Wings Of A Phranoy

by Stacy Lee

  Chapter Eight

  It didn’t take long to break camp without the tent and we were soon on our way. Just as Axel predicted, not five minutes after we took off at least thirty Ranoy were seen on the ground racing through the mountains towards our last location. Climbing higher Xavier hides in the clouds as we leave them behind. As we fly he explains we had headed down the mountain during the night when I had been unconscious. We were almost three quarters of the way down when they stopped to rest. Now he was heading south towards the Sands of Desperation where it was known the Ranoy had a large base built into the dunes there.

  Our first stop would be a Drumon town called Dranall, where we would stay the night. My anticipation and anxiety were kicking in the darker the sky grew and the closer we got to the town. He explained how this world wasn’t as advanced as Earth was and things like electricity and plastic had not been invented yet. That’s why the cup had been so fascinating to them, not that they didn’t know what a cup was, it was the clear plastic that had fascinated them. Most things here were made of wood or clay and some metals.

  I had asked if he knew what electricity was why they hadn’t helped the people to utilize it. He had replied that it wasn’t their job to advance the technology of this world but to protect its people from their cursed brethren. When I had repeated Axel’s words about them teaching the people how to farm and such, he had just smiled and said “We don’t mind helping with the small things that better their lives but to place an idea into someone’s head on how to make electricity would more than likely get them killed because they do not have the capability of understanding such things yet. Everything happens in due time. We must wait and let them advance to those heights naturally.” It made sense but it seemed a waste to know how to do something only to wait hundreds of years to have it happen ‘naturally’.

  After that every time I tried to ask him questions about this world he would roll through the clouds or do a loopty-loop making me scream from fear and exhilaration. The flying wasn’t bothering me so much anymore now that I had acquired a small amount of trust in these two men. They hadn’t left me to die when the Ranoy attacked or left me there unconscious and unprotected. They had taken care of me through many blackouts over the last couple days and my confidence in their trustworthiness was growing by leaps and bounds. I just wish they would answer more of my questions.

  I had come to the conclusion after the dream that I would have no choice in finishing the bond with Xavier. However for some reason now didn’t seem like the right time. I couldn’t explain why, only that in my heart I knew I had to wait for something. What and when that something was, who knew, but I was sure I would know it when it happened. With that decision in mind I tentatively ask Xavier a question once he tells me we are almost to the town.

  “Xavier, will you tell me more about you?” He looks down at me in surprise but quickly averts his gaze as he can’t see to fly with the glasses on in the darkening skies.

  “Like what, Sam?” I know he had whispered the words but I heard him perfectly. It seemed after every blackout my hearing had heightened more and more to the point even the smallest noise was discernable, even with the wind roaring in my ears.

  “You and Axel keep saying we are going to be together for eternity. If that’s true then the least you could do is tell me a little about yourself. I’m not asking for the forbidden things, just little stuff like your favorite color or food. You know, things like that.” I shrug as my voice trails off. His deep rich laugh comforts me.

  “Well blue, I guess. I don’t really have a favorite but if you were to put five colors in front of me and told me to pick, then it would be blue nine times out of ten. Favorite food is even harder, before you came I would have said the deep blue cubes that have a berry flavor but after that taco you made appear, I don’t know.” He chuckles as I feel myself relax on a giggle. “What about you, Sam?”

  “I’m not sure. I can’t remember anything about my life but if I had to guess I’d say my favorite color was purple.” A small growl escapes him as his head turns to eye Axel’s violet wings making me laugh out loud. When my laughter finally dies down a genuine smile stays on my lips, the first real smile I have had since coming here. Suddenly we dip several feet before he catches us, soaring back up into the clouds. “What was that?” I shriek. He clears his throat a few times before answering.

  “Nothing. Um… Just turbulence.” His skin has turned crimson in embarrassment so I let the obvious lie slide. “Hang on; I’m going to land in that clearing down there. Axel wants to go get you a cloak to cover your wings before we take you into town. No sense in advertising who you are. The Ranoy have spies everywhere.” With a slight thud we sit down in the clearing a few minutes later. In the moonlight I can see the lush green grass as it spreads out under our feet. Nothing like the rocky terrain of the mountains, it gives off a sense of peace and serenity.

  Dropping to my knee I let my hands lay upon the earth searching for the red lines of power I had found before. To my surprise nothing comes to me. I push my senses further into the ground focusing on the veins of red energy, still nothing. A small niggle at the back of my mind whispers ‘Don’t force it. Let it come naturally.’ The thought causes a laugh to burst forth as it almost echoes what Xavier had said earlier. I had proven then I didn’t like the natural way. If it hadn’t been a female voice I might have thought it was him.

  “What’s so funny?” Xavier’s amused voice reaches me and I turn to him to explain. Unintentionally our eyes lock. My breathing stills, my heart races, my body trembles and my mind fogs over with a haze. Something pulls at me, but I ignore it. It grows louder with insistence.

  ‘Not yet, not time, not time!’ The same female voice shouts in my head. Instantly I slam my eyes shut turning my face from his then drop onto my hands and knees gasping. It was getting harder to stop. Waves of emotions hit me dead center causing me to cry out. Pain, hurt, sorrow, rejection then anger. I couldn’t do this, it was too much, I was causing him so much pain.

  “Stop!” I pant out as still his emotions overwhelm me. My hands tighten in the grass digging into the dirt below it as I sink down on my haunches and drop my head to my knees. So many emotions. Over the last few days I had been hit with so many feelings, raw unadulterated emotions. It was all overwhelming me. Rage, destruction, greed, fear, pain, anguish, concern, hurt, longing, denial, and finally power. All-encompassing power was the hardest one to dismiss. My heart felt like it was being pulled in so many directions it would soon be split apart. The tears began to fall of their own accord as I try to stop the trembling of my body. Despair creeps into the mix of warring feelings as my hands dig deeper into the ground, sobs racking my body.

  Slowly I become aware of a soothing balm creeping up my arms. It gently encompasses me spreading over my entire being. A cool yet warm tingling coalesces around the base of my wings easing the pain in my back. A relieved sigh escapes me as all the hurt and turmoil leave my body leaving it free of pain for the first time in days. Sluggishly an image of soft blue veins appear in my mind’s eye, just as the red ones had, they run through the ground in a network of living pulsating energy. However unlike the angry crimson lines these give off a sense of peace, a soothing balm to the soul. Most are equal in size, none holding more or less power than the others as they spread throughout nature. Even the trees and plants are connected with the pale blue pure lights.

  A sense of urgency feels me as an image of an old small building appears. I stand at its base barefoot, my hands on the wood shingles. A blue shimmer surrounds the entire building emitting a cool peaceful environment even though I feel death surrounds me. As quickly as it comes it is gone.

  “Sam?” Axel’s voice breaks through my concentration however with the soothing aura of this energy it is easy to let it roll over me ignoring him.

  “Shhhh. Leave her be.” Xavier’s voice is strained but also filled with reverence.

  Pulling myself away from the boys I concentrate
once more on the soothing blue light. The image of the building flits through my mind with a whispered ‘Hurry, child’. The sense of urgency back in full swing. With a feeling like I needed to thank someone I carefully push the energy back into the ground, it obeys my commands willingly and quickly as if it knows time is of the essence. With a gasp of sorrow for the serenity to leave, the last bit drains back into the earth however a small measure of calm confidence is left behind. The turmoil of emotions from before all but forgotten.

  I stand abruptly and turn towards Axel. His wings are partially extended, his foot placed before him as if he was in mid step when he stopped. A cloak dangles from his hand. If it wasn’t for the subtle rise and fall of his chest I would think he was a statue. I turn hesitantly towards Xavier to see him in a similar frozen state with his mouth hanging open, his glasses had been replaced, and he was sitting on a log not moving.

  “Boys?” I ask tentatively. Immediately they both become animated again. Axel finishes his step tucking his wings into his back. Xavier jumps up from the log and strides towards me.

  “What did you do?” Axel asks perplexed.

  “Have no clue.” I grin.

  “Samantha you were glowing. You were completely surrounded in a soft blue light.” Axel breathes out in awe before stepping forward and opening the cloak. “May I?” He grins; I tip my head to him and turn for him to place the cloak over my shoulders.

  “She wasn’t in any danger. She was calm and relaxed or I would have stepped in.” Xavier says quietly averting his covered gaze from mine. I quirk my brow at him. How did he know I was calm? I had asked him to stop before it happened.

  “Um…. I couldn’t pull back. We were still linked till just a second ago.” He mumbles. Oh. I give him a nod but can’t look at him. That means he felt what I was feeling before the calm took over. I sigh.

  “Xavier, I know we probably need to talk about what happened but right now we need to get to town. Later?” I ask hopefully. He nods sharply to me then turns to Axel as he gasps. I look over my shoulder at him to see him staring at my back.

  “How do you feel Sam?” He whispers. I stretch my hands above my head, arching my back then let them fall. Actually I felt better than I have since I arrived in this crazy place. All my aches and pains were gone, my back wasn’t in any pain, I felt great.

  “Wonderful, actually. Why?”

  “Your back is healed.” Xavier states mesmerized. “The jagged cuts that were around the base of your wings this morning are gone. They look like you were born with them not like they just appeared.” With a smile I whisper that thank you to the earth that I felt I needed to express earlier. Now I knew why I felt the need to say it. A finger pushes away the material between the base of my wings then lightly rubs a spot in the direct center.

  “Do you know you have a birthmark here?” Xavier asks. An image flits through my head making me smile. My memories were returning. It was only a small glimpse of my back in a picture, but it was something I didn’t know ten minutes ago. “It almost looks like….”

  “Wings.” I state confidently. Turning I pull away from them and take the cloak from Axel’s hands. “We need to go boys.” Quickly I swing it around me then turn towards the lights of the town. The closer I move towards it the faster my feet go. The overwhelming sense of urgency has returned pushing me into a run. “Hurry! It’s almost time!” I yell at them as I pick up my pace.

  “Time for what, Sam?” How do I answer that? I had no idea why I needed to get to the town, I just did.

  “I don’t know. I just know I need to be there, now!” I holler as I drive myself to run faster. A breeze washes over me as I’m lifted from my feet into Xavier’s arms. With a few strong thrusts of his wings we land in the center of town.

  “Fast enough?” He grins.

  “No.” I mumble as I turn in a circle searching for something. What, was anyone’s guess. Of their own violation my feet begin to move down the street turning at what smells like a diner then moving further down. A soft blue light illuminates the dirt street prompting me to follow it through a myriad of twist and turns, ending at an old wooden building. Suddenly bells begin to ring from all directions of the town. I swivel back towards the boys to see their worried faces.

  “What is that?” I ask.

  “That is the sign a Ranoy has been spotted coming towards town. We have less than five minutes, Sam.” I turn back to the building searching for something that would tell me what I was supposed to do. People start flooding the street from all directions. To my surprise they head into the building I am staring at. That’s when it all clicks into place. I was to protect them.

  “Make sure everyone is inside that building, no one is to be left out.” When they just stare at me I meet Xavier’s shielded eyes and send a wave of confidence to him. “Trust me.” With a sharp nod, him and Axel take off to search the town for stragglers.

  I turn back to the building and try to picture what I had seen in the clearing. I was standing at the base, barefoot, my hands pressed to the wood. Shucking the slippers on my feet I leave them where they lay as I step up to the building. Digging my toes deep within the grass to the point I can feel the dirt embed itself under my toenails, I place my hands on the wall.

  “Please, show me what to do.” I whisper. The energy below my feet jumps to me, filing my body with intense power, however unlike on the mountain a deep serenity fills me as it flows through my veins. Once more the image of the shimmering building flits through my mind then is gone. Yes, I knew I needed to cover it in the power but what was it supposed to do? No answer was forth coming forcing me to think harder.

  The Ranoy were coming. The innocent Drumon were in this building. Men, women and children I had to protect. How did I do that? Once more the building pops in and out of my head. I must keep the Ranoy out. That’s it! A shield. If they can’t get inside, they can’t kill the people. Concentrating on what I want to do I fix the image in my head then wait for Xavier to return. I had to know they were all inside the building before I sealed it. I didn’t have long to wait before he jogs up behind me.

  “I found no one else in town. What are you going to do?” He can’t hide the small bit of excitement that fills his voice making me smile.

  “This magic didn’t leave me unconscious in the clearing but I wasn’t using it like I plan on now. If I fall they will be left defenseless. Please protect them first.” I beg him.

  “Sam, I can’t promise that. You are my only concern.” He grits out.

  “Please Xavier. Don’t let this town become like the mountains. Innocent blood shall not fall tonight.” He sucks in a large breath.

  “If that is what you want, Evangelina.” My concentration wanes slightly with the name.

  “No Xavier. I am not Evangelina, I am only Samantha. Please remember that.” It comes out rougher than I meant it to but I felt it was pertinent he didn’t put all his faith in this prophecy of his. He didn’t know that it was me, there was a chance he was wrong.

  “As you wish, Samantha.” He runs a finger down my jaw, caressing my face for comfort before he turns and strides off a few feet behind me, shoulder to shoulder with Axel, swords drawn. I couldn’t see them but I knew they were there.

  I take a deep steadying breath then release the power. A blue shimmer starts under my hands then begins to spread outward covering first the side, then the front, the other side, the back and finally the roof in a large shield meant to keep the Ranoy out.

  “They’re coming!” Xavier’s voice rings out in the night. With his cry I send more power into the shield. Keeping one hand on the building I turn towards the first sounds of metal clashing. Xavier swings his long sword then slashes with his dagger removing the head of the first Ranoy he encounters only to have another take its place. All of a sudden a large drain of power comes from the back of the building as the people inside scream. Sending out my senses I feel the Ranoy slashing at the shield, tearing at it.

  Sending a rush of po
wer to where they are I fortify it, still they hack at it. More join with their efforts forcing me to send even more power through me to the shield. The soothing balm of the cool energy was slowly warming the more I pulled it into my system. I had to slow the flux or it would make me pass out soon. More Ranoy hit the front of the building then even more come at the side parallel from me making me cry out with a backlash of power.

  My breathing is harsh as I pant in exertion from holding the shield. I needed to get them away from it. Setting an image in my head I send out a burst of power to the entire shield blasting the Ranoy backwards. The ones who had been touching it disintegrate upon contact. With a quick thought I change the makeup of my design adding in the protection to the shield. Now as the Ranoy touched the barrier they exploded instantly.

  Trusting in Xavier and Axel to protect me I keep both hands on the wall, my eyes fixed on the building in concentration, my back to the clash of metal on claws. My vision was darkening from wielding so much power, each death of a Ranoy made the power surge, sucking it out of me in constant bursts. My body is trembling, my breathing harsh, my heartbeat was no longer racing but had grown sluggish, my knees are no longer able to hold me up and I sink to the ground keeping my hands firmly on the building, toes in the dirt. If I lose the contact the innocents will die. I couldn’t allow that to happen, even if it meant my own death. “I must stay awake!” I shout giving myself a small boost to keep going.

  Minutes tick by, the surges begin to slow, the power neutralizes in a constant flux, in through me then out to the buildings shield. When finally the sounds behind me die off, the shield stabilizes, once more perfectly calm. I keep the power flowing waiting for Xavier or Axel to come to me, the only way I would know for sure it was over is if they felt confident enough to leave their position behind me. The Drumon’s in the building had grown quiet a long time ago. Now in the silence of the night all I can hear is my own breathing.

  “Sam?” I feel Xavier kneel beside me but don’t dare take what little concentration I have left from the building. “It’s over Sam. You can drop the barrier.”

  Are you sure? I think loudly enough I hope he can hear me. There was no way I would be able to talk at the moment. My mouth was dry, my throat scratchy as if I had been screaming for hours. Maybe I had, I don’t really remember.

  “Yes. The innocents are safe now.” His voice is soft and reassuring but still I hesitate.

  An image appears in my mind, the building, people exiting it and meandering in the streets, a sense of reassurance fills me finally convincing me to let the power go. Pulling it back I draw it off the building back into my body sending it immediately back to whence it came. As the last tendrils of power leaves my system a whispered ‘thank you, child.’ Dances through my mind then is gone. Xavier catches me as I collapse in exhaustion.

  “You did well, Sam. Let’s get you somewhere to lie down.” I nod minutely as I let my tired body curl into his arms. Voices of the people and the steady motion of Xavier’s long gate lull me into a deep sleep even the pain doesn’t wake me from.