"What is this thing for?" asked Loras.
"It's for shooting fireballs out of your head," said Gracien.
"It's for what?!" shouted Loras as he reached up and tried to take off the ribbon. Gracien laughed and stopped his hand.
"Wait, did you just make a joke?" asked Loras.
"Why? Wasn't it funny?" said Gracien, still chuckling.
"Hilarious," said Loras. "You and Tinko should team up." Glancing around the cave, Loras noticed some of the Reytana staring at his new headpiece. They too, were smiling at him. Loras felt his cheeks begin to flush.
"So, what is this thing really for?" asked Loras.
"It's to help you focus your light," replied Gracien.
"Why isn't anybody else wearing one?"
"Does it look like anybody else needs help focusing?" asked Gracien with an amused look.
"I suppose you're right," said Loras. "But it still feels weird. And people are looking at me." More Reytana had taken notice of Loras and were pointing and smiling at him.
"Don't worry about them," said Gracien. "Try it out. Take your stance, guardian of Reysa, and defend yourself!"
Gracien's sword met Loras' and the two Reytana traded swings as they slowly circled the cave. Sparks of light danced off of his shield and sword. Occasionally, Gracien shouted a command or compliment, but they never stopped their dance. Loras began to breathe heavily, but he continued to fight, concentrating on keeping his balance as the larger and stronger Tormada relentlessly charged. Eventually, Loras' clumsy gait began to improve. His legs were steadier; his reactions quicker. A small cloud of dirt began to rise from the ground as the two combatants quickly shuffled their feet back and forth. Their eyes gleamed. The golden ribbon around Loras' forehead began to glow a fierce yellow. Determination and confidence began to show in Loras’ face. A group of Reytana gathered around to watch. Loras didn’t notice – he was in heaven.
Meanwhile, Regan could not deny it any longer. She tried to keep herself occupied, spending her time helping the Reytana pack gear onto the many hovercraft docked in the cave. Even so, her mind constantly wandered to him. Finally, after three days of pretending he wasn't there, Regan went to see Xander.
Tao and his wife—Regan had determined that they were married—once again stood guard outside Xander's cell. Further down the hall, Tinko stood outside of Belkore's cell. She could only hear bits and pieces of what he was saying, but she could tell that her friend was thoroughly enjoying himself.
"... so two Gartune walk into a bar..." said Tinko from down the hall.
Regan frowned in Tinko's direction and then approached Xander's cell. The guards silently stepped aside so that she could look through the window. Other than his pristine goatee sprouting a few stray whiskers, Xander looked exactly the same as the last time she saw him. He was leaning against the wall of his cell with his eyes closed when Regan approached the small window in the door. A tired smile crept across Xander's face.
"I was wondering if you would come back," said Xander with closed eyes.
"I tried not to."
"Why?" asked Xander.
"I didn't know what good it would do," said Regan. "There's nothing I can do for you."
"Ah, but there you are mistaken," replied Xander. His voice was tired. "There is something you can do."
"What?" asked Regan. She started to get nervous.
"You're doing it right now," said Xander and he opened his eyes for the first time to look at the girl with the golden eyes. "You can talk to me. A friendly voice can do a lot for a person."
Regan relaxed. "Ok, I can do that."
"That's all I ever wanted, you know," said Xander.
"What?" said Regan.
"To talk," said Xander.
Regan thought back to the last time she and Xander had been in her home. She remembered the look in his eyes as he hovered over her while she sat on the kitchen counter. "Somehow, I doubt that," she said.
"You're referring to the last time we were in your kitchen," said Xander. "I admit, I overstepped some lines there. But things were different then. You were different."
"Different how?" asked Regan.
"Well for one, you weren't seven feet tall." Xander laughed dryly as he straightened himself up against the wall.
"So, it was ok to come on to me when you thought I was a torman?" asked Regan, coolly.
"Regan, I am the prince of Gartune," said Xander matter-of-factly. "I could have done whatever I wanted to you or anyone else and nobody would have batted an eye." Regan looked away, disgusted.
"But that's not why I came to your house time after time, and you know that," said Xander. "Regan, look at me. You know me." Regan looked back at the captive Gartune. Her brow was still furrowed.
"I came to visit you because I liked you. You were interesting. You weren't afraid of me. Do you know how rare that is? Nobody else in that entire city looked me in the eye, let alone spoke their mind to me. You were different. And now that you've received your light—now that we are the same—you are afraid to talk to me. I don't understand."
"We may both be Tormada, but we are not the same," said Regan, her voice hardly more than a whisper.
Xander leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. "We are more alike than you think. Maybe someday, I will show you that is true."
Laughter echoed from down the hall. The guards stationed outside of Belkore’s cell were holding their stomachs while Tinko attempted to finish his joke.
"... he says... he says... 'you're gonna have to dig your way out of this one,'" Tinko and Belkore's guards doubled over, their chests heaving. "Get it?... You're gonna have to DIG your way out..." Suddenly, the ground shook, causing dust to fall from the walls of the cave. The tremor had come from Belkore's cell. Tinko and the guards immediately stopped laughing and looked inside.
"It sounds like old Belkore finally had enough of your friend's jokes," said Xander.
"He can do that?" asked Regan. Apparently, the guards outside Belkore's cell were not concerned with what they saw inside. They went back to their posts, motioning for Tinko to be on his way. He grudgingly walked down the hall toward Damnar and Damina's cells.
"But we took away his eüroc," said Regan. "How did he shake the ground?"
"The staff is just a tool, just like your armbands are tools. They do not create power; they merely shape it. A Tormada's power is always there, inside of him... or her." He opened one eye and directed it at Regan.
"So, you mean to tell me that you can cause your little earthquakes without your eürocs?" Xander smiled. Then he flicked the ground next to him with his index finger. The floor cracked. A small fissure grew along the stone and traveled from his finger all the way to the door. Regan's eyes widened. "You could break out of this cell if you wanted to... " she whispered.
"Of course, I could."
"Then why don't you?"
"Because I don't particularly feel like fighting through three hundred Reytana at the moment. Besides, the accommodations here are surprisingly comfortable." As he said this, he stretched his arms behind his head and yawned. There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted about a minute before Regan dismissed herself, saying that she had promised to help with dinner that night. It was, of course, a lie. She turned and began to walk away when Xander called to her.
"Regan," he said.
"Yes."
"Will you come talk to me tomorrow?"
Regan thought for a moment before answering. "I'll think about it," she said.
"I hope you do," said Xander. His voice was tired.
Regan walked away.
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Note
Eventually, Belkore began to realize that if he just ignored the taunts of his snarky visitor that the boy would eventually go away. Tinko tried and tried to get a reaction out of the suddenly stoic prisoner, but the only response he got was an occasional chuckle from his guards. After two days of telling jokes to a silent audience, Tinko finally bored of visiting Belkore
and decided to seek his entertainment elsewhere.
Loras and Regan were seldom available to spend time with their friend. Loras spent the majority of his time with Gracien learning how to master the ray blade and shield. Tinko occasionally would watch them train. It was almost disturbing to see how rapidly Loras' skill had developed. Tinko knew that his days of sparring with tree sticks in the alleyways of Reysa were over. He never had been much of a match for Loras, but now he might actually get hurt. That knowledge made Tinko sad and homesick, and so he stopped sitting in on the training sessions.
Regan had, at first, made an effort to spend time with Tinko because she knew Loras was preoccupied and Tinko was likely lonely. The mismatched pair had gone on walks through the cavern and lent a hand with the preparations whenever they could. But Tinko felt a distance between him and Regan, for while she was there in body, her mind was always on Xander. Over the past couple of days, she had begun to visit the Gartune prince more and more frequently and so Tinko was left to entertain himself.
The Reytana were polite to him, but they never seemed interested in anything more than small talk. Understandably, they were very busy. But, Tinko wasn't sure if they would have been keen on his companionship even if they weren't preoccupied. He wasn't one of them; and with Loras and Regan now being full-grown Tormada, Tinko suddenly felt especially small.
One day, after a short sulking session, a very lonely and very bored Tinko decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and went to explore the sections of The Hole that were off limits to him. The far end of the barracks housed the living quarters for the Reytana officers. These were actual rooms as opposed to the rows of ubiquitous bunk beds where the rank and file slept. Gracien and his lieutenants slept in the rooms, although, as of late they had not been doing much sleeping at all. This meant that the rooms were almost always empty, and they were never guarded. No one saw the need. A simple warning not to enter had seemed sufficient to dissuade any of the newcomers from exploring this restricted area. But today, Tinko was bored.
When Tinko entered the barracks, he was relieved to find that they were empty. He nonchalantly walked past the rows of bunks, then, after a quick peek over his shoulder, trotted over to the doorway that led to the officers' quarters. He was not surprised to find the door unlocked. After all, if the Reytana didn't feel the need to guard the rooms, why would they need to lock them?
Tinko slid inside the first room, which just so happened to be Gracien's. The room was small and dark, with a bed that was only slightly larger than the cots outside. Next to the bed, a nightstand and lamp accounted for the entirety of the room’s furniture. I guess when you wear the same thing every day, you don't need a dresser, thought Tinko.
Having found nothing of interest in the room, Tinko considered leaving. But then, his eye was drawn to a familiar slip of paper on top of the nightstand. The note that Dario had written for Declin, Tinko thought. It was too much to resist. Tinko knew how much Loras had wanted to read the note and, admittedly, he had been curious as well. Perhaps if he knew its contents, he could regain the attention of his old friend, at least for a little while. It was worth the risk.
Tinko cracked open the door and peered out to make sure that nobody was coming, then he went back to the nightstand and opened the piece of paper. The message was shorter than he expected.
The twins wear the rings.
That was it. One sentence, and nonsense at that. Tinko knew for a fact that neither Loras nor Regan wore any jewelry. What rings could Dario possibly be talking about? And moreover, Dario had never met the twins; so how would he know about their fashion habits? It didn't make any sense. Still, Tinko knew that Loras would want to know the contents of the note. He decided to go find his friend, hoping that maybe Loras would know what the cryptic note meant.
Tinko figured that Loras would be in the main cavern with Gracien. When he arrived, he was happy to see that the two had just finished their training session for the day. Gracien seemed pleased with his pupil and patted him on the shoulder as Tinko approached.
"Ah, you're back! I haven’t seen you in a couple of days" said Gracien. "I was going to find someone to teach you some maneuvers, if you’re interested."
"I appreciate the offer," said Tinko, "but I don't think I'll be receiving my light anytime soon, so I think your efforts may be wasted on me."
Gracien smiled. "Even though you can't wield our weapons, there are still some tricks you could learn. It will be useful for you to know how to defend yourself, especially in the days to come."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Tinko, hoping Gracien would take the curt response as his cue to leave so that Tinko could talk to Loras in private.
"Very well," said Gracien. "If you change your mind, just let me know," and with that he turned, leaving the two teens by themselves. Tinko waited until Gracien was outside of earshot before turning excitedly to his friend.
"What's with the headband?" asked Tinko.
"It's for shooting fireballs," replied Loras.
"Oh. Cool. Hey, so I've been doing some exploring and found something interesting," said Tinko.
"Oh yeah? Are they hiding the good food somewhere in the back?" said Loras as he wiped the sweat off of his face with a towel.
"I'm sure that they are, but that's not what I found," said Tinko. He waited to see if Loras would ask him, but his friend didn't seem very interested. "Ok, I'll tell you," said Tinko excitedly. "I found the note."
"What note?" asked Loras.
"What do you mean, ‘what note?’!" exclaimed Tinko. "How many super-secret notes from the governor of Reysa did we smuggle out of the city and deliver to a name-changing waif in the middle of a Reytana hide-out!?"
"Oh, that note," said Loras. "I had actually kind of forgotten about it."
"Well fine," said a frustrated Tinko. "Then I guess you don't care what it said."
"Not particularly," said Loras. Tinko's jaw dropped. He stared up at his now-gigantic friend in disbelief. Loras could only keep a straight face for a few moments before he cracked.
"Of course, I want to know what it said, you mendkin!"
Tinko closed his mouth. "You know, for a second I thought Gracien had brainwashed you during all of this training you've been doing."
"Oh, he's tried. Luckily, I'm a little slow on the uptake," said Loras. "So, tell me. What did it say?"
Tinko looked around to make sure nobody was listening. Then he beckoned for Loras to bend down so he could whisper to him.
"The twins wear the rings."
"What?" said Loras.
"That's it. The twins wear the rings," said Tinko.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Loras.
"I thought you might know," said Tinko disappointedly.
"Does it look like I wear a ring?" said Loras.
"No, but—"
"Have you ever, in your life, seen me wear a ring?" exclaimed Loras.
"No," said Tinko who was growing irritated, "but how should I know what you do in the privacy of your own home?"
"Funny," said Loras.
"So, you don't know what it means?" asked Tinko.
"No idea."
"Well, it must mean something, or Dario wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of having us deliver it to Declin," said Tinko.
"That's it!" said Loras. "Declin must know what it means! We should go find him and ask."
"But I haven't seen him around in a few days," said Tinko. "He must be outside of The Hole"
"That's ok," said Loras quietly. "I know a way out."
"Oh, not this again," said Tinko. "Have you already forgotten how well things went the last time you ventured outside?"
"Well, last time I didn't have you with me!" said Loras. He grabbed Tinko's arm and began to quickly shuffle him across the cavern.
"Wait!" said Tinko. "Shouldn't we tell Regan about this? It concerns her too." Loras stopped. His eyes narrowed. He was aware of how his sister had been spending her time lately, and he did not appr
ove.
"You know we have to tell her," continued Tinko. "Maybe she knows something about the note's message that we don't."
"I'm thinking," said Loras, his brow still furrowed.
"Well that’s never solved anything," said Tinko and he began walking toward the prison cells. "Besides, you know I'm right."
Loras waited a moment and then caught up to his friend with a couple of long strides. "All right, all right I'm coming," he said.
Tinko and Loras found Regan exactly where they thought she’d be: leaning against Xander's cell door. She was peering down with a small smile on her face and her cheeks had a slight blush to them.
"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," said Loras as he walked up to his sister. Regan jerked her head up. Whatever smile had been on her face was replaced with an annoyed scowl, and the slight pink that had garnished her cheeks turned into a deep red.
"You aren't interrupting," said Regan. She tried her best to sound blasé but couldn’t hide the tinge of embarrassment in her voice.
"Yes, you are!" crowed a voice from inside the cell.
Loras stormed up to Xander's door and pressed his face against the small window. Xander was sitting in his regular spot in the corner of the room. He grinned at the fiery, golden eyes peering in through his door.
"Can you come back in a few minutes?" said Xander. "Your sister and I were just planning my escape."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you were," said Loras, giving his sister a sideways look. "Your scheming will have to take a break while I talk to my sister. Is that ok with you, your highness?"
Xander twirled his hand in front of him and nodded, then leaned his head back against the wall, shut his eyes and smiled. Loras turned back to his sister and Tinko.
"Prison life appears to agree with him," said Tinko.
"Even locked up, he's an ass," said Loras to his sister. "I still don't know why you waste your time on him."
"Because I'm pretty!" came another shout from inside the cell.
Loras grabbed Regan and Tinko's arms and dragged them away from the door so as not to be heard. Once they were out of earshot, Regan yanked her arm free of her brother's grip.
Hyperion's Shield Page 24