by M. L. Greye
I don’t really care what he is now, he grunted.
Olinia decided it would be best for Zedgry to never learn that she’d once kissed Sazx. She faced Will. It was a good idea to try to communicate with Archrin, but it would be difficult to focus with her brother and Hillary nearby. Outside would be the best option.
“Come with me outside,” she said softly so that only Will could hear. A little louder, she added, “I can’t concentrate in here.”
He nodded once. “Okay.”
“Thanks.” She headed for the back door with Will close behind her. On her way out, she tossed at her twin, “I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?” He blinked.
“To talk to Archrin. I can’t do that with you thinking so loudly,” she retorted.
“Good luck,” Zedgry called as she and Will slipped onto the back porch.
Once the door closed behind them, Will took Olinia’s hand and led her into the little grove around her house. Zedgry and Hillary’s thoughts slowly grew quieter as they moved deeper into the trees. When the house was out of sight, Olinia stopped Will. “This should be good.”
“Okay.” He nodded his head toward a nearby tree. “Let’s sit.”
Will sat down, leaning against a nearby tree trunk, his knees raised. Olinia went to sit next to him, but he pulled her in front of him so that she could rest her back on his chest. “I’ll keep an eye out for any unwanted company,” he whispered into her ear. “Go ahead and talk to him.”
Olinia wasn’t so sure now if bringing Will had been a good plan. Being wrapped in his arms was almost as distracting as listening to Zedgry and Hillary. Olinia shut her eyes and bit at the inside of her lip. Then, slowly, she eased her mind outward. She worried that she wouldn’t be able to find Archrin’s thoughts at all. It had been a while, after all.
A moment later though, she was greeted with his internal expanse, taking her by surprise. Once again she noted the unique clarity and speed of his thoughts.
Archrin?
He’d noticed her presence. Princess?
Relieved that she’d found the connection, she began her interrogation. How are you? Are Tiara and Sazx alright? Are they with you?
Aye, came the reply, we’re fine and together.
Good. What happened?
We were captured by hired hands. An image of men dressed all in black flashed through his mind. He paused. Lady Aeorin of Relivaynt is behind this. She believes Tiara to be you.
This was news to Olinia. Aeorin captured you? Was Legann with you at all?
He was confused. We haven’t seen Legann since this morning.
So you don’t know, she sent him. Legann was captured, too. He’s with Dagon now in the Other Worlds.
Archrin’s mind jumped between multiple scenarios, trying to deduct what might have happened. Olinia answered his unasked question. Aeorin took him to a place where Dagon was as well. Together, Legann and my uncle escaped, ending up in the Vrenyx.
Will you go after him?
Olinia frowned. Archrin was concerned that she would retrieve her brother before she did them. Did he really have that little faith in her? I will, but not until I save you.
The Craele relaxed slightly. Thank you. Tiara is going to continue with the charade of being you for now.
Not a good idea, Olinia protested. That puts her in danger. She’s not as gifted as I am.
It may be safer, though, he argued. Aeorin wants you alive for something.
Olinia winced, recalling her latest Globing trip. Yeah, Aeorin wants a sample of my blood. She wants the Drainers to now include the crippling of Wends.
Drainers?
She decided to not explain that quite yet. Instead, she sent, You’re going to be put in the DS labs. The Velvitors run it. I’m not sure what they will do to you and Sazx.
His mind shifted to different images of Tiara. He was worried. Olinia took a deep breath. Archrin, Will and I are coming for you. I won’t let you get hurt for my sake.
As High Royalty shouldn’t it be our duty to offer you our lives?
This coming from a Kendren? She teased.
A former Kendren, he corrected.
Right. She smiled. We’ll catch the next plane out to California to get you.
Archrin relayed their conversation to Tiara and Sazx. When he finished, he sent Olinia, Do you still have a shimmer stone?
Yes. Why?
Use it to come instead of an airplane, he answered. You can open a portal to another place within the same world. I’ve done it before.
Olinia sincerely wished she’d known about this little feature sooner. Why had she never been told this before? Much faster plan than mine.
I look forward to seeing you again.
She grunted. As your former Kendrens would say, may victory become your future.
With that, she released herself from Archrin’s mind and opened her eyes to the trees of her backyard. Will must have noticed a change in the tension of her body because he asked, “It worked, didn’t it?”
“It worked.”
“So?” Will prodded.
Olinia pulled her unzipped hoodie tighter around her as a new chill sent a shiver up her spine. The warmth of the past week had completely disappeared within the past two days. “So now we go after them in California.”
She began to stand, but Will stopped her, pulling her around enough to face him. He was frowning. “Are you alright? Today hasn’t been an easy one.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied.
He snorted. “Despite what you may think, I know you better than that. Something’s bugging you.”
“You don’t need to worry about it.” She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
Will swore, startling Olinia. “Why won’t you tell me? I’m so sick of begging anything out of you. I’m sorry I was gone so long, but just once can you pretend I wasn’t and tell me what’s the matter with you?”
She blinked, and before she really knew what she was doing, she blurted, “I don’t want to go back to the Other Worlds.”
“Why?”
Olinia grimaced. “When we save Tiara, I know I’ll have to go back, but I’ve been in Ethon for almost two years.”
“You told Tiara to come get you, though.”
“Part of me didn’t think she actually would,” she admitted.
Will had his hand on her knee. He brushed it with his thumb. “Olinia, why don’t you want to go back?”
“Because I-” she hesitated “-I don’t want to be queen.”
“Then don’t be queen,” he said simply.
She stared at him. “It’s not that easy.”
“Sure it is,” he replied. “You have two younger brothers. One of them can take your place.”
“Just like that?”
He shrugged. “You say you don’t want your throne so what does it matter if you just give it away?”
“It’s not just that I don’t want it.”
“Then what is it?”
She ran her hand through her hair. “I’m incredibly inadequate, and I don’t know if I still belong in the Other Worlds. I’m afraid I’ve got too much Ethon in me now.”
Will took a moment to process what she’d said. This was the real reason behind her fear of leaving Ethon. He knew that inadequacy was just a small concern. He’d seen her under pressure before, and she always performed just fine. Her new gift of producing an earthquake from her fingertips was sure to scare away most of her enemies. What really bothered her was the question of whether she could feel at home within her own realm.
She’d become accustomed to his world. She worried that when she returned to the Other Worlds she would feel out of place. Even though Trenton Alridge had warned Will about making sure that Olinia returned to the Other Worlds and fulfill her destiny, Will didn’t really care what she did. His biggest concern was to be near her. If she wished to go back then that was fine by him. Whatever her choice, Will would stay with her. He had no intention of leaving
her ever again.
“Olinia,” he pressed his forehead against hers, “I don’t care what world you choose for us to live in.”
“Us?” She blinked.
“Do you honestly think I won’t be there, too?” He kissed her softly, letting his lips linger over hers. “Wherever you go, I go.”
Before she could reply, Will stood, pulling her up with him. “Come on, we still need to tell Zedge about how you destroyed part of your college campus.”
: : : : :
Queen Archelda sat motionless on the pale blue sofa in her chamber’s sitting room. Her face contained a blank stare as her ageless, royal blue eyes gazed into the cloudy orb in her hands. Her long, dark hair was pulled up into a tight knot at the nape of her neck. The ivory gown she wore clung to her slender form, cascading onto the floor around her feet.
For a woman nearly twice Fuladrik’s age, her appearance was stunningly elegant. Even for an Eve, she looked extraordinarily youthful. Her beauty should have begun to fade generations ago, but only now did she show signs of wrinkles around her eyes. To the average Saerd, the queen would be mistaken to be in her early forties.
Across from Archelda, Fuladrik and King Yrond stood by the doors to the queen’s personal balcony. Fuladrik and the king had ridden for the Crystal Castle immediately following his confession to the loss of the heirs. They arrived moments before requesting an emergency private audience with the queen. Had Archelda not been at the Crystal Castle, no formal inquiry would have been necessary. However, her presence in the capital demanded it.
“I cannot find the twins,” she said, without looking up from her Vrylaen Stone. “Not even in Sivean.”
Yrond nodded absently as he began to pace the area in front of the doors. “What of young Legann?”
“I am searching for him now,” she replied.
Fuladrik observed the king silently. Unlike his wife, Yrond had already started to age. His long black hair, which was tied behind his head by a leather band, held silver streaks throughout, and crow’s feet lined the corners of his deep blue eyes. Many believed him to be Archelda’s senior, but this was not true. The queen was almost four generations older than her husband.
“Zedgry,” Archelda breathed.
Yrond whirled. “What is it?”
The queen lifted her eyes. “Zedgry is in Evedon.”
“Where?” Yrond blurted.
“When did the Lantz return?” Fuladrik frowned.
“Perhaps I can help you with the answer to that.”
Fuladrik turned. Just beyond the balcony doors, the Lantz Zedgry stood, dressed in strange apparel. Fuladrik raised an eyebrow, wondering how the Lantz could have gotten onto the balcony unnoticed. Just then, he caught a glimpse of a shimmer stone dangling from Zedgry’s neck.
“Zedgry!” Archelda exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
The Lantz bowed at the waist. “Am I intruding?”
“Of course not.” Yrond waved him inside with one hand. “Where have you come from?”
“Willowvale,” he stepped past Fuladrik to his grandfather, “but Arynn told me you were here, so I opened a portal onto the balcony.”
“May I ask where you were before Willowvale, Lord Zedgry?” Fuladrik inquired with a small bow of his own.
He let out a short laugh. “I was in Ethon. Olinia and Will are still there.”
: : : : :
Porter was feeling fairly confused and slightly guilty as he rolled into the gravel driveway to DS. The week had proven itself a successful one, from the viewpoint of a Seeker. When he went after Olinia earlier that morning with the prospect of bringing another person with telekinesis to the DS family, he’d had no idea she would turn out to be so much more gifted than he’d originally anticipated.
She was a gift goldmine! She could cast fire through her pores and create earthquakes from her fingertips. He’d never heard of someone being able to cause the ground to shake. Thanks to Porter’s discovering her, the director had even noticed him. Perhaps that much-coveted teacher’s position wasn’t above his reach after all. He possibly wouldn’t have to be a Seeker forever.
To be a Seeker required a great deal of charm. Porter wasn’t oblivious to the fact that one day he’d grow out of his good looks. Seekers weren’t Seekers for extensive periods of time. He’d already served as one for three years. The longest any Seeker Porter had heard of lasting was seven years.
Now, true, life as a Seeker was a blast, but it wasn’t really a long-term occupation. Even though it was thrilling to discover the lonely and internally chaotic gifted kids of the eastern half of the United States, the traveling became tedious after a while, and the pay wasn’t stupendous. Porter needed to look to his future. However, he preferred that it have something to do with the gifted.
The only reason Porter really took the assignment as Seeker in the first place was because he had previously been one of the kids he searched for. In middle school, Porter was always the odd guy out. Before then, he was a normal little boy – giftless. When he hit puberty, his skin changed. He became much more sensitive to someone’s touch – to the point that cool fingertips would make his muscles twitch. Then came the day when his mom brushed his arm and he witnessed his own face through her eyes. He never wore short-sleeved shirts again, even in the summer.
Because of his gift, he tried to avoid all human contact. His ability scared him. When he wastouched, the person would unknowingly show him their past five minutes. It wasn’t always pleasant. He’d mostly flinch away, causing him to be a public victim of ridicule. His classmates would bully him about his behavior toward anyone coming near him. He would’ve continued in this sad life if he’d never found DS – or rather DS found him.
When a Seeker approached him near the end of his eighth grade year, she’d offered him a place where he could be at home with others like himself – the gifted. Although he hadn’t been very eager to join DS due to fear of rejection, he’d since grown to admire the institution. The DS instructors had helped him train his gift to see back as far as twenty-four hours and have private conversations within someone’s head just by touch. DS had given Porter an amazing opportunity.
At first, Porter had had the desire to share what really was happening at his new school with his family, but each time he’d even think about it, he’d be so overcome with anxiety he’d make himself sick. He would feel like his lungs were squeezing shut. DS had warned him on his first day that it would be terrible should anyone find out about his gifts – that his family and friends would shun him completely. Over time, Porter lost his wish to speak of his gifts with anyone but the gifted. It was a special bond he held with those like himself.
Following high school, Porter was asked to stay on as a tutor with one of his favorite instructors. A few months later, he was promoted to Seeker – an occupation not everyone could do. To be a Seeker, one had to be skilled with the power of persuasion. Most gifted were distrusting of strangers. It was the Seeker’s job to make the potential DS addition comfortable with the concept of being a part of a school that really was meant just for them.
Porter was typically quite a good Seeker. Usually, after he finished his spiel on why DS was the place to be, kids and young adults would agree to at least check out the plantation. Even if it took a few weeks, his marks would eventually join. Charisma was not something he lacked. Never had anyone publicly outright refused him by using gifts against him, until today.
Releasing his breath out in a rush, Porter parked his bike on the gravel pad at the rear of DS. Even though Olinia was too old to become an official student, she was still welcome at DS. As one of the gifted, she would be permitted to use the practice facilities and DS library, which were both beneficial for the improvement of gifts.
Many former students returned each week to DS. It was home for them – a place separate from the world of the Normals, the name DS kids gave the ungifted. Olinia could have been a part of this. Porter could only imagine how those deep dark eyes of hers would light up
with pure bliss when she discovered just how far her gifts would go. At DS, she could be completely happy. Why had she denied his invitation? He thought she’d warmed up to him.
Olinia confused him. She was more than just a little unique. He was still worried she might have left a scar on his hand from their earlier encounter. It was disconcerting that she’d detected their conversation was in her head all along. That was a first. It was almost as if she had in fact had training, but if that were true then who had given it to her? As far as Porter knew, DS was the only school for the gifted on the planet.
Yet, she was a brilliantly gifted woman, there was no doubting that. It didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous, either. With very little instruction, she could easily become a Seeker. But she didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with DS, to the point of becoming violent. Why?
The only reason Porter could come up with for her fighting him was that he must have scared her. Why else would she risk her gifts being discovered by so many? If Porter hadn’t had his partner – Saundra – there to help him, then he most likely would have been further injured by Olinia’s foolish panic. There was no need for Olinia to be afraid of him or DS.
As required of all Seekers, following the incident, Porter had returned to the plantation to report to his assigned instructor what had occurred. Oddly enough, the director just happened to be present in his instructor’s office when he gave his account. For the most part, she remained silent until Porter mentioned Olinia’s name.
Out of habit, Porter adjusted the black Seeker Watch on his wrist before dismounting his bike. It was the symbol of his position at DS, and he secretly enjoyed showing it off to the younger kids. It made him feel like he was someone they should aspire to become. While his feet crunched over the gravel on his way to DS’s back entrance, his mind drifted back to his earlier conversation with the director.
The director’s sea green eyes were wide. “Can you describe this Olinia to me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Porter nodded, surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. “She’s dark haired with large brown eyes. Slender. High cheekbones. Pretty face.” He paused. “I guess one detail that really stands out is her silver tattoo that she calls a birthmark.”