To the Falls

by Heather Renee

  Lucas trailed his other hand down my arm and my shivering response answered his question. I most definitely did not want him to go. The trembling of my knees was proof of that.

  “I’ll probably always have questions for you, so that’s a given for the foreseeable future. Plus, tonight I was hoping maybe you could tell me more about the orb I saw Jordan create and how you go about transporting from one place to another. Also, can you do that into anyone’s house whenever you want?”

  “What would you like to know first? Answers to your questions or how to port? The orbs come with practice that needs to be done outdoors so we won’t be doing that tonight unless you want to chance putting a hole in the wall.” Lucas laughed and those gorgeous dimples appeared.

  “Definitely no holes in the wall” I said. “Orbs can wait. So, porting first and then questions. Porting sounds like more fun anyway.”

  “Good choice. Porting is fun, but it’s also practical. Sometimes it’s a life or death situation and we need to get somewhere quick. Porting only works within the world you’re in though. If we need to go to Earth, we use the gateways and then can port to wherever we need to be. We can only port into houses in which we’ve been invited into. I have access to here because I’m your parent’s protector. Nobody else would be able to just show up inside.”

  It was still hard to believe that this was all real. My eyes were wide in excitement at learning more about Guardians, but I was also still worried about whatever was in the forest. Nobody had really talked about it yet and I didn’t know why. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was for a threat like this and I hoped it wasn’t something that happened often.

  “Will it help when we go into the forest? When do we find out more about that?” I asked.

  “Depends. We won’t know until we enter the forest and check it out closer. If it’s dark magic being used, then porting might not help if there are barriers up. We’ll practice breaking barriers before we leave though. We will meet with the Elders soon, after they’ve talked with the Fates. The Fates are the ones who put the messages in your book and only the Elders can actually communicate with them.”

  I didn’t like the sounds of the barriers and dark magic, but I hoped the Elders would have some good news for us soon.

  “Okay, no more doom and gloom tonight.” I said. “How do I figure out porting?”

  Lucas put his hands on my shoulders and bent over so he could look me in the eyes, momentarily making my brain turn to mush.

  “You’ll need to clear your head and concentrate only on the place you want to go. You should feel your magic flowing within you and then you’ll port. Easy as that.”

  There was no way I’d concentrate with him in such close proximity. I took a step back and closed my eyes. I’d tried to port to the bathroom since it was the closest room. The magic swirled within my belly then there was a pulsing sensation which was the weirdest feeling ever to have in my stomach. I opened my eyes to see Lucas smiling at me. Damn it. I thought it had worked.

  “You were close.” Lucas said. “Your body shimmered like it was going to disappear but stayed put. Don’t worry, porting takes some practice. Nobody does it on their first try but once you get it, porting will be as easy as breathing.”

  I continued practicing for another hour before I finally ported to the bathroom. I may have even let out a ridiculous girly scream when I did, but I’d never admit that to anyone else. Though, I’m sure Lucas heard me and got a good laugh out of it.

  I was mentally exhausted by the time we were done and didn’t get any more questions answered. Lucas sat on my bed and held his arms open for me. I crawled over to him and laid my head on his chest. Sleep overtook me as soon as his arms wrapped around me. My heart was content being in direct contact with Lucas. The need to be close to him was satisfied for now.

  I woke up to another note from Lucas. He said he’d meet me a little later when it was time to meet the other Guardians on official business. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that, but better to pull the bandage off quick than sit and worry about how it might hurt.

  First, I needed to find Jordan and see why she disappeared last night. Wonder if I can port to the kitchen?

  I cleared my head and concentrated on the kitchen. The swirling of magic started again and then I opened my eyes to three surprised faces. Yes, I did it.

  “Morning everyone,” I said casually as I walked to the counter to grab a snack.

  “How’d you learn to do that?” Jordan asked surprised.

  “Lucas taught me last night after you left me.” I gave her a ‘we will talk about this soon’ look. “Figured it’d come in handy if I was going to be here for a while.”

  “About you and Lucas,” My dad started. “Are you okay with having a Meraki so soon? If you need more time, just say the word. I’ll make sure he gives you all the space you need.” He puffed out his chest like the overprotective father he was.

  “Thank you for being concerned, but I’m fine, Dad. So far, we’re just getting to know each other and that works well for me. Jordan, would you mind helping me with my clothes upstairs?” I needed her alone so I could figure out what happened with her last night.

  “Um, sure. We need to hurry though so we’re not late. You need to meet all of the other Guardians this morning.” Jordan’s eyes darted around the room.

  No, what I needed was to know what happened last night. I grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the stairs.

  “Spill it, sister!” I said as soon as we walked in my room. “I can get dressed on my own while you tell me what’s going on with you.” I had no intentions of letting her dress me, no time for that today.

  “I met my Meraki last night,” She blurted out so fast I thought I didn’t hear her right.

  “You what?” I dropped my shoes and sat by her on my bed. “Who?”

  “Kane, the one from Australia with the sexy accent and surfer hair,” She said with a longing sigh.

  I’d never seen Jordan lovesick. In fact, I’ve never even seen her get close to a guy. It was weird but amazing. I knew exactly how she was feeling.

  “That’s fantastic, I’m so happy for you. Did you guys leave together last night? Did he know what a Meraki was already? I know it freaked me out a little bit.” That was a lie, it freaked me out a lot, but thankfully Lucas wasn’t being pushy so I didn’t have to worry about it yet.

  “Yes, we left together and his parents had told him a little about Merakis, which is why he knew as soon as we saw each other and our eyes glowed. He did freak a little when I told him he now had gorgeous green eyes.” Jordan gave an evil laugh. “He didn’t know about that part yet. We decided we’d start dating and go from there and not rush anything until after the whole evil in the forest is figured out. I opened my book this morning and confirmed that Kane was my Meraki and that we’d be going with you into the forest. I was going to kick someone’s ass if I wasn’t able to go with you.”

  I hadn’t thought about Jordan not being with me. We did everything together. I would have been mad as a hell if something like that kept her from coming with me, too.

  I quickly finished getting ready. It was time to find out who else was going with us and what we were going to do to stop the darkness from spreading into Arvata and destroying it.

  Jordan, Kane, Lucas and I arrived at the Guardian meeting together. The event was set up casually, tables filled with buffet style food and people mingling around. I searched for the couple of people we hung out with last night and found them getting drinks across the room.

  We headed that direction but we were stopped by Mathias, one of the Elders I met last night.

  “Will the four of you meet the Elders and I tomorrow morning to discuss what needs to be done about the forest?” Mathias said.

  “We can do that. Will it just be the four of us or are the other four joining us as well?” Lucas asked, he seemed to surprise Mathias.

  His eyes widened subtly. “We will ask all eight of you to be prese
nt. Do you know who the other four are?”

  “No, we don’t. I hoped we’d find that out tonight. Our books only told us there’d be eight of us going on this mission.” Lucas said.

  My stomach knotted at thinking about the forest and what we needed to do. I was disappointed we wouldn’t be finding out more information today though. Tomorrow would have to be good enough.

  “Very well. Yes, you’ll learn who the others are tonight and we’ll go over the details in private tomorrow.” Mathias walked away and I wasn’t sure what to think of the abrupt departure.

  “That was interesting.” Jordan said brushing it off. “Let’s go mingle and see what we can find out before the meeting starts.”

  The Elders freaked me out. They didn’t give away much of how they felt and that made me unsure how to act around them.

  We kept walking across the room and met with Lela and another guy I hadn’t met yet.

  “How’s it going guys?” Lela asked. “Did you hear the news yet?”

  “What news?” I asked.

  “This is Ryan and he’s my Meraki.” Lela beamed. “We’re also going with you into the forest to figure out what’s depleting the magic.”

  I wasn’t sure I was happy about that. I liked Lela and her bubbly personality. I didn’t want it tainted by whatever lurked in the forest. Ryan was quiet and seemed like the reserved type. His hair was a shade darker than Lela’s brown hair and he had an angular face.

  “Did Elder Mathias already tell you about the meeting tomorrow morning?” Jordan asked.

  “Yup.” Lela said. “Pretty nervous about it, but I’d rather find out sooner than later.”

  I couldn’t agree with her more.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and we’ll begin with introductions.” Elder Mathias said from the stage.

  “Guess that’s our cue. See you guys later.” Lela grabbed Ryan’s hand and strode off to find their seats.

  The rest of us found a place to sit as well and waited for the meeting to begin. Lucas kept a tight hold on me and I tried not to worry about what tomorrow would bring.

  After the meeting, which went over our schedules for the next couple weeks and introductions of the Elders, we met with Tiana and Oliver. They were the other Meraki’s that would be joining us in the forest. Oliver was another protector in Arvata that Lucas had known for many years. He had blond, military cut hair and muscles everywhere. Tiana was new to Arvata like me and a firecracker. I loved her already.

  Lucas and I headed home right after that. I was exhausted and the tightness in my chest had been bothering me quite a bit tonight. I was ready for a good night’s rest before the meeting with the Elders tomorrow.

  Jordan jumped on my bed early the next morning.

  “Good morning, sunshine.” She said with too much enthusiasm.

  “Not a good morning. I’m not ready to get up yet,” I groaned and tried to pull the covers back over my head.

  “Come on, up and at it. We need to be at town hall within the hour.” Jordan got up and walked to the door. “Don’t make me come back with a bucket of cold water,” She said as she shut the door on her way out.

  I knew she’d really come back with a bucket so regrettably, I got out of bed and headed for the shower. Please let today be a good day.

  After getting ready and eating breakfast, I asked Lucas if we could walk to town hall. I needed the fresh air and time to clear the worry from my head before the meeting.

  As we were walking along the dirt path to town, I noticed the plants and trees were drooping, and the colors were duller than just yesterday. Lucas said people around town were on edge as well. I’d learned the essence of the Falls helped to sustain Arvata by giving life and magic. Without that, everything would crumble from the inside out.

  Depleting of the Falls would also take away the light magic that helped make the people of Arvata good and kind. If we didn’t restore the forest and stop the drain of magic then not only would Arvata fall, but its people could become dark magic users as well.

  If I was being honest with myself, I still wasn’t sure I wanted any part of this.

  Chapter Six

  We sat down in the meeting room with the Elders. The four pairs of Merakis on one side of the table and the eight Elders on the other side. One of the Elders named Abram was creeping me out. He had an intense stare and it always seemed to be on me. He was definitely not giving off a friendly vibe.

  “We have spoken with the Fates and we will have a training regimen for you to complete for three days before entering the forest,” Mathias said as he started the meeting. “Lucas, Jordan and Oliver will lead the trainings and teach the rest of you everything else you need to know about what you might be facing in the forest.”

  “Do we know what that might be?” Jordan asked.

  “Abram spoke with the Fates and nobody is sure exactly what is happening. Just prepare for everything,” Mathias said. “Learn how to wield your magic, create shields and break barriers. Those will be the most important things.”

  “We don’t want to keep you long,” Abram said. “Start your training today and we will meet again before it is time for you to enter the forest.”

  Just like that we were dismissed. The Elders all got up and walked out of the room without another word. I couldn’t believe it. Arvata was supposedly about to crumble and the only advice they had to give us was to train.

  “Something else is going on,” Jordan said. “What are we going to do?”

  “Unfortunately, the only thing we can do,” Lucas said. “We train.”

  We left the town hall and went to the fields to begin. We were only there for a couple hours before I realized Lucas, Jordan and Oliver weren’t going to take it easy on us and I was certain I’d end up killing someone by the end of the three days.

  “Do it again.” Lucas said.

  I was going to murder him. I rolled my eyes and concentrated again. Orbs were not easy. I could create the light, but I couldn’t make it to do any damage for some reason.

  “I’ve tried at least a hundred times.” I grumbled. “I’m done. We need a break before I break.”

  “And you’ll keep trying until your orbs can blow up that barrel.” Lucas turned me to him. “We have no idea what we’re going to face in the forest. I need to know you can protect yourself.”

  I knew he was worried about me and trying to help and that was the only reason I hadn’t tried to hurt him yet. Lela and Ryan were training with us while Jordan, Kane, Tiana and Oliver trained together. Thankfully, the others were picking it up faster than me.

  “Did you see that?” Tiana yelled. “That was badass.”

  I glanced toward Tiana. She and Kane had already moved on to blowing up large rocks and there were shards all across the field. I was happy for them, but I was frustrated that I was the only one who couldn’t get this.

  The Fates had said in my book that Lucas and I would lead the others into the forest. They must’ve made a mistake, because I was not a leader.

  “One more time, babe.” Lucas said drawing my attention back. “Then we’ll take a break and I can take you on that date I asked about.”

  He smiled at me and those dimples made me cave. I was a goner every time he flashed those things at me.

  “Okay, one more time.” I grumbled. “It better be one hell of a date.”

  I did as Lucas had instructed earlier, cleared my head of all thoughts and created the orb. That part was easy, just like porting. Next I was supposed to think about the orb and what I wanted it to do. I thought extra hard about blowing that piece of crap barrel up. I never wanted to see that barrel again.

  I threw my orb and turned away. I knew what would happen and I didn’t need to see it.

  “You did it, Kali.” Jordan said. “Well, you didn’t blow it up, but you put a dent in the barrel and that’s a start.”

  I turned around and sure enough there was a basketball size dent in the side.

  “And now
I’m done for the day. My boyfriend owes me a date.” I said.

  “Boyfriend, huh?” Lucas raised his eyebrow at me.

  “Well, it sounds better than Meraki unless you’d rather I called you my friend.” I said with my hand on my hip. “Pick me up in an hour.”

  I ported home and straight into my room. I was mentally beat but excited for my date. I’d never been on an official date before and was glad my first one was with Lucas.

  I quickly got ready and laid on my bed to hopefully relax for a bit. As soon as I did, Strix appeared at my window. I sat up and let him in.

  “Hey buddy, how’s it going?” I said as he landed on my nightstand. I hadn’t seen much over the last two days and was glad he came by. I had started to get a little worried.

  Strix nodded and hopped over to my book. He spread his wing over the book and pushed it toward me.

  “You want me to open this?” I asked and he nodded. “Alright then, let’s see if the Fates have anything to say today.”

  I opened the book and flipped to the second page. There was a new paragraph and I glanced at Strix curiously, wondering how he knew something would be there.

  We know you’re struggling Kaliah, but please have faith. All of this will make sense soon and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts. Strix is keeping an eye on things and he will protect you just as Lucas will. The eight of you will need to head into the forest within the next two days. The Falls will not last much longer. We are watching out for you even if you don’t realize it.

  While I wasn’t excited our timeline had been moved up, it was nice to get some reassurances from someone. The Elders hadn’t given us much to go on and it was comforting to know someone was looking out for us.

  “Honey, Lucas is here,” Mom called from the hall. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I’ll be right down.” I closed my book and put it back on the nightstand before walking downstairs.

  “Lucas, where are you taking Kali tonight?” I heard my mom ask when I got to the bottom of the stairs.