by A. M Martin
I need a damn dictionary. I wonder if they have something like that here. It would be much appreciated.
Quinn flinched, but doesn't look surprised by Derricks words., "It has begun." He sighs.
That does not sound good. Not at all. It has begun?
"What has begun?" My voice shakes a little, my thumb tapping my palm.
Quinn just looks at me, "Go with Leon, Basil." He turns back and makes his way closer to Derrick.
I'm being dismissed. What the F. I could scream from the aggravation and the not knowing, but I hold it in and let Leon lead me back to our fallen tree seat.
This day is getting better and better.
Five
"What do you think they're talking about?" I ask Leon, never taking my eyes off Derrick and Quinn.
"Who knows?" Leon gives a shake of his head
Derrick and Quinn have been arguing back and forth for a good twenty minutes. Every so often they shoot me a glance.
"Who is he anyways?" I ask chewing on my bottom lip.
Leon gives me an amused look with a wiggle of his eyebrows, "That would-be Prince Derrick Grey of the Aeris Gen, heir to the Aeris thrown."
My mouth is wide open, and my eyes are round as saucers. A Prince. A real freaking Prince. Dread pools in my body. I snapped at him. Gods, should I have bowed? Is he going to be like, off with her head?
Leon chuckles, "Are you alright?"
My mouth opens and closes like a fish, but I finally mange to squeak out, "You guys have Princes here?"
I get another one of those alien looks Leon gives me whenever I ask something that I should already know.
"Hmm, Yes, there is a total of three Princes."
My eyes narrow, "What was that look?" I wave my hand around his face. He's not telling me something.
"There was a Princess; she went messing when she was a baby."
"Oh my gosh. That's terrible. Does anyone know what happened?"
He gives me a grim look, "No. She is presumed dead. It's been eighteen years."
Who would do that? Steel a baby. What's wrong with people. Her poor parents. That's just awful.
"So, what does Aeris mean?"
"Air." His eyes are roaming over my face, "Where did you say you are from?"
"I didn't." I say with a frown forming on my face.
I don't meet his eyes, instead of looking back towards Quinn and Derrick. I hope they're almost done. Leon is starting to get specious of me, and I don't know what to tell him. The last thing I need is to get in trouble with Quinn for saying the wrong thing. I think I'll just keep my trap shut. Quinn should have really gave me some information about this world. Like things that people here would generally just know.
"How did you meet Quinn?" Leon asks leaning up to look at my face.
I start worrying my lip again and decided to get up. I don't really think answering Leon's questions are a good thing, and by the look on his face, I don't think he'll stop asking.
I stand up and staring walking towards Quinn. Leon's protests fall on deaf ears as I wave him off as a sensation in my gut starts pulling me closer to Derrick. It feels like something is tugging on me from the inside of my body. I don't like the feeling. Nope, not one bit.
They take notice of me shuffling up to them and quite talking. I couldn't catch what they were saying any ways. They whisper better than I ever did. I always got caught in class trying to whisper and failing at it.
I stop six steps away from them looking at Derrick. I can't seem to take my eyes off him and with this thing pulling me to him makes it even more difficult. It's so confusing. I don't even know the dude or this world yet I want him in a way that I don't understand. It's scary. The way it feels like he's my world and me his sun. Why?
Those sliver eyes of his seem to harder as I run my eyes all over his face. I don't know how long we've been in our little staring contest when I feel a hand shake my shoulder jerking me out of this trance like stare, "Basil-"
I gasp out as soon as the hand touches me, the same burning feeling I felt when I first woke up in the cave takes over my body. Tears start to leak out of my eyes as the pain intensifies. I end up bracing my hands on my knees, bending over taking in deep gaps of air while the burn turns into a cold searing heat starting at my tail bone going clear up my spine ending at the base of my neck.
I faintly hear voices through the pain wrecking my body.
One pissed off and the others sound worried. As I get my breathing under control and the pain starts to fade, I straighten up and take notice of the crowd forming around me.
Derrick is yelling at Quinn while everyone else in the small clearing are standing around me, eyes bouncing back and forth between me and Derrick yelling.
"Are you ok?" Leon's concerned voice comes from my right.
"Yep." I snap out breathlessly.
Upon hearing my voice the yelling ceases and they rush in closer to my side.
Molten silver eyes zone in on me, looking me over from head to toe as I stand still panting slightly.
"What happened Basil?" Quinn asks, head tilting off to the side.
All eyes are on me. I'm in the spot light once again. I move from foot to foot. Great.
I shake my head, "I don't know. It happened when I first woke up too, the burning on my back. It hurt worse this time."
Quinn strides closer to me and with a finger tells me to turn around. I stand still. I know he wants to look at my back which is understandable. Something weird is going on but that doesn't mean I want every unknown man here to see also.
He sees my eyes flicking from person to person and finally understands.
"Get packed up." He barks out having everyone scrambling away except for Derrick and Leon.
I give him a small smile and turn around. With my back facing the three I get nervous.
Someone pulls up my shirt. Three different gasps of air has me freezing up. Oh, gods what is it. I cringe as the image of an alien sucking blood worm fills my mind stuck on my back.
"Bellus." Derrick mumbles.
I twist my head to try and look over my shoulder but can't see a damn thing.
"What is it?" I demand in a whine.
"Bellus." Leon echoes Derricks earlier words.
What the crap is bellus?
"Beautiful" Derrick whispers softly.
Well, I'm guessing Bellus means beautiful. That still doesn't tell me what the hell is on my back. I wait a couple of seconds.
"Leon" I whine out.
"It's Runes." Leon says in a befuddle way. " I thought she's a norm."
A norm what the crap. What's a norm? And how in the crap can I have Runes. I'm not from this freaky place. Mums necklace sucked me into this world. That stupid tree with it’s stupid lights put me in the cave. Gods, I need answers like yesterday.
"No" Quinn replies.
"She's strong. That might be why she feels like my Electus." Derrick mumbles more to himself.
I black out everything else but the Runes. How in the world would I get Runes on my body? What does this mean for me? I pull away from Quinn, them all gawking at me is giving me the wheelies. I look down and to the side. There. The Runes curl around my hip bones in pale blue, purple and red- spreading up my back. I can't see much but what I do see looks like lace. Some spots are wider than others, and they twist and curl. It's Bellus as Derrick said, but I want them gone. So much as already change and I want me. Myself to stay the same. This is utter bull.
I whip around, giving all three a death glare, "What the hell is going on? I want answers, Quinn." Stomping my foot like a three-year-old for good measures makes me feel a little bit better.
They all take a step back at my hate filled tone and look at me then each other. I keep my evil look on Quinn. He looks down at the ground, gives his head a shake, up at the sky with another shake. Finally, his gaze turns to my face.
"Alright. I'll answer your questions as we make our way to camp. If we're lucky, we'll get there before night fall." He sig
hs out.
Quinn calls in the troops, and I'm surrounded once more. Prince wraps his tail around my wrist as we move to the opposite trail from the one that brought us into the meadow.
I bit my tongue for as long as I can, which really is about a second or two.
"Why is he coming?" I whisper out next to Leon watching my feet cake up dust from the dirt path.
I'd rather not see Derrick come with us. He makes me nervous.
"I do not know," Leon says looking back over his shoulder at Quinn and Derrick following behind us.
Huh.
"So, what does Amor and Electus mean?"
I've been wondering what those words meant. Derrick had a weird lit to his tone when he said them. I think it was weird for him.
Leon shoots me a smirk, "Amor means love and Electus means chosen."
My eyes widen, and I stumble a step.
Love. Chosen.
I squint my eyes and try to ignore the pounding of my heart, "Why would he say those things? He doesn't even know me."
He shrugs his lean shoulders, continuing to watch the trees as we pass.
I stop, and Prince does the same a second later. He tilts his head to the side watching me with those ember eyes. I shrug. If Leon won't or can't answer me, I'll just wait on Quinn.
He, after all, said he'd answer my questions.
When they walk by me, I fall in step with them on the other side of Quinn. I'd rather walk next to him than Derrick and that pulling.
I look straight ahead but ask, "Why would you say those things to me, Prince Derrick?"
The Prince part comes out a little question like. It’s weird referring to someone as a Prince. Not to mention that's what I'm calling my souls-heart. Souls-heart that still sounds freaky. Maybe I'll get used to it.
"I said a lot of things, Basil." Comes that smooth honey voice that rattles my insides.
"What do you want to know?" Quinn jumps in before I get words out of my open mouth.
It closes with a pop. What do I want to know? Gods, what a loaded question if I ever did hear one.
"Everything?"
six
We reach camp by nightfall. I do mean a camp. Tents are popped up in the clearing with a huge fire burning in the middle.
And of course, Quinn didn't answer any questions. Sure, he talked a lot. I didn't learn anything new.
He ushered me to a huge black tent in the middle of all the other ones and just left. I didn't get a good look around with it being dark and Quinn rushing me, but I did notice six other tents in various sizes and a big fire pit.
A lantern lights the inside of the tent. It looks to be two rooms the way a red curtain hangs in the back. There's a desk, and chair off the right and in the middle of the tent is four pillows just big enough to sit on surrounding a low table. The ground is covering in different black fur like rugs.
"To the left please." Comes a perky voice.
I twist around and shuffle closer to the pillows as two guys come into the tent. They place a wooden tube on the left side and leave without a word.
"Hi. I'm Amy." The perky girl flutters her fingers at me.
Amy is about my age with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She's dressed in a brown dress with a white apron tied around her waist.
"Quinn's sister." She says when I just stare.
"Basil."
"I know." She gushes. "I'm so glad another girl is finally at camp." She smiles wide showing off white teeth, "It gets boring with all the men around. We need girl time ya know."
I don't know. I really didn't have any friends. I kept to myself a lot, but I'm not about to tell her that.
"Why are you the only girl here?"
She tilts her head a little, "Because this is the gate camp. Only warriors and hired help. The only reason I'm here is because I begged Quinn to bring me. Which I'll know better next time. It's so boring." She huffs.
Her skin turns a shade of red, "It might not be boring any longer. I just saw Prince Derrick. He's so dashing. I wonder why he's here. Our gens get along okay, but not good enough for the Prince to be here." She shrugs looking lost.
The same two guys as before come back carrying two large buckets of water. It takes a total of six to fill up the tub to a decent level.
The water has steam floating up.
"Well, what are you waiting for. Get in." Amy says.
Get in the tube with her in here.
She must recognize the look crossing my face. She giggles, "Ain't nothin I haven't seen before."
When I still don't make any move towards the tub, she sighs and turns around.
After a minute, I finally get undressed and lower myself into the warm water. It feels so good.
"Let me help you with your hair," Amy says coming up behind me.
It makes me uncomfortable, but soon the warm water has me relaxing. She dips a pitcher in the water and slowly dumps the warm water on my head. She grabs a brown bottle pops the cork and puts it in my hair next. Her fingers moving in my hair has me closing my eyes, and I enjoy the moment.
"Here." She says handing me a white cloth and a bar of soap that smells like honey suckle.
"You know. Maybe they found the girl."
Another pitcher of water.
"What girl?" I mumble, getting sleepy.
"The one from the scrolls."
"Huh?"
"How could you not know that. It's every girl's dream." She gushes.
I feel her twisting my hair up and clipping it out of the way.
"Your hair is so pretty and the colors."
I frown rubbing the bar of soap on the rag, "You mean the black?"
"Well, I suppose so, the black to. The purple and blue is what’s so eye catching. I'll be back with some food."
I freeze with the cloth on the top of my foot. Purple and blue. I watch the rag float in the water as I reach around and unhook the pins she put in my hair.
Pulling it over my shoulder, I bite my lip. My hair is no longer just black. It now has blue and purple under tones.
I close my eyes and sink under the water. How much of my body is going to change? Am I even going to look like my normal self? I wonder why she didn't say anything about the Runes now tattooed on my back? What of the scroll girl?
With no more air trapped in my lungs, I come back up. Grabbing the rag and soap, I finish washing imaging that I am washing away everything that has happened today.
I look around the tube for a towel. Something.
Amy has been gone for a while, and the water has turned cold.
Hearing the flap of the tent open, I turn around and feel the smile slide off my face.
"Hello?"
I watch the guy spin around; a dagger clutched in his hand. I don’t know what to do. I’m naked in the wooden tube, and this guy looks like he wants to kill me.
I don’t know. I don’t know.
I breath in deep and just scream my freaking head off.
Seven
I sit in the cold water screaming like a bloody idiot. And the guy with the dagger jerks, both hands going up in surrender. Like that would make me feel better about having a total strange in this tent with me while I’m naked in a tube of water.
I have my arms wrapped around my legs, pulled up to my chest.
Quinn, Leon, and Derrick come barreling into the tent. Swords are drawn.
Swords? Daggers? What crazy place did that tree drop me into?
"What is it?" Quinn asks looking around.
He spots me huddle in the tub and quickly turns his back along with Leon.
Derrick, on the other hand, rushes forward. A frown on his face. He stands directly in front of me with his back facing me. The dude with the dagger narrows his eyes at Derrick.
"Will someone please get her a robe." Derrick grounds out with a clenched jaw.
He has the right idea. A robe would be very welcomed right now.
No one says a word, and I hunch in on myself more with this many guys in here. Even one g
uy is bad enough, but four makes it craptastic.