Resistance

by Allana Kephart

  Eir shakes his head like he’s coming out of a daze and takes off up the stairs to talk to Seamus. I wait until I hear the back door close behind him, then I pull the key for the cage out of my pocket and turn back to Lumi. “Listen, I don’t want you to get hurt, Lumi. If you can promise me that you won’t hurt anyone who doesn’t try to hurt you, I can get you out of there and upstairs into a suite where you’ll be more comfortable and we can talk.”

  Lumi hesitates, looking nervous, and nods. "I, um...I won't hurt anyone who means me no harm, I promise." She winces when she says ‘promise’ and looks between Flint and I, and I hate myself for putting her in the damn cage to begin with. I nod; wanting her out of there as quickly as possible.

  I motion for Flint to stand back, and once I’m sure he’s clear of the iron, I unlock the cage. I can’t wait to get someone to destroy the damn thing. I hold my hand out to help Lumi up. “I’m really sorry we put you in here, Lumi. I might be human and able to break promises, but you can ask Flint — I am true to my word. I will do everything in my power to be sure no one hurts you while you’re here. Are you hungry? My brother made you a sandwich.” I pause as I realize I’m rambling at the poor girl, but I can’t seem to stop. “We can bring it upstairs with us. I hope you like peanut butter.”

  I hear Flint chuckle and look over to see him looking at the floor, biting his lip. Lumi's eyes soften ever so slightly and she nods; taking my hand and standing up. "Thank you." She blinks. "That tall boy is your brother?" She studies my face, probably seeing the similarities between our faces.

  “Yes, the giant is my brother. Crazy, right? Most of the men in my family are tall as trees, though. I’m the odd one.” Yes, I’m rambling again. What is it about the Fae that brings out this insane need to babble in me? “Anyway, let’s get you settled in and we’ll talk. Are you strong enough to walk? I can’t imagine this iron is easy to handle.”

  Flint shakes his head and grins. Lumi looks between he and I and smiles tiredly to herself. I decide not to over analyze it; I’m exhausted. "I'm the shortest in my family, as well," Lumi says, and then blushes and looks shocked at herself for revealing something so personal. "Um, I think I'm alright. Just need to...get out of this room, I think."

  I keep a hand on her elbow, just in case she’s feeling weak, and lead her up the stairs into the kitchen. As we pass through the hallway I gesture to each room and tell her who sleeps where, and we continue on up the stairs to the second floor. I decided to put her in the suite across from my father’s office, thinking she’d be safer off the ground floor. “Okay, so this will be your room. If you ever need anything, you can let the guard know and we’ll take care of it for you. I picked up some clothes and things for you. They’re in the dresser — just let me know if anything doesn’t fit.” I open the door and motion her forward, handing her the sandwich Eir made for her. “Do you need a nap or anything? Or would you like to talk now? I can’t imagine this is easy for you…” I trail off, feeling guilty.

  Lumi takes a seat on the queen-sized bed under the window and looks at the giant sandwich; ripping off a tiny piece as Flint leans in the doorway behind me. "I can talk." She pauses. "If I may ask... Why am I here?" She glances up, looking lost. "You're being so kind… I'm confused."

  I settle on the edge of the bed and motion for Flint to come in and close the door. "I would be too, in your situation. You're here,” I sigh, then push on. "Well, you're here because we need help. My parents were killed by your father's people. They were looking for information they thought he had — information that would help humanity take back their freedom.” I pause as Flint closes the door and sits in the armchair by the dresser. “I know this isn't your fight and we've taken you away from your home, but I brought you here to see if you might want to help us. And nothing bad will happen to you if you say no, just so you know."

  Her eyes darken. "My father had your parents killed?"

  I pull in a breath and try to ignore the pain that lances through my heart at the thought of my parents. "That was the information we were given."

  Lumi takes a shaky breath, shakes her head, looks pissed, mutters something that sounds like "soulless old bastard..." and then meets my eyes. "I'm terribly sorry...I had no idea." After a moment she looks confused again. "What help could I possibly provide?"

  "It's not your fault, but thank you." I take a breath. "Honestly, we weren't sure if you knew anything about how to close the faery gates for good? That's the information my parents were looking for."

  "I don't know much." She frowns like she's embarrassed. "I've only heard bits and pieces from my brother.” She seems to be considering saying something. “…Well…but that would make no sense."

  Flint lifts a brow and speaks up for the first time since he introduced himself. "Nothing makes sense right now. What is it?"

  She looks at Flint and pauses. "Khan — my brother — thinks my father has no idea what he's doing. He’s determined the answers lie within the rebellion." She looks pointedly at me. "I assume that would be you all, wouldn't it?"

  “That would be us, yes. I wonder…” I trail off and start tapping my fingers on my bottom lip as I wonder about the possibilities.

  Lumi frowns. "He mentioned something about a journal, too. He seems to think there are instructions somewhere."

  Flint glances at me, looking completely lost. "Any ideas?"

  "Oh my God, could it really be in one of Gran's old journals?" I wonder out loud. I look between Flint and Lumi and take a deep breath; deciding to trust them both with one of my family’s secrets. "I have to share something...and it's not something we tell a lot of people. My Gran — my dad's mother — she was a Seer. She kept journals her whole life. I’ve actually been trying to find them for a while now. I wonder if— I mean...that seems like too large a coincidence, don't you think?"

  Flint frowns. "Maybe she saw something and that's exactly why you're one of the few humans without branding on you." Lumi flushes at the words and tugs her sleeve a little lower on her hand, dropping my gaze silently and looking at her wrist.

  I look at Flint and bite my lip. “Gran told me she had a dream vision that told her what to do to make sure there was hope for humanity. But she wouldn’t ever tell me about it, and she got really upset if I pressed her. If there are instructions floating around on how to close the Fae gates, I have a feeling they’re here somewhere.”

  "Possibly. Would she leave them in the library, maybe?"

  Lumi interjects, frowning. "This is a very powerful thing you're dealing with. If she was a smart woman, she would've hid them so they didn't fall into the wrong hands."

  I stand and start to pace, fingers tapping again. “I’ve been looking in the closet in the library, but so far I haven’t found any of her journals. Once I finished in there, I was going to start looking in her old room. We haven’t really gone in there since she passed away.” The thought of going in there makes my heart hurt.

  As Flint catches my eye I see understanding dawn there, and he nods. "Would you like help?" Lumi blinks at his question.

  I smile at him; so grateful that he’s here and willing to help me with the nonstop craziness that my life has become. “I would like your help very much.”

  Lumi grins at us. "You are such a cute couple...but I'm sure you get that all the time." I stop pacing and look over to Flint, whose eyes are huge, and he is actually blushing when he glances back at me.

  “Oh, um...we're not...that is...we're just friends..." I stammer, feeling my face heat.

  Lumi gets a very understanding look on her face suddenly and raises a brow; slowly looking between the two of us. "Oh. Very sorry, my mistake.” The way she says it suggests she doesn’t believe me and I choke and look down.

  Flint coughs and looks at the floor; combing his fingers through his hair. "It's, erm, it's quite alright."

  I avoid looking in Flint’s direction because I know my face is still flaming. "Yes, of course it's all right. Now what were we talking about?"
>
  Flint immediately volunteers, “Journals—" He coughs again when his voice breaks. “Y-your grandmother’s journals."

  Lumi looks at Flint and shakes her head, looking amused. I grab onto Flint’s reminder. “Oh yes! That's right… journals. I think we should make finding them a priority,” I say.

  Flint and Lumi both nod, agreeing with me and then Lumi says, "I believe that would be best."

  I look at both of them and nod back. “Okay. So we’ll find Gran’s journals and see what they tell us.” I finally feel like I might be on the right track. Maybe bringing Lumi here was a good idea.

  Chapter 17—Lumi

  July 2102

  It is late afternoon when a tentative knock tears me from my dreamless slumber. I snap into a sitting position and groan when the sun glaring inside my room temporarily blinds me. I look around the room and realize with equal amounts of relief and concern that being kidnapped by a rebellion of humans wasn’t all some very detailed dream. I stumble out of bed and to the window, yanking the curtains closed rather harshly before huffing out, “Come on in!” to whomever is outside my door.

  The door slowly swings open as I take a flying leap back into the coziness that is the bed, and I’m met with the shy blue eyes of Fi’s brother. I blush at my recent show of insanity and sit up; offering him an embarrassed smile as I try and straighten my surely disastrous hair. “Hello.”

  “Hi there,” he says. He’s holding a tray with two mugs and what looks like a plate of cookies. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course,” I answer immediately, patting the bed. It is his house. I can’t imagine why he’s asking me if he can come in. He stands there for a minute so I smile at him. Even with his size I find I’m not afraid of him like I am of that other red-haired boy. His blue eyes reveal an innocence I haven’t seen in far too long and I instantly want to know him better. So instead of worrying that I have to say the right things or I’ll get killed or kicked out (because God only knows I better not walk back into my house after having been missing for at least two days), I decide I’ll just talk to this one openly.

  He gets this dopey smile on his face and comes into the room, closing the door behind him. He sets the tray on the nightstand beside the bed and then continues to awkwardly shift his weight from one foot to the other. “Thanks. I brought some cookies for us to share. My sister doesn’t need all these delicious calories,” he says. “And coffee. Because, well, because I like coffee and I thought you might like some—”

  “That was very sweet of you.” I stop him when he starts to ramble on. I ramble all the time and I wish someone would stop me when I do. He bites his lip shyly and tries to smile at me, and I pretend not to see the blush spread over his cheeks. I reach out and grab one of the warm coffee mugs and inhale deeply. “I’ve never tried coffee,” I admit. “It smells amazing.”

  His jaw seems to unlatch from his head and he stares at me while I sniff at the warm, creamy liquid in the mug. “How is it you’ve never had coffee? You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  I shrug at him. “I dunno — just never had an occasion to.” I take a small sip of the scalding beverage and feel my eyes widen. The concoction is sweet and rich on my tongue, and I feel an addiction begin. Eirnin must notice my newfound glee because he laughs and I look up at him over the mug. Feeling rude, I lower it back to my chest and clear my throat. “God, where are my manners? I’m sorry. I’m Lumi, as you probably already know. You’re Fianna’s younger brother, right?”

  “I am, yes — yeah. My name is Eirnin, but most everyone calls me Eir,” he says, and sticks his hand out for me to shake. I remove one hand from my mug and shake his; trying not to show my shock when his giant hand practically hides mine from view. I’m suddenly reminded just how tiny I am and feel a blush come up my neck and over my ears. “I wanted to introduce myself and see how you’re doing…” He trails off, and I can tell he’s feeling dumb.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Eir,” I say, and take another huge gulp of coffee. He looks away from me and studies his feet; glancing at the door like he thinks he should leave. “You look tense. Please, sit. I don’t bite. Not without reason, anyway.”

  He grins at the joke and seems to snap out of his timidity. He edges toward the bed and takes a seat on the edge before taking his own cup of coffee off the tray. “I think that’s the first time anyone has ever said I look tense. That’s Fi’s gig, not mine. Not normally anyway.” His eyes widen as he looks at the wall and I swear I hear him mutter ‘oh God, shut up!’ to himself. He clears his throat and blushes deeper when he sees I’m smiling at him. “Would you like a cookie? My aunt made them and they’re awesome.”

  “Sure,” I say, as I try to ease him. I can’t figure out why he’s acting so silly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he found me attractive somehow. I ignore the thought and grab one of the treats. “You’re very sweet to bring these up to me.”

  I feel like all the blood is coming to his face at this point. He looks like he might pass out at any moment. “I was happy to do it. So how are you?” He hesitates for a moment and then reveals what he’s been trying to ask since he walked in. “Sean didn’t hurt you, did he? I heard he got a little rough.”

  “Oh, no,” I say, shaking my head at him. “He didn’t really get the chance to. The Kitsune, um… Flint, stepped in and distracted him before he could, uh…” I make a stabbing motion with my hand and then remember I about poked his eye out. “Is his eye alright? I didn’t mean to hit him, I was just—”

  Eirnin leans over the bed to set his coffee on the ground and suddenly his huge, warm hands are gripping my shoulders. “I want you to promise me that if he ever bothers you again, you will do everything to keep him away from you. Whatever you have to do. Don’t feel bad for defending yourself! He wasn’t supposed to touch you at all.” He seems to notice how he’s holding me and flops back into his original position, seeming embarrassed. “I haven’t seen him since you guys got back, but I’m sure the ass is still alive. So, no feeling guilty — you hear me?”

  I nod mutely, completely taken aback by this show of protectiveness. I’ve known him for about five minutes now, and he’s already shown more care for me than my entire family combined in the past few hundred years. “I take it you don’t like him much,” I manage after a few moments; pulling my coffee back up to my mouth.

  “I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that,” he says, and looks at me sadly. “I’m sorry. I’m really not a Neanderthal.”

  “You didn’t ‘grab’ me, sweetheart, relax.” I nudge him with my toe and tut at him.

  He smiles and rests his hand on my ankle, almost like a natural action. I’m not sure he even notices. “The ass is my cousin. I can’t stand him.”

  “Just because he’s blood doesn’t mean you have to like him,” I tell him. Boy, do I know that statement is true. “Family doesn’t technically mean loyal or trustworthy, either.”

  “That’s good, because I never will. I think my sister is finally starting to see him for what he really is.”

  “I suppose I can understand his frustration to a point.” I shake my head. “My family’s the one with a poor background for the treatment of humans.” I find I am having a hard time trying to defend his case and quickly change the subject. “New topic. Tell me about you.”

  His smile is back and I have to say I’m relieved by it. “I’m really not that interesting. I like to read, and I take the job of driving my sister insane very seriously.” He shakes his head and shrugs. “What do you want to know specifically, Lu?”

  I giggle at his job description and shrug back at him; enjoying the new nickname. “Nothing specific,” I tell him. “I’m just a curious one.”

  I stare at him more intently. He greatly reminds me of one of the humans back at the mansion, one of the captives. They’re built differently, of course, but they both have the same bright blue eyes, the same smile and dark hair. I can’t bring myself to ask, though, and Eirnin is already replying again b
efore my mouth opens and the question has the chance to fall out in spite of myself.

  “Well, okay then,” he says with a wink. “I’m a bit of a slob sometimes. My birthday is this month,” he drops his voice to a whisper, “and I’ll be seventeen this year. I love my family, except for the giant ass who hurt you…and I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Aww, thank you.” I smile at him and realize my next sentence is one hundred percent genuine. “I’m happy to be here, too.” Then I sit up as I realize sadly that my coffee is gone, and shove his shoulder as I set it down. “When’s your birthday? Don’t tell me I missed it.”

  He laughs. “It’s the twenty-seventh. You made it in time.”

  “Well Happy Birthday early, Eirnin.” I beam up at him again and then lean forward to press a kiss to his cheek. His eyes soften considerably but he sits there for a second; gaping like a fish. His face deepens in color until his eyes are nearly popping out of his skull. “Thanks,” he manages slowly; his voice small and shy and I giggle at him.

  I don’t want him to leave, but our conversation has reached a lull and I don’t know how to fill the silence. Of all the times to have an awkward pause! But what can I say? What could I ask him and not make a fool of myself?

  I notice he’s staring at my mouth and I’m suddenly aware I am opening and closing it, trying to make words come out. I blush and he smiles, and as if he read my mind, he drops his head and asks quietly, “Wanna play Twenty Questions?”

  I have no idea what that is, but I’m not about to admit it and put a damper on the mood. I’m sure I’ll pick it up as we go along, right? So my grin gets even bigger and I nod my head at him. “Sure.”

  I look away from the book on my pillow and out the window for the umpteenth time, hoping again the sun will be high enough in the sky that I won’t bother anyone if I get out of bed. Alas, no. The sky is still a grayish, navy blue and the stars are still winking at me. It can’t be later than four a.m. I huff and turn back to the novel that is simply not getting my attention this morning.