“Good enough for what?” he asked in surprise. “For me? Arwen, my father may be the crown prince, but that does not mean I am in any way set for the throne. My eldest brother will receive it when my father steps down and then his eldest son after him. I work with technology, making sure our people have the best we can provide, but I am still just a nice guy. And I like you.”
Her ankle tingled making her smile. “I like you too, but…”
He held up a hand. “No buts. We will get to know one another. If you like me, then the rest is just details. Now, what does library mean to you?”
They spent many hours talking out on the green fur until Mayir brought them back. It was a bit startling to be sitting on a comfortable blanket of fur one moment with the sun shining down on you and in the next be seated uncomfortably on a cold, hard floor staring up at him.
“Cute,” she said, letting Terrian help her to her feet.
“The day is almost over. Have dinner and try to get some sleep. I have wrapped protection around the entire building. He will not get to you tonight. You and Terrian can talk tomorrow.”
She turned to let her date know how much she enjoyed getting to know him, but with a huff, Mayir waved his arm and she was suddenly in her room. “Mayir!”
He never responded. “Old fuddy-duddy.”
For three days, she was able to spend the daytime with Terrian even though the nights Mayir sent her up to her room the moment he brought them back. Sometimes he acted like an old mother hen. If he thought he was protecting her virtue, he was a decade too late.
On the fourth day, she elected to wear a pair of shorts and a camisole, much to her trainer’s disgust. Terrian had not arrived when she went downstairs and the moment he saw her outfit, Mayir switched it to one of his naughty Snow White ensembles. “Stop that!” she snapped, switching it back.
“That outfit is not very ladylike.”
“And yours is?”
“At least it covers your legs.”
“Get over it. I have nice legs.”
Their argument would have continued, but Terrian arrived, and the next thing she knew they were out on the green fur. “At least he left it this way,” she said, sitting down with her legs crossed in front of her.
“In one of your messages, you mentioned chocolate. What is it?” he asked as he sat next to her. Each day he sat closer and closer and today his hips brushed hers as he took his seat.
“Kind of hard to describe. Might be better for you to taste!” Excited to share with him something she loved, she closed her eyes.
“Do you have to close your eyes to use magic?” he asked, interrupting her.
“Umm,” she said, opening them. “I imagine better that way. Then again, I haven’t tried it with my eyes open.”
“That will come in time. Please, I am intrigued to find out what chocolate is. From the way you described it, it sounds wonderful.”
Grinning, she once again closed her eyes. Wanting him to try a few different kinds of chocolate, she imagined a low table covered with mouth-watering chocolate. Molten-lava cake, chocolate pudding, strawberries covered in rich dark chocolate, each item she pictured made her mouth water. When it was as clear as she could get it, she moved on. After going through feeling the taste and scent of each delectable item, she quickly moved through the last two steps. Before her eyes even opened, she knew it had appeared. The scent hit her nostrils and she moaned.
“All of this is chocolate?”
Her eyes opened, and she stared gleefully at the large platter in front of them that held everything she had imagined. “Yep. Chocolate can be used in all sorts of food. This”—she grabbed the cake—“is the one I talked about in my email.” After taking the closest utensil and filling it with the warm, gooey center, she handed him the spoon.
The moment the food hit his tongue, she knew he loved it. His eyes closed and a small moan left his throat. “That is divine. There is nothing like it on my planet. What does it come from?”
“A plant on Earth. I know there is a lot they have to do to the cacao bean to make it into chocolate, but whatever they do, it is so worth it.”
They talked and laughed their way through the tremendous amount of chocolate. The only thing he wasn’t sold on was the bowl of chocolate-flavored cereal, but that was fine with her. She ate them all. As the last plate was cleared and she leaned back, basking in the sun—it might not be as harsh as the Arizona heat, but it was still nice—a shadow crossed over her. She looked up at Terrian who was staring intently at her mouth. “What?”
“There is a spot of chocolate you missed,” he said, his voice taking on a tone that made her heart beat a little faster.
“Can you get it off?” she asked a little more breathily than she would have liked.
He leaned in and his lips softly touched the left corner of her mouth, his tongue sliding softly over her skin. There was a pause and then he kissed her again, this time, his lips slid a little further over hers. His soft lips were like velvet, and with a sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back.
Chapter Fourteen - Magical Defense
If it was the last thing she did, Ari would find a way to get back at Mayir. The jerk had waited until she and Terrian were making out and then transported them back into his stone room. Why he couldn’t have waited an extra hour or two…? “Grr,” she said, glaring at her wall as she tried to get over her embarrassment.
“It was all for the best, I promise you.”
“Blow it out your nose, Mayir. You enjoyed that.”
“Your phrases are bizarre, but I expect that from any granddaughter of Abigail. Believe it or not, I did not watch the two of you. I had no idea you would be so entwined. If I had, I would have brought you back several minutes earlier. But, if you are done sulking, Terrian has an idea I think has merit. Come downstairs and join us. And if you are not down here in five minutes,” he added after a pause, “I will bring you down here myself.”
“Insufferable,” she muttered, going into her bathroom. Five minutes later, she walked down the stairs dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Terrian was still dressed in his clothes from earlier. Instead of looking embarrassed, he smiled as she entered the room, holding out his hand as she walked toward him.
“Ignore Mayir. He gets so little fun,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Relaxing the moment her hand touched his, she felt even better when he pulled her down onto the loveseat next to him. It still surprised her that Mayir had kept the loveseat around. “So, the two of us were talking, and we think it is time for you to start defending yourself against magical attack.”
Frowning, she glanced between them. “But…I don’t know how, and Mayir seems to love to watch me fail, time and time again, rather than just tell me.”
Her trainer gave a large sigh. “Your failures, as you put it, are anything but. You learn much from each one. Since you are set upon being difficult, let me explain.”
As Mayir went on to explain about magic and the impenetrable defense that could be created to fight it off, she seriously tried to pay attention. It was difficult to do while her ankle was thrumming quite happily—and so were other areas of her anatomy that rarely came to life.
“So, we thought I could lend you some of my protection to help you build your own,” Terrian said. “This way you can learn how it feels, what it looks like to you, as well as how it feels to have a magical attack. Sometimes that is the most important lesson of all.”
“Prepare her while I get four of my guard.” Once Mayir left, she rolled her eyes.
“I still think he did it on purpose.”
He chuckled. “More than likely, but he is trying to protect your virtue. As your guardian at the moment, it is his job. And try not to worry,” he whispered, kissing her softly, “I plan there will be much more of this after we find a way around the Orion issue.”
“Sounds good,” she said, kissing him back.
“All right, I do not know how much time he will give
us to prepare. We must get your defense activated before he returns. Come.” He pulled her up from the couch gently and walked her over to one of the walls. “Close your eyes.
“I want you to focus on any strange feeling that crosses your skin. My hands will be on your upper arms, and I will give you some of my protective power. Focus on any area that feels strange and tell me what you feel.” His hands wrapped tightly around her arms, and her skin warmed up. Between the warmth of his hands and the tingling in her ankle, at first she didn’t feel anything else. But then…
“There is something…almost a feeling of static electricity surrounding my chest.”
“Perfect, focus on that feeling. Let it grow and expand across your body.”
She had no idea how to do that. At first, she tried to force the static elsewhere, but it stayed where it was. Remembering Mayir’s instructions about magic, she imagined the static electricity surrounding her entire body and then let it go. Instantly, the feeling spread to every bit of her skin. “Oh, that feels weird,” she murmured. She could even feel it above her head. Hopefully, her hair wasn’t sticking straight up.
“Perfect. You are doing well, Arwen. Now, think about this feeling. What color does it have?”
Color? How can a feeling have color? Realizing she was being too logical once again, she focused her mind on the static. As she concentrated on it, it began to take form. Millions and millions of tiny lights glittered off and on and, as she watched them, she focused in on their centers, tiny balls glistening off the light. “Silver.”
“Good. Now, I need you to be able to push it away. In time, it would be best if it was about six inches away from your body, but for now just try to move it a little.”
Imagining the bright silvery lights pushed out about six inches from her body, she felt it and let it go. For a brief moment, they twinkled about six inches away before snapping back with a whoosh!
“That was fantastic!” Terrian said, hugging her. “You are a quick study. No wonder Mayir is so impressed with you.”
Mayir impressed? Wherever did Terrian get that opinion? Not wanting to burst his bubble, she just smiled. “Can we try it again?”
They were able to practice it four times. Each time she was able to hold the light away from her for just a few seconds before it snapped back into place. Terrian thought it was an improvement. Her trainer did not.
“Only two seconds?” he asked with a frown. “Orion will be in your mind and capture your soul within three. Prepare.” Without another word, he walked away and one of his guards, the one who loved to hang her from the ceiling, walked into the room. Annoyance and embarrassment at having Terrian see her like that made it hard to focus.
His soft voice whispered across her ear. “I am with you. He cannot harm you. Focus on the silver.”
The guard leaned against the wall by the door looking bored. He kept his eyes on the floor and with a flash they looked at her. Immediately she felt her body begin to flip up but something held her in place. Looking down at her body she couldn’t understand it.
“Concentrate, Arwen. Feel for anything brushing up against the barrier.”
Remembering Terrian was helping her, she felt for anything strange. Almost immediately, she felt it. Like the sting of a papercut on her right thigh. “I found it.”
“Good. Now,” he said, his voice dropping to a very low level. “Focus on the silver around the sensation. Only in that area. Focus until that is all you see and hear. Then push it out quickly.”
It wasn’t hard to focus on the pain, but she had the feeling she was supposed to focus on the silver light. As she did so, she also felt something else. It was like a whirlwind building up within her. Her breathing sped up as she felt the little cyclone intensify. Not knowing what it was or what was going to happen, she figured she had better finish soon so she could ask. She imagined and felt the silver string push out and let it go.
A cry of surprise had her eyes springing open. The guard was hanging upside down from the ceiling with a look of shock on his face. A giggle of surprise left her lips as she felt the light spring back into place. As it did so, he dropped, twisting and landing on his feet easily.
Mayir nodded at him and he scurried out. “What was that?” he asked her, an eyebrow raised.
“What do you mean? I did everything Terrian asked.” She turned to look at the man behind her, and he was looking at her with something akin to awe. “What?”
“At your level of training, Arwen, you should not have been able to disarm his magical armor. I told you, you were powerful. This proves it. What happened?” Mayir’s question both worried and excited her. Maybe she did have a defense against Orion. Of course, if she gave into him, she would also be a major weapon.
“I’m not sure how to explain it. He told me to feel for something odd against the light, and I found it. Then he said to focus all my energy on it and push that part of my defense out right there. As I was focusing, I felt what I can only describe as a cyclone build within me. When I pushed it out, I felt the whirlwind go too. At the same time he cried out and, well, you saw what happened.”
The two men looked at one another and then back at her. “Try that again, but without Terrian’s influence.” Before she could ask what he meant, Terrian walked a few feet away and the very first guard she’d met when coming here walked in the door. Not once had he shown her anything except disgust. What she wouldn’t give to see another expression on his face.
Knowing if she didn’t concentrate, it could all end before it began, she focused on the light. Instantly she felt his attack, like huge claws ripping across her abdomen. Ignoring the pain, she focused on the silver, seeing Terrian’s eyes in every dot, but the whirlwind didn’t come. Figuring that had been a one-time thing, she still concentrated on pushing out the area of the light and let it go.
As she opened her eyes and looked up, all three men watched her. The goon had a frown on his face. Well, at least it wasn’t disgust.
“Was anything different?” Mayir asked.
“No power build up this time.”
He waved a finger toward Terrian, and he walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “Again,” he told the guard.
The feel of the claws intensified, but her mind couldn’t concentrate on that as she felt the building storm in her chest. There it was. Keeping her mind somewhat on the silvery light, she focused on building and intensifying the tornado. It whipped faster and faster inside her until her chest began to feel tight. Instantly, she imagined the barrier pushing out right where the claws were. As she let go, Terrian whispered, “Green, furry grass.”
Her eyes flashed open as she looked over her shoulder at the same time she heard a huge yell and a large boom filled the room. As Terrian began to shake with laughter, she looked around trying to find out what happened. A large hole was in the wall, and something green was crawling out of it. It wasn’t until cold eyes met hers that she realized the man who had treated her so disdainfully from the beginning was covered in the green furry grass from the field. A little giggle escaped her lips even as Terrian let out a huge guffaw.
The clearing of a throat brought her attention to Mayir who actually looked as though he was trying not to laugh. “Well, that question is answered. Vres, I think you should wear your new skin for a while, until you realize just because someone is smaller than you does not necessarily mean weaker.” With a grunt, Vres walked out, bowlegged from all the grass. With a snap of Mayir’s fingers, the windows went opaque and the humming started.
“Tell me what happened,” he said eagerly.
After Ari described what happened with her, Terrian added his piece. “I can feel when she lets go, and when she did it, I mentioned green, furry grass wondering if that distraction would make the effect less. I did not expect,” he chuckled, “for it to become a suggestion.”
“Intriguing. You two are a formidable pair. Her magic and your protective energy, Terrian—Orion might have actually met his downfall.”
Things became more interesting and a lot more fun after that. Not only was Terrian constantly holding her, but he came up with the most bizarre suggestions for each practice attack. Of the seven magical attacks she dealt with over the next two days, one became a bird, one a mouse, two ended up wearing dresses, two were sent to the green fur field, and one disappeared and nobody knew where he went.
“You are doing wonderfully,” Terrian assured her as they took their dinner in the fur field away from Mayir. “Mayir may not show it, but even he is impressed.” Tonight she magicked up a simple dinner of steak and baked potato, and he dug into it with relish.
“I’ll just be glad when it’s over,” she admitted. “I don’t like this constant shadow looming over me.”
“I know and to be honest, I want to invite you to Darinth after all of this is over. I think you would like it.” His eyes twinkled. “And we have a library that should please you. Over two million books are housed inside it.”
“Yes, but I doubt I could read a word,” she laughed.
“I think you would catch on. For one thing, teaching through visual media has been a way of life for us for thousands of years. Most of the books are picture based. I would also like to take you for a ride. Abriethon misses me I am sure, and he would love nothing more than to give my lady a ride.”
“Your lady?” she asked with a smile.
His eyes softened. “I was not going to bring this up until the problem with Orion was solved, but a Darinthan knows within a short time when they have met the one who was meant for them.” He took her hands in his. “You are the one for me, Arwen. I know you have other things, more important things, on your mind right now. But know that once it is over, I want to take you to Darinth, hopefully to make it your new home.”
****
Do guys really talk like that? Later as she sat brushing her hair before bed, she wondered. It was obvious they must since Terrian had bared his soul to her just an hour earlier. It had been wonderful hearing how he described his thoughts of her, and she was partway somehow there with him too already. She could see herself with him. And that scared her. Logical Arwen Maria Reynolds couldn’t fall for some guy so quickly. So why was she already in love with him?
Your Dimension Or Mine? Page 15