out and scare her to death for fuck sake.” His words confuse me even more.

  As I walk into the en-suite bathroom, what I see is not quite what I was expecting. The shower takes up one entire right-side wall of the room and standing under one of the many shower heads I see Rolland, shirt off, with only parts of Kia showing as most of her body is obscured by his broad muscular back. As I move closer, I can see that he has one hand on the wall, steadying them both and Kia’s got both arms wrapped tightly around his neck, with her head buried deep into his left shoulder, hiding her face.

  “Is she okay?” I ask him tentatively. She’s shaking and I’m pretty sure it’s not from lack of heat.

  “You scared her with your big, fat, loud, mouth, you idiot,” he bites out, but there’s warmth to his words.

  “Sorry, man, the bed was empty. I panicked,” I explain as I run my eyes over his tall frame that seems especially large with such a small body wrapped around it.

  “Kia, it’s just Sebastian, look,” he speaks quietly into her hair, running his hand gently over her arm. “He didn’t mean to frighten you, he’s just being a hot head.” And with that, she leans back from him to look over at me in puzzlement.

  “He means I panicked, not that my head is actually hot,” I try to explain as I see her small nose crinkled up.

  She looks a lot fresher having some of the grime and dirt washed from her body. But now the bruises, burns and cuts on her arms seem to scream at me, demanding I heal each and every one of them. I bring my gaze back to her face to see it relax as she looks to Rolland for confirmation. He shrugs his shoulders, which must have jolted her, as the next moment his eyes close and his face screws up in concentration.

  Grabbing two warm towels from the heater, I head back over to them. This should be fun.

  “How are we going to do this, Rolland? I don’t suppose you thought this through, did you?” I tease him lightly, looking him over. His honey coloured hair which just barely brushes his shoulder is sticking to his cheek slightly and he’s breathing deeply.

  “You wouldn’t have either if you’d seen her face when I turned the tap on to wash her hands. Her reaction to the water was complete bliss, despite the amount of pain she is in. I thought she’d enjoy getting some of the grime and dirt washed off of her in the shower. Everything else was insignificant, to be honest,” he rambles, his deep tone warming me, as it always does. Now that I can believe.

  His river blue eyes are full of sympathy, but they’ve lost some of their shine. He’s always so full of life, never able to take anything seriously for any length of time and finding fun in just about everything. You would almost think he’s a teenager rather than the four-hundred-year-old man he is.

  Kia’s head now rests on Rolland’s right shoulder, which is closest to me, and I can see her eyes studying me. Deep blue pools of slowly swirling gems look back at me and she truly looks relaxed for the first time since we’ve met. I find myself being pulled into those blue pools and I feel as if I am falling into a peaceful yet elusive dream. Silver specs glitter back, and my heart begins to race with desire.

  “Seb…Seb…if you move any closer you’ll be needing to change too.” Rolland’s voice sounds like it’s being muffled, but I can still hear him… unfortunately.

  Shit, how did I get so close?

  My head is inches from hers and true to his point, I find I was nearly showering with them. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turn my gaze away. It’s time to get some food in her stomach, as the sooner she eats, the sooner I can start healing her broken bones.

  “Kia, I’m going to help Rolland get out of his wet clothes, but he will need to set you down, so he’s got better balance. Whatever you do, don’t let go of him. He needs to remain in contact with you to keep the pain away, okay?” I explain gently.

  With a single nod from Kia, Rolland moves from under the shower toward the marble covered dresser by the door as I turn the water off and follow them. He sets her down gingerly on the marble, careful to keep his left arm in contact with her body while his right hand rests next to her. I can see his arms slightly shaking and it’s clear the fatigue of pushing his body and his gift far past what they are meant to endure is getting to him.

  Kia has a grip on Rolland’s neck and her eyes on his face. His eyes are closed, with his head bent forward. I drape one towel over his back and place another down next to Kia, then get to work removing his heavy boots and leather pants, internally cursing them for being such a bitch to remove. Once off, I grab a pair of cotton pants from one of the drawers and hold them open for Rolland to step into, but he doesn’t move to put his feet into them. Looking up to see why he’s not moving. I find him staring straight ahead at the mirror hanging on the wall behind Kia’s back.

  “What is it, Rolland?” I ask hesitantly.

  Without
answering me, he looks back down at me with glistening eyes and moves his feet into the pants, pulling them up with his right hand. I stand to see what he was looking at, but he picks up the towel I had set on the side and wraps it quickly around Kia before I get a chance to see anything.

  “Later, Seb, let’s just get her fed so you can start healing her,” he says tightly, causing my gut to curl.

  He gathers her fully into his arms with one hand under her legs and the other across her back, before he walks back into the bedroom. Morning light spills in through the window where I left the heavy curtains open last night, bouncing off the deep plum walls and brightening the room.

  Rolland takes Kia to the far side of the bed, the side that isn’t covered in his blood, and settles down with her. Picking the bowls up from the cabinet where I had set them, I make my way over to the bed. The rice has probably gone cold, but it should still taste okay. Passing one to Rolland, I set the other on the bedside table and pull one of the large cushioned chairs closer.

  “What say you to some rice, Kia?” Rolland offers lightly, but I can tell he’s struggling to find his words. It could be from what he saw in the mirror, or because he’s struggling with her pain levels, but either way, I think she senses it too, because her brows furrow with concern.

  She goes to take the bowl from Rolland, but he pulls it out of her reach. “I got this. Let me help you, then we rest. Deal?” he suggests with raised eyebrows. It’s clear she’s still confused with some of the words he’s using, but I think she grasps what he’s trying to say.

  He begins feeding her like he did with the soup and with every mouthful she takes, I feel my own anxiety lessen. Once she’s finished, she drinks a glass of water then curls herself into Rolland’s bare chest and turns to face me. Her eyes are slowly swirling, and the silver specs are clear in the bright light as her gaze wanders over my face then down my shoulders. They flash back up to meet mine and I’m not sure what she’s thinking, but she doesn’t seem alarmed.