Secrets

by Shannon Pemrick

  Raikidan didn’t respond this time, and I was okay with that. I didn’t like talking about me. I didn’t see a point in it. Lying back, I closed my eyes. I’d sleep here tonight. It wasn’t like anything bad would happen, and Raikidan would more than likely leave to sleep elsewhere.

  My eyes snapped opened when he proved me wrong, like always. I watched as he moved his large scaly body around me and laid his head next to me. It was that strange circle he was doing again. I watched as he readjusted himself until he was comfortable and closer to me, much closer to me than I would have thought he’d try. I could feel the muscles in his neck move as he breathed, and his hot breath on my skin. The feeling was soothing, not uncomfortable in the least. I didn’t even feel confined, although I knew I should have.

  Reaching up, I rested my hand on his warm scales and closed my eyes. A low, growling purr rumbled through his chest, soothing me and helping me drift into unconsciousness.

  Chapter 4

  The breeze was light as it blew through the forest. The afternoon sun filtered through the canopy casting scattered light throughout the forest floor. The sounds of birds chirping filled my ears as I strolled through the thicket.

  Rylan had managed to patch things up a little bit with Ryoko, and in an attempt to fix everything between them, he insisted on going on a hike with just her. Shva’sika of course chose to follow in secret so nothing bad would happen. This left Raikidan and me to figure out what to do with ourselves. Not that our time together lasted long.

  At some point, he had gone off to do his own thing without saying anything, and I went on a walk of my own. I liked having this time alone; it allowed me to clear my head.

  Above me, a bird called out to the forest with a small tune but didn’t get a response. It sang again, and I frowned when it received no reply. It continued to try to find another bird of its kind, to no avail, and I felt bad. To be that alone… I knew how that felt.

  My ears pricked when a bird called out in response to the one above me and I smiled. At least the bird wasn’t alone. More than I could say for myself. It was hard being different. It is what it is. No use moping over what can’t be changed.

  I looked down at the ground when I kicked something. I looked at the stick and then picked it up to inspect it. It was rather large for one you’d find randomly laying around on the ground. But based on one of the jagged ends I could only assume something large broke it off a tree.

  I continued to look the stick over and wondered if I could make it into something. It had been quite a while since I had whittled. I doubted I’d make anything spectacular, but I never did anyway so it wouldn’t hurt to brush up.

  I found a spot under a large tree and drew a dagger. It wasn’t the perfect tool, but it’d do. The songs of the forest surrounded me, and I found myself singing along as I whittled. My tune changed to one an old friend, Lakon, had made in the past and it had me thinking about him and what he was up to. Like Rylan, Lakon’s passion had always been music, not fighting. His wife, Alyra, and his best friend, Devon, also former soldiers, shared his passion, and they created a band to pass the time. When they escaped Zarda’s grasp and changed their records, they used their band to their advantage and became rather successful, the last I had heard. How they’d managed it was beyond me.

  My singing and reminiscing stopped when footsteps approached. It appeared my time alone was now done.

  “Why did you stop singing?”

  I looked up at Raikidan as he stood over me. In his hands were two dead rabbits. “I don’t sing around others.”

  He sat down. “How come? Your voice is nice.”

  “Because it’s a personal thing for me.”

  “Why?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Because there’s usually a purpose to what you do, or why you think a certain way. Most are pretty open with their ability to sing if they have it, but you’re the exact opposite. Why is that?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve just never liked singing in front of others, so it just became something I only do alone.”

  He nodded. “All right. What are you making there?”

  I looked at the stick in my hand that wasn’t becoming much of anything and shrugged. “Nothing.”

  He chuckled. “Was it supposed to be something?”

  “No, not really. Just something to pass the time while I think.”

  “Fair enough.” He held out a rabbit for me. “Hungry?”

  I smiled and took the rabbit gratefully.

  “So, can I ask you something?”

  I chuckled. “You mean you weren’t asking questions before?”

  He pushed me. “Don’t start.”

  “All right, all right, what’s your question?”

  “How come you follow the Council?” he asked. “It’s obvious by the way you think and act and got all upset weeks ago that we weren’t getting enough done, that you and they don’t work well together.”

  I looked at him funny. “What brought this up?”

  He shrugged. “Just something I’ve been thinking about.”

  “Okay…”

  “So, you’re not going to tell me?”

  “No, I didn’t say that. I’m just confused.”

  Raikidan chuckled. “That’s because you’re overthinking things. It doesn’t matter why I’m asking.”

  “Yeah it does.”

  “You’re suspicious.”

  “When your motives and the motives of the ones you follow are questioned, wouldn’t you be suspicious?” I asked.

  He looked at me funny. “I’m not really questioning your motives. I just want to know why you follow someone you don’t get along with. It seems like a similar situation with Zarda, just they’re not cruel.”

  I snorted. “They’re a whole lot different than Zarda.”

  “Tell me why that is. Why do you follow them even when you’re angry? Why don’t you go rogue, or elect someone else to run things?”

  I sighed. “Well, one, going rogue is a bad idea. I told you, attempting to take Zarda down on your own is a suicide mission. So we need to work as a group, even if we don’t agree or if things don’t go as we hope.”

  “So why not replace the Council?” he asked.

  “Because it’s not that easy. The Council has experience others could only wish they could obtain. They know how to keep such a large organization together when others would fail and destroy us unintentionally. I may not agree with some of the Council’s decisions, or the pace we take, but that doesn’t mean I think they should be replaced. I’d never want to be in their shoes. I wouldn’t want to have to do all that managing. It’s hard enough managing a small squad, let alone a platoon, or larger.” My gaze lowered and a small smile spread across my face. “I don’t even know how my mother did it. It’s just not something I’ve ever been good at.”

  “I’m sure you did fine,” Raikidan encouraged. “You do great with keeping your friends’ heads on straight.”

  I chuckled. “Barely.”

  He patted me on the shoulder. “I’m pretty sure you could put the Council to shame.”

  I grunted and ate more of my rabbit.

  “So, what does the Council gain from all this?” Raikidan asked.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

  “Everyone has a motive. Everyone wants to gain something from this. You want your freedom, as do the others. But the Council puts in all this effort to keep the rebellion going. They took up the position as leaders. So when Zarda falls, what happens to them? I’m not convinced they’d just up and hand over power to someone.”

  I chuckled. “You’re probably right. While I don’t know their true motives, just like I don’t know the true motives of anyone who participates in the rebellion, I can’t disagree that they wouldn’t want to give u
p what they have. But, they also won’t just up and take power. That would make them no better than Zarda, and no one would back them if they did.”

  “So, what do you think they’ll do?” Raikidan asked.

  “My guess, they’ll propose an offer to the citizens that would allow them all to keep the power. I doubt after this is over, anyone will be willing to trust a single person in power, or at the very least, allow them to stay in power for a long period of time. We’ll want to have a choice on who rules us. Vote on it maybe. I’m not really sure. As organized as our cause is, that’s not something that’s ever been discussed.”

  “How would you like to see it go?” he asked.

  I looked at him for a moment and then went back to eating the rest of my rabbit as I thought his question over. “Honestly, I don’t care what type of ruling we have, as long as whoever in charge is fair to both ordinary citizens and experiments. I want to see everyone, including ordinary humans, treated fairly and with respect.”

  Raikidan nodded. “You want a center of peace then.”

  I looked down at my hands. “I know it won’t be easy to get others to see past the differences, but that doesn’t mean things should stay the way they are. No one should be ostracized for being different.”

  Raikidan watched me and I didn’t like it. I should have worded that differently so this wouldn’t have happened. That was really dumb of me.

  Raikidan stood up suddenly. “Let’s go for walk.”

  I looked at him funny. “Huh?”

  “Earlier I found a few places you might like to see before we leave here to go back to the city. I want to show you them. What do you say?”

  I smiled and stood up. “I’d love to.”

  Chapter 5

  Shva’sika led the way down a narrow path in the woods. After doing our own things yesterday, we had decided today to take a group hike, but agreed to stay away from the river. We ended up choosing a random direction and found this overgrown path as a result. Now our curiosity was getting the better of us.

  We stopped when we came to a small clearing. Nothing in particular looked to be out of the ordinary, but something didn’t quite feel normal about it. The clearing was too small to have ever fit a building, even with possible brush regrowth. A strange, but familiar feeling ran through my body.

  Shva’sika ventured into the clearing with her hand held up, making me wonder. “Laz, are you also feeling something?”

  I nodded as I picked my way through the rest of the underbrush and entered the clearing. “You don’t think…”

  She turned and smiled at me with the biggest grin I’d seen from her in a long time. “Yeah, I think it is.”

  I found myself smiling just as wide. If it was true, then this was a huge find.

  “Uh, guys, either of you going to tell us what it is that’s been found?” Ryoko questioned.

  Shva’sika smiled at her. “A Library entrance.”

  Ryoko tilted her head. “A what?”

  Raikidan looked at me funny as he also wandered into the clearing. “But, there’s no building.”

  I chuckled. “There doesn’t have to be. The Library is an entity all on its own. It doesn’t exist in just one place. Remember, I told you there were multiple entrances. Buildings are usually constructed around the entrances to protect them, but they’re not necessary.”

  “Why isn’t it necessary?” Rylan asked.

  “The Library is a living essence,” Shva’sika explained. “No one knows how it came to be or how it exists, but it does, and it’s very capable of thinking and protecting itself.”

  “How does it know how to protect itself?” Ryoko asked curiously.

  I went to respond, but instead drew a dagger and managed to turn in time to block a translucent sword that was coming down on me. Holding the sword was a translucent half-elven man clad in ancient armor, and he didn’t look too thrilled to see us. Ryoko and Rylan backed up a little, and Raikidan went to advance but Shva’sika ran over to hold him back.

  “Trespassers, identify yourselves,” the armored man ordered. “Or meet an untimely end.”

  I used a great deal of strength to push him away. “Usually it’s best to say that before attacking.”

  “Identify yourselves,” he repeated.

  Shva’sika stepped forward. “My name is Elarinya. We’re not your enemies, Guardian.”

  The armored man lowered his guard a bit as he looked her over. “You are a member of the Lightshine family, are you not?”

  Shva’sika nodded with a smile. “Yes.”

  The man sheathed his sword away. “I apologize. I meant no disrespect toward a fellow Guardian.”

  “It’s quite all right. You’re just doing your job,” she replied.

  “Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Ryoko begged.

  I hushed her. “Not now, Ryoko.”

  The translucent man looked at me and his eyes widened. Before I knew it he collapsed to one knee. “My lady, please forgive me for attacking you. Had I realized it was you, I wouldn’t have. I meant no disrespect.”

  My brow rose. “Uh, it’s okay. No harm done.”

  Raikidan snorted. “He tried to kill you. You shouldn’t just forgive him so easily.”

  “It’s not a big deal, Raikidan, really,” I insisted.

  The man chuckled. “Your champion is far less forgiving than you. I thank you.”

  “Champion?” I looked at Shva’sika for answers but she shrugged in response.

  The man stood up. “I shouldn’t block your way any longer. You must have important things to do in the Library.”

  “Actually, we didn’t know it was here,” I admitted. “We just stumbled upon it.”

  “Ryoko, don’t touch that!” Shva’sika shrieked.

  I turned to see Ryoko stopping her reach toward a tiny crystal sticking out of the ground. “What? Why?”

  I sighed and walked over to her. “Because that’s a Spiritual Crystal. Anyone who isn’t experienced with the spiritual plane can be seriously harmed by one if they touch it.” I knelt down to get a closer look. “Although, this is a tiny crystal.”

  “The ones at each shaman village are the only large ones left,” Shva’sika explained.

  “But why is it here?” Ryoko asked. Shva’sika and I looked at her sternly. She blinked with confusion and then looked at the translucent Guardian before nodding with understanding. “Ooh, he’s dead.”

  I rolled my eyes and the Guardian laughed.

  “So what do Spiritual Crystals do?” Rylan asked.

  “They can be used as anchors for spirits to access the living plane in a physical manner, or to allow those with spirit-walking abilities to access knowledge from the spiritual world without having to walk the plane,” Shva’sika explained.

  I looked at her. “But Maka’shi was using the Spiritual Crystal in the village when I was there last, and she looked to be walking the plane.”

  Shva’sika smiled. “Are you sure?”

  “Her eyes were unfocused,” I pointed out.

  “Just unfocused, though?”

  I nodded slowly, with understanding. “All right, I get it.”

  “So, Mr. Dead Guy,” Ryoko began, “do you use this crystal to protect this Library entrance?”

  The translucent man chuckled at the name she’d given him. “My name is Lazei, and yes, I use it to protect the entrance. I swore to protect this entrance with my life, and was granted the ability to protect it in death as well.”

  “Who gave you that ability?” Ryoko inquired.

  “I’m afraid I can’t share that with you.”

  Ryoko pouted, and Lazei chuckled.

  “So, is he the protection for the Library you were talking about, Shva’sika?” Rylan asked.

&nbs
p; She shook her head. “No. Guardians help, but not all entrances have them. The Library is capable of protecting itself if it needs to.”

  “Just like that?” he sounded skeptical, unsurprisingly.

  Shva’sika chuckled. “You really don’t want to know what the Library would do to someone who was trying to get in to destroy its contents.”

  “Worse than what Laz would do?” Ryoko asked, gesturing toward me.

  Shva’sika nodded. “Laz’s treatment would seem like a snuggly kitty.”

  “Damn.”

  “Can we see this Library?” Rylan asked. “I know it was our plan to hike, but it sounds interesting.”

  Ryoko nodded enthusiastically. “I agree, and I don’t like libraries.”

  I grinned. “You’ll like this one.”

  “I’ll show you in,” Lazei announced.

  We voiced our thanks, and followed him to the other side of the tiny clearing. He walked right for a large oak tree, but before he reached it, the space around him distorted. It was as if he was walking into vertical standing water. He then disappeared. Ryoko, Rylan and Raikidan stopped following for a moment, out of shock, but when Shva’sika and I walked through, they were sure to quickly follow. I looked around once we were inside the Library. We were in a room, which surprised me. In my times coming in here, I had never come across a room.

  The room had the typical crystalline floors, and the ceiling was also made of crystal. I couldn’t identify the material the walls were made of, as they were filled wall-to-wall with bookcases. The shelves of the bookcases contained various books and scrolls, and in the center of the room was a large table with a large map painted on it.

  Curious about the table, I ventured over. I ran my fingers over the lacquer as I admired the map. It didn’t look like Lumaraeon, but it’d be illogical for it not to be, making it quite old.