“No, I’ll go.” He said. “At least if I fall and crack a rib you can still be here to help take care of Phoebe and the others. Plus, you really should have her take a look at the nasty-looking rash on your face.”
“You mean the cut I got from that piece of wood caused by your lovely parking job?” Owen said.
“Yeah that one.” They looked at each other for a moment before Owen punched his brother’s arm. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll retrieve whatever is left of the wand, Adriana, and what’s his face. Don’t wait up for me big boy.” He gave a quick nod before he jumped down the hole.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” he yelled back. Putting his hand on his face, a small sting of pain surged through his head. The pain reminded him that he was alive.
* * *
A few miles from the wrecked airship, in a garden of moss and insects lay two bodies entwined in each other. Corbin’s muscular arms cradled Adriana’s limp body, one draped around her waist, the other under her head. One of her legs wrapped around his leg, the other resting upon his hip.
The prince’s eyes fluttered as he return to the waking world. Pulling his arms from around her waist his fingers made contact with the sore spot on the back of his head. A round lump met his smooth fingers. Next to him, in his arms, the girl that just had tried to kill him a few hours ago. Her soft ears turned and pressed into the crown of her head, her hair spilling everywhere.
“Adriana?” He said as he slipped his arms underneath her, pulling her towards her chest. “Come on, wake up. How can someone filled with such fire be put out by a fall?” he looked up into the woods and yelled, “Anyone out there?”
“Can you tone it down just a little?” She whispered. Her voice was hoarse. He turned to her to catch the color of her eyes rolling into the back of her head. “If you are going to yell—don’t.”
“Oh thank the Gods. I thought you were dead.” the prince said, a breath he had been holding rushed out from his lips.
“No,” She chuckled between the coughs escaping from her throat. “Not yet.” Trying to move her head but cringed as the pain and nausea swept over her body.
“You must have hit your head pretty hard.” He pulled her closer to his body. “Let me help you.”
“I can do it.” She insisted.
“I don’t think you should get up on your own yet.” He said.
“You’re not my mother.” She said, as she pushed away from him. Adriana borrowed his shoulder to propel herself upwards until she was standing on her feet; the prince followed her movements, in case she needed a soft place to land. “See, I told you.” Turning to face him, she offered a weak smile in her victory.
“You showed me.” He stated.
“Damn right I did.” When she nodded, her eyes closed and tipped forward into his waiting arms.
“Just a thought,” He said placing an arm under her legs, “I am a prince. And I believe. I can be of some assistance.” She looked at him and smiled as he pulled her close to his chest, his heart beating close to her ear. “Oh good. Now that you’ve proven you can smile, I hope this is a sign you have more emotions other than just hostile?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Adriana mumbled, as she laid sprawled in his arms like a child.
The sound of her steady breathing signaled she had fallen asleep. Watching her as she slept, he noticed her fingers had wound tightly around Corbin’s shirt. His eyes followed her body down to her tail. As if having a mind of its own the appendage coiled itself around his arm.
“Let’s get you back to your friends,” He whispered. The grass cradled his feet as he walked, “someone will be happy to know you are safe.”
Chapter Five
Garish Leaves
Phoebe’s little hands tugged on Adriana’s golden strands, pulling and folding three pieces into a braid as her new sister watched the world outside. Street vendors were packing up their wares for the night, and lovers were meeting underneath street lamps for their midnight rendezvous.
The girls sat on a bed made of birch at the top of the loft; they would share this bed until another one could be commissioned from the woodworker for the newcomer. The single bed pushed up against a large bay window that overlooked the city of Belleza, the lights dancing and flickering with the wind.
“Adriana?” Phoebe’s voice broke through her concentration. “Where are you from?” Her voice was hesitant and hushed as not to wake the two boys snoring below their loft. In a corner of the room, lit by only one candle was Aaron writing in a leather-bound book. The binding creaked as he put pressure on the book with his right hand.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She answered. “It was a place, and I don’t live there anymore.” Her body rocked with memories her young mind was not yet ready to share.
“Everyone comes from a place.” She started with a matter-of-fact tone. The Elfan child was not one to take just blank statements from anyone. “I am from Estrella. You are from?”
“Phoebe, get some sleep. The last few days have been tiring for Adriana. You both need your rest.” Aaron said standing from his desk and closing his book. “It’s understandable for her if she is homesick.”
“I’m not homesick.” She said. “I’m just looking out the window.”
“I understand that.” He said walking up the ladder until his upper body was visible. “I said it would be understandable if you were.” He smiled at both of his girls. “Now do I need to come up here and put you both in bed or can you two do that on your own?”
“We can do it. We’re almost teenagers.” Phoebe said as she pulled the blanket down and crawled into the bed.
“Yes you are. That means you’re almost adults. When are you going to get a job?” He teased, “What about you Adriana?”
Her eyes already called out to dreams. “My mommy said that it’s okay to not be okay.” She said as she crawled under the covers next to Phoebe who was already fading.
“One day you will be, one day you will be stronger.” He whispered. “Good night my little ones.”
The ladder groaned as he climbed down. Under the loft, Braian continued to snore, but Owen was sitting up in his bed, waiting for Aaron to appear.
“Dad,” he said. “Do you think we will be stronger one day?”
Aaron chuckled. Out of everything he listened to this was the one thing he noticed. “Yes you all will be. However, not for a while. Before that, there are things that need to be done. Like sleeping. No go to bed.”
With all the children in bed, he sat back into his chair in the corner, running his pink thumb over the rough leather spine of his book. Glancing out the window, he caught a glimpse of a harvest moon dancing in and out of the clouds.
* * *
With each step the shattered pieces of what he thought was gold, crunched into nothing more than dust. They scattered away in the wind once Braian picked up his feet; the specks clung to the worn soles of his faded boots. He hadn’t bothered to get a new pair in years; these were his old reliable ones. They had seen many fights and helped him make many escapes. Now they glittered.
“No one bothered to check to see if it was real gold?” He said as he stepped on another piece. “That’s only mildly disappointing.” He looked up and took a deep breath. “I need to find Adriana.” He did not have a care for the prince.
As he began his walk into the forest, a small glimmer caught his violet eyes. Different from the glints from the faux gold, this was reflecting the light. Crouching, his body cracked from tensions he had yet to stretch out. The green jewel that had been on top of the staff lay in a small patch of grass, waiting for a rescuer to save the day.
“Well, hello there shiny. Did you want to come with me?” Braian smiled at the emerald, rubbing it between his index and thumb. “So far this search has not been for naught. You’ll come with me and we’ll go search for Adriana together.” placing ‘Shiny’ in his breast pocket he padded his white shirt, still d
amp but cold from Aaron’s blood that now stained the linen. With the chill cutting to his very marrow, Braian took off running as fast as he could. Part of him running to find her and part of him running to forget the cold.
* * *
The husky leaf snapped in the prince’s hands as he broke the leaf in half. A thick watery substance because to form along the tear.
“Here,” He said handing half the leaf to Adriana. “Drink the sap out of the leaf.”
They had come across a hollow log in the forest. Corbin placed her on a mossy patch, making sure she would not fall backwards before leaving in search for the leaves he brought back.
“You have to be kidding me.” She said staring at the leaf as if maybe something would jump out at her. “I am not drinking anything you hand to me.”
“It will help return your strength. Unless you like me carrying you I suggest you suck it up. Pun intended.” He pushed the leaf at her as he stuck the other one in his mouth and swallowed the sap.
Taking the leaf from him, examining the texture of the nectar that oozed from the break. The sap dripped from the sides onto her awaiting tongue.
“Garish leaves?” She asked. “I thought these were only good for smoking?” Corbin’s light pink lips stretched into a smile as she drank the sap.
“You shouldn’t drink it so fast.” He said, “Garish leaves have many uses. When you dry out the leaves and ground them, they are primed for smoking. But if you mix the grounds with a liquid, like water or tree sap, they are used for medical proposes. You should only drink the sap if you have no other choice because too much of it will cause stomach issues.” He grabbed the leaf from her and placed them on the ground. “Don’t worry; you didn’t drink enough to get sick.”
“How much would you have to drink?” she asked.
“A lot. I think I drank about five leaves one time. My dad scolded me, but the real punishment came later that night.” He laughed as he reviewed the uncomfortable memory. “Do you think you can walk the rest of the way?”
To answer his question she got up from the rotting wood and propelled herself forward, “How far do you think we are?” she asked. As she walked, she categorized her injuries, nothing serious, sore back and tail. Pants ripped at the knee, dirt everywhere. She was surprised that a cloud of dirt did not follow her as she walked.
“Not too sure, maybe a few miles. The smoke keeps getting thicker this way.” He said catching up to her. “I would say that, in general, that would be a good sign.”
“I hope everyone is okay.” Adriana whispered.
“They are like your family?” He asked.
“They are my family.” She answered.
“Hey, we got thrown out of that ship and we’re okay. Some bumps and bruises but we are alive. They have to be okay.” The prince said.
She stopped and turned to face him. “Why are you helping me? Trying to cheer me up?” Her voice was demanding, but without the harsh tones she had been using with him before. “I tried to kill you and yet you made sure I didn’t fall out of the ship. You carried me when I could not walk. You have to know that your kindness is not something I can return to you.”
Corbin watched her as she spoke to him, her words cutting into his heart and carving out a place for them. “I did it because I wanted too.” He said. “My kindness need not be repaid.”
“Why?” She pushed him to answer.
“I told you, I’m a prince.” He said. “It comes with the territory.”
“No, there has to be more,” She stepped closer to him, the grass flattening under her feet. “You haven’t stopped looking at my tail or my ears since the treasury.”
“Can you blame me? It’s not every day you come across someone with a tail and ears like yours. There aren’t many races in Eskorgan.” He said. “No one that I’ve ever met looks like you.”
“That doesn’t give me great comfort.” She said walking away from him. “Let’s go. I want to make it back by nightfall.”
They walked in silence and distance between them as they made their way through the forest. Even through their silence, they could hear the sounds of woodland creatures around them. Adriana’s ears flickered with every chirp from the birds perched on the trees.
“How far can you hear with those ears?” He asked reaching out for one of the soft brown tuffs that topped her ear. It flinched at his touch. “Sorry.”
“I can hear the birds above us. Sounds of what sounds like small rodents running about. Wind in the trees.” She said look around herself. “I do hear something larger, but I can’t tell where it is.” Just as she turned to face her companion, her feet stopped touching the ground, and she felt herself sailing towards him. Searing pain spread through her shoulder than her body slammed into his chest. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“I think I found what you’ve been listening too.” He pointed in front of them to a creature with long, rough spiral clay horns, and rotting teeth. Black bristle fur covering the beast massive body. “It looks like an oversized goat,” Corbin coughed out. “With worse breath.”
“Well, maybe you should stop breathing for a moment.” She snapped. “It’s a kampe.” The creature turned its head towards them, dropping his nose to the ground, showing his horns to them. “I am pretty sure it sees us.”
“Duck!” He said. The kampe stamped their front hooves on the ground before running towards them. The prince pulled them to the ground as the creature dived over them.
“What do we do now?” he whispered.
“We fight.” she answered. A smile played on her lips as she stood up, running towards the creature. Grabbing at the inside of her vest, she pulled her dagger out in time to slice open the creature’s shoulder blade. The blade skipped over the tough skin. The kampe wailed at the pain. Together they stared at each other, studying their movements. The animal limped as they circled around Adriana.
Corbin grabbed a small knife from a hidden pocket in his leather boot and ran after them. The kampe reached out his claw and swiped at him. The prince dodged the claw by leaping into the air, clutching at a branch from a nearby tree and pulling himself up into that tree. Crouching, he looked at his knife and then at Adriana who was still cutting into the creature. Blood spilled onto the ground and none of it belonged to her. Strands of her wild hair wrapped around her, ends lashing and stinging on her skin that laid bare. This was the most alive he had seen her, with her eyes wide and determined.
“Here goes nothing.” He jumped from the branch with his knife posed towards the beast. Before his feet hit the ground, he threw the knife at the animal. The knife wedge itself into the soft spot behind the game’s neck. A blood-curdling cry escaped its lungs. As the creature fell to the ground, a loud, lifeless thump echoed against the trees.
From the corner of his eye, he caught her walking up to him, her hips giving a little swagger.
“I didn’t know you had it in you.” She said, placing her dagger back into its hiding place.
“Yeah, well, I thought you might have needed the help.” He placed his hand on the back of his head, scratching it softly as a light pink flush spread up his neck.
“I thought princes were just supposed to look pretty and have no actual skills at all.” she joked.
He scoffed, “I will have you know, my dad made sure I knew how to defend myself in battle.”
“Prince, I am just trying to say thank you.” She said.
“You’re welcome. That was my favorite knife.” the prince turned his head sideways, peering into the large wound his knife had caused. “I don’t think I will be getting it back.”
“Not unless you want to stick your hand in there and get it back.” She laughed. “Might find something else in there.”
“Nope. Not going to put my arm in there. No knife is worth that.”
“Oh, my Gods! What in the hell happened here?” Braian ran into the clearing where the prince and Adriana were standing together beside the
carcass of the dead kampe.
“Braian!” Adriana ran towards him, a sigh of relief left her as she leaped into his arms. He caught her, pulling her close to him. “You’re alive.”
“I did not know you cared.” He said as he held onto her. Glancing over the top of her head, his eyes bore into the prince’s skull. Corbin turned to continue investigating the dead creature.
“I was worried.” She said, untangling her arms from around his shoulders.
“Looks like your prince charming survived the fall.” He said pointing to the man looming over the corpse of the dead creature.
“Shut up.” She barked, “He’s a good fighter. We’ll have to get him another weapon though.”
“Why?” Braian asked.
“Because this creature has it embedded somewhere in its body.” The prince said, “I think we should keep walking. No way to tell if there are more on the way.”
“Wait.” Adriana said looking down at her hands. There was a slight twinge of red on them. “Braian, you’re bleeding.”
Slowly he ran his hand over chest and sides, for a moment he believed he was. His throat dried, swallowing did nothing to quench his sudden thirst. It was not his.
“Oh no, it’s not mine.” His voice trailed off.
“Whose is it?” She asked.
“One member of the crew.” He took a deep breath, his eyes darting to the side. “They didn’t make it.”
“How many didn’t make it?” her voice trembled.
“When I left, we were still tending to the wounded.” He stated. His eyes found the necklace around Adriana’s neck. “Didn’t there used to be a piece of onyx in there?”
“What?” her hands flew to the necklace charm but what greeted her was empty prongs. Her mouth set agape. “It must have come out when we fell from the ship. It felt a little loose before the mission. Like it didn’t belong there.”
Children of Destiny Page 5