Regali (A Walker Saga)
Page 19
“Don’t tell Brace,” was her next statement. “If you tell him we all die.”
“Did you have another vision?” My lip trembled. I bit down hard to stop it.
She nodded. “Yes, and it was worse than last time.”
So that’s why she’d dragged Colton up here.
I could feel his stare and I couldn’t stop my head from rising to meet the worried gaze of my mate. I forced my face into lines of happiness. I think there was even a smile. Our fate was set now; I had no choice.
Chapter 15
We were back on First World. The last few days on Abernath had been like a dream. A perfect romantic fantasy, which showed me the exact life I could have had with Brace if the Seventine weren’t threatening to destroy everything I cared about.
Bastards.
The four of us were sitting on the front grassed area at the Angelisian house, waiting for everyone to join us. The street fair would start in a few hours. Lallielle had been off frantically organizing when I got back. While we waited I couldn’t stop thinking about something which had begun to niggle away at me the previous night.
“What do you think Olden meant when she said we don’t even know why they’ve chosen this time to start releasing the Seventine?” I spoke out loud.
Brace, Colton and Lucy turned toward me.
“Is there some significance that we missed? I always thought it had something to do with us half-Walkers, but maybe it’s something else.”
Brace straightened. “You’re right. We’ve been so focused on stopping their release that no one has really questioned why, in the thousands of years of imprisonment, it’s now that they’re free.”
“There must be something significant about this time,” I said.
Another thought was bothering me. I felt as if I’d been told the answer to this second question but couldn’t remember it. Then it hit me. A handsome face flashed across my mind. Jedi, the dark-skinned Princeps of Gai, had told me to find him when I questioned why. Was this what he had meant?
I was distracted then as the black clouds which had been threatening all day exploded in torrents of rain. With a shriek I followed everyone up under the shelter of the front stoop. I moved so quickly that I was there without even having one drop land on me. The gravity on First World was so weak compared to Abernath that I almost felt as if I could float.
“Oh, my god.” Fury dashed out the front door. “I’ve been waiting forever to see rain.”
She was followed by Dune, who swept her off her feet and spun the pair in circles.
Ria paused next to me. “Wow. We have nothing but a damp mist on Regali. This is incredible.” And then she too was out running.
From the ocean rose Talina and Ladre. The pair held hands as they left the waves and frolicked in the streaming rain. I looked at Lucy, who gave me a wicked grin, and without any more wasted time we sprinted out to join our friends. We had so much fun. The grass turned into a muddy mess and I found myself slipping and falling onto my face more than once. By the time an amused Josian and Lallielle appeared we were all covered head to toe in mud.
“Come on.” Josian waved us in with a grin. “As fun as that looks, it’s time to get dressed.”
“Will the rain ruin the fair?” I asked Lallielle.
She smiled. “It will just be a short rain burst. Everything will go ahead as planned.”
When we were all clean and dressed, we stepped outside to find a clear afternoon sky. Lallielle was right. I had on a bright yellow dress; even with the rain it wasn’t cold enough to need more than a cardigan.
“Weird to see you in a dress. You look beautiful,” Lucy said.
“Thanks. You too.” I gave her a smile.
She wore all white, which made her look far more angelic than I knew she was.
As a group we strolled along the paved streets of Angelisian. I could hear the music ahead of us, but so far couldn’t see the fair or street parade set up.
“It’s a bit smaller than usual,” Lallielle explained as we moved closer. “But considering it came together in only a couple of days, I’m still happy with the final results.”
Josian laughed. “I have no doubt it’s above and beyond what anyone else could have done.”
And, knowing Lallielle, Josian was totally correct.
There were a few people walking around us, some further in front and others behind. The people of Angelisian dressed in old-fashioned clothing, using stunning colors and material, but they were much more demure than anything we wore on Earth. On the women, dresses were no shorter than calf-length. Sleeves appeared to be a must. The men wore tailored pants and robe-style shirts.
“First Worlders are a little bit classier than the gangers of Earth,” Lucy said as she noticed where my attention was.
I snorted. “Oh, yeah, just a little. Must be the lack of facial tattoos.”
Not to mention absolutely everything else.
A group of six rounded the corner in front of us, and as we followed their path into the town center the noise intensified around us. My smile grew as I took in the colorful scene. There were so many people, the most I had ever seen in Angelisian. They mingled amongst dozens of brightly patterned cloth tented stalls, and I could see each held a variety of foods, wares and … well, I wasn’t exactly sure what some of them were.
“I am so freaking hungry,” Lucy said as she pumped her little arms to march quicker into the square. “How does it work with paying for things?”
Lallielle laughed. “There’s no barter or exchange for anything here. This is a celebration, and all are welcome to sample the goods provided by different families. But you better get in quick before the best stuff disappears.”
We walked through the main thoroughfare and Lallielle explained what each of the food tents had, who the families were and which dishes she recommended. Most of our group disappeared then, off to explore and eat. Brace and I stayed with my parents. I was interested in hearing the history of the families as we passed them.
Then we came to a small pavilion and I let out a loud breath as I realized what I was seeing. Paintings, of many differing shapes and sizes, and I recognized the bold use of color and pattern.
“Mom,” I exclaimed. “Are these all yours?”
Lallielle moved into the center of the exhibition. “Yes, I’ve been painting again. Your return triggered my creative muse.”
“And we are grateful.” A voice spoke from behind us. “I have been waiting a long time for one of Lalli’s original pieces.”
The speaker was a tall, broad woman, with shoulder-length brown hair, olive skin and brown eyes.
“Cherry.” Lallielle moved forward to embrace her. “Aribella … Brace, this is one of our neighbors.”
Introductions were made all round. The woman was friendly with a practical personality. Eventually she left clutching a mid-size piece of art, which was predominantly in the cool tones of blue and purple.
I took a step back as Lucas emerged through the crowds now gathered around Lallielle’s display. He was followed closely by the weathered features of Quarn. The Emperor was thankfully minus the massive crown and jeweled cloak, but still wore an official-looking headpiece and long black robes.
Ignoring him for the moment, I threw myself into my guardian’s arms for a proper hug. I couldn’t believe I’d come so close to losing him.
“I hear we owe you thanks for the return of many missing First Worlders,” Lucas said as I pulled back and acknowledged the Emperor. “You’re powerful, Abby. You would be a huge asset to the ruling body.”
“I’m trying to save an entire star-system.” My tone was flat. I’d repeated this far too many times to him. “I don’t have time or interest in ruling as Empress.”
As usual my words did nothing to deter him. He just continued. “There’s something different about you.” He stepped closer, looking confused. “What’s changed?”
“She’s accepted her part as my mate and Princeps of Abernath.” Brace s
poke up, shifting me closer to him. “You sense the new energy inside her.”
Finally a change crossed Lucas’ icy features. He looked unhappy. “You can’t keep dividing your loyalties. One day you have to make a choice.”
“My choice was made for me long before I ever met you. Brace is my mate,” I replied.
But I knew that soon the bond would be broken. I wondered what that spelled for my argument.
“Emperor, you are needed at the Hawthorne display.” A bland voice sounded from behind Lucas.
I hadn’t even noticed the stiff man standing there. He seemed to be an advisor of sorts, but he blended in so well with the scenery he was almost unnoticeable.
“Right.” Lucas nodded his blond head. “You should check this out, Abby. This family don’t display their gifts very often, and it’s quite the sight to behold.”
He left as quickly as he had come. The creeper followed closely behind.
I looked at Quarn. “The Hawthornes?” I questioned.
He laughed. “They’re mesmerizers.”
We started to move, pushing through the masses of people that were suddenly everywhere. I thought back to my first conversation with Brace about the gifts of First World. He had said something about not trusting mesmerizers. I was really interested to see what they did.
Their tent was large, in a dark blue color. There were four of them standing there: two men and two women.
“The blond woman and red-haired man are the parents.” Brace leaned down to speak in my ear. “The children are said to be much more powerful.”
The children, who weirdly looked the same age as their parents, were both brown-haired and slender. They looked like twins.
“Greetings, fellow Angelisians and guests. And, importantly, Emperor Lucas.”
As the red-haired man started to speak I noticed that Lucas was across from us on the other side of the tent space.
“Thank you for honoring us. We will now display our skills.”
The act started out simple enough. They called for volunteers from the audience and proceeded to make each of them perform strange, uncomfortable and downright impossible tasks. I resisted the urge to put my hand up. I was pretty sure their skills wouldn’t work on me, but in the end I let them have their moment of power.
“And now for our grand finale.” It was the blond mother who spoke this time.
The group of four stepped forward and reached out to grasp each other’s hands. They closed their eyes. I waited for a few moments, wondering what was happening, and then it burst from them.
It was like a scene from a movie, or a backdrop to a theatre production. And it felt as if we were standing right in the middle of it. I could still see the Angelisian fair right behind the cloak of a desert island that surrounded us.
“I’m not sure about you, but the First Worlders cannot see anything but the island,” Quarn muttered. “I’ve heard it doesn’t work so well on Walkers.”
I shook my head. “I can see the island, but it’s fuzzy, like a veil hovering over the real scene.”
It was a powerful gift. Everyone in the vicinity was truly mesmerized by what they saw. None even shifted during the entire time until the Hawthornes finally released their hands and the power abated.
Most of the crowd clapped their efforts before moving on to other areas.
I reached out and threaded my fingers through Brace’s. We started to move with the dispersing crowd, passing many of the other family display tents. Quarn stayed with us as our very knowledgeable tour guide.
“The Swarne family is blessed with animal affinity.” He pointed toward a low-slung, yellow tent where half a dozen men crouched around small penned-off areas.
As we stepped closer, I was astonished by the very unusual animals that were scattered around. They ranged from a scaled creature that looked like a cross between a monitor and small dragon, a dog, a big cat that reminded me of a mane-less lion, an aquatic animal in a tank, and a few bird species. None of these were animals found on Earth, so I could only guess at their abilities.
We watched for a few minutes. The Swarne men had the animals performing tricks, singing in their animal sounds, and interacting with each other. It was a very interesting gift and I loved to see the family’s obvious love for their animals. We moved again and the next booth we passed was filled with plants, to the point where I couldn’t even see any people in there.
“Nature spirits,” Quarn said. “Watch closely.
I concentrated more, trying my best to really see into the tent. The plants were dense. I could feel warm and damp heat from the area, and everything inside was moving, shifting around. I wasn’t surprised, as we stepped a little closer, to find Ria standing before it.
“This is beautiful. Tell me of these vines.” She was talking to … a plant it looked like.
But at that moment I finally saw them. First World people were inside the mass of greenery, almost like living plants themselves. They were green and blended into their environment perfectly. Shaking my head at their incredible camouflage skills, we left Ria chatting away to the green people and continued on.
“They have developed the ability to change their skin tone and reflect their environment,” Quarn said.
“Walkers are dominant in this star-system,” Brace said as he looked around. “But we can’t discount the abundance of gifts here also. Some of these families are very old and very powerful.”
By this time I was starving so we quickly bypassed the family who were emoters. I was amazed to see how easily they manipulated emotions around them. In one corner people were laughing deliriously, the other they were crying, tears running silently down their cheeks. I was already emotionally out of whack, so I didn’t need any help from them that day.
Brace led me to the stall with the fruit salad cups and large trays of rice and meat dishes. This had been my choice when Lallielle had pointed out the food earlier. He must have picked up my thought.
My heart stuttered a little then.
I’d been steadfastly ignoring the fact I had to break the bond after this. I really just wanted to enjoy whatever time I had with him. But every little reminder of how amazing he was, and how perfectly we fit together, was like being stabbed in the heart.
If the Seventine had been there right then, I’d have tried walking up to them and ripping their damn heads off. It just wasn’t fair, but at the end of the day things in life rarely are. It’s not like the bad people are the ones who suffer, and the good ones get their just rewards. In my experience it was generally the opposite way. And if karma was real, then it was not holding up its end of the bargain.
Quarn paused at the food stall.
“I need to make sure that the Emperor is fine and that no one attempts to assassinate him tonight.” His eyes flicked to me when he said that.
I shrugged. “I’m not promising anything, but right now food is my priority, so Lucas is safe.”
With a shake of his head Quarn left us there.
After grabbing two big orders of food, Brace and I sat at the top of the hill, which gave us a great view down into the town center. I started shoveling in spoonfuls, or, as they called them here: shavel fulls, of the delicious and aromatic food. My attention wavered for a moment as a strange sight to my left caught my eye.
“What the hell?” I muttered, shifting my head to the side to see clearer. “Are they naked?”
Brace laughed. “Moonlighters. They’re the Earth equivalent of a hippy. The moonlights give them energy. They roam around at night, naked under their source of life.”
They were literally frolicking. With a shake of my head, I averted my eyes.
“Sometimes, in moments like this,” Brace had finished his food and was leaning back on his arms, “I forget that someone is trying to destroy the worlds.”
“Who do you think the big bad guys are?” I’d been trying to figure it out ever since Olden and the room of horrors, but I had no idea who trumped the Walkers in power.
I leaned forward to rest my arms on my knees. “I suppose that doesn’t mean something else hasn’t figured out how to manipulate the system and still release the Seventine, even if they aren’t the most powerful.”
Brace nodded. “Yeah, that’s kind of where I’m leaning right now. Or there’s another Walker who somehow is bigger and badder than Que and has been hidden forever.”
I kept getting the strange feeling that our bad guy was closer to home than we could ever have imagined.
“Hey, Abbs,” Lucy shouted as she found our lofty spot.
She was followed by the rest of the group. Fury and Dune had some type of rolled salad sandwich. Talina and Ladre were both wearing large brimmed hats on their luscious hair, despite the fact it was night now. Colton strolled up. He had one hand tightly entwined with Lucy’s.
He noticed me looking. “She’s tiny,” he finally said. “I kept losing her in the crowd; this just seemed easiest.”
Lucy snorted. “Yeah, I was afraid he wanted to hook me up to one of those backpacks with the leads. You know, the ones they used on Earth for rambunctious toddlers.”
Colton leaned in really close to her face and I could see her freeze in his presence. “I have never once thought of you as a child, Lucy, not for a damn second.”
“Those two need to just hook up and get over this,” Fury said. “This whole build-up, sexual-tension thing is even killing me, and I’m getting plenty.”
I couldn’t help myself: I burst into laughter. Fury was growing on me. Her snarkiness was so refreshing.
Lucy meanwhile was staring expectantly at Colton. “As much as I love to annoy Fury, she’s got a point.
Colton stared at her. She stood there in her lace dress, all white and angel-like in the moonlight, and then he growled, low in his throat.
“Dammit,” he said as he reached down and threw her over his shoulder. “I can’t fight against her any longer. She’s some type of witch and I’m hooked.”