Resistance

by Allana Kephart

  So I try to go back to our previous conversation and joke with him to lighten the mood. I know all too well how much it sucks when someone feels sorry for you. "Cocky, aren't you?"

  “I guess you could say that.” He smiles and I see the gratitude in his eyes. “So who’s the stupid, overgrown ass you were so pissed off about?”

  I scowl, remembering my earlier encounter with my cousin. "I can't believe you haven't guessed, honestly. It's Sean. He's being...unreasonable."

  “Oh, love, I definitely guessed. I just didn’t want to assume and make an ass of myself.” He chuckles. “What’s his problem now?”

  I find myself glowering just thinking about the obstinate jerk. "He seems to have acquired the desperate need to always know where I am and who I'm with. He’s making me insane."

  Flint laughs and I glance up at him as he says, “He’s been doing that since I got here.” He has a very unconvincing look of worry and injury on his face, and I fight a grin for a moment. “You don’t think he doesn’t trust me, do you?”

  That, of course is exactly what it boils down to, and it’s just so utterly ridiculous that I find myself getting angry all over again at his behavior. "He’s a prejudiced ass and he's really making me angry. Not only is he disparaging your integrity, but he also seems to think it’s okay to throw my past mistakes in my face to justify his position. So it's not really you he has the problem with. It's my decision-making abilities, or lack thereof, I suppose." The desire to smash my foot into Sean’s face is back once again. He’s just so arrogant in his belief that he’s so much better than all faeries or humans, even. I never noticed it before and it troubles me now. My foot is tapping as I think about all the ways he’s changed over the past year.

  “Hey.” I feel Flint’s hand on my arm and I start in surprise. “Screw what he thinks. He has no room to talk about decision-making with the plans he’s made.” He lets his touch fall away and I suppress a sigh. “Besides, I think you’ve got great abilities in that field.”

  I can’t deny I am happy to hear he has faith in my abilities and I smile at him. He’s definitely not the person I used to think he was. I’m learning there is a lot more to him than he lets on at first glance.

  "Thank you," I say, and hope he can see how much I mean it. "I think I really needed to hear that from someone."

  He grins at me and nudges me with his elbow. “See? I’m not an asshole all the time.”

  I laugh out loud. “I have a feeling you’re not really an asshole at all, Flint. You just like people to think you are.” I wink at him as I finish my coffee. I’ve already delayed longer than I should. "I have to go be the bane of my brother's existence now.” I sigh when I think of the reaction I know Eir will have to what I’m going to say. "Oh, this day just keeps getting better."

  Flint looks like he’s trying very hard not to smile at me. “Should I expect more abuse to be inflicted on this poor, innocent floor?” I can’t hold in the smile that breaks over my face. Suddenly I feel very lucky to know this man.

  “Let’s hope the danger has passed for today,” I say, and without thinking about it, I lay my hand on his bicep and squeeze. “Thank you, Flint.”

  He grins and nods at me but doesn’t say anything. I set my mug in the sink and head towards Eirnin’s room to see if I can make him hear reason.

  Stopping outside my brother’s bedroom door, I take a deep breath and try to prepare myself for whatever happens next. I knock on his door and hear an unhappy groan echo from inside the room. I grin despite the reason for my visit. Where I have always been an early riser, my brother will sleep the day away if he’s allowed. I knock again and call out, “Eir, can I come in? I need to talk to you.”

  I hear muffled sounds that indicate he most likely has his head buried under his pillow in an effort to block out my voice. I knock again anyway. “Eirnin — come on, it’s after ten. Time to start your day.” I hear something soft thump against the other side of the door and have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I count to ten in my head and then shout, “I’m counting to five and then I’m coming in, Eir!” We call this fair warning in our house.

  “No counting!” I hear him bellow, no longer muffled. The mattress groans, I hear two large feet hit the floor and he says, “Why do you hate sleep and the people who enjoy it?” He lets out a huge yawn before continuing, “I guess I’m decent. Come in already — I’m not getting off this bed if I don’t have to.”

  I open the door, still trying not to laugh, and almost fall over a pile of what I think must be dirty laundry right inside the door. “Geez Eir, you have a dresser, you know…and a hamper, for that matter! This place is awful.” I look around and do my best not to shudder in revulsion. There is an odor in the air that I really don’t want to find the source of, and I don’t know how long I’m going to last in here without starting to clean things up myself. “Can we go in the kitchen?” I ask, needing fresh air in a huge way. “Or the sitting room, maybe?”

  I see his demented grin make an appearance as he sits on the edge of his bed wearing the shorts he had on yesterday and no shirt. “Consider it payback for waking me up, sister dear. What do you need? I’m not leaving.”

  I feel my temper start to spark again and tamp it down. It’s not my brother’s fault that I’ve already dealt with Sean today and I’m frustrated. So I breathe through my mouth and beg. “Please Eir, at least open the window and let in some fresh air, for heaven’s sake. It smells awful in here! How can you stand that?”

  He sighs and gets out of bed; giving me a dirty look. A few moments later, he’s cleared a spot for me to sit on the sofa he keeps pushed up under the giant windows and there is a nice breeze blowing through. “There you go. Better now?” he asks; settling back on his bed and turning to look at me as I pick my way carefully across the room to sit down.

  I watch as he runs fingers through his hair and pushes it back behind his ears. He has refused my every offer to cut it and has let it grow out longer than it’s ever been before. His hair has the same heavy weight as my own, as well as the ebony color, and I know he can’t be comfortable with it hanging on his neck in this heat. I take a spare elastic band I keep on my wrist and toss it to him with a grin. “Here — you look like you might need this.”

  “Oh, thank you! I don’t know how you handle all that hair in the summertime. I meant to ask you the other day for one of these and forgot.” He busies himself pulling his hair into a messy tail and I laugh; getting up to help.

  “Give it here, amateur. Let me help you,” I tease; moving to the bed and pulling the elastic out of his hair as gently as possible. I kneel behind him, finger combing his hair to get rid of the snarls as he makes ‘ow’ noises and I laugh. “Shush! You’ll thank me later, trust me,” I tell him. When I finish, his hair looks much neater and he seems a bit more comfortable in the temperature. I kiss the top of his head and move back over to the sofa; tucking my feet under me.

  “Thank you. You were right, this is much better,” Eir says; tossing his head back and forth, looking surprised when his hair doesn’t swing around. I giggle at his silliness and he continues, “You woke me up for a reason, correct?” he asks, reminding me of why I came in here to begin with. I sigh and he says, “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

  I look at him, his face happy and open and I want to say never mind and run away. But I can’t. I sigh one more time instead. “Well, you know we’re leaving in a few days to go get the Winter princess.”

  The grin slides off his face and he nods. “Yes, Flint mentioned that to me the other day.”

  “I wanted to explain and answer any questions you might have. I really don’t mean to keep you in the dark so much, Eir. I just want to keep you safe…” I trail off and clear my throat, hating that he’s looking at me like he doesn’t know me right now.

  It’s his turn to sigh now. “I know you mean well. It’s just damned frustrating for me to never know what the hell’s going on around me. It makes me feel like you don’t
trust me or something.”

  “Well I can’t promise a complete turnaround, but I am trying to get better. I wanted to explain what’s going to happen. We’re going to bring Lumi here, but she won’t be staying in that damn cage — that’s just a precaution until we’re sure she won’t try and hurt anyone. I wanted to make sure you knew that. I swear I’m not a monster.” I am suddenly blinking tears out of my eyes and I have to stop. I feel my brother settle next to me on the sofa and pull me into a one-armed hug.

  “I never thought you were a monster, Fi. You should know better than to think that. I know the cage was all Sean’s idea.” He pauses for a moment. “I know you, so cheer up. By the way, do I really get to ask questions without you glaring at me? Because I have to admit I’ll kind of miss the glaring.” He squeezes me again when I giggle and he gets back up. “Who all is going on this grand adventure?”

  I wipe moisture from under my eyes and blow out an exasperated breath. “Sean, Flint and I will be going. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’m not looking forward to it. The two of them sniping at each other and me playing the referee the whole time? Can’t wait. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget that we’re breaking into the Winter Court to kidnap a princess. I must have lost my damn mind,” I rant.

  He looks like there’s something he wants to say but doesn’t know how. “What is it, Eir?”

  He hesitates for a second and then blurts out, “You need to make sure that Sean isn’t alone with her at all, Fi. He will do his best to kill her. I don’t know why but he needs her dead.” He seems to be considering saying something else, so I nod at him to continue. “Lumi is supposed to come here — you’re doing the right thing. It’s almost like she has to be here for any of this mess to get fixed. I don’t know how yet, but she’s the key.”

  I consider his words and feel much better about this idea. My brother’s ‘feelings’, as we call them, are rarely wrong. He has my Gran’s Sight, but it isn’t something our mother ever wanted us to talk about outside the house, so not many people outside of family know he’s something of a clairvoyant. I know it’s hard for him to handle sometimes, knowing things suddenly or being able to read people’s emotions, so I do my best to be as supportive as I know how to be.

  “Thank you for telling me. As for Sean, I’ll do my very best to keep between them at all times. I won’t let him hurt her, Eir. Between Flint and I, we can take care of him. Don’t worry about the princess. I do need to ask you to do something, though, and I know you’re going to hate it.” I pause and he shrugs at me. “I need you to stay with Sea and Ruth while I’m gone. I know you’re capable and old enough to be left on your own, I do — but I won’t be able to concentrate on anything if I’m worried about you the entire time I’m gone. And I need to concentrate, Eir, so I can come home and bring Lumi with me.”

  He looks mutinous but doesn’t speak. I can feel the frustration rolling off of him in waves. “Eir, there’s something else I should have told you before now.” I take a deep breath and decide it’s time he knew everything. “Before they left, Dad told me ‘they would come’ for you. I don’t know who specifically he meant, but that’s why I’ve been treating you like you’re made of glass. I can’t let him down, Eirnin. I already got them killed with my own stupidity, and I can’t lose you, too.” I am crying again now and can’t seem to stop.

  Eir looks at me in utter confusion. "Why the hell are they coming for me? I don't have anything they want."

  I manage to stutter around my tears. "According to F-Flint, they think you know how to close the gates. I know it doesn't make a damn bit of sense, Eir. I'm sorry."

  I hear my brother sigh and then he’s back on the sofa with me again; pulling me into his chest as I sob and feel all the guilt and terror I’ve been living with every day come crashing down on me. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Fi.” He sighs again. “I’ll stay with Sea, Fi. It’s okay. Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise.” I wish I could say his words make me feel better, but I only feel the pressure building inside me to keep him safe — always.

  Chapter 14—Lumi

  July 2102

  The night air is cool and damp as it blows in my open window; rustling the tall oak’s leaves and sending my rich, purple curtains into twirls. It dances over my face and I smell the approaching rainstorm, and as I sit here on my window seat I can see the black clouds just masking the stars above. Turning my chin to look into my room, I sigh at the barren walls and fine furniture filling it. To an outsider I am a selfish brat; sitting here in the lap of luxury with not one, but three elders to take the throne before me, and therefore not a care in the world. But honestly I’d rather live as a sewer rat than spend another moment with my family. The only blood relative of mine I can stand is sound asleep in the queen-sized bed beside me — the youngest of my siblings, Sindri — and even she is beginning to grate on my nerves.

  The door is closed tightly and I hear no sounds coming from the other bedrooms. This hopefully means my brother and two other sisters are unconscious in their own beds. The ground below is clear of guards, and the shadows tell me it’s nearly one in the morning. I swing my feet over the edge of the window, about to throw myself out of it when I hear a small, groggy voice coming from the bed. “Lumi?”

  I nearly jump out of my skin; grasping onto the window so I don’t fall and break my neck on the ground below. “Sindri!” I hiss; looking at her over my shoulder. She is practically my polar opposite — we share the same ivory skin, but she has black hair and eyes the color of crystals, while my hair is practically white and my eyes a deep blue, almost black. Her body looks nearly eighteen and, in spite of the three hundred year age gap between us, I barely look fifteen. Unfortunately for me, I am the only girl who got to look like our father…short, blonde and forever too young.

  “What in the world are you doing?” Sindri demands; sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes. “I thought you were done with this sneaking out nonsense.”

  “When did I ever say that?” I ask in a whisper, hoping she’ll get the hint to lower her voice. Khan is only a thin wall away from us, and if he hears us chatting he will go get a guard…or worse, Father.

  “You didn’t,” she replies, and drops her voice to a murmur as I’d hoped. I’m not the only one who’d be punished for being up so late. “I suppose I just assumed, after the whole…party incident.”

  I cringe and look away. It’s been over a year since that incident and she still doesn’t look at me the same. Though even with all the time in between, the brand on my arm still aches and burns as if it was inflicted yesterday. “I told you, Khan—”

  “What do you do out there, anyway?” she asks me, changing the subject. She, too, believes I made the whole thing up; believes Khan’s play of words. “Honestly, it’s filthy out there.”

  “It’s better than it is in here,” I tell her. “I go, I walk, I return within the hour. It helps clear my mind and keeps me sane.”

  She huffs. “It’s dangerous. Khan has told you of all the wildlife out there, for one, and do you have any idea what Papa would do to you if he were to find out?”

  “And how would he find out, sister?” I snap, glaring at her. She’s always been one to question the actions of others, ever so curious as to why anyone would sway from the rule book. She is the perfect daughter — quiet, accepting, obedient. Everything I am not.

  “Come now,” she grinds out. “You know I would never.”

  No, I think to myself. I don’t, actually.

  “Of course,” I say instead, and turn to face the outdoors once more.

  “Must you go tonight?” Sindri asks. “It’s so late…and I have a bad feeling you’ll be caught.”

  “You always have a bad feeling I’ll be caught,” I reply, not breaking my gaze from the earth below. “I’ll be back before you know it, alright?”

  She bites her lip and sighs. “Promise you’ll be careful?”

  I nod and she accepts that I will promise her nothing. She
knows full well that every time I wander away it’s a struggle to return. Freedom is only a few steps off my usual path, but fear has always kept me bound to this place. It would be nearly impossible to sneak away for any period of time. Everyone knows my face and even if they didn’t, someone would see the brand on my arm and return me to Landric immediately. There is no escape from this hellhole.

  “I’ll see you soon,” I tell her quietly. With one last look at the closed door, I extend my arms forward, grab onto the thick bough of the giant tree beside my window and scoot my bum off the ledge. I swing slightly and push myself into it; settling my bare feet on a lower branch, curling my toes and trying to collect my balance. I slowly lower into a crouch and let my legs dangle, then lower to hang by barely my fingertips. My usually strong shoot quakes and jerks down a few inches and I gasp; watching as it breaks away from the tree.

  My body slams against the ground and the limb of the tree slams into the dirt behind me. Frozen, I tune in my ears and let out a relieved sigh when no sirens — or deep, angry voices — sound in my wake. Sindri pops her head out of the window at the snap and crash and mouths, “Are you okay?”

  I straighten and let my bare feet rest against the rich soil to calm my mind. I glance at the broken arm of my always-reliable tree and wonder how I’ll get back inside my room tonight. I can’t imagine why it would shatter on me. After a minute, I give Sindri a thumbs-up and start towards the forest; pushing a few thorny branches aside as I find my usual walkway, reveling in the small stones that dig into my feet, the familiarity of fresh air…

  The wind whistles through the trees, melding effortlessly with the song of crickets and the rustle of small animals, and part of me would like to believe it’s only this peaceful when I am around. I faintly recall the words of my brother, warning me of the ‘dangers’ of the woods. “It’s combusting with savages, Lumi,” he would say, back when he did converse with me. “From rabid wolves to those filthy, wild humans. Just stay away from there.”