by Tamie Dearen
Thung!
Daegreth urged his horse to the back, compelled to obey the order, while grinding his teeth in frustration. With a screech, the wooden gate splintered under the repeated onslaught. His heart beat a frantic rhythm inside his chest. Please God, don’t let me kill anyone before I die.
Thung!
As the gate shrieked its final surrender, the moon disappeared and the landscape plunged into darkness.
*****
Jireo fought to control his trembling hands while fingering the arrow nocked in his bow. Waiting was the hardest part. Once the battle began, his nerves would settle and his actions would be instinctive. He reached over his shoulder, checking his supply of arrows again. His adjacent companions seemed equally tense, shifting their feet and flexing their arms, their eyes trained on the wooden gate.
Thung!
Their perch quaked beneath their feet as the ram heaved against the gate. Only one enemy warrior had been foolish enough to stray outside the shaman’s defense, so the archers didn’t waste their arrows. Instead they waited, each in their assigned positions.
Thung!
Waiting.
Thung!
The first gate pieces splintered on the gate. He cringed as the wood screamed in protest.
Thung!
The ram broke through.
Blackness fell.
His sudden blindness was disconcerting, despite being aware of the plan. Bardamen’s block of the moonlight was complete. Not a single ray escaped to give outline to their surroundings.
Outside the gates, voices rose in panic. A flickering light appeared, trickling through the shattered gate, growing brighter as two Water Clan warriors stepped inside carrying torches. In a unison dance, both men toppled to the ground with arrows blooming from their chests. More warriors poured through the opening, illuminated by the fallen torches.
Jireo’s hands were steady as his arrows flew in deadly precision. With orchestrated perfection, the bowmen continued their slaughter until the bodies piled up, smothering the torches and blocking the entrance.
As darkness once again settled over the gateway, he strained to see the incoming enemy. Evidently recognizing their folly, the Water Clan warriors abandoned their torches, feeling their way inside the blackness. The archers shot blindly at the murmured voices and scuffling boots, with only cries of pain to indicate their accuracy. Then the pings of metal against metal revealed some of the new warriors were successfully defending themselves with sharpstops.
A scream emanated from one of the Laegenshire archers—a female voice. Jireo’s heart clenched. Was that Finnia?
“Fall back!” called the lead archer. Jireo released a final arrow before dropping to a crouch. He was satisfied to hear someone cry out near the gate.
Having made the most of Bardamen’s artificial blackness, the archers retreated from their vulnerable position.
The full moon reappeared with light almost as bright as day.
*****
Alora sat on the couch beside Kaevin, their fingers intertwined, marveling she still got a tingle from his touch after more than two months of being together every day. I wonder if it will ever grow old?
“Quick… let me kiss you while Beth and Wesley are in the kitchen.” Kaevin’s breath tickled her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
“We already kissed this morning in the stables, so we shouldn’t need to do it now.”
“I think we should kiss again, just to be safe.” His dimples danced under his sparse beard as he leaned toward her. With eyes closed and breath held, she waited for the caress of his lips.
“The lovebirds are at it again, Wesley.”
Alora gasped and Kaevin pulled back, sending Beth a deadly glare.
“You don’t have to stop on our account; it’s not like we haven’t seen you two kiss before, about a million times. I can’t believe you’re blushing, Alora. You both kissed in front of everybody and his dog when you were transporting around Tenavae.”
“That was different. We had to kiss because transporting drained our energy.”
“Oh, I get it. You only blush when someone sees you kissing for fun.” Beth sank into the soft couch cushions on the other side of Alora, popping the top on a can of Coke. She tucked a lock of wavy, shoulder-length auburn hair behind one ear. “We’re not watching. Go ahead and kiss.”
Alora opened her mouth to protest, but a spike of pain shot through her head, eliciting a groan instead. She squeezed her eyes shut, pulling her hand from Kaevin’s to massage her temples. Without looking she sensed Kaevin reacting with the same kind of headache.
“What just happened?” asked Wesley.
“That’s what I was wondering; I have no idea. Kaevin? Do you know what’s going on?” she asked, slitting her eyes open to peer his direction.
He squeezed his words through tight lips, holding his head between his hands. “I don’t know the cause, but it must be something with the soulmate bond.”
“I guess you’d better try kissing again. We won’t watch. Right, Wesley? Look, I’ve got my eyes closed.” Beth’s hands covered her eyes, peek-a-boo style.
Considering her head felt like someone was driving spikes into it, Alora thought she’d be willing to kiss Kaevin in front of anyone… even Uncle Charles, despite his persistent objections to any display of affection between them. Kaevin wasted no time complying with Beth’s suggestion, moving to press his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Though her heart sped up and warmth spread down her neck, the pounding headache remained unchanged.
“My head still hurts. What about you, Kaevin? Any better?”
“No improvement.”
“I’ve got an idea,” said Wesley, as he dashed off toward the kitchen. Alora’s mind blurred from the pain until Wesley returned, handing each of them a Ziploc bag, filled with ice. “Try holding this on the side of your head. It always works for me.”
Alora felt the pain beginning to dissipate as she pressed the bag to her temple, shivering as a few drops of water condensed and dripped down her face and onto her neck. “Brilliant, Wesley. I think it’s working.”
“Already? Seems awfully quick.” Settling back into his chair, Wesley lifted a can of root beer to his lips.
“Truly, the pain’s better, though not completely gone,” Kaevin agreed, holding the ice to his head with one hand and, with the other, reaching to lock fingers with Alora.
“What can it be?” Alora mused. “It’s not like I’ve done anything to draw on the soulmate bond. We’ve been here for two weeks without going back to Laegenshire or bringing anyone to Montana.”
“And we’ve been holding hands from the moment we left the school,” Kaevin added.
“Maybe you’re both coming down with something. Maybe it’s the flu.” Wesley scratched his head. “I heard there’s a virus going around.”
“What’s a virus?” asked Kaevin.
“It’s an illness caused by microscopic germs. And it’s contagious, too.”
“What’s contagious? And what’s mico… What’s that other word you said?”
Wesley wrinkled his nose. “Uhmm… Contagious means you can pass the sickness from one person to another, and microscopic means it’s so small you have to look in a microscope to see it. You remember we used a microscope in Biology lab?”
Alora’s heart broke for Kaevin as she read the frustration on his face. The transition to high school in Montana had been difficult. He was barely passing his classes, despite his intelligence. If not for constant tutoring from Wesley and Beth, he would’ve already failed. They’d discovered early on Kaevin wasn’t keen on accepting instruction from Alora.
However, everyone agreed it was best for Kaevin to remain close to her throughout the day. In addition to reducing the risk posed by an extended separation, being near each other provided opportunity to hold hands frequently. Uncle Charles preferred handholding so that no kissing would be required to catch up, as he described it. He wouldn’t be happy to know they’d been
sneaking a kiss every morning in the stables.
“I think what’s getting passed around is a stomach virus instead of a flu virus. At least that’s what Janna had,” said Beth. “Does your stomach hurt, too? Or do you feel nauseous?”
“No, just our heads. Right, Kaevin?”
He nodded, wincing at the motion.
“Maybe it’s a sinus infection giving you a sinus headache,” Beth suggested.
“What’s a sinus infection?” asked Kaevin.
“You have these holes in your head, called sinuses…” Beth began.
“Holes in my head?”
“I’ll explain later,” said Alora, squeezing his hand. “It’s not important.”
“Both of them getting a sinus infection at the same time? Wouldn’t that be a big coincidence?” asked Wesley.
“Don’t you feel each other’s pain and stuff like that? Maybe one of you has a sinus infection and the other one feels the pain from it,” said Beth.
Kaevin screwed his mouth to the side. “I’m not certain the soulmate bond shares pain from illness, although I suppose it might. We still haven’t learned a great deal about soulmates.”
“Wait!” In her excitement, Beth gestured with the Coke in her hand, splashing on the wood floor. “Oops. Sorry… I’ll clean that up. But did you say you’ve been in Montana for two weeks straight? You didn’t go back last weekend?”
“That’s right,” Alora confirmed.
“And every other weekend you’ve gone back?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“That’s got to be it. It’s because you didn’t go back to Laegenshire. Maybe the air is slightly different there and after a while something builds up and makes his head hurt. Like, maybe there’s more carbon dioxide or something like that. Maybe Kaevin has a different physiology because he’s from another realm, and he needs a higher percentage of oxygen. And your head hurts because you’re soulmates.”
Beth’s smile grew wide. “Maybe we could fix this with a little oxygen. Let’s see… Where could we get some medical oxygen?”
“I don’t know, Beth. Wouldn’t he be tired or something if he wasn’t getting enough oxygen?” Wesley argued.
“I don’t think so. I think his only symptom might be a headache.”
“Technically, isn’t Alora from the same realm as Kaevin? Both her parents were from that realm, and she’s never had a problem with our oxygen level.” Wesley opened his laptop and tapped on the keyboard. “Let’s see. Symptom-Checker. Headache. Is it, ‘pressure or squeezing, stabbing or burning, or throbbing’?”
“Yes, that describes it quite well,” said Kaevin.
“No, you’re supposed to pick one of those. Let’s try ‘stabbing or burning.’” Wesley tapped the keyboard again.
“Why don’t you Google ‘soulmates’ and ‘headaches’ and see what you get.” Beth rolled her eyes.
A worrisome thought popped into Alora’s mind. Her grandmother had been giving her lessons with daily exercise assignments to develop her gift as a bearer, but she’d neglected her practice. Suddenly, the idea of disappointing her grandmother seemed worse than having a stabbing headache. “Kaevin, can you get us some ibuprofen from the kitchen cabinet? I’ll send you in there.”
His eyes widened. “No, that’s not necessary. I can simply walk.”
“Please? How am I going to get better if I don’t practice?”
“Our heads already hurt, so perhaps you shouldn’t use your gift and further drain the soulmate bond.”
“Kaevin’s a chicken,” Beth teased. “Bwaak, bwaak, bwaak, bwaaaaaaak.”
Kaevin’s eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you let her transport you to the kitchen?”
“No, thanks. I don’t have a death wish.” Beth dissolved into giggles. She didn’t even look ashamed when Alora gave her the evil eye.
“Come on, she can’t be that bad,” said Wesley. “She transported all of us to Tenavae and back, multiple times. Surely she can send you into the kitchen without a problem.”
“That’s right,” Alora agreed, forgetting her headache as she felt Kaevin relenting. “Anyway, I have a lesson with Grandmother tomorrow, and she’ll be mad if I haven’t practiced since our last lesson.”
“You could transport Wesley into the kitchen to retrieve the headache circles,” Kaevin suggested.
“Kaevin, you know I’m better at moving you than other people.”
“Uhmm…. yes. However, our heads are feeling better with the ice, so perhaps we don’t even need the circles.”
“I-bu-pro-fen,” Alora corrected. “And I still need the practice. Grandmother has our next session planned for tomorrow.”
With a dramatic sigh, Kaevin rose to his feet, bending in a defensive crouch while using one hand to keep the ice against his temple. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t throw me on top of the table this time.”
“I’m sending you right in front of the kitchen sink. The ibuprofen is with the other medicine in the cabinet to the left of the sink.” Alora tamped down her nerves, trying to appear confident. Why didn’t I practice this week? Closing her eyes to concentrate, she set the bag of ice on the floor by her feet. She imagined Kaevin standing in the kitchen right in front of the sink. Ready. Set. “Ow!” A sharp stabbing pain in her forehead interrupted her focus.
From the kitchen came Kaevin’s voice crying out along with a series of metallic crashes. Bounding from his chair, Wesley hurried into the kitchen.
“What happened, Alora? Are you okay? You’re white as a sheet.” Beth’s forehead creased as she inspected Alora’s face.
“It’s my head. It hurts even worse. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried a transport. Is Kaevin okay?”
Alora had her answer as Wesley emerged from the kitchen, supporting Kaevin with one arm. “He was in the kitchen sink instead of in front of it.” Wesley helped Kaevin back to the couch, where he collapsed beside Alora.
“Kaevin, I’m so sorry; I lost my concentration. Did I hurt you?” Grasping the baggie of ice, Alora lifted it back to her temple, sighing with relief as the stabbing lessened.
“I’m uninjured, but I can only think of the pain in my head. And for some reason I’m worried about Jireo. I believe he needs me.”
“Okay, but this time we should wait until Uncle Charles gets home with Grandmother and ask permission.”
“Maybe my dad would let me go with you,” Wesley wondered aloud.
“No way your parents would let you go,” Beth declared. “I heard my mom and your mom on the phone yesterday, saying how glad they were we weren’t going to that dangerous place ever again.”
“The way I fight from a distance with my compound bow, it’s not really that dangerous.”
“Yeah, right.” Beth rolled her eyes.
“I mean, okay, it’s dangerous, but my dad is on my side. I told him everything that happened, and he was actually jealous. He’s dying to go back himself, if Mom would let him. And he’s as good as me with a bow and arrow.”
“There’s no battle to fight right now, Wesley.” Alora sensed Kaevin’s increasing agitation as he abruptly rose to his feet.
“Yet Morvaen expects Water Clan could launch another attack at any moment. He’s been preparing Laegenshire for the last two moons. We should go now. We can’t afford to wait for your uncle to return.”
“Nothing has happened for months, right?” asked Beth. “So why the rush?”
“I… I’m unsure.” Pushing his fingers through his long hair, Kaevin’s eyes filled with confusion, and he dropped back onto the couch beside Alora.
“Well if you decide to go, you should take me,” said Beth.
“First you gave me a hard time about wanting to go back, and now you’re volunteering to go?” Arching one brow, Wesley twisted his mouth in a smirk.
“They need my medical expertise,” Beth argued.
“You’re only a paramedic—not a doctor or even a nurse.”
“I still know more about modern medicine than anyone in Laegenshi
re or all of Tenavae. And I’m pretty good at triage—at least I can recognize when a patient needs to be transported back here. That counts for something.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And besides, once you’ve met a guy from another realm, the ones from here are just—”
“Don’t say it,” Wesley spat. “There’s nothing wrong with Montana guys, and I can hold my own with Kaevin and Jireo.”
“And you look more like Kaevin every day, with your hair growing longer and that scruffy beard on your chin.”
“It’s just easier not to shave,” Wesley muttered as his face glowed bright red.
Alora took pity on Wesley and changed the subject. “Our heads are better now. Right, Kaevin? And we really need to get back to studying, or Kaevin’s never going to pass that history test.”
“I can’t learn any more of your ridiculous history—I’ll just funk out.”
“Flunk out,” Wesley corrected.
“Funk, flunk, frunk…” Kaevin’s scowl deepened. “Whatever the word may be, I’m going to do it. I don’t enjoy wasting my time attempting to memorize worthless facts simply to pass tests at your school. There are so many more important skills to learn.”
Beth smiled on one side and raised a matching brow. “You can’t argue with that kind of logic, Kaevin. I’d bet most of the kids at Buffalo Springs High would agree with you.”
*****
With the moonlight once again illuminating the night, the remaining Water Clan warriors poured through the gate. Daegreth slid from his horse, approaching the opening on foot, his long sword in one hand and a sharpstop in the other. His blood was pounding in his ears such that he could barely make out the clanging swords and cries of battle. Inside the gate, a large numbers of bodies obstructed the entrance. Stepping over a figure, dead from an arrow to the chest, he felt a pang of recognition. The woman had been kind to him during the three-day journey, somehow connecting as a kindred spirit. He rejoiced that her trial had ended, wondering if she’d been longing for death as he had.