by Mazhar, S
Sam reached the top of the stairs and headed straight to his room, but Rose paused. She turned back to look at Kyran before walking downstairs, heading towards him. Without saying a word, Rose put her arms around Kyran, her head pressed against his strong chest. Taken aback, Kyran took a moment before gently wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Kyran didn’t say anything, but just held her in his arms.
24
A New Hope
The days passed quickly. Before Aaron knew it, he woke up to the last day of the year.
“It’s the thirty-first already?” he asked.
“Yep.” Alan beamed as he set the table in his special way. “It’s gonna be a real feast tonight!”
“Good, I’m starving.” Ryan yawned, coming to sit at the table. “That full moon took a lot out of me.”
“That was yesterday,” Aaron pointed out.
“Exactly, only yesterday,” Ryan said. “I need today and tomorrow to recuperate and make up for my loss of appetite.”
Sitting across from him, Ella glared, shaking her head.
“Don’t give me that I’m-mentally-slapping-you look,” Ryan said to her. “It freaks me out.”
“Good,” Ella replied. “Then maybe you won’t act like a baby.”
“I’m not,” Ryan defended. “I do have to recuperate.”
“We all suffer because of the full moon,” Ella pointed out. “You don’t see us moaning about special treatment.”
“That’s ’cause you already get special treatment,” Ryan teased. “O great Elemental one, thou hast graced us with thy presence.”
“Shut it.” Ella threw a grape at him.
Ryan caught it with his mouth. “Yum. Thanks.” Ryan grinned as he chewed. “Any more?”
Ella wrinkled her nose. “You’re disgusting.”
“And you’re gorgeous.” Ryan winked.
“You flirting with her again?” Zhi-Jiya asked as she joined the table. “Give it up, Ryan. She’s not falling for you.”
“Meh, whatever.” Ryan brushed a hand through his hair. “I only want her for her status as an Afton.”
Ella waved her hand and Ryan was suddenly soaked with water that had just appeared out of thin air, cascading over his head. Ryan leapt from his chair, crying out in shock.
“Aaah! F-freezing!”
“That’s what you get,” Ella said with a smirk.
Zhi-Jiya giggled next to her.
Ryan clicked his fingers and in the blink of an eye, he was dry again. He sat down, eyeing Ella with caution now.
Kyran came to sit at the table, taking his usual seat next to Ella. He looked around, met Aaron’s eye, and looked away. Kyran’s threat to stay away was the last thing he had said to Aaron, and that was days ago.
“What’s for breakfast?” Sam asked, coming to sit next to Aaron. “I’m starved.”
“Popular expression today,” Aaron muttered, then turning to Sam, he asked, “How you doing?”
“Fine,” Sam breathed in a tone of irritation. “It’s all healed, stop worrying.”
“I still think you should get checked out, like in a hospital or something,” Aaron said. “What if you need a tetanus shot?” he asked, shuddering at the memory of those sharp claw-like nails that had dug into Sam’s flesh.
“I don’t,” Sam said. “Armana’s checked me. I don’t have any infections, the cuts are healed and I swear I’m gonna hit you over the head with something if you don’t stop annoying me.”
Rose arrived at the table, carrying a large platter of pancakes. Ava and Henry had trays with bowls of all kinds of berries. Mary arrived with her own tray, carrying more fruit and three different types of syrup. Rose sat down next to Sam, but her gaze went straight to Kyran, who returned her stare. Kyran looked pointedly at the platter of pancakes and then at her, raising his eyebrows. The look was clear to read. Did you make them?
With a smile, Rose nodded and reached out to stab her fork into the most browned, crispy looking pancake. She placed it onto her plate. Everyone else went for the soft, fluffy, golden-yellow pancakes. Kyran went for the brownish ones with darkened edges. He ate them with a smile – one that matched Rose’s.
***
Preparations for the new year were under way. Aaron and the twins learnt that the mages celebrated New Year’s Eve with a midnight feast. The kitchen staff were busy with the cooking, as were the farm and orchard workers with gathering the ingredients. Aaron helped Sam in the orchard, keeping busy so his mind didn’t wander to other things. Of course, that didn’t work for too long. Sooner than Aaron desired, the work was done and Drake dismissed them for the day. Sam went back to the cottage to shower and get changed.
Delivering the last of the baskets to the Stove, Aaron started walking in the opposite direction to the cottages. He walked until he reached the lake and, with a tired sigh, he sat down at the bank. But even the serene calmness of the vast, glassy pool couldn’t take over Aaron today. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the withered and frail piece of paper. He held his mum’s letter in his hand and the thought came to him that this was all he had left of his parents. The searing pain in his chest was so great it forced a deep, calming breath from him in effort to lessen the panic. He heard the footsteps approaching from behind and found it strange that he could tell it was Kyran. Sure enough, Kyran came to stand next to him, staring at him with a frown.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Sitting,” Aaron replied. “Why? Is that a crime now?”
Kyran raised his eyebrows. “Aren’t you in a mood?”
“Yeah, well.” Aaron stared ahead of him. “Everyone gets those days.”
“Even Saint Adams?” Kyran asked with a smirk, lowering himself to sit next to him.
Aaron didn’t say anything. He pocketed the letter. “I thought you weren’t talking to me,” he said, giving Kyran a sideways glance. “What changed?”
“Nothing,” Kyran said. “I’m still annoyed at you. It took me ten full hours to put Lexi right, thanks to you.”
“I never asked for your help,” Aaron said, irritated. “You did that on your own. Don’t blame me for damaging Lexi.”
“You’re welcome,” Kyran said dryly. “So glad I risked my neck to save your ungrateful behind.”
“Who asked you to jump in after me?” Aaron bit out.
Kyran smiled a little, the green of his eyes bright and sparkling. “I jumped in after you because you’re an Elemental,” he said. “A stupid, rash, hot-headed Elemental that would have died and thrown the whole Elemental equilibrium into a right mess.”
Aaron frowned at him. “What happens if an Elemental dies?”
“Depends,” Kyran replied. “If they were good, they go to Heaven. If they were naughty, they go–”
“Not that!” Aaron snapped. “I meant the equilibrium thing.”
Kyran chuckled. “Man, you’re really bratty today, aren’t you?”
“Forget it.” Aaron glowered, turning to stare ahead again.
“No, really,” Kyran said, “why are you in such a mood?”
Aaron didn’t say anything. Long minutes passed but Kyran remained where he was, stubbornly staring at Aaron. Finally, Aaron gave in and sat up a little straighter, eyes crinkled against the scorching sun.
“It’s the new year tomorrow,” he said. “Exactly two months since I came here.” His voice dropped. “Two months since my mum and dad...” He trailed off. “They should have come back by now.” He looked over at Kyran to see the mirth and amusement leave him. He looked like his usual serious self, for which Aaron was grateful.
Kyran opened his mouth to speak. “Ace–”
“I know,” Aaron cut him off. “I know that they’ve gone to find Neriah and it’s an impossible task to track him down and I know two months is probably not enough time to find him but,” Aaron paused, taking in a breath, “they wouldn’t stay away this long without trying to contact
me,” he said. “I know my parents. They would have sent me a letter or...or a message somehow, to let me know everything was okay.” He paused, worry and fear shadowed in his eyes. “I keep thinking, what if...what if something’s happened to them? To Uncle Mike? What if they’re...?” He couldn’t say it. He physically couldn’t form the words that suggested his parents, his uncle, his only family were no more.
“Your parents are alive, Aaron,” Kyran said.
“How do you know?” Aaron asked.
“I don’t,” Kyran replied. “But you do.” At Aaron’s look of confusion, Kyran went on. “You know that mages are all connected, right?”
Aaron nodded. “Yeah.”
“This connection that links all mages together becomes something more where blood is concerned.” Kyran turned to stare ahead of him, choosing to look at the lake instead of Aaron. “When someone in your immediate bloodline dies, you feel it.”
“Feel it?” Aaron asked with a furrowed brow. “As in?”
“As in, you feel it,” Kyran repeated, keeping his eyes turned away from Aaron. “The exact moment they take their last breath, when life drains out of them, you feel it deep in your core.” He paused. “The feeling is...unimaginable. It’s like a part of you dies, leaving behind a hole – one that never fills up.” His voice had dipped into a whisper, barely loud enough for Aaron to hear. “You feel it, the absence. The feeling of something missing within you every day from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep. It never goes away.” He turned to look at Aaron. “There’s no mistaking it, no matter where you are, how far away you are from your family. The moment they die, you feel it, like a physical kick to your gut. You know instantly who you’ve lost.”
Aaron stared at him, his heart racing so fast, he felt it was going to beat its way out of his chest.
“So,” Kyran went on, “if you’ve felt anything like that since–”
“No,” Aaron was quick to say. “Nothing like that.”
Kyran nodded. “Well, then.” He offered a weak smile. “Suffice to say your parents are alive.”
Aaron let out a long breath. “That’s a relief,” he said. “Makes waiting for them to come back a little easier now that I know all of them are okay.”
Kyran stared at him, looking like he was mentally debating something. He glanced away before sighing with resignation. “Ace,” he breathed, “I really don’t want to be the one to tell you this.” He turned to meet Aaron’s eyes. “Your parents, they’re...they’re not coming back.”
Aaron stared at him with surprise. “Don’t say that.”
“Trust me, I don’t want to,” Kyran replied. “But that’s the truth and the sooner you accept it, the easier it’ll be for you to move on.”
Aaron scowled at him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ace, they’ve done this before,” Kyran said. “Your parents ran out on this realm and didn’t look back for fourteen years.”
“Yes, but at that time they didn’t leave behind their son!” Aaron snapped, so angry he was shaking. “I know they ran once before, but this is different. They’re coming back for me. I know they are.”
Kyran took a moment to just stare at Aaron before nodding. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll see if you’re right.”
“I am right,” Aaron insisted angrily.
“Alright, Ace,” Kyran said with smile. “Alright.”
Aaron had to take in a few breaths to calm down. The mere idea of being abandoned had shaken him. It set every nerve of his on fire.
“Come on.” Kyran slapped a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “Why waste a perfectly good day sitting around moping?”
“What? You mean training?” Aaron asked. He knew Kyran was changing the topic and he was partly thankful.
“It’s not been that long, Ace,” Kyran said, getting to his feet. “You’ve forgotten about training already?”
Aaron got up, dusting the back of his jeans. “I thought you gave up teaching me.”
“I don’t give up,” Kyran said with a grin. “On anything.” He looked Aaron up and down. “Even if you do need so much work that it’s tempting to just quit.” He flashed him a teasing smile. “But I won’t. Hunter’s promise.” He held one hand to his chest and the other one up.
Aaron rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.
“Come on, I’ve got the perfect practice for you,” Kyran said, leading the way towards the farm.
“I don’t know if I should be excited or afraid,” Aaron said truthfully.
“Both.” Kyran smirked. “You should be both.”
***
Aaron glanced around him before turning to Kyran. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “How is this training?”
“If you have to ask,” Kyran said, sitting on top of the wall, “then you obviously need a lot of work.” He pointed a finger at the ground. “Come on, hurry up – before they get away.”
Aaron looked down to see chickens running around, clucking and rustling their feathers. With an annoyed look at Kyran he set off, chasing after the chickens, trying to catch them and put them back in their coops.
Kyran closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Ace,” he groaned. “Use your powers. You have powers, dammit!”
Aaron paused to look at him. “Huh?” he frowned. “How can I use my powers to catch chickens? It’s not like I can float them back to their coops like some people.”
Kyran raised his eyebrows. “Your powers work too. Figure it out.”
Aaron chose to continue running after the chickens. He remembered the day he met Mary for the first time. He had been in a similar situation then and he had managed to catch the hen that time. Darting this way and that, crouched over, Aaron ran after the clucking birds. A familiar giggle made Aaron pause and look up. Rose was standing at the gate, smiling at him.
“What are you doing, Aaron?” she asked.
“Chasing chickens,” Aaron panted as he straightened up. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Rose glanced at Kyran. “I see your training’s started up again,” she said to Aaron.
“I’m not sure,” Aaron said. “I think he’s messing with me.”
“Who hurt you so bad you can’t trust?” Kyran called.
“You need something, Rose?” Aaron asked, ignoring Kyran.
Rose held up her basket. “Eggs,” she replied. “We’re making cakes for tonight.”
“Give us ten minutes,” Kyran said, smiling. “He’ll have all the chickens rounded up and put back. He’ll get the eggs for you.”
Aaron groaned and immediately resumed the chase, knowing he had to stay within the ten-minute time limit now. Rose went to sit on the grass and watched Aaron as he scrambled around, trying to catch the chickens but he couldn’t get a grasp on them. She tried to stop the guilty amusement that came at Aaron’s loud exclamations and Kyran’s sarcastic comments.
A low whistle distracted her and she turned to see Ella walking up, grinning at Aaron and Kyran.
“The old chicken routine,” she mused. “Aaron’s not clicked as to what he’s supposed to do, has he?” she asked rhetorically. “Poor idiot.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Rose said, “what exactly should Aaron do?”
“Use his powers,” she said. “What else?”
“Yeah, I kinda got that part,” Rose said. “I meant, how does he use his powers to catch the chickens?”
Ella smirked and turned to face the two boys. Cupping her hands to her mouth, she yelled, “For Heaven’s sake, Adams! Tilt the ground, shake it, break it, turn it to mud – do something!”
Aaron stopped, red-faced and breathing hard, to stare back at her.
“Hey! Stop giving him clues!” Kyran shouted back. “Let him figure it out for himself!”
Kyran had Aaron’s attention back on the chickens. With a sigh, Ella sat down next to Rose.
“We’ll be here till next year,” she muttered.
“Which is technically only hours
away,” Rose replied.
“True,” Ella mused. “Hey, you excited?”
“For the new year?” Rose asked. “Not particularly.”
“How can you not be excited?” Ella asked. “You made it through another year. It’s a cause for celebration.”
Rose shrugged. “That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.”
“It’s the only way of looking at it,” Ella corrected. “When you grow up in a world that’s being ripped apart by a war, you learn to be thankful that you lived through another year.”
Rose didn’t know what to say. She dropped her gaze to the ground. A few minutes passed in silence before they felt the ground tremble a little.
“Finally!” Kyran’s relieved voice sounded. “Ace, try to stay upright yourself, yeah?”
Ella chuckled softly. “Poor Aaron.”
“So,” Rose started. “Is there anything special mages do on New Year’s Eve?”
“There are a few small traditions.” Ella smiled. “Very different from humans.”
Rose frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t you humans do that thing?” Ella asked. “Where you kiss the one you love at the stroke of midnight, so you’re ending and starting the year with them?”
Rose looked surprised. “How do you know that?”
“Spent New Year’s in the human realm once. We were hunting vampires,” she explained. “Man, that was a crazy night,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Did you get the vampires?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, but they weren’t the scary part.” She laughed, winking at Rose. “I’m only joking. Truth is, I kinda found all the kissing rather cute.” She stretched out her long legs and sat back, staring ahead. “I wouldn’t mind starting a new year like that, locked in a kiss.” Her eyes stared at something in the distance. “I even have someone in mind.”
Rose followed her look to the two boys next to the coops. She felt her heart drop. “Do you mean...Aaron?” she asked, hopefully.