by Ali Winters
A twig snapped, making them aware of their surroundings. Nivian pulled away and scanned the area. She spotted Caspian leaning casually against the trunk of a tree with arms crossed, and his eyes narrowed.
“Caspian! Did you find a place?” She walked forward, stopping in front of him. Caspian didn’t move or speak in response, his eyes shooting daggers at Kain.
“Caspian?” She touched his arm, bringing his attention to her. He hadn’t even noticed her walk up. “Did you find a place?” she asked again, her expression hopeful.
“I did, Nivian. We should go now.”
Nivian walked over to Kain. “Are you ready?”
“I am,” he replied. Kain folded his arms tightly around her waist and closed his eyes as she wrapped the cloak around him. Caspian stalked over to them and roughly grabbed the back of Kain’s collar. Kain cut his eyes at the reaper, unfriendly thoughts floating across his face. These two needed to find a way to work together before something bad happened. Nivian focused on Caspian, lending her power to him, helping him transport all three of them to their new location.
The rush of power was like a cold wind racing through her body. When it stopped, she opened her eyes. Nivian let go and backed up to look around. She didn’t see the harsh way Caspian let go of Kain, making him stumble. Kain gave Caspian a look of disdain while the reaper smirked, clearly pleased with himself.
“That went a lot smoother this time,” Nivian said, still ignoring the others. “Where are we?”
“Ask the hunter,” Caspian bit out grudgingly.
“Kain?” Nivian asked, turning to look at him. “Do you know where we are?”
He stopped giving Caspian the evil eye and glanced around, recognition dawning on his face. “Yes, this is where I came to meet Yeva—the day you tried following me.” He turned to Caspian. “How did you find this island?”
“Yeva has gone. We are no longer being blocked from the location by her powers.”
“Nivi,” Caspian pulled her attention from the scenery to him, “this place is not what you wanted. The other reapers could follow anywhere we could go. The balance has shifted enough to make it easier to track him.” Caspian turned to glare at Kain. “We should be expecting the others soon.”
“Caspian! Why did we come here? We should have stayed in Mophar.” She was hurt. Why would he take them somewhere they would not be safe?
“No. This is safer for him. They would have been able to track him to Mophar soon enough, but at least here his hunter friends can come and attempt to protect him. They would never have been able to enter Mophar.”
Nivian nodded, resigned. This war was going to happen no matter how much she tried to delay it. Her head pounded. She had no idea how to stop the impending disaster. Without a word, she walked down the beach toward the water.
She walked along the edge of the water and focused on the sound of the waves washing in and out. This was a disaster. Caspian was right, Kain needed to be where the other hunters could fight by his side. She had no doubt in her mind Silas would make good on his threat to send as many reapers as necessary after him. Nivian realized there was nothing more she could do to avoid this fight. She still didn’t have the answers she wanted. What if she cut his life force and it caused an imbalance too great to correct? What if she didn’t, and her inactions ended everything? There was no way to know the future at this point. Resigned to an uncertain fate, she decided to check on the others; they were probably arguing again. She sighed and trudged back through the sand to where she had left them.
The two men were standing in the same spot. Their backs angled toward the other.
“How will they be able to protect me if they don’t know where I am?” Kain asked.
“They will find you. I made sure of that. I met with… Holter. I used your energy to track down your genetic link. By the time the reapers find you here, your hunter friends will be close.”
The last thing he ever expected from Caspian was help of any kind. Taken aback, Kain said, “Thank you.”
“Make no mistake, hunter. I did this for her—not to save your worthless hide,” Caspian ground out between his teeth.
“What do we do now?” Kain asked, turning to Nivian. “I can’t sit here for who knows how long, hiding out.”
“We wait, hunter. This will not last long, so enjoy your last living moments while you are able.” Caspian answered before she could speak.
Nivian hunched her shoulders and rubbed her temples. This was going to be a long day.
Nivian
Waiting on the beach, they watched the sun rise slowly over the horizon. Caspian sat next to Nivian on the sand near the water. She ran her fingers though the fine grains, feeling them slip through her fingers as she watched Kain pace in the edge of the water as the waves washed over his bare feet.
It was a warm, peaceful morning, as they all took time to relax and unwind. For all they knew it was the last sunrise any of them would see. Nivian closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the warmth of the sun envelop her.
Hearing a distant roaring of an engine, they looked up to see a small aircraft approaching from the north toward the landing strip on the far end of the island. It would still be some time before the hunters made it to where they were.
“Caspian, I don’t want to fight.” Nivian scooped up another handful of sand and watched it slip through her fingers.
“Nivi,” he replied calmly. “Silas believes that by having this hunter die, the balance will be restored and the power will equalize once more.” Too many reapers have been lost. This one life holds enough power to restore the balance.”
“Things were fine before. We both know Kain didn’t cause the imbalance.” Nivian jumped to her feet, furious with the situation.
Kain looked between the two reapers, as Nivian raised her voice. “Are you all right, Nivian?” he asked, approaching her cautiously.
“No,” she shouted, “I’m not all right. This is ridiculous. You shouldn’t have to fight. I shouldn’t have to fight. This whole thing is about this stupid imbalance, and instead of looking for the real cause, I am being forced to reap your life force prematurely when you aren’t responsible. The shift is too big for your actions to have triggered it. It doesn’t make any sense.” She hung her head and tried to take hold of her emotions once more. Unshed tears stung her eyes as she fought to hold them back. She didn’t mean to yell at either of them, but all these games made her sick to her stomach. Being responsible for a friend’s death was not anything she had ever expected to deal with, and Kain was her friend now, even if she’d never meant for it to turn out that way. Let alone, face the possibility she would meet her own destruction.
“Nivian, you know Silas is the cause of the imbalance. You need to stop him.” Kain tried to reason calmly with her.
“That’s absurd, Kain. He is not.”
“Nivian, think about it! What else could it be? He wants more power, to be in charge of all immortals. He doesn’t want Yeva or the hunters to regain their immortality now that she’s awake.” Desperation crept into his voice.
“What makes you think that? He has done nothing except keep the balance by himself since The Dissension.”
“He’s manipulating you—he’s manipulating everyone. Yeva is the only one who can see through it. The second she woke up, Silas started creating an imbalance to use against her. He would rather destroy everything than let her live!” Now it was his turn to shout.
“Silas would gain nothing from this. Have you even stopped to ask what Yeva would have to gain?”
“He killed your family, Nivian. He’s responsible for your death,” he pointed at Caspian, who had been silently standing back as they argued, “and your friend even said as much!”
Nivian ground her teeth. “I’m not doing this. I’m not fighting this war! I’m tired of being lied to and used.”
“Nivian, you will fight as Silas demanded,” Caspian said matter-of-factly.
“You fight, Caspian.
You can all fight, but leave me out of this!” Her narrowed eyes darted between the two.
“You told me yourself that this is our war, that we inherited it. You’re the one who said we didn’t have a choice.” Kain balled his hands into fists. “Silas turned you into a reaper. Why? To force you to create an imbalance, to destroy the hunters, so he didn’t have to share the power any longer. How can you refuse to fight knowing this?”
The roar of engines passed overhead, halting the argument. The jet was starting it’s decent.
“That plane. It should be the hunters. They are almost here for you, Kain,” Caspian cut in, before they could start bickering again.
“I didn’t inherit it, Kain. I was forced into it and forced to forget everything.”
“Does it really matter anymore if Silas forced you into this or if you inherited it? It’s going to happen whether or not we want it to. Do you think I want to fight you to the death? I don’t want this any more than you do.”
“Stop arguing, both of you. It isn’t going to change anything,” Caspian spoke harshly, and rubbed his temples. “Nivian, you can try and resist all you want, but in the end you will fight!”
Nivian opened her mouth to argue with him, but changed her mind, and closed her mouth. Taking in a slow deep breath, she said, “I will hold out for as long as possible. If I can find another way, then I will.”
“What other way is there?” Caspian gestured to their surroundings. “Your answer isn’t here on this island. If there was another way, you would have found it already.” His voice faded, sounding tired. After a moment he continued, “Perhaps you two should practice with each other. Try to come up with a strategy.”
“Where are you going?” Nivian asked.
“I am going to see if I can find anything we can use to our advantage.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I do not know yet, but I will look for the answer you want,” he promised solemnly. His black eyes darkened with sadness.
They stood in silence for a long moment. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Caspian pulled her in for a tight hug, whispering in her ear. She could only nod in response to his words. Withdrawing his arms from around her, he stepped back, threw his hood over his head, and disappeared, leaving Kain and Nivian alone.
“What did he say?”
“He said—” She stopped and bit her lip, and shook her head. She couldn't say the words out loud, at least not yet. “It’s not important right now. We should practice as he suggested. Maybe we can buy some time, if he’s not back before they find us.” She had to suck it up and fight. It’s the last thing she wanted, but Caspian was out risking his existence to get her the information she wanted—if it even existed at all.
Kain nodded. She watched him as they walked to the edge of the forest, his mouth set in a hard line, and his eyes focused straight ahead. The sun climbed higher in the sky, showing the caramel-colored highlights in his hair. She had no idea what he was thinking, but knew he had given up everything he thought he knew and wasn’t acting stubborn like her.
“Kain?” Nivian stopped, placing a hand on his arm so he would face her. “Do the others know how strong your powers are?”
He thought about it for a minute. “Not as far as I know. They do know they are stronger than normal, but from what I’ve done during practice, it’s exactly what they can do.”
“You might want to keep that to yourself, once they show up. Save it as a last resort. It could be the thing that saves you.” She looked up at him, her nervousness showing in the way she bit her lip and the slight crease on her forehead.
Kain nodded once and continued walking straight ahead. Nivian waited a beat before walking after him.
Twenty-Eight
Kain
The soft roar of a waterfall grew louder as Nivian and Kain reached the sharp drop-off. Kain peered over the edge. Sharp rocks surrounded the sides of the horseshoe-shaped crater, the mist from the waterfall floated up, making the bottom impossible to see.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the hunters where they can find you?” She asked.
“No, I want to make sure you are safe.”
“Kain, I’ll be fine.” She placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.
Silently Kain looked over the landscape, avoiding her gaze. The sound of rushing water at the far end of the precipice relaxed him. The roar dulled by the wall of trees lining the cliff. Kain wished he had seen this area the last time he was here.
He looked down at Nivian. She was ancient, but she was still so innocent. He knew he would protect her, even if it meant giving up his life so she could be safe. If these ended up being his final moments, then he was just happy to spend a few peaceful minutes with her before all hell broke loose.
“You said my power’s stronger than a true hunter’s power. Is it is because of my parents? Are your powers strong like that, as well?”
“No, mine is different. Silas created me to be stronger than all other reapers. Silas gave me my power when he made me.” Nivian held her palm open. A dark light formed, swirling as it pulsed in and out, condensing into a globe of swirling darkness above her hand before becoming stable. Pulling her arm back, she threw it at a tree several yards in front of them, splitting the large trunk in half.
Kain’s mouth fell open. Was he able to use his powers like that as well? “How did you do that?”
“The same way you did it when we were in Mophar.” She held his hands in hers, palms up.
“I don’t know how I did that.” Kain looked down at his hands. The powers that had come from him were astonishing. Up until a few days ago, he would have said they were impossible. She’d had several lifetimes to learn to use her powers—he had only discovered days ago.
“Use your emotions. Anger is easiest to bring your power out, but it is also the hardest to control.” Nivian released his hands. “You try. The more power you have to use, the better off you will be.”
Kain held out his hand, mimicking her movements. They intently watched his hand as nothing happened.
“I don’t know if I can do it again,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Try.” She reached out grabbing his hand, holding it out in front of him. “Stop doubting yourself and focus your energy and emotions toward your hand.”
He scrunched his forehead as he tried to focus his energy. Kain leaned in close. “Nothing is happening…”
“Shh, you have to believe you can do it,” Nivian said firmly. “Remember to use your anger,” she reminded him.
Kain closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He visualized his anger flowing through his veins and out into his hand. A bright white spark hovered and flickered above his palm.
Nivian put her hands on his forearms. “You are doing it, Kain,” she murmured.
Unknowing, they leaned in closer, the spark expanding. Kain’s eyes locked with Nivian’s ice blue ones.
The ball of light condensed into itself. Nivian jumped back. Abruptly, the flash burst into hundreds of tiny shards, the sharp fragments scattering. Small cuts marked his face. Kain stared at her with wide eyes.
She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to hide her smile. Her shoulders shook with soft laughter. Kain’s gaze darted around, disoriented. Giggles turned into uncontrollable laughter as she doubled over. A small grin pulled at his lips as he joined in.
Once they were able to get their laughter under control, Nivian took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her eye.
“Okay, we need to practice more.” She looked at his face, covered in small cuts. “Is your face all right?” she asked, her brows drawn together.
Kain rubbed his face clean with his sleeve. “Better?”
“Yes.” The cuts on his face had already begun to repair. They would heal completely in a matter of minutes. He could already feel the skin pull as it knitted back together and wondered if he’d ever get used to the feeling.
Nivian held her hand
out, palm up, motioning for him to join her. Together they focused. Small sparks of dark energy formed above her hand, swirling into a funnel. Sparks appeared over his hand, growing into a ball of light. She tilted her hand toward his, and he mirrored her movements. The dark energy and light energy mixed, sizzling and dancing through each other, creating a small white light that grew so bright they had to avert their eyes.
The incandescent light of their powers mixing lit up her face and illuminated her smile. Unexpectedly, Kain broke his concentration. His power gave one last sizzle, before fading out. His hands dropped to his sides.
Nivian dropped her hands, as well, her powers dissolved. Small black crystal shards fell to the forest floor unnoticed. “What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Taking a deep breath, Kain stepped up until their bodies were almost touching, his eyes searching her face. “I don’t want to hurt you, Nivi. I care about you.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
“But the balance needs to be restored, Kain—” She dropped her head, her voice catching in her throat. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Pulling back, Kain lifted her chin with a knuckle.
She looked at him with such intense curiosity, his heart pounded loud in his ears. He caressed her cheek and lowered his mouth to hers, gently placing his lips on hers. She hesitated, her lips unmoving. Kain didn’t care if she said he couldn’t kiss her because of this stupid war. He wanted her so much it hurt. She was so unlike anyone he’d ever known before.
Her small hands gripped the sides of his shirt as she melted into the kiss. All too soon, he forced himself to break it. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared up at him.
“What was that about?” she demanded, dropping her arms, stepping back, and creating distance between them.
Reluctantly, he let her move away. “I don’t think I can do this.” He looked down. His usual confidence vanished, replaced with uncertainty.