by T. Z. Leigh
“Well, this is surprising,” Sam said, his eyes narrowing.
Waysha’s eyes widened to the size of golf balls before she shut her eyelids enough that you would think they were closed.
“I should go,” she said, training her eyes on the floor.
Once she was gone, “What was she doing here?”
“She apologised for what she said during the fight. She said they were trying to make us angry, that’s all. She’s nice, nothing like what we thought,” April said.
“Okay, whatever. I don’t really care, to be honest. I’m used to it.”
“To what?”
“Intimidation as a tool of distraction.”
April cocked her head to the side, frowning. “What’s up with you?”
“I just found out that Nehaya is my great aunt.”
“Come again?”
“Yeah, I know. I had trouble believing it as well.”
“How did you find out? Did she just come out and tell you?”
“No, I figured it out. It was the face she made when she mentioned me failing as Qayto’s grandson while we were fighting...it was too personal, and a few other things as well.”
“So, how do you feel about it? You seem annoyed.”
“No, I’m happy actually; it’s nice to know I have other family here. I think seeing Waysha in here annoyed me. I’m fine.”
Sam suddenly heard drums being played to a fast beat. Once outside, he saw a massive gathering of skryts on the plateau. Sven saw them and waved his hand for the four of them to join him.
“What’s happening?” Zachery asked. “Are more skryts coming?”
“No,” Sven replied, grinning, “this is a celebration, Zachery.”
“For what?”
“For the four of you...because you performed with excellence today.” He looked at all of them and hugged them in turn. “I’m so proud of you. Come, let’s go and enjoy ourselves for once.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
It didn't appear customary to dance, but drums still played as skryts were standing or sitting around, laughing and having fun. The four had slowly separated. April chatted with Waysha and Katrine; Zachery decided to question some Dolats about what the Dolatica Province was like; Sam was debating battle tactics with a couple of Mezats; and Jamie, who had been talking to Sven, stood alone after he was called away by some skryts she didn't recognise. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.
"Jamie, right?" Sorrain asked. "I wasn't really paying attention when we were exchanging names."
He looked different from when she last saw him. There was no hostility in his face this time, just chiselled features accentuated by big, honey-coloured eyes.
"Correct."
"Sorry about earlier. Waysha said she already explained to all of you why we were acting like jerks."
"She did. It's cool, don't worry about it."
"Did you really not know how to kirosko, or did you just want to surprise everyone?"
"I didn't. I guess when it came to saving lives, it kicked in somehow."
He smiled. "Do you want me to show you some moves? I know Mikael's been training you, but he's old and doesn't get how complex our minds are. He yells kirosko and expects you to be able to do it. I heard him the other day."
"Ugh! The number of times I beat him up in my head, he would've been dead by now if it were real."
He laughed. "So, you want to, or..?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Let's go somewhere quieter."
He led her further across the plateau, nearer to the river where they could be alone.
"You have to remember that the world is made up of energy in one way or another," he explained, standing opposite her. "We Shadateens have to tap into this energy to be able to move fast enough. Close your eyes and see if you can sense it in the air."
She closed her eyes and her fingers subconsciously twitched to try and feel something.
"Anything?"
"Not really."
"What about now?"
She felt a faint breeze blow around her, then suddenly a warmth in the air made the hair on her arms stand on end. She could see tiny flickers of light surrounding her, even with her eyes closed.
"I can sense it...and see them. Little pinpricks igniting all over."
"See them?" he exclaimed, sounding completely shocked. "Well, I guess you are Ryor's granddaughter…and that's a good way of putting it, I'll remember that. These 'pinpricks' charge your kirosko. As you move, you connect with them and use them as a guide to get where you want to go. Open your eyes."
She opened them and felt an uncomfortable flutter in her stomach when he stared at her without speaking.
"What?" she asked irritably.
"Nothing, I just got a little distracted, that's all," he replied.
"What did you do to help me sense it?"
"I ran around you ten times."
"In two seconds?" she asked, goggle-eyed.
"Yeah. Take my hand. It's your turn."
It felt awkward holding another guy's hand. Still, she did it anyway, praying she might finally be able to kirosko without being in imminent danger first.
"Concentrate on the energy. Cut through the particles in the air like you push through water to swim."
"I'll try," she said, doubting herself.
"Don't worry," he grinned, "just follow my lead. One, two, three."
Now that she wasn't concentrating on saving lives, she could fully appreciate the experience. The next ten seconds were like a dream; she was weightless, coursing through the air like lightning, electricity emanating from her and leaving a trail of sparks in her wake. They came to a stop, but the static continued to dance across her skin.
"Oh my gosh, Sorrain, that was amazing! Does it feel like that every time you do it?"
She was grinning from ear to ear and her hair was windswept, as if she'd taken a ride on the craziest roller-coaster in the world.
"I've been doing it since before I can remember, so I can't really say. It's a normal thing for me..." He gave her a half-smile. "...but looking at you makes me think I take it for granted."
"Well, yeah!" She was too excited to notice that she had been holding his hand the whole time. "Let's do it again, then I'll try it on my own."
"Okay. One, two, three..."
And then they were off. She tried several times on her own while Sorrain watched her, looking pleased with his new pupil.
"The next thing to learn is how to see someone while they're in a kirosko. Tell me if you can see me."
She watched him until he stood in front of her again.
"What shape did I run in?"
"A square," she responded.
"How many times?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Three."
"Wow...I think you're amazing, Jamie."
"Why?" she laughed.
"You're a natural. It's like you've been doing this your whole life. It's hard to believe this is the first day you've done it."
"You're just trying to make me happy," she snorted, dismissing his comment.
"Not really, but anyway...in a fight, you need to be able to strike your opponent with precision. So, I'm going to wait over there...you need to kirosko and hit me."
"You want me to hit you?"
"Well, you can try..." he challenged her.
In two seconds, he was fifty feet away from her and waiting with a smirk on his face. She thought about where to hit him to wipe the smirk off and settled for his gut. After all, he was helping her.
She ran towards him, but struggled to stop with enough time to pull back for the punch. She bumped into him, her chin hitting his shoulder, and noticed the air become somewhat warmer, as if he was expelling an electric charge of his own. Her hair was half-covering her face as she moved back, so he tucked it behind her ears and smiled.
"At least you ended up in the right place. Let me show you. Now that you can see me as I run, it will be easier. Pay attention to the timing."
He sped away so that fifty feet lay between them, which for some reason felt less tense to her, better than when they were close together. She observed as he ran, taking note of when he lifted his arm and at what angle, and how far in front of her he stopped running. He hadn't struck her, but he clenched his fist and held it against her chest.
"Did you see?"
"Yeah," she replied, then kiroskoed so they were far from each other again.
This time, she copied him precisely and stopped as her fist touched his stomach. She smiled and looked at his face to gauge his reaction. He gazed at her with utter wonder, enough to make her move her hand away and stand straight. For the first time since he had spoken to her, she wasn't sure what to say.
"I can't thank you enough, Sorrain. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."
She suddenly saw sadness in his eyes and thought that maybe she shouldn't have come here with him.
"Is everything alright?" she asked tentatively.
"Not really." He squeezed his lips together so they disappeared into his mouth for a few seconds, and looked at his shoes. "I know who you four are, and I know you're going to marry the Dolat..."
"Zachery."
"Yeah, that's the one."
"You really weren't paying attention, were you?"
He peered into her eyes intensely, his eyebrows knitted with frustration. "I was too busy looking at you."
"Oh," was all she could think to say as her cheeks blushed bright red.
"I suppose it was foolish of me to bring you over here knowing you're going to be with someone else. I saw you on your own and I guess I couldn't help myself. To be honest, I wish I didn't. Now that we've spent some time together, I don't just think you're pretty, I really like you as well. It will be hard to forget about you after this."
"I don't know what to say without using those typical 'you're a nice guy and I don't wanna hurt you' kind of lines. But..."
"It's okay. You don't need to explain. I know. I plan to leave tomorrow. I don't think I'll be able to stay here anymore."
The idea unexpectedly disappointed her. "It's a shame, because I really enjoyed spending time with you, just...not in that way. Maybe in a different time and a different place, it would've been different."
"Don't take this the wrong way, Jamie, but...I hope I never see you again."
He was gone in a flash but his fleeting kiss still lingered on her lips, leaving her with a ball of self-hatred building inside her chest.
I care so much for Zachery, yet I came here with Sorrain...but I needed to learn how to kirosko, it's not my fault the idiot likes me. I hurt him, even though he taught me what I need to know to be able to fight. He gave me something that special, and now I owe him.
He is a really nice guy, is it wrong for me to think that? Do I regret him teaching me, or am I happy about it? Because that 'nice idiot' decided to kiss me before he left, and if he hadn't taught me, I would have completely missed it.
She ran around the entire plateau fifteen times in a kirosko, trying to forget about what happened. Skryts were still celebrating, making her feel more frustrated than she already was. She went back to the hut and lay on her bed, half-covering her face with her arm.
"We've been looking for you."
Sam's voice made her jerk slightly as he entered the room. She sat up and tried not to show any emotion, blurting out the first excuse she thought of.
"Sorry, I was tired, so I came to bed about an hour ago," she replied, loathing herself for lying.
"Right. Just so you know, I came here about twenty minutes ago and you weren't here."
"Great," she said flatly.
"Well?"
"Why does it matter? You guys don't need to know where I am or what I'm doing every second of the day, do you?"
"I heard Sorrain telling Marlo that he's going tomorrow because of you."
Fear coated her lungs. "Did Zachery hear anything?"
"No. What happened, Jamie? We're friends; you can trust me."
She breathed deeply and let out a gentle sigh. "Sorrain told me he could try and teach me how to kirosko. I learnt how to do it, but afterwards, I realised that he liked me. He was really hurt when I turned him down, so he's leaving tomorrow. Just before he left, he...he kissed me, but while speeding, so I didn't have time to do anything about it."
"And you feel bad?"
"Of course I do!" she said, getting to her feet. "Another guy kissed me! What am I going to tell Zachery? I went off with him of my own free will!"
"Jamie, you didn't do anything wrong. He offered his help and you didn't know what his intentions were. When you realised you put a stop to it, what more could you have done?"
"I dunno. I still feel guilty."
"Is it because you like him too?"
It was a strange question to ask, but it must be true if she felt like crying instead of kicking the crap out of Sam for saying it.
"What?"
"You heard me," he said softly.
She covered her face with her hands and buried herself into his chest. She cried into them, her cheeks and palms becoming a wet mess. He put his arms around her, exhaling deeply.
"Listen, this world has many kinds of people in it. Some we will love; some we will hate. It's impossible to only ever be able to love one person, just as it's impossible to only hate one person. But when you're with someone, it's different. Choosing to stick with them means everyone else doesn't matter, whether you meet one other person you like while you're with them, or one hundred. You and Zachery are together, that's all that matters. Everything else doesn't."
She stopped crying but didn't move. She knew he was right, even if she still felt guilty.
"Thanks, Sam," she whispered, wondering if the horrible feeling in her chest would ever subside.
April walked into the hut and was about to speak, when Sam raised his hand, signalling her to go. She frowned as she went, and Sam hoped she wouldn't make a big deal out of finding Jamie in his arms.
"Hey, you can kirosko now! Are you gonna show us or what?"
She laughed weakly as she took a step back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.
"Let's find April and Zachery, and I'll show you."
She whizzed around, showing off her new skills, laughing when Zachery found a big leaf on his head she had decided to place there on a whim. He laughed as he grabbed her before she could disappear again, then kissed her briefly.
"What was wrong with her?" April asked Sam.
"Sorrain taught her how to speed run, said he liked her, then kissed her."
"No way! So, are you gonna beat him up?"
"No, I'm not..."
Ten minutes before, he had seen Sorrain in the shadows watching Jamie. He looked completely heartbroken and Sam truly felt sorry for him. He knew from experience that his emotional pain would last longer than physical pain. He thought of Eva and felt a pang of hurt in his chest, even with April at his side. He sighed.
"...I think he'll suffer enough anyway."
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ryor knelt on the cold, stone floor with his hands chained behind his back.
"Tell me where they are."
"How many times do I have to repeat myself, Voklav? I don't know. The last time I saw them was when you brought them to us via Qayto's home."
"Don't lie to me! I know you can communicate with Sven. He is with them, so tell me what I want to know."
"I have no idea where they are. Their location was concealed from me should a situation such as this arise. You could easily read my memories and find out yourself."
Voklav yelled in anger and punched Ryor in the face, sending him backwards onto his side. He kicked him hard in the stomach and then again in the face. Ryor turned to him, his face pained and his nose bleeding, so the blood dripped across his cheek to the floor.
"You won't find out anything from me. I don't know where they are," he said resolutely through harsh breaths.
Voklav gl
ared at him for a moment in silence. "Then I'll just have to find someone who does know."
Ryor's stomach turned to stone. "You stay away from Teselda, or I'll end you."
Voklav let out a satisfied chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't kill her, at least not without having some fun first. You can watch if you like. I'm sure you'll enjoy the show."
Ryor screamed out and fought his chains in vain as Voklav left the room laughing. He lay on the floor panting, shedding a few tears in a rare moment of weakness and helplessness.
Teselda, I pray with all my soul that you made it out safely.
"Grandfather!" Jamie screamed as she sat up in bed.
She was covered in sweat and her breaths expelled in short bursts as her heart raced. The dream she'd woken from felt so real that she was certain it had to be. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts as she tried to prioritise what to do first. Moving her legs so she could get out of bed seemed to be the first thing she should do, but it took ten seconds for them to respond.
"Jamie…you okay?" Zachery slurred, putting his hand on her shoulder.
She couldn't bring herself to speak to him, but knew what she had to do as soon as possible. Tell Sven what she had dreamt. Her feet found the floor and she ran until she stood outside the hut where he slept.
"Sven! Sven!"
He rushed out and bumped into her. "What is it?"
"Come with me quickly."
She led him back to her hut and relayed the dream to all four of them since they were now awake too.
"It was a nightmare, Jamie," Sam said.
"It wasn't just a nightmare. I'm telling you it was real. He's been captured and we need to go save him."
"You are getting ahead of yourself. We don't know where they are even if your dream is true," Sven told her.
"You can communicate with them, Sven. Contact Teselda. She will be able to let you know if anything has happened to him," Jamie ordered, almost in desperation.
"I will make contact as soon as it is possible. Until then, you need to remain calm. There could easily be nothing whatsoever to worry about regarding all of your grandparents."