by Day Leitao
Cayla sat down, or rather sunk in the bench. “What’s your advice to defeat Sian then?”
“Did you hear any word I said? It’s not Sian you have to defeat.”
Karina was having an idea. “Would putting the staff back in its place help?”
“It might.”
“Might?” Cayla asked. “What can we do to end this?”
“We can control Darloom and prevent it from coming through. That’s all we can do. To end this, someone would need to confront Darloom itself.”
“How do you kill an energy, thing, spirit, whatever, though?” Karina asked.
“You don’t kill. You transform.”
“So,” Darian asked, “Should we go north and deactivate the towers preventing communication? We’d like to get the kingdom back.”
Leena shook her head. “You can, but it’s not necessary. The forces from the north should return soon.”
“What should we do then?” Cayla asked, a tone of irritation on her voice.
Leena replied, “Watch, pay attention, and remember you’re dealing with magic.”
Cayla let out a long sigh. Karina didn’t blame her. Well, they did get some information at least. Perhaps it was too much to hope that Leena would hand them a key to save Whyland. That said, her words had just muddled things.
“There’s one thing more,” Leena said, “If worse comes to worst, and everything comes through, the solution would be to close all portals. You could do it in the Darloom castle, in the room with the mirrors and the well. You could close all the portals, and nothing will come through again.”
Cayla got up. “That’s the answer then!”
“Not really. First, you’d need very powerful magic, above the abilities of each of you here, second, it would push everything back to its own dimensions and isolate Whyland.”
“And is it bad?” she asked.
“It depends on which side of the portal you end up. Regardless, the amount of magic necessary is more than any of you could do.”
“What about my mother?”
“She can’t do it either.” Leena got up. “You can ask me more questions if you need. For now, I suggest you take the boat and return to the party. When you’re tired, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
She left, and they stared at each other. Liam, who’d been quiet until then, said, “It’s all neat and good what she said about magic and Darloom, but right now we should still defeat Sian. That way we can make sure the right people are on the throne and can defend Whyland. Tomorrow we can deactivate the towers and communicate with the forces up north.”
Darian didn’t look much convinced. “Leena says they’re coming back regardless.”
“She says it, but she could be wrong,” Liam said. “Either way, sabotaging the towers won’t hurt.”
Darian said, “It could be a trap, though.”
Liam pointed to himself. “Why? You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that. Maybe Sian knows that’s where we’ll strike.”
Karina had made her decision. She said, “Wait. I’m gonna talk to Sian.”
Liam widened his eyes. “Talk? You’ve tried, haven’t you?”
“I did,” she said. “But now I know more. Maybe he’ll come to understand what he’s up against. If there’s something worse that might come through, we should be joining forces, not trying to attack each other.”
Liam shook his head. “Karina, for the thousandth time, he doesn’t love you. I know it hurts you when I say it, and it hurts me too, but you need to know the truth.”
How annoying. “I don’t think he loves me, but I don’t think he’ll kill me on sight either, and maybe he’ll listen.”
“What can you do with maybe?”
“Try!”
Cayla looked at her with worry, then said, “Let’s all go to the party. We need to rest. Tomorrow we’ll be in better shape to make any decision.”
Liam nodded. “True. It’s been a long day. We should all try to relax a little.”
A good thing at least Darian knew how to manage a rowboat and took them to the shore. Karina had no idea how Leena had gotten back, but it didn’t matter.
As they reached the tents, there were no more tables with food, just a few tables with drinks on a corner. A band was playing. The instruments were actually quite similar to the ones she saw at the Junction. Karina looked at the musicians and remembered how annoyed she’d been at Diane and Mael, but the world would be boring without music. She still had questions, so many questions, and for her luck, she saw Leena away from everyone, among trees, and ran towards her.
“Can I ask you a different question?”
The woman smirked. “I was expecting you.”
The smirk had thrown her off guard for a moment, but Karina soon recomposed herself. “What are guardians?”
“In the beginning, it was a race of creatures with powers to teleport. They moved from dimension to dimension, for the safety of the universe. Nowadays, there are two types of guardians; the traveling ones, who volunteer to see the safety of the people in various universes, and the guardians like Cayla and her mother. All they have is the power. In their case, they are needed here, so, in a way, they are fulfilling their duty.”
There was something quite interesting about what Leena was telling her. “Why did you say I was a guardian?”
“You can count as a guardian, let’s say. You have the power to teleport.”
“How did I get that power?”
“Same way you got your brown eyes. Mother, father, who knows?”
“But they’re just ordinary people.”
“Like I said, most people will go through their lives without any inkling to their true power. That’s how it is.”
A spark had been lit in Karina’s heart. “And how does one get to be the traveling type? I mean, from dimension to dimension. How do you do it?”
Leena shook her head. “It’s a very hard life. You have to really, really want it. Just having the power is not enough.”
It didn’t sound hard, though. It sounded amazing. Adventure, discovery, but maybe she was being naive. Still, she had to ask, “I was just curious. How could someone, you know, in theory, sign up?”
“In theory, you need to get in touch with someone who has the connections. It could be me or Lylah. But it’s a hard life.”
Karina looked down. “And does it have to be someone in Whyland or could it be someone from a dimension that doesn’t have much magic?”
“Every place has magic, dear, it’s just a matter of what they call it, or how much they repress it. But the answer is yes, you could, in theory, sign up for it, if you want a life of danger and uncertainty.”
Of course she did! After all the heartbreak, she found a reason to feel whole again, to hope, to dream. Her happiness could never depend on someone else. Now she was finally understanding her purpose, finding something that made sense. Her only fear was whether she’d be accepted and how she’d deal with her parents.
Leena took Karina’s hand. “I know this is not in theory, but I’ll ask you to think about it. Think it through. And…” She looked into her eyes. “It’s not going to be now. There are other things on your path.”
“Can you see the future?”
She shook her head. “Just your present.”
Karina decided to be blunt. “Okay, say I deal with all I have to deal with, and I decide that I really want to live a life of danger and uncertainty. If I come talk to you—”
Leena nodded. “I’ll introduce you to my connections. But try to focus now. There are some big things about to happen, and you stand at the center of them.”
Karina took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for my part in all this and my mistakes.”
“Everything is relative. Don’t worry. Try to enjoy the party.”
“I will.”
29
Light Gardens
Karina walked back to the gathering when she felt a small hand pulling her. It was Cayla, who w
hispered in her ear, “Come, we need to talk.”
The girls walked away from the tents towards the river.
Cayla took Karina’s hand and pulled to her heart. “I’m so sorry!”
“For what?”
“Sian. You were suffering, and I couldn’t see it. And I was saying how ugly and undesirable he was. I’m sorry. He’s obviously not ugly, and I can see how he could get a girl interested in him if he put his mind into it. I’m sorry!”
Karina didn’t like being reminded of all that. “It’s fine, Cayla.”
She shook her head. “I was all stressed about myself. About Darian. Oh, I’m so sorry.” Cayla was exaggerating a bit.
“I’m fine, really.” Karina was not fine, but she didn’t want to talk about it. “I just want to solve all this.”
Cayla looked at Karina. “Are you sure you want to talk to him? Are you sure it isn’t because—”
“I think he still likes me? No. This is not about whatever we had or pretended to have, or about some petty revenge. There are bigger things than my sense of being wronged.” Karina sighed. “The reason I want to talk to him is that I got to know him. Even with the falsities, I got to see a little of who he is. If anything, he’s not dumb. If there’s a threat he’s not aware of, he’ll listen.”
“Darian could talk to him.”
“I think Darian bothers him. I think he doesn’t like or dislike me either way, so he'll at least listen.” Interestingly, it didn’t hurt to admit that.
“He could try to trap you, Karina, use your powers.”
Karina shrugged. “If he traps me, it’s more time to try to change his mind. But I don’t think he’ll trap me or even that he can.”
Cayla sighed. “Try then. But—I know it’s hard, but you need to get over him.”
Karina cringed, hating being told what to do or how to feel. “I am over him!”
“No, you’re not. You just received a love declaration from a guy who risked his life for you, and all you did was flinch.”
Karina shrugged. “I was surprised.”
“Fair enough, now let me tell you: you didn’t see it, but I saw it, how Liam was worried about you, how he wouldn’t leave your side. We tried everything to wake you up. He managed it, with a draught he had. And here he is saying he’s doing it all for you.”
Karina thought the conversation was uncomfortable. “I’m just… You know, once bitten twice shy?” Cayla had a puzzled face. “You don't. Either way, I’ll go back to my dimension and I might never see him again.”
“You don’t have to marry him, Karina. Don’t you think he looks good?”
“Look good? He’s the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.”
Cayla had a sly smile. “Hum… Best-looking, Karina?”
“Isn’t he?”
Cayla shrugged. “I’m biased. For me nobody comes close to Darian.”
“How come you’re upset when he says you’re the most beautiful girl in the world?”
“Because he says it as if it was a fact, not as if it was his distorted love vision.”
They laughed. Then Karina said, “At least you’re sure he loves you.”
“I’ve had my doubts at times and it was painful. But we’re talking about you. You think Liam is the best-looking guy in the world. Either it’s your distorted love vision, or he indeed is this super good-looking guy. In both cases, maybe you should give him a chance.”
Karina still felt somewhat queasy. “Darian doesn’t trust him, though.”
“He’s cautious. Also… Maybe he’s being protective of his brother, for some very stupid reason.”
“I know.”
“But the fact that Darian doesn’t trust him doesn’t mean anything.”
What about the fact that Karina didn’t trust him? Maybe she was just afraid to be hurt again, and maybe it was just that she was still thinking about Sian.
The girls walked back to the gathering. Liam came smiling towards her. It was a nice smile, and Karina didn’t feel as annoyed as she’d been feeling before. Perhaps Cayla was right.
“Do you want to check the cave they showed me?”
Karina felt alarmed for some reason. Then again, maybe it was just fear of being hurt. “Sure. No, I mean, can we just walk to the water? I’d rather not go far.”
“It’s not far. But let’s walk.”
They were a few steps away from the crowd, and he said, “Listen, I used to love Sian too. Not romantically, but like a friend. He has a way to make you feel special, but it’s a lie.”
“I know!” Karina was almost turning back.
“I just meant to say that it’s not your fault. You can choose your destiny, Karina. Don’t let anyone determine your value. Don’t let him put you down.”
“I know my value.”
“That’s good because I see it too.”
They were by the river and he pointed to a flat patch of grass. “We could just sit here, since you don’t want to go far.”
Karina sat. Her heart was pounding. Maybe she did feel something for Liam, even though it didn’t seem like it. He laced his fingers on hers. She would have pulled her hand, except that Cayla’s voice came to her mind: give him a chance.
He said, “We share the same grief, the same pain. And yet, we both broke free. We’re stronger than Sian.”
“Can we not talk about him?”
“I’m sorry. Can I talk about you?”
“Sure.”
“When I saw you that night, I couldn’t look away, I had to talk to you. I was so surprised to realize who you were. Very surprised, because you’re so gorgeous, unlike everything I’d heard about you.”
Karina kind of understood Cayla’s annoyance at being exaggeratedly called pretty and she was also annoyed because Liam was still talking about Sian, even if indirectly, but she just said, “Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” He moved close to her.
“Sure. You’re good looking too.”
That sounded terrible. If Karina had to depend on her seduction skills instead of weird insta-love, she’d die without having kissed. But sure, he was good looking. Beautiful bright eyes with very long eyelashes, and amazing lips. Maybe she would like to know what it was like to kiss him. He pulled up her chin and stared at her. His eyes were hungry, in a way that was scary and unsettling, so unlike Sian’s sweet, loving eyes. Why was she thinking about Sian? She had to get over him.
Liam’s lips were touching hers, and his tongue was… Ugh, what was it doing? Karina shut her eyes tight and thought that he was like a cat after a night out, when it swallowed all the food just to puke it a few minutes later. He put so much pressure on her lips. Was this supposed to be passionate? What was he trying to do with his tongue? And his breathing, one would think he was running a marathon or something. She was starting to think that the kiss was rather disgusting and wondered if it would really help her get over Sian. Maybe it had nothing to do with Sian. Karina turned her face and moved away.
“What?” he asked, breathless.
“I’m not sure I’m ready.” She got up.
He got up after her and pulled her hand. “What did you think I was going to do?”
The question was weird. “Kiss. I’m not ready to kiss someone else.”
“If you close your heart to love, he wins. Give me a chance, just give me a chance. I’m not asking you to love me, I’m just asking you to… give me a chance to make you forget him.”
“How is rushing things going to help?”
Liam pulled her closer. “If you just… trust me. Leave your fears behind. Listen to what your heart tells you, listen.”
“Give me some time.”
“Think, Karina, think. Don’t you want your revenge? He thinks you’re suffering, pinning for him. Imagine he was standing here, imagine he could see you. You can prove to him that you don’t care!”
“But that would only mean I’m still thinking about him!”
“But you still are. Aren’t you? Toget
her, you and I, we can get our revenge.”
“Liam, I doubt it’s a revenge when he has another queen and doesn’t care.”
“He won’t have a queen and won’t be calling himself king for long. We can defeat him. We will.”
“For sure. We know that.”
“One more kiss then. Just one. Just so you know you tried.”
Karina sighed. “Fine.”
More lips, saliva, and tongue. He was good looking, though. Shouldn’t it make his kiss good? Technically no, since she had her eyes closed. With open eyes she could see his eyelashes, but it was that weird angle with too much nose. At least this time he wasn’t acting like a starved cat. He pushed her against a tree and was much closer than she would like him to be, his body pressed against her, his mouth again pressing hard against hers. She moved her face, but he still had his arms around her.
“Stop it,” Karina said.
“Isn’t this what your heart wants?”
She yelled, “Let me go!”
He stepped back. “Fine, fine, no reason for a scandal.”
She turned around to go back to the party. Darian was walking towards them.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Yes.” Karina ran past him towards the party.
She found Cayla and said, “I tried.”
Cayla smiled. “And?”
“It might have been the most disgusting thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Cayla’s smile faded. “I think I’m the worst advice giver in the world.”
“No way. Remember when you told me about your problems with Darian? And I told you to talk to him?”
“At least I made my point. I had to talk to him.”
Karina shrugged. “Then maybe I had to try.”
Leena gave them a house with three bedrooms to pass the night. Karina was going to sleep with Cayla. She didn’t really think Liam would try anything, at least not anything bad, but she feared he could perhaps come to her bedroom and want to talk or something. Cayla and Darian had no problem with the sleep arrangements other than taking like half an hour to say goodbye in the hall. Karina would have told them to get a room if it wasn’t for the fact that Darian did have a room, and Karina didn’t really want to sleep alone. Perhaps it was evil to split up Cayla and Darian when they were making up after a fight, but it had also been his idea, maybe because he didn’t trust Liam.